Cana de Cabra is a soft-ripened goat's milk cheese from Murcia in southeastern Spain, shaped into a long log and finished with a thin bloomy white rind. It is Spain's answer to the French Bûcheron recipe, made with pasteurized goat's milk and aged for about three weeks before it ships. The paste is bright white and soft, with a pronounced cream line right under the rind and a slightly chalkier, more lactic core in the center. On the palate it leads with that classic goat's milk tang, buttery and a little lemony, then picks up a soft mushroom note from the rind on the back end. The finish is clean and short, more refreshing than funky, which is what makes this such an easy entry point for people who think they don't like goat cheese. This is the cheese to reach for when you want goat character without any of the sharper, gamier edges. Slice it into thick coins for a board, melt it onto toast with a drizzle of honey, or warm a piece and drop it onto a salad with bitter greens. It sits right in the sweet spot between fresh chèvre and a more aged bloomy goat, and it punches well above its price tag.
