Bucheron Cheese – The Unique Goat Cheese

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:44:23 +0000

There is an old saying that goes “age doesn’t matter, unless you’re a cheese”. Beyond its attempt to be funny, there is actually a certain truth behind such saying. Aging in cheese, sometimes called ripening, is the most important part in making cheese.

By letting the cheese to rest in carefully controlled conditions, they are able to develop the look, the texture, the flavor and even the aroma properties that make them unique. With aging, the bloom blossoms on Camembert, the holes magically turns into Swiss, and the veins burst through Gorgonzola.

As a cheese ripens, microbes and enzymes develop inside, breaking down the proteins and the milk fat into several complex combinations of amino acids, amines and fatty acids. In the end, these processes enrich the texture of the cheese as well as intensify its flavor.

In order to have their own unique characteristics, most cheeses are aged between the periods of two weeks to two or more years. In principle, the longer the cheese is aged, the firmer, sharper and more distinctive its taste and texture becomes.

Cheeses like the Stravecchio Parmigiano Reggiano for instance, are allowed to ripen for 24 to 36 months and thus its interesting nutty-fruity taste and its hard, gritty texture. The mildest cheeses such as ricotta, and cream and cottage, are eaten fresh right away and are not ripened at all.

However, some cheeses are ripened mid-range – often termed as semi-aged cheese – for about 5 to 10 weeks. And one of the best tasting semi-aged cheeses available in the market today is the Bucheron cheese.

Bucheron cheese is made from pure goat’s milk, originally a native of Loire Valley in France. Widely available and absolutely tasty, the Bucheron makes a perfect ingredient for a salad or sandwich. It has a soft, creamy center almost the same in texture to a typical chevre (goat’s cheese), but typical this cheese is not.

What makes Bucheron unique aside from its gooey and creamy taste is that it is made in short logs and aged before it is cut into much smaller rounds. Surrounding its creamy center is a ring of a much harder, tangier cheese that tickles your taste buds with a pretty sharpness and complexity that will surely out your typical chevre to shame.

Its interesting characteristic – the layer of gooey cheese around the large chalky core and a thin bloomy layer of mold similar to brie cheese – is due to its youth. Softly ripened cheeses age from the outside in, thus explaining its interesting center.

Thanks to the natural magic of mold, you get two cheeses in one block: a creamy, mushroomy center with a dry and clay-like and mildly tangy fresh goat milk cheese at the crust. Go ahead and try Bucheron cheese today! Pair it with Bordeaux’s or any dry whites and sink slowly into heaven.

Buy Bucheron cheese from idealcheese.com, New York’s trusted gourmet cheese shop. Our cheeses are guaranteed fresh and always hand-cut to order. For any questions about our cheese call us 1800-382-0109 for cheese.

Watch the video related to goat cheese milk

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Help answer the question about goat cheese milk

Have you ever had goat's milk, cheese, or any other dairy product derived from goats?
How do dairy products derived from goats taste when compared to cow's milk? I don't think I've ever had goat milk or cheese.
Come to think of it, I HAVE eaten feta cheese. Pretty good stuff, didn't realize it came from goats.

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What can you make with Goat’s Milk?

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:51:22 +0000

I am often asked, What can you make with Goat’s Milk besides soap and lotion? Well, almost anything that you would make with regular cow’s milk can be made with goat’s milk: cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, etc. You can also add it in liquid or powdered form to recipes for everything to fudge to soap to skin cream!

After several people asked us this question, I began to search the internet. We scoured the local stores — country stores, farm markets, etc. We picked the brains of dairy goat keepers. We found lots of cheese recipes, and tons of other stuff. You can make Mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, cultures for cheese making, goat’s milk fudge, and more. We’ve even found a few recipes of other dairy goat keepers online. Most goat dairys will sell goat milk, goat milk butter, and several varieties of goat cheeses.

You can substitute Goat Milk products in any of your favorite recipes that call for milk. If you are interested in making your own goat milk cheese, ice cream or yogurt, be sure to see a few of our recipes below or you can do a google search for your own.
Like most milk products, goat milk can be frozen. Canned or reconstituted powdered goat milk should be frozen in plastic or glass containers allowing enough room at the top for expansion. It is recommended that you thaw your frozen milk in the refrigerator and use it within seven (7) days after being defrosted. To maintain good flavor, do not freeze goat milk for more than two months. Goat Milk Butter may be frozen for 6 months. We do not recommend freezing quality goat cheeses. (Don’t freeze cow’s milk cheese either; if you’ve tried it, then you know why they say not to freeze it!)

Here are some favorite recipes, but we are always looking for more delicious ways to serve goat milk products. Please feel free to send us your family’s favorite recipes!

These dishes are for all goat milk lovers and may call for ingredients such as eggs, nuts, or cow butter and cheese, to which some people may be sensitive. Adjust recipes by substituting egg replacers, margarine or goat cheeses as necessary.

Remember, you can substitute Goat Milk in any of your favorite recipes that call for milk!

Simple Soft Cheese: This is an easy recipe that only requires 1/2 gallon raw goat milk, the strained juice of 2 medium lemons, a thermometer capable of the 180-200F range, some “cheesecloth” (many cotton cloths will work for straining), and some coarse salt (kosher or sea salt). (This recipe will not work well with pasteurized milk).

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Heat milk on medium heat (in a stainless steel pot) to 185F
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Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice
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Stir for several minutes until milk has curdled
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Add 1/2 tablespoon of coarse salt (optional)
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Pour milk through cheesecloth
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Wrap curds in cheesecloth and hang (using a rubber band works well) in the refrigerator to drain
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Drain for 4-8 hours, depending on how dry you want the curds
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Scrape curds off cloth into bowl and stir.

That’s all there is to it! Use on toast, in salads, with pancakes – whatever you wish. Experiment using herbs (added at the end when you stir the cheese). For larger curds, heat the milk well into the 190′s before curdling. Experiment with curdling temperature and drying time to get the cheese that meets your needs.
Cajeta (Mexican Caramel Candy)
3 quarts goat milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups sugar
teaspoon baking soda
Dissolve baking soda and cornstarch into 1 cup milk. Stir well to dissolve any lumps. Add rest of milk and add sugar. Bring mixture to boil, stirring constantly while cooking. Cook until the mixture is thick and looks like caramel sauce. Pour into jars, cool, and refrigerate. This makes a great topping for ice cream and makes a delicious apple dip!
Fudge
3 cups sugar
2/3 cup goat milk
3/4 cup margarine
6 oz. chocolate chips
7 oz. marshmallow creme
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
Combine sugar, milk and margarine in heavy quart sauce pan. Stirring constantly, bring to full rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling five minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted. Add marshmallow creme and vanilla, beating until well-blended. Pour into greased 9 X 13 pan. Cool at room temperature. You can also add nuts, if you wish. Enjoy!!!

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