Why we use goat's cheese from the Alpujarras

The Alpujarras is a series of valleys on the southern slope of the Sierra Nevada, between Granada and the coast. It has been producing goat's cheese for a very long time, and the cheese from that area has a particular character that is hard to source elsewhere in Andalusia.

What makes Alpujarras goat's cheese different ¶

The goats in the Alpujarras graze on mountain pasture at altitude, which gives the milk a higher fat content and a more pronounced mineral quality than lowland goat's milk. The cheese made from it is fresh and soft, with a clean acidity and a faint herbal note that comes from the wild thyme and rosemary the animals eat.

Fresh goat's cheese is highly perishable. The farm that supplies Fervores delivers twice a week, which aligns with Gonzalo's market visits. The cheese arrives on Tuesday and Friday and is used within two days. It is never frozen and never held longer than that.

How it is used on the hearth ¶

The cheese is placed directly on the hearth grate for four minutes. The outside chars in patches and the inside softens to the point where it holds its shape but yields immediately when pressed. It is served with a small salad of wild herbs and a slice of toasted sourdough from a bakery in the Albaicin quarter of Granada.

The dish is simple enough that the quality of the cheese is the only variable. When the cheese is good, the dish is very good. When the delivery is not quite right, the dish comes off the menu for that service. Gonzalo makes that call each evening before the kitchen opens.

The relationship with the farm ¶

The arrangement with the Alpujarras farm began in the spring of 2018, shortly after the hearth was installed. Gonzalo had been looking for a fresh goat's cheese that could take direct heat without falling apart, and a contact at the market suggested the farm. The first delivery was a trial. It has been a regular order since.

The farm does not have a retail presence in Granada. The cheese is not available in shops. If you want to eat it, the restaurant is currently the only place in the city where it is served regularly.

The grilled goat's cheese is 11 EUR and is on the menu every evening. It is one of the dishes that has been on the menu in some form since 2018 and is unlikely to leave.