Day 978 : Wrinkles are Sexy

Oh yes they most certainly are when they come in the form of geotricum rinded goat's milk cheeses from Vermont Butter and Cheese. What is Geotricum you might be wondering? It's a yeast that is added to goat's milk during the cheesemaking process. This yeast will cause a cheese's rind to wrinkle as it ages and my friends the more wrinkles, the better the cheese will taste!

Inspired by the age old geotricum style cheeses crafted in France, Vermont Butter and Cheese if you ask me crafts the best Geotricum rinded cheeses one can find in America. Vermont Butter and Cheese produces four fabulous Geo cheeses that have taken years of development, experimentation and perfection -- Bijou, Coupole, Cremont, and Bonne Bouche. Bonne Bouche is the cornerstone of their Geo cheese line. Released in 2001 to the marketplace, this hand ladled goat's milk disc that is aged with ash is decadent, luscious, creamy, crisp, grassy, citrusy, and wonderful. It is truly a cheese to dream of.

So this month, Vermont Creamery is giving away five Bonne Bouche prize packages in the month of March via their blog and Facebook page -- http://www.vermontcreamery.com/wrinkles-are-sexy-1?wtst=200.

How do you win?

By sharing your favorite recipe and / or pairing with Bonne Bouche so get inventive guys and win some of my favorite Vermont goat's milk cheeses!!!!

Along with Vermont Creamery's giveaway, Fromagical will be giving away one Bonne Bouche prize package as well. So write to us and tell us your favorite Bonne Bouche recipes and pairings and one lucky winner will receive an awesome Bonne Bouche Basket!

Day 929 : Thanksgiving Pairings Day Two

Welcome back to our lead-up to Thanksgiving edition with our next round of pairings featuring an aged creamy goat's milk cheese and a Pinot Gris. A crisper, more refreshing and lighter pairing than yesterday's.

For today's creamy goat's milk cheese, I've chosen one of my Vermont favorites -- Cremont, made by Vermont Creamery. A mixed milk cheese crafted with goat's milk, cow's milk, and a dollop of cow's milk cream. This hockey puck sized disc of creamy cheesy goodness is all milky and bright with grassy, citrusy, lightly buttery notes -- infused with the best Vermont terroir. Mouth coating in the most wonderful of ways -- this cheese combines the classic goat's milk and cow's milk flavor nuances.

And what of our wine partner for today's pairing?

What about Atwater Vineyard's Estate Pinot Gris hailing from the Finger Lakes. Bright, crisp and refreshing with a nice floral acidity with a brilliant floral bouquet of grapefruit, citrus, grass, and ripe summer figs. Light yet rustic, this wine does fabulous dance on your palate.

The bright acidity of the wine will cut through the creaminess of the cheese. The similar flavor nuances in both the wine and the cheese are what makes this the perfect goat cheese pairing - grassy meets grassy and citrusy meets citrusy.

Stay tuned for our blue cheese pairing up later on today!

Day 914 : American Cheese Celebrations : Day Four - Bonne Bouche

Let's finish up our American Cheese Celebration tasting from last week with our people's choice winner of the evening -- Vermont Butter and Cheese's Bonne Bouche. This pasteurized goat's milk disc of creamy goodness is the cornerstone of VBC's aged goat's milk cheese line -- geotrichum aged with a fabulous ashen exterior rind. Meant to be enjoyed young, it is all brightness and milkiness with a fresh, citrusy, grassy bent. As Bonne Bouche ages -- the flavors become more piquant.

What goes with this crowd-pleaser of a cheese?

Perhaps a nice glass of Blanc de Blancs or even a Long Island Pinot Blanc such as Lieb Cellars Pinot. The bubbles of a Blanc de Blancs will cut through the creaminess of the cheese and find their counterpart in the bright citrusy notes of the cheese. If you're not in a bubbles mood, the Pinot Blanc's crisp, bright, grassy, citrusy, pineapple-y notes will find their flavor match with the Bonne Bouche creating a perfect Springtime flavor moment.

Stay tuned over the course of the rest of the month of October for plenty more American Cheese Adventures! Here's to the greatness of the American Artisanal Cheesemakers!

Day 909 : Sunday night pairing

It's one of those Sunday evenings where being inside and cozy under blankets with a good friend, loved one, or furry friend is exactly the ticket. There's something about the grey rainy chill in the air that just calls for indoors and cuddling. 

So what to enjoy on an evening like this?

How about a dark chocolate and cheese pairing?

For the cheese - let's go with one of my absolute favorites - Coupole. Made by Allison Hooper and the wonderful folks at Vermont Butter and Cheese is named for its shape in French -- snow covered dome. An aged pasteurized goat's milk cheese with a natural and crinkly soft rind and an ivory chalky lactic interior modeled on the great Loire Valley goats but with that Vermont "je ne sais quoi." Creamy and milky with a nice burst of citrusy grassy fabulousness. 

