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 special cheese is Reverie from Parish Hill Creamery, Westminster, VT
Parish Hill Creamery produces seasonal, hand made, raw milk cheeses inspired by the traditional cheeses of Italy. Peter Dixon brings over 30 years of cheesemaking experience and he is joined by his wife Rachel Schaal and sister Alex Schaal. The creamery is the culmination of Peter’s years making cheese, teaching classes, solving problems, and imagining possibilities.
Peter, Rachel and Alex love making cheese. They make cheese traditionally, simply, as near to home as possible, and with the highest quality ingredients and results as can be had.
Parish Hill gets milk from Elm Lea Farm at the Putney School, just up the road from the creamery, and the milk is the result of healthy animals grazing lush pastures. Protein and fat are balanced ideally for the cheeses produced, and the cheese changes subtly throughout the season, reflecting the growth and maturation of various pasture plants.
Their starter cultures are made from the milk of 4 individual cows. Helga, Abigail, Clothilda, and Sonia were chosen for their health, their components, and their disposition. As a result Parish Hill makes mother cultures that are truly an articulation of their milk and the resulting cheese is a revelation of that milk, the cows, the pastures, the water and the land.
A traditional, semi-hard Toma, Reverie has a bright milky flavor and slight tang when young, becoming sharper and more robust with allium notes. Wild molds are encouraged and the rind resembles gray stone. Aged at least 5 months.
Smashed Baby Red Potatoes with Ancho Chiles and Reverie
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, halved, seeded
- 3 pounds baby red potatoes (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter)
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 cup grated Reverie
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1. Place chiles in small bowl; cover with hot water. Let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain; chop. Transfer to mini processor; process to coarse puree (or finely chop chiles). Measure 1/4 cup puree and set aside (reserve any remaining puree for another use). DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.
2. Bring potatoes to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 16 minutes. Drain. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
3. Heat oil in same saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup chile puree and garlic; stir 30 seconds. Add potatoes; stir to coat. Using back of wooden spoon, smash potatoes until largest pieces are about 1-inch cubes. Stir to heat through. Stir in cheese, 1/2 cup parsley, and cilantro. Transfer to bowl, sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, and serve.
Cave to Co-op is a partnership between Provision 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 40 food co-ops in our region — including yours — that are working together to advance their vision of a thriving regional economy, rooted in a healthy, just and sustainable food system and a vibrant community of co-operative enterprise. For more information, please visit www.nfca.coop.