180 Acres Chevre

This next cheese has been sitting, languishing in a unfinished post for a little while now - the problem, a total absence of information on this particular cheese-maker. Thanks to a small paragraph in the local paper I now know that Andrew Gray from food distributor Raw Materials is the person responsible.



To be honest, this is one cheese I've bought in spite of it's label but I'd be missing out on quite a good Chèvre if I had succumbed to my initial reaction.



Removed from it's wrapping, it has a moist exterior but isn't particularly soft - handling it isn't a problem.



When slicing it will tend to crumble in what I'd class as relatively large shards - similar in fact to both the Udder Delights and Westhaven Chèvres.

Tastewise, it's nicely balanced with a bit of tang (I noted a slight lemon flavour) and a good creamy mouth-feel and worked quite well in a revisit of my roasted mushroom dish.


Originally published here

Holy Goat Fromage Frais

Time to return to Holy Goat and visit another cheese from their range - this time a Fromage Frais.

Cheese: Holy Goat Fromage Frais
Location: Sutton Grange Organic Farm, Victoria

Fromage Frais means "fresh cheese" and in this case it refers to a soft goats milk curd. It's made in a similar manner to cheese but once the rennet is added the curds are not allowed to set, instead they are agitated to give a texture and appearance somewhat like yoghurt.

The first thing you'll notice, as is the case with goat cheese, is that it's very white. It has a look of being quite pure and clean.

Tastewise, it has a slight tang with those goat characteristics but it would equally at home in a savoury or sweet situation.

This cheese is also low in saturated fats.

It has good holding characteristics and is just perfect for slathering on bread - try it on a thick slice of toasted brioche with raspberry jam.

Other ideas: as part of the filling for Stuffed Zucchini Flowers; use it in dips; add to cheesecake filling; toss through cooked pasta to form part of the sauce. I'm sure you can come up many more ideas.

Originally published here