There’s one simple warning upon arranging a visit with the award-winning goat-cheese makers at Pure Luck Organics in Dripping Springs, Texas: Be sure and close the gate behind you.
“The goats will eat the paint off your car,” says farm owner Sara Bolton with a laugh. “I had one inspector file an insurance claim against us.”
But from the milk of the 30 or so craggy, tin-toothed bovid ruminants comes chevre so good it recently took top honors from the American Cheese Society in the fresh goat cheese category of its annual competition.
Bolton is one of dozens of small cheesemakers across the country who are stoking interest in goat cheese, interest that in turn has increased sales by about 30 percent over the last decade, according to Supermarket News and other industry sources.
Sure, the meltingly mild, mass-produced cow’s milk cheeses still reign. But increasingly, Americans are more willing to taste a variety of cheeses, from gooey to firm, subtle to powerfully pungent.
“When it comes to fresh or barely aged cheeses, goat is definitely the popular choice,” said Raymond Hook, manager of the cheese shop at Star Provisions in Atlanta. “The flavor of goat cheese when young is more evolved than cow’s milk cheeses and less astringent than young cheese made with sheep’s milk.”
A historic craft
It’s not that goat cheese is new. It has been made in Europe for centuries and is believed to have been a part of the Pilgrims’ diet, as they brought goats with them on their treacherous sea crossings. But the modern renaissance of goat cheese in America is largely credited to Laura Chenel in Sonoma, Calif.
In the mid-’70s, Chenel spent three months making goat cheese in France and then brought those skills home. When she began making and selling chevre, one of her first customers was chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif. Waters was spearheading a movement among chefs to return to homegrown and artisanal food products. By the early ’80s, goat cheese was appearing on restaurant menus across the country.
Thus, new goat cheese makers such as Judy Schad of Capriole cheeses in Indiana, Mary Keehn of Cypress Grove Chevre in California and Elizabeth Parnell of Fromagerie Belle Chevre in Elkmont, Ala., emerged to meet the demand and supply many chefs and specialty stores.
After restaurants began using goat cheese, gourmet stores got in on the action, and then major grocery stores. Now, basic goat cheese can be found in most any supermarkets. Much of it is mass-produced, pumped from machines into plastic tubes. Others, whether imported from Europe or purchased from small American cheesemakers like Parnell or Bolton, are made in small batches by hand.
Farmstead fresh
For Bolton, it all began two decades ago, when a friend asked her to baby-sit a young goat. She fell in love, got some goats of her own and soon began dabbling in goat cheese making. About five years ago, she and her daughter, Amelia Sweethardt, built the small “plant”–really a large shed designed for cheesemaking. Because the cheese comes from goats on the same farm, Pure Luck cheese is a “farmstead” cheese.
The 30 or so Alpine goats were milked twice daily by hand until this year, when Bolton invested in a milking machine. The milk goes into a 100-gallon tank, where it is cooled and constantly agitated (to keep from freezing on the bottom). As needed, the milk travels through a pipe from the holding tank into the pasteurizing tank.
This step sets American goat cheese apart from imported cheeses. In Europe, most cheeses are made from unpasteurized milk. European cheesemakers believe pasteurization kills vital bacteria that help create a depth of flavor in cheese; most cheese connoisseurs agree.
Federal regulations here don’t allow for such raw milk cheeses to enter the country unless they’ve aged 60 days, and there’s a proposal floating in Washington to prohibit all unpasteurized cheeses, from Italian Parmesan to French brie, no matter how long they’ve been aged.
American cheesemakers must pasteurize milk for cheeses that will age less than 60 days, which applies to most goat cheese. Bolton’s crew uses a “gentle pasteurization” that gradually brings the milk to 160 degrees over the course of 90 minutes and holds it there 30 minutes longer. Mass producers may “shock” the milk by bringing it to that temperature within 5 minutes.
Once the milk is pasteurized, a souring culture is introduced to start the coagulating process. Next, a rennet goes in. “Think of the rennet as the Jell-O. It pulls everything together,” said Gretchen Stolfo, an employee at Pure Luck.
After the mixture sits for 24 hours and the curds (solids) and whey (liquid) separate, the solids are scooped into molds. (The whey is often served to the goats.)
The French approach
Aged goat cheeses are less common in the United States, though makers are experimenting more. In France, it seems, the fun has just begun with the molding and aging.
The French (and many American cheesemakers who’ve studied French methods) mold goat cheese into logs, cylinders, discs, bells, teardrops and even the shape of a woman’s breast (lait cru tetoun de Santa Agata).
They may wash some goat cheeses in liquors, and they coat their cheeses in ash, wrap them in leaves or imprint them with herb sprigs. Once molded, the cheeses are sent to customers or to one of the 20 or so master cheese ripeners (affineurs), who often age cheeses in caves. Using caves for aging is a French tradition, and the air lends a hint of mustiness to the cheeses.
Some of these cheeses find their way to America, despite the federal regulations against raw milk cheeses aged less than 60 days. Luckily, more American cheesemakers are adopting and experimenting with similar molding and aging methods. A Banon goat cheese from Capriole, for instance, is washed in brandy and then wrapped in the traditional chestnut leaf.
Bolton believes we’ll see more goat cheeses in our markets, especially as Americans learn to enjoy them at home, not just in restaurants.
“You used to have to go out of your way to find whole-wheat bread, and now it’s everywhere,” she said. “Much like that, I really think goat cheese is moving from trend to household staple.”
POLENTA WITH GOAT CHEESE AND FRESH SAGE
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Polenta is a coarse cornmeal used to make a mush for Italian dishes. It’s a popular side dish that lends itself to mixing with ingredients such as dried tomatoes or, as here, goat cheese and sage. Look for it on supermarket shelves, usually near the rice and pasta. Pre-cooked will work just fine if you don’t want to start with polenta meal. Just follow directions on the package. Serve this with roast meats. Adapted from the November 1998 issue of Fine Cooking.
1 cup polenta meal
1 teaspoon each: salt, unsalted butter
1/4 pound soft goat cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
Cook polenta according to package directions with salt and butter. While polenta is still hot, whisk in goat cheese and sage. Season to taste with additional salt, if necessary. Transfer to warm serving bowl; let stand for a few minutes, allowing it to firm up slightly before serving.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 170 Fat ………… 7 g Saturated fat … 2 g
% calories from fat .. 36 Cholesterol .. 13 mg Sodium ……. 700 mg
Carbohydrates……. 21 g Protein …….. 7 g Fiber ……….. 2 g