And for the chocolate? 

How about Maison du Chocolat's Dark Chocolate Bark with almonds, pistachios, and dried fruit. Not too sweet, not too bitter but with just the right creamy, nutty, fruity crunch. 

The tangy, grassy, citrusy, lactic and milky notes of the cheese will play off of the rustic nutty elegant nuances of the chocolate for the perfect marriage of flavors.

Day 900 : The perfect thing for Fall!

Happy First day of Fall!

Boy have I got the perfect Fall item for you!

Vermont Creamery has come out with a sea salt and maple cultured butter. Perfect for putting on pancakes, baking muffins with, lathering on toast, you name it, this sweet yet salty and fabulously creamy butter just totally wows! Think of baking an apple pie with that, how wonderful would that be?

A treat of Vermont proportions! It is definitely worth indulging in this new release!

Day 862 : Matchmaking Vermont Style Recap...

No awkward silences here, no turning of the cheek to avoid a first date kiss, instead an informed pairing of Vermont wines and cheeses led by Sean Buchanan and Alice Feiring as part of the seminar series at the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival. Buchanan was an executive chef at the Middlebury Inn  and then at the Stowe Mountain Lodge and currently is a business development manager for Black River Produce -- a local produce and speciality foods distributor. There he helps chefs maximize their use of local and sustainable ingredients focusing on stimulating the region through direct usage of local products. Buchanan is all about the locavore movement -- growing the local agricultural community to in turn stimulate the socio-economic climate of the Upper Valley. Feiring has been writing on many topics, most notably wine since 1988 and has a wine blog (www.alicefeiring.com) since 2004 wining the James Beard and Louis Roederer Wine Writing Awards for her penmanship. Feiring is a big proponent of natural, biodynamic and organic wines.

So what did Buchanan and Feiring put together for the pairings?

Pairing 1: Vermont Butter and Cheese's Bonne Bouche and Lincoln Peak's Black Sparrow with an under ripe peach - 

VBC's ash ripened aged goat's milk cheese that is bright, tangy, citrusy and chalky with a crisp local white wine - the harmony of terroir working perfectly!

Pairing 2 : Grafton Village Cheese's Bismark and East Shore Vineyard's Frontenac Rose with pickled red cherries -

Bismark is a semi-firm aged sheep's milk cheese full of nutty, buttery, creamy and sweet notes. The perfect snacking sheep's milk cheese whose depth increases as it ages. Frontenac Rose, despite its dark color, is light and fanciful and full of red berry notes. Each great on their own but I was not sold on this pairing until I introduced the fabulous pickled red cherries which were just the cat's meow.

Pairing 3 : Spring Brook Farm's Reading and Shelburne Vineyard's Marquette

Raclette style cheese made in Vermont? Well yes, since 2010 Spring Brook Farm has been crafting this raw Jersey cow's milk semi soft cheese. Fruity and nutty, yet buttery and round, this cheese is great on its own or melted and sandwiched between two pieces of bread as the best grilled cheese sandwich. Marquette is a dynamic yet approachable medium bodied red wine -- full of dark cherry notes, this is a lovely pairing.

Pairing 4 : Consider Bardwell's Pawlet and Snow Farm Vineyard's Vidal Ice Wine

Modeled on an Italian style toma, this raw Jersey cow's milk cheese is approachable and easy to love -- full of sweetness, with hints of butter, grassy-ness, and a nice floral finish. A great pairing partner for almost any beverage and a huge crowd pleaser of a cheese. Classic ice wine done well -- sweet with a syrupy floral bouquet. I'm not necessarily a fan of pairing ice wine with cheeses especially here but if I had to, I would perhaps pair the ice wine with a nice spicy piquant blue cheese not the Pawlet. The Pawlet begs for a medium bodied red or a range of beers. 

Pairing 5: Shelburne Farms Smoked Cheddar and Snow Farm Vineyard's Vidal Ice Wine

Raw cow's milk hickory wood smoked cheddar that is round, buttery and rustic with the most fabulous hints of campfire paired with the same ice wine as the prior pairing. Here I think that the sweetness and thickness of the wine actually plays off of the smoky notes of the cheddar and forms an interesting and dynamic pairing.

Pairing 6 : Shelburne Farms 2 year aged Cheddar and Eden Ice Cider Company's Newhall Ice Cider

Farmstead aged cheddar that's crumbly, caramelly, crystallized, nutty, and buttery is paired with the sweetness of the ice cider. Notes of apples and honey find their home with the flavor nuances of the cheese and the tasting is rounded out with a wonderful final pairing.

