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Dry Jack

Dry Jack cheese can be grated into feather-light wafers and served over pasta.

Dry Jack is Monterey Jack cheese made from skim or part-skim milk that has been aged from six to nine months or as long as several years. It has a sharper flavor than young Jack. Dry Jack cheese was produced accidentally in 1915 when a San Francisco wholesaler found himself overstocked with Monterey Jack. He salted it in hopes of preserving it, and later found that the cheese had become fruity, rich, and hard, much like fine Italian Parmesan.

Varieties

Dry Jack is aged at least six months and often longer. A Mexican version of this cheese is harder and has more bite. A number of outstanding varieties of Dry Jack are now made in California by artisan producers.

Buying and storing tips

Although promoted as a grating cheese, Dry Jack is also an excellent table cheese. Seek out an opportunity to taste it. Like genuine Italian Parmesans, it can be eaten in paper-thin curls shaved from the wedge onto pasta, salads, and soups. Dry Jack should be stored in the refrigerator, tightly sealed in plastic wrap.

Availability

Dry Jack is widely available in health food stores, specialty stores, and markets.

Preparation, uses, and tips

This rich table cheese is used for salads and grating, and considered a fine complement to Mexican and Southwestern cuisine; it also makes a fine snack cheese. Dry Jack cheese can be grated in feather-light wafers and served on pasta; for an hors d’oeuvre, toss finely grated Jack with warm toasted almonds.

Nutritional Highlights

Dry Monterey Jack cheese, 1 oz. (28g)
Calories: 106
Protein: 6.9g
Carbohydrate: 0.2g
Total Fat: 8.6g
Fiber: 0.0g
*Excellent source of: Calcium (212mg)

*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the Recommended Daily Value.