Each month, your Neighboring Food Co-ops feature our region’s artisan cheesemakers by offering a specially selected cheese at a 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:
SUGAR SLALOM, MT. MANSFIELD CREAMERY, MORRISVILLE, VT
Sugar Slalom is a raw cow milk, natural rind cheese by Stan and Debora Bisini, cheesemakers.
Mt. Mansfield Creamery is located four miles from the farm where the cows live. Stan transports their milk to the creamery on cheese making days. Debora milks the cows and ships extra milk to the St. Albans Cooperative. They make small batches of cheese only 8 to 12 times per month, increasing production according to demand. They milk registered Holstein and Brown Swiss cows who are on rotational grazing in the summer months and who are fed grain and hay during the winter.
Mt. Mansfield Creamery started in June of 2009 and produces cheese year around. Debora milks about 30 cows per day and has received 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. Stan and Debora renovated the building, and built their own cheese cave in the basement. They wash and brush the rinds to keep them thin to ensure that all the cheese is 100% edible!
Sugar Slalom is an aged natural rind cheese, made with raw Vermont cow milk and Maple Liqueur, made at Green Mountain Distillers in Morristown, Vermont, which is added to the curd. The cheese is great on its own, but here are a few recipes that highlight its unique flavor.
Cheesy Maple Popovers
makes 12 popovers
- 4 cups whole milk
- 8 eggs
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 2 ½ cups grated Sugar Slalom 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 with the maple syrup 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.
Sugar Slalom Tart w/Bacon
serves 6-8
- 1 pound of bacon, diced
- 1 sheet of purchased puff pastry, thawed
- 2 T each maple syrup and brown sugar
- 8 ounces shredded Sugar Slalom cheese
pre-heat oven to 375°
Cook the diced bacon until it is about halfway cooked, and set it aside to drain on a paper towel. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and roll out the pastry to fit. Make a shallow cut with a knife about 1 inch from the edge all around the pastry. Do not cut all the way through the dough. Spread the syrup and sugar evenly over the dough; spread the shredded cheese on top and then the bacon. Bake for around 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted, the bacon is browned and the puff pastry is thoroughly baked. Remove from the oven and serve.
Sugar Slalom Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
serves 6
- 3 sweet potatoes
- ¼ cup plus 3 T maple syrup
- ¼ t plus 1/8 t cinnamon
- 1 cup walnut halves
- 4 oz. Sugar Slalom cheese, grated
- salt and freshly ground pepper
pre-heat oven to 425°F
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, transfer to the baking sheet, and bake until fork-tender, about 1 hour, turning halfway through. Let cool slightly. Combine 3 T of the maple syrup, 1/8 t of the cinnamon, and 1/8 t salt in a small skillet. Add the walnuts and stir to coat. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the walnuts begin to darken, about 2 minutes. Spread on a plate to cool, and then chop coarsely. Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise and scrape most of the flesh into a large bowl, leaving 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch of it in the skins. Set the skins aside on the baking sheet. To the flesh, add half of the cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 t cinnamon, 1 t salt, and 1/2 t black pepper. Blend with a fork or potato masher until smooth. Divide the mixture evenly among the skins, and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Top with the remaining cheese and the nuts, and serve.
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.