Overall a really fun Vermont matchmaking experience -- highlighting the brilliance of the local terroir. 

Day 836 : Cocktail hour chez moi

Last night I had a few friends over for rose wine and summery nibbles -- light, flavorful and fresh food accompanied by crisp fruit forward rose and great company.

So what did I make?

To start off I made a strawberry, cherry tomato, and basil burrata salad topped with a drizzle of EVOO and some sea salt. This was accompanied by some rosemary olive oil infused crackers, a melange of olives and roasted walnuts.

What else did we have?

A homemade flatbread pizza topped with Vermont Butter & Cheese's herb chevre, sliced zucchini and yellow summer squash, roasted walnuts, basil, and aged Parmesan topped with a drizzle of EVOO, crushed red pepper and sea salt. Rustic, aromatic, and flavorful yet bright, light, and fresh. The perfect summertime flatbread!

Here's to a great weekend folks!

Day 825 : On my doorstep...

I came home this evening to find a package of Vermont cheese-y goodness courtesy of Vermont Creamery in celebration of springtime! Three fresh logs of goat's milk cheese - one plain chevre, one pepper chevre, and one herb chevre accompanied with dried apricots and Castleton Rutland Rye Crackers.

What a treat! And a perfect way to brighten this grey muggy day!

Why fresh chevre right now?

Because these fresh logs of creamy, milky, lactic, citrusy, chalky goodness are the perfect ode to springtime! I personally love to enjoy them either with a nice glass of bubbles, perhaps a Prosecco or Blanc de Blancs even a glass of crisp, mineral forward white wine would be nice.

Either way the clean bright flavors of this young goat's milk cheese are destined to bring a smile to your face.

Day 777 : Of celebrations, bubbles, and other fabulous things

This evening I had the opportunity of going to an event with the Ruinart Chef de Cave at Whitehall Bar + Kitchen and I got to thinking about the classic champagne and cheese pairings and how sometimes stepping outside of the box and doing the unexpected is the most fun.

Ruinart's rose champagne is one of my favorite champagnes -- it's delicate and flavorful yet refined and elegant, approachable but developed. It is the sort of champagne that can stand alone or be paired with foods and work each and every time. So this evening I got to thinking about what my favorite Ruinart Rose cheese pairing would be and I determined it would be Vermont Butter & Cheese's Coupole.

Full disclosure -- maybe that's because these are too of my favorites enjoyed together but also because I truly think they work.

Coupole is a geotrichum ripened aged pasteurized goat's milk cheese that is modeled on the Loire Valley greats but is completely it's own Vermont creation -- milky, chalky, citrusy, and crisp with a nice refreshing and tangy finish. The mineral acidity of the cheese finds its counterpart in the bubbly and the red berry nutty notes of the bubbly go hand in hand with the dense brightness of the cheese. An elegant and springy pairing of my favorite French bubbles and Vermont goat's milk cheeses.

Day 752 : Wrinkles are Sexy - The Wonders of Bonne Bouche

Bonne Bouche yes that's French for a "good or mouthful/bite." But it is also the flagship geotrichum-rinded aged goat's milk cheese from Vermont Butter and Cheese. First released to the public in 2001, this cheese has gotten better with age -- not just its cave aging, but the creamery has worked very hard to perfect this little morsel of soft ash ripened goat's milk cheese. And if I do say so myself -- boy have they succeeded! It is outstanding. I'm not the only one who thinks so, the cheese won gold at last year's World Cheese Awards.

Think Loire Valley style ash ripened goat cheeses like Selles-sur-Cher, add in the terroir and specific tree ash of Vermont, the local farms' pasteurized goat's milk, the special touch of the Vermont Butter and Cheese creamery staff, and a little je ne sais quoi and you get Bonne Bouche. Tangy and chalky yet bright and citrusy with a nice milky smooth finish and piquant hints as the cheese ages.

The cheese is aged just long enough to develop its fabulous wrinkles which are the cornerstone of Vermont Butter and Cheese's March Facebook Campaign, giveaway and Whole Foods samplings in and around New York this month. So how do you win?

Step One: Like Vermont Butter and Cheese on Facebook

Step Two: Share your favorite photo, pairing concept, or serving tip for Bonne Bouche or something you find interesting about the cheese.

Step Three : Cross your fingers that you win the weekly random giveaway basket of this fabulous cheese. Vermont Butter and Cheese will be giving away one basket per week in the month of March.

So why wait around? It's time to enter the Wrinkles are Sexy campaign! I guarantee you will love Bonne Bouche!

https://www.facebook.com/vermontcreamery?sk=app_192908237491338