Raw Jersey Cow Milk
Vegetarian-Suitable Cheeses
As mentioned in the earlier post (Sweet Grass Dairy’s Thomasville Tomme), The Lady volunteered at the ACS 2010 Festival of Cheese, cutting and displaying the cheeses submitted for competition. Two more cheeses she was lucky enough to sample were two raw Jersey milk cheeses from Vermont’s Consider Bardwell Farm: Pawlet and Rupert.
The Lady and I first learned about Consider Bardwell Farm while watching Martha Stewart’s Cheese Show in November 2009. Former Literary Agent, Angela Miller and her husband, Russell Glover, moved to Vermont and bought the historic Consider Stebbins Bardwell Farm. Located in the Champlain Valley, this farm founded in 1864 by Consider Bardwell was the home of the first cheesemaking co-op in Vermont.
With Master Cheesemaker, Peter Dixon, Angela, Russell and Chris Gray have revitalized the tradition with goat milk from their herd of 100 Oberhaslis goats and Jersey cow milk from the herd of Lisa Kaimen. Like Sweet grass Dairy, Consider Bardwell uses rotational grazing on pesticide and fertilizer-free pastures, which produces sweet milk and tastier cheese. They hand make their cheeses in small batches and use microbial rennet making their cheeses vegetarian-suitable. They age all the cheeses at the farm as well, giving them the ability to control quality all the way through the process.
Pawlet was the first Consider Bardwell that The Lady tasted that day. Made with raw Jersey Cow milk, this Italian-style toma is aged up to six months. It has a natural rind with an ivory paste. It’s creamy and buttery with a bit of a tangy bite and a nice sweet note.
Rupert is also made from raw Jersey cow milk. It is an Alpine-style cheese in the tradition of Gruyere and Comte. It has the same buttery texture of Pawlet but the taste is sharp and more complex. It is aged at least six months and the flavors deepen over time.
The Lady gives both of these chesses 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got to lend her…).
Serving Suggestions: On a cheese board, Pawlet will shine and appeal even to children, whose palates are more sensitive. Rupert, also works well as a choice for your favorite cheese plate; but this cheese is also excellent for cooking, especially in au gratins. With fruits such as grapes and pears, both cheeses pair well.
Wine Pairing: For Pawlet, the Lady suggests Sauvignon Blanc and for Rupert, she suggests Sangiovese.
Beer Pairing: A Bock or Dunkle is a good choice for either of these fine cheeses.
Source: Both are made from raw Jersey cow milk.
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