Queso Payoyo Andaluz

Queso Payoyo is Andaluz, from the Sierra de Cádiz, and it tastes of that mountain pasture: Payoya goat milk for brightness, sheep milk for fat and roundness, and a firm paste that cuts cleanly when you treat it properly. This is not a cheese that needs fuss. It needs the right temperature and a sharp knife.

The method that decides it is tempering. Take the cheese out of the refrigerator at least one hour before serving, longer if the wedge is large, so the fat softens and the smell opens. Cold Payoyo tastes tight and muted. At room temperature it turns nutty, grassy, a little sharp at the edge, with the sheep milk carrying the finish.

Cut it into slim wedges, not thick blocks. You want rind, paste, and heart in each piece, so every bite shows the whole cheese. If you find a rosemary-rubbed Payoyo, serve it as it is; don't bury it under honey and decoration. If you can't find Payoyo where you are, look for a cured Spanish mixed goat-and-sheep cheese, or a good cured goat cheese at a pinch. What changes is the mountain tang, but the table still works. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.