Monterey Jack

Not every California icon is a finished dish, some are the raw material, and Monterey Jack is the one I had to include because its name is a little piece of California history, corruption and all.

The cheese itself goes back to the Spanish Franciscan missions around Monterey, where dairies made a mild, semi-soft, pressed cheese. The name came later, from David Jacks, a Scottish-born Monterey landowner who commercialized it in the late 1800s and sold it widely as Jacks’ cheese, which slurred over time into Monterey Jack. Jacks was, by most accounts, a notorious land-grabber who ended up with an enormous share of the Monterey Peninsula, so the honest version of the story is that the cheese is older than the name, and the man who got his name on it was not exactly beloved. I find that more interesting than a tidy legend.

Jack melts like a dream, which is its whole personality. The simplest way to show it off is a California quesadilla: scatter shredded Monterey Jack and roasted green chiles over half a flour tortilla, fold it, and cook over medium heat until golden and the cheese is molten. Rest it a minute so the melt sets, then cut into wedges for the cheese pull and serve with salsa or avocado, both very California.