Time to digest

American Cheese Society Cheese Conference Day 1:

Didn’t think it could happen, but we already need a break from cheese. Don’t worry, only for a couple of hours!
We just went to “Meet the Cheesemakers” where there must have been close to a hundred cheeses to taste (the Festival of Cheese on Saturday will have over 1,000 cheeses to taste, to put that into perspective). By far, our personal favorite was the newest creamy sensation from the Cellars at Jasper Hills. Not available yet, but Mateo (the co-founder) said it should be available very soon. We told him to hurry up!

Another standout is from the new Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company. VFC is a community-owned dairy and cheese-making operation where each cow is a member of the community. Peter Mohn (of Grafton Cheese Co. fame, and a Marbleheader) and his team created Lillé—an ancestor to brie. Lillé is delicious and oh so spreadable with a rich, creamy body and nutty notes. Pears and apples would be the perfect match.

We also tried a European style cultured cottage cheese that was fresh and incredibly delightful. Made by a young cheesemaking duo whose motto is “nourish the land that nourishes us all.” Unfortunately, they are located in Indiana and do not have an East coast distributor, yet, but we’ll keep you posted.
 
Earlier today, we partook in a really interesting seminar, “Identifying Flavors,” where we got a direct experience of key cheese-specific flavors and aromas with the help of an expert in sensory evaluation. Did you know that as children we have 10,000 tastebuds, and only 4,000 as adults? BUT studies have proven that getting older is NOT an excuse for claiming you do not taste as much as you did when you were younger. And we learned that chewing releases molecules that help you smell. You really need to chew your food 7-15 times to get the full effect!

Ok, well we’re off to explore the city and get dinner (told you we just needed a little break)—so much to see and so much to eat!
-Doug and Bill