Queijo da Serra

Queijo da Serra is Portugal’s most celebrated cheese — a buttery, almost liquid wheel from the Serra da Estrela mountains, made from raw sheep’s milk and rennet from thistle flowers. Ripe, it is spoonable; slightly younger, it spreads on warm bread.

The most indulgent way to enjoy it is baked: the cheese melts into a molten, honey-hued pool, scooped with crusty bread like a fondue. Serve it as a first course or a cheese-course finale with quince paste and a glass of red wine.

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