My Cheesy Valentine

There was supposed to be a photo right here. A photo of an attractively sliced log of goat cheese on a rustic-looking plate, maybe some scattered nuts, with red jam artistically spooned onto one of the slices in a whimsical heart shape. Can you picture it? Good. That picture in your mind is far better than anything I could conjure up with my camera and dubious food-styling talents.

The idea remains, though: A local jam and cheese pairing for Valentine’s Day.
I’m a fan of Bonnie Shershow’s jams and preserves. I use them for toast, to flavor plain Liberté yogurt in the morning, and to top little cheesecakes by night. They’re a bit on the pricey side. After all, they’re handmade with fruit from local farms and no added pectin, but they’re delicious, and if you can’t spend $10 on jam on Valentine’s Day, then when can you? Do you love the person or not?

I asked the cheese experts at Formaggio Kitchen to suggest some local cheeses that would complement her jams. Kurt Gurdal (son of the owner and big cheese, Ihsan) had some nice ideas:

Red pepper jelly: Cabot cloth-bound cheddar, an English-style cheddar aged in the cellars of Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont. Or Equinox by Consider Bardwell Farm also in Vermont, a hard, aged, Italian-style goat’s milk cheese. For you non-local folks, try a pecorino or anything fatty to balance the peppery punch.

Strawberry Rhubarb: Champlain triple crème, a soft, buttery, ripened cow’s milk cheese from Vermont. Non-local folks, try a French triple crème or chèvre.

Peach Ginger: Bridgid’s Abbey, a creamy, mild Trappist-style cow’s milk cheese by Cato Corner Farm in Colchester, Connecticut. The farm also makes a Spanish Manchego-style cheese (but with cow’s milk instead of sheep’s) dubbed “Womanchego.”

Blackberry, Blueberry, or Black and Blue: Consider Bardwell’s Manchester, an aged raw goat’s milk tomme, or Jasper Hill Farm’s Winnimere, a washed-rind cow’s milk cheese wrapped in spruce bark. Non-local folks, try a Swiss emmenthaler.

Raspberry or Raspberry Lime: Goat cheese from Carlisle Farmstead in Massachusetts or aged goat cheese from Twig Farm in West Cornwall, Vermont with its earthy rinds. Non-local folks, pick your favorite goat cheese or a French Époisses.

Honey and Nuts: Bayley Hazen Blue, a cow’s milk blue cheese from Jasper Hill Farm. This cheese also pairs well with locally made Taza chocolate.

Bonnie’s jams can be found at Formaggio Kitchen, Russo’s, Savenor’s, Nashoba Brook Bakery, and online at bonniesjams.com. Enjoy!

Comments

[Amy]

I met a woman a few years back who told me she didn't like cheese. My eye started to twitch and I almost fainted.

[kaela]

Manchester is one of my favorite cheeses. Sadly, I'm not sure Bardwell comes to my farmer's market anymore; they used to come down with Pat, from New England Farms, and he has (even more sadly) been sidelined by health issues. Very un-Valentiney.

[NurseJen]

I am not ashamed to admit I love cheese so much it once made me cry. This post, to me, constitutes food-erotica.

[Alana]

Well, it's pretty early in the morning, but it seems that now I have to have cheese and jam for breakfast. Do you have Monterey Chevre out in your part of the state? It continues to be my favorite local cheese- just fabulous. (I think with some blackberry jam?_

[Sarah]

Womanchego! Brilliant.

[Emily]

I concur the tomme is splendid w/ rasp jam. we have that combo almost daily on toasted bread for lunch.

[Susan]

This inspired me to purchase Le Roule cheese with Cranberries at Russo's yesterday. It was even better than I anticipated. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Tammy]

Susan: Ooooo, yum. I've never tried that. Glad I could help make it happen.

Emily: Sounds divine!

Sarah: Yes, I have to try it just for the name. And because I'm always on the lookout for a local alternative to my beloved Manchego.

Alana: I haven't seen it, but that doesn't mean it isn't here. I'll keep my eye out. Oh, how I love cheese.

NurseJen: There is absolutely no shame in that.

Kaela: Oh no. I'm sorry to hear that, and not just because your cheese pipeline has closed.

Amy: Not like it? That's just crazy talk. Has she tried all the different kinds? Surely she just meant Kraft singles??? The world doesn't make sense to me anymore.

[lbjay]

So far I have tried only the Strawberry-Rhubarb + brie combo. It is delicious. The jam I bought at the Sudbury farmers market. The brie, i'm almost embarrassed to say, came from TJ's. But I ate it with some fabulous "Seeded" bread from Hi-Rise.

I plan to reference this post a lot and eat my way through the list of suggestions. :)

[Viteros]

Thanks for your opinion!
I think, the cheese cake with fluffy texture plus rich and creamy taste could be the best one for everyone (?)