American Cheese Month Feature: Inspiration

Cheese: Inspiration

Pairings: A washed cheese, with a stinky rind, I find this cheese notable for unexpected tart flavors, I get lemon peel and spring flowers. For this reason, I enjoyed it with a very hop forward IPA (I was in Burlington, Vermont, I bet you can guess which one!) and a piece of Twig Farm Goat Tomme, which has similar tangy notes, but is a very different cheese. Some skinless toasted almonds would be a great addition. With a drizzle of honey this would be an excellent dessert course for people who don’t like dessert.

Let’s all take a minute to be thankful for the people in our lives who are open to new experiences: the strangers at a bar who say, “I’ll have what she’s having!” after a bartender pours your Underberg into a special glass and you explain the beauties of a digestiv after a long meal; the kinds of friends that not only let you into their lives, but want to become a part of yours. I do not get lonely easily, and I know the solitary pleasure of reading a book alone; but having a friend who asks “What have you been reading?” is a very special thing. In a world that seems filled with negative commentary and sarcasm, there is a certain joy that comes from sharing something that you love.

This summer, I invited my friends Mallory and Gabbie along with me and my mother to the Vermont Cheesemaker’s Festival. Although I have enjoyed this event for years, I was not sure if my friends would want to wake up before dawn to make the long trek to Vermont. I wasn’t sure if they’d mind the long lines, or spending the day on their feet. Known lovers of cheese, I even worried that they might not like the earthy, stinky cheeses that have become my favorites from a state sometimes best known for approachable, mild Cheddars.

The scene at the Vermont Cheese maker's Festival

From the moment we entered the tent, these ladies were in for the full experience. They didn’t bully towards the front of the tables, absentmindedly eating samples. They held back, they listened as the makers talked, they didn’t rush me if I asked an in depth question. We all met a kindred spirit of the open-to-experiences type when we approached the table of Mt. Mansfield Creamery. If cheese maker Steve Biasini was annoyed by the heat in the tent, the strong smell of warm cheeses and wet hay, or the sometimes aggressive crowds- we couldn’t tell. He seemed almost joyful as he greeted us with energy you would expect at the beginning of the day, even though the makers had already been there for hours. He talked to us in depth, completely explaining to my friends the process of cheese making: adding cultures to fresh raw milk, letting the milk acidify, adding rennet, waiting until it’s ready to cut, stirring the curd, pouring it into molds.

Although I’ve explained this process many times, having Steve explain it while offering us his beautiful cheese gave my friends a chance to share in my excitement and curiosity, without me becoming teacherly. We were all awed by the strange chemistry and alchemy that goes into cheese making. As they asked questions I was able to step away from my preconceived expectations about the cheeses, and experience them more casually, as if for the first time. We were able to listen together, and note the different flavor profiles in Mt. Mansfields cheeses as he guided us through a tasting. We left with a hunk of Inspiration, which we liked for it’s assertive flavors of lemon peel as well as its earthy, almost floral finish. In that moment, we were all sharing something that we loved, that certain joy.