A blog dedicated to urban cheesemaking, cheese tasting and appreciation and all things cheese and dairy related.
Red Goat, from Valley Shepherd Creamery. If I came across a whole wheel of this cheese in a field I’d probably mistake it for a chunk of sandstone or brick left over from a long-gone structure, given the beautiful, crumbly paprika-encrusted rind. In flavor it is a mild, creamy tomme with a nice grassiness and goaty bite.
Purchased at the new Valley Shepherd Creamery store in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I was familiar with VSC from their stand at the Union Square farmers market, and had enjoyed several of their cheeses including the Scentsation, a wonderfully stinky washed rind, and the Nettlesome, Hunterdon, Oktoberkase, and others. The new store seems focused on their own cheeses, with a few other cheesemaker’s wares, charcuterie, and assorted dairy and meat products. Definitely worth checking out.
One of the more visually striking cheeses I’ve seen recently, this is Sunset Bay, from Rivers Edge Chevre, cheesemakers from the Central Coast Range of Oregon. This bloomy-rinded chevre is coated in ash and cut through with a vivid red blaze of Spanish paprika. The paste is smooth and creamy; the flavor delicate and tangy, with a smokey, peppery bite thanks to the paprika. Perfect for an autumnal cheese plate in both appearance and taste.
