Cheese at the Source — Fresh and Farmstead!
When Stonyman
Gourmet Farmer welcomes new “cheese interns,” we start with a simple way to put
the complex livestock/dairying/cheese-making and gastronomy worlds into
perspective. We explain the 16th century view that cheese is a member of an
ancient “trinity of the table.” Along with bread and wine, cheese is one of
mankind’s earliest foodstuffs. All require fermentation during production, and
from the taste vantage, the three beautifully complement one another.
Modern dairy
science has made two major contributions to the tradition of cheesemaking: We
now know the chemistry of the process and we have the knowledge to keep production
from becoming dangerous to humans. Milk is a complex biological substance composed
of water, solids in suspension (protein, fatty acids, casein, lactose,
minerals) and enzymes. Cheese is made when milk’s components separate into
cheese curd and whey through coagulation and fermentation. Cooking, cutting,
knitting and pressing follow, depending on the type of cheese to be made.
French guilds have
established criteria that fresh cheese must satisfy: It is unripened and made
from milk coagulated by lactic fermentation; bacteria must be active; it should
be eaten soon after it is made. It can be artisan or farmstead and mostly
pasteurized (a must in the United States); fat content can vary. Fresh cheese
can stand on its own as a savory or as a flavorful workhorse ingredient in sauces
and in dessert cheese confections. It is a universal fresh ingredient in fine
cooking that enhances taste exponentially and is superb with seasonal produce.
During the 2012
Rappahannock Farm Tour, we will pair grass-based fromage blanc with seasonal
herbs and produce and demonstrate combinations using farm and farm market ingredients
to achieve peak flavors and culinary variety as seasons advance. We will
explore the many uses of fromage blanc, and we will “put it to the test” in
savories and a dessert. Food safety is at the core of cheese-making. Fromage blanc
is fresh and, if sold, federal law requires that it be pasteurized. This factor
reduces the safety burden. There are fundamentals that the home cheese-maker
should practice, and we will discuss these
during the Farm
Tour.
Cheese is a world
of taste and tradition with a seemingly infinite number of choices. There is
never enough time to cover it all. We look forward to enjoying a conversation about
all things cheese throughout the tour and always at Stonyman Gourmet Farmer!
From the 2012 Rappahannock County Farm Tour Program: Fromagere Susan James is farmer/owner of Stonyman Gourmet Farmer & Stonyman Farm, a family farm business specializing in premium farmstead cheeses, custom meats and savories.
