Cheese Tested, Blogger Approved!

Cheese Tested, Blogger Approved! - Dara & Co. - January 2011 - Minnesota

The golden hue of PastureLand’s Summer Gold™ butter is well known in the Twin Cities, as it offers an incomparable sweet flavor imparted from the wildflowers and grasses of the pasture. PastureLand produces its butter and cheese with milk from their 100% grass-fed cows raised in Millville, Mantorville, Goodhue, and New Prague, MN, and each of the farms are double certified for both organic and sustainable practices.

PastureLand’s Summer Gold butter is cultured using a fermentation process, just like the butter my dad used to eat when he was a kid. That fermentation process used produces the aroma compounds that I like in good butter. I use Pastureland Butter in my kitchen, because I appreciate the extra effort they devote to making their practices more sustainable—and I like the complex flavor, aroma, higher burn point, greater plasticity, and the brilliant golden color.

Yes, I like the butter, but what about PastureLand’s cheese? In the spirit of National Cheese Day (tomorrow!), I purchased a couple of chunks of Pastureland’s cheese at Surdyk’s earlier this week, and I was pleased that it was on par with their butter in terms of quality and flavor.

Farmdog Raw Milk Blue (Above)
PastureLand’s Farmdog Raw Milk Blue is aged for 75 days in the caves in Faribault, WI. It’s pungent, slightly yellow, creamy, and chock full of blue veining. I let the Farmdog warm to room temperature, and it became smooth and easy to spread on a piece of fresh baguette with a dollop of honey. Pair it with a glass of Riesling for an after-dinner treat.

Meadowlark Clothbound Cheddar (below)
PastureLand’s Meadowlark Cheddar is unpasteurized and also aged in the caves at Faribault. The fact that it’s clothbound means the cheese releases more moisture and develops a different concentration of flavor than other cheddars wrapped in wax or plastic. It’s slightly sweet, a bit tangy, and has an earthiness to it. It’s dense and fares well on a cheese board with crisp apple slices.

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]