Cave to Co-op, March 2018

Each month, your Neighboring Food Co-ops feature our region’s artisan cheesemakers by offering a specially selected cheese at great price. Look for the “Cave to Co-op” sign in the cheese section at your local food co-op. To find one near you, visit www.nfca.coop/members

This Month’s Selection:

HAYRIDE, MT. MANSFIELD CREAMERY, MORRISVILLE, VT

With the creamery four miles from the farm, Stan transports their milk to the creamery on cheese making days. Debora milks the cows and still ships to St. Albans Cooperative. They make small batches of cheese only 8 to 12 times per month and increasing production according to demand. They milk registered Holsteins and Brown Swiss cows that are on rotational grazing in the summer months and fed grain and hay during the winter.

Mt. Mansfield Creamery started in June of 2009 and they make cheese year around. Debora milks about 30 cows per day and receives awards for the quality of milk she produces. Stan, a graduate of Paul Smith’s College, has put his chef days behind him to concentrate on their recipes for cheese.

The cheese facility is in the heart of Morrisville, in the old United Farmers Creamery building. Not only did they renovate the building, but built their own cheese cave in the basement.

They wash and brush the rinds to keep them thin to ensure that their product to be one hundred percent edible.

Hayride is an Austrian-Style Tomme, similar to their Chin Clip recipe. Hayride has been aged in the cheese cave for 6 months. Being of higher moisture content this cheese is wonderful with white wine. Hayride is a smooth buttery cheese with small crystals and a complex flavor.

RECIPES:

Smoked Fish Salad w/Hayride and Root Vegetables
serves 4

  • 1 small celeriac bulb, peeled, sliced into long thin strips
  • 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, cut into long thin strips
  • 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 pound smoked bluefish or whitefish, bones and skin removed
  • 1 cup flat leaf parsley, stems removed and coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 ounces Hayride, shaved with vegetable peeler

Combine celeriac, fennel, shallot, fish and parsley in large bowl. Addolive oil, lemon zest and juice; toss to coat. Spoon onto small plates. Top with cheese shavings.

Potato Galette w/Hayride and Rosemary serves 6

  • 1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, washed, skin on, sliced ¼ inch thick
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 Cup grated Hayride cheese
  • ½ medium onion, peeled, cut in half, then sliced thin
  • 1 T fresh rosemary, minced
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • salt and pepper

pre-heat oven to 400°F

In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil. Arrange half the potatoes in the bottom of an non-stick oven-proof skillet. Sprinkle with the cheese, onion, half the rosemary, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Layer the rest of the potatoes on top, overlapping the slices. Add more salt and pepper and the remaining rosemary. Cover loosely with foil and using a heavy oven-proof plate,or another skillet, press down on the potatoes and place the skillet in the oven. After 20 minutes, remove the skillet and flip the potatoes out onto a dish, then slide them brown side up back into the skillet. Return to the oven and cook for another 20 minutes or so, until everything is brown and crispy and the potatoes are tender. Remove from the oven, slide the potatoes onto a plate and serve cut into wedges.

Cheesy Popovers
makes 12 popovers

  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 8 eggs
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ T salt
  • 2 ½ cups grated Hayride cheese

Place the popover pan in the oven and turn it on to 350 degrees, allowing both the pan and oven to preheat. In a medium saucepan warm the milk over low heat. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and then slowly whisk in the warm milk, a little at a time, making sure not to cook the eggs. Set aside. Next sift the flour and the salt together and slowly add this to your egg mixture. Combine gently until smooth. Remove your popover pan from the oven. Spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, or use butter or shortening to carefully grease the hot pan. Fill each popover cup about three-fourths of the way. Place about 3 tablespoons of cheese on the top of each popover. Bake for about 45 minutes in the 350-degree oven. When they are tall and golden, remove the pan from the oven and remove the popovers from the pan. Serve hot with butter.


CAVE TO CO-OP IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PROVISIONS INTERNATIONAL AND THE NEIGHBORING FOOD CO-OP ASSOCIATION (NFCA) TO SUPPORT LOCAL, ARTISANAL CHEESE PRODUCERS IN OUR REGION AND MAKE THEIR PRODUCTS MORE EASILY AVAILABLE TO CO-OP SHOPPERS. THE NFCA IS A NETWORK OF MORE THAN 30 FOOD CO-OPS IN NEW ENGLAND, LOCALLY OWNED BY MORE THAN 130,000 PEOPLE LIKE YOU. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT WWW.NFCA.COOP.