In collaboration with Provisions International, New England Cheesemakers, and the Neighboring Food Co-op Association, we highlight two regional artisanal cheese producers each month. Check out these deals, good through September!

This month’s Cave to Co-op is Goatlet, a collaborative effort between Consider Bardwell Farm in West Pawlet, VT, and Crown Finish Caves in Brooklyn, NY. Sale price: $17.99/lb (save $10.00)

A few years ago, Consider Bardwell was weaning their goats at the end of the milking season and didn’t have enough milk to do entire batches of their goat cheeses. So instead, Crown Finish suggested they put the goat milk in a batch of Pawlet, which they would then purchase from Bardwell, age, and sell as Goatlet. Consider Bardwell benefits because they are able to use up milk that otherwise may have gone to waste, and they get to sell cheese without the hassle and expense of aging it for months at a time. In fact, Crown Finish first opened with the intention of helping small farms keep up with their milk production by selling “green” cheese to them, which they would then distribute and market as a cheese made by both Crown Finish and the cheese farm. Crown Finish Caves markets all of their cheeses that way, working with a wide variety of creameries of all sizes and styles.

Goatlet is a combination of 20% raw goat’s milk and 80% raw cow’s milk. It’s based on the award winning Pawlet cheese from Consider Bardwell Farm. The goat’s milk comes directly from the farm and is Animal Welfare Approved while the raw cow’s milk comes from a select neighboring farm that provides the highest level of grass-fed, cheese-making milk. Goatlet has notes of a lemon cream pie and recently won 1st place in its category at the 2017 American Cheese Society Conference. And this year, Goatlet took 1st place in the American Made/International Style mixed milk category!

See the recipe below for a great way to use Goatlet in a Monte Cristo sandwich.

Our Farm Focus for this month is Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, VT and their Bayley Hazen Blue. Sale price: $18.99/lb oz (save $3.00)

Jasper Hill is a working dairy farm with an on-site creamery in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. An underground aging facility maximizes the potential of cheeses made by the creamery, as well as those made by other local producers. Leftover whey from the cheese making process is fed to heritage breed pigs, roaming the woodlands beyond the cows’ pasture.

Jasper Hill’s mission is to make the highest possible quality products in a way that supports Vermont’s working landscape. The team at Jasper Hill is driven to be the standard bearer of quality and innovation in the artisan cheese industry while promoting their regional taste of place.

Bayley Hazen Blue is a Jasper Hill Farm original, and is made from Jasper Hill Farm’s high-quality whole raw milk. It is named for an old military road commissioned by George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Though no battle ever took place, the road brought Greensboro its first settlers and continues to be used today. Bayley Hazen Blue has a fudge-like texture, toasted-nut sweetness, and anise spice character. The paste is dense and creamy, with well-distributed blue veins. The usual peppery character of blue cheese is subdued, giving way to the grassy, nutty flavors in the milk.

Monte Cristo Sandwich With Goatlet

Makes 2 sandwiches.

Ingredients
2 eggs
Salt and pepper
4 slices thick white bread
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
½ pound thick sliced baked ham
¼ pound shredded Goatlet cheese
2 tablespoons butter

Method
Beat eggs with a dash of salt and pepper in a dish large enough to hold a slice of the bread. Set aside. Make sandwiches, spreading the mustard and layering the ham and cheese. Press slightly to compress each sandwich. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add butter to melt. Dip and coat each sandwich in the egg mixture and place in the skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes per side until golden and melty inside. Serve with a shake of powdered sugar, jam or honey.