Last night I hosted a fabulous tasting of American cheeses and over the course of the next few days - I thought we'd highlight each one of them and tell you all my dear Fromagical readers why they are so fabulous.
Let's start with Grafton Village Cheese's 3 year aged Cheddar. This my friends is a cheddar with roots -- Grafton's history dates back to the 1890s when a co-op of farmers got together to begin producing cheese with their excess milk. This was somewhat of a short lived operation as in 1912, a large fire destroyed their facilities. It was not until the 1960s, that the Windham Foundation came along and rebuilt the operation and restored a sense of cheesemaking life into Grafton which continues to this day. The Windham Foundation is centered around helping stimulate and promote agricultural, economic, societal and cultural growth in the rural communities of Vermont. A portion of your purchase of any cheese crafted by Grafton Village Cheese goes to benefit the Windham Foundation.
Fast forward to 2012 -- Grafton Village Cheese is a big deal operation making hundreds of pounds of cheese on a yearly basis. Experts in Cheddar -- Grafton crafts young and old cheddars, infused cheddars, and pretty much anything in between.
My absolute favorite of their Cheddars is their 3 year. It's fantastically biting and robust yet rustic, farmsteady and creamy. With hints of grassiness and a honest raw roundness -- it is a superstar of a Cheddar. Intensely crumbly in the most wonderful of ways -- those morsels manage to coat every crevice of your mouth. Great on its own or paired with dried apricots and roasted walnuts or sandwiched between two pieces of bread with sliced tomatos and toasted to make a grilled cheese -- it sure is a versatile cheese!
Best enjoyed either with McCall's 2010 Pinot Noir hailing from the North Fork if you're in the wine mood or Brooklyn Brewery's Pennant Ale if you're in a beer mood. McCall's Pinot Noir is all elegance -- full of dark cherry and red berry notes with hints of spice and notes of vanilla -- medium bodied and the perfect Fall local wine to bring out the flavors of the cheese. Not feeling wine -- then grab a Pennant Ale, Brooklyn Brewery's traditional English style pale ale. Bright honey colored with a toasty, crisp hoppy, maltiness and fruity smoothness. A great pairing partner for our Grafton 3 year aged Cheddar.
Here's to the beginning of our American Cheese Celebrations with the wonderful Grafton Village Cheese 3 year Cheddar!
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