In the emerging but already hip field of American goat cheeses there is a good deal of innovation and quite a few excellent examples both of fresh chevres and their surface ripened counterparts. One thing that the artisans in the US all share, however, is their respect for the French mastery of making delicate and delicious goat cheeses, a tradition as ancient as the hills of Périgord. For this reason many of the best producers in the US have studied French methods and technique, the results being cheeses such as Cypress Grove's outstanding lineup.
On the opposite side of the country there lies another dairy with an acute appreciation for French cheesemaking, the founder's love of cheese was sparked while staying with a host family in France and helping with their trade. Allison Hooper of Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery creates delicate and refined cheeses and other dairy products such as today's Bijou, French for Jewel. Its name describes it well, a small crottin-style cheese full of flavor and nuance.
Origin: Vermont, USA
Milk: Goat, pasteurized
Rennet: Microbal (vegetarian friendly)
Affinage: Varies by preference, mine were in the 1 month range
Notes: 21% fat per solid matter, these little guys come two to a package and really are just adorable. You'll want to pop it like candy, but good things come to those who wait. Especially if they're waiting with baguettes and some dried cherries.
Thoughts: At this age the Bijou displayed a relatively reserved goat flavor, instead showing off it's butter-like creaminess. Cutting into it reveals a uniformly smooth paste and the sweet and milky tones characteristic of young goat cheeses, with the usual tang of the goat's milk present throughout but notably muted. At room temperature it spread beautifully and even the smallest bite carried fully the flavor and bold texture. The rind, which displayed small patches of green-blue molding, added both a pleasantly contrasting textural chew and a slightly sharper goat flavor.
Caution
Each little button being self-contained means that Bijou will ripen until you cut into it. Fortunately it, and it's cousins from Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery, is as delicious in its young, delicate stages as in its pungent, sharp age.
On the opposite side of the country there lies another dairy with an acute appreciation for French cheesemaking, the founder's love of cheese was sparked while staying with a host family in France and helping with their trade. Allison Hooper of Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery creates delicate and refined cheeses and other dairy products such as today's Bijou, French for Jewel. Its name describes it well, a small crottin-style cheese full of flavor and nuance.
Milk: Goat, pasteurized
Rennet: Microbal (vegetarian friendly)
Affinage: Varies by preference, mine were in the 1 month range
Notes: 21% fat per solid matter, these little guys come two to a package and really are just adorable. You'll want to pop it like candy, but good things come to those who wait. Especially if they're waiting with baguettes and some dried cherries.
Thoughts: At this age the Bijou displayed a relatively reserved goat flavor, instead showing off it's butter-like creaminess. Cutting into it reveals a uniformly smooth paste and the sweet and milky tones characteristic of young goat cheeses, with the usual tang of the goat's milk present throughout but notably muted. At room temperature it spread beautifully and even the smallest bite carried fully the flavor and bold texture. The rind, which displayed small patches of green-blue molding, added both a pleasantly contrasting textural chew and a slightly sharper goat flavor.
Caution
Each little button being self-contained means that Bijou will ripen until you cut into it. Fortunately it, and it's cousins from Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery, is as delicious in its young, delicate stages as in its pungent, sharp age.
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