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East Coast cheese tour: part 2
Apr. 26th, 2006 01:56 pmI should offer a disclaimer on this series. There won’t be a lot of mocking, gossip, or shit-talking because the places I went to visit were places where there were people I like and respect. There actually aren’t a lot of pretentious cheesemakers in the world, just a lot of pretentious cheese marketers, consultants, writers, and even mongers. Getting up at 4:30 AM every day can kill off a lot of the fancy-fancy.
After coffee and donuts in Greenfield, our first stop was Westfield Farm .
They are best known for their Hubbardston Blue but they are also the makers of chocolate goat cheese . See how much I love you, dear readers? I went out of my way to try the cheese you all were the most curious about.
And it was great. I may be the only one to think so, because when I tried, during my travels, to offer it to others, they all rejected it or just took a little nibble and ignored it on the plate. To me it tasted like really tangy and firm chocolate mousse. Because it was (goat) cheese-based, it combined the best of milk and dark chocolate. Sure it’s a novelty, but it’s a damn good novelty.
The owner gave us a tour despite the fact that we only called ahead about a half hour before arrival. We got to see the end of day’s blue production, the packaging area and the aging cheese. It was a small two-barn operation, small enough that they just replaced a line of regular home refrigerators with an actual aging room. Like I said, the Hubbardston Blue is their flagship product,. It’s available in goat or cow milk in a 5 ounce oozy disc. It’s ash-covered and blue veined and it’s ok if you want to think about it as a blue-brie. We bought pretty much one of every product they make and were gifted some Hubbardston that was too soft and runny to sell. The rind cracked and oozed into our cooler but it was awesome soaked into bread when we finally stopped for lunch. Rich and pungent with just enough bitter in the rind to make you pay attention.
Before I go off back to work I will leave you with a bonus photo of Pickles, the crazy hump machine from yesterday's entry.
(next: Great Hill Blue)
After coffee and donuts in Greenfield, our first stop was Westfield Farm .
They are best known for their Hubbardston Blue but they are also the makers of chocolate goat cheese . See how much I love you, dear readers? I went out of my way to try the cheese you all were the most curious about.
And it was great. I may be the only one to think so, because when I tried, during my travels, to offer it to others, they all rejected it or just took a little nibble and ignored it on the plate. To me it tasted like really tangy and firm chocolate mousse. Because it was (goat) cheese-based, it combined the best of milk and dark chocolate. Sure it’s a novelty, but it’s a damn good novelty.
The owner gave us a tour despite the fact that we only called ahead about a half hour before arrival. We got to see the end of day’s blue production, the packaging area and the aging cheese. It was a small two-barn operation, small enough that they just replaced a line of regular home refrigerators with an actual aging room. Like I said, the Hubbardston Blue is their flagship product,. It’s available in goat or cow milk in a 5 ounce oozy disc. It’s ash-covered and blue veined and it’s ok if you want to think about it as a blue-brie. We bought pretty much one of every product they make and were gifted some Hubbardston that was too soft and runny to sell. The rind cracked and oozed into our cooler but it was awesome soaked into bread when we finally stopped for lunch. Rich and pungent with just enough bitter in the rind to make you pay attention.
Before I go off back to work I will leave you with a bonus photo of Pickles, the crazy hump machine from yesterday's entry.
(next: Great Hill Blue)
