story by Tenaya DarlingtonIn France, spring goat cheese is prized for the delicate, vegetal flavor imparted by grass blades the nanny goats nibble. In Philadelphia, you can get a taste of this early succulence when you cut into Baby Bloomer. This aged log of local goat cheese is based on a recipe for Bucheron, a French specialty that looks like a cake roll. Its center is dense and supple, and the surface is covered in “bloom”—a fine layer of snowy mold. Imagine a creamy chèvre with a lemony prickle.
Baby Bloomer was developed by Chester County cheesemaker Debbie Mikulak. After she retired last year, Mikulak sold her farm to a pair of aspiring cheesemakers from Havertown, Will and Lynne Reid. Will gave up his desk job at a tech firm to become a full-time goat-milker and cheesemaker. The results so far are promising, and fans of Amazing Acres’ unusual local goat cheeses have been delighted to see them return. Look for Sea Smoke, a puck of goat cheese striped with ash—a Snow White-like treat from the same maker.
Spring goat cheese pairs well with the first farmers market produce: berries, fiddleheads, mushrooms and ramps. Try serving rounds of Baby Bloomer on top of spring mix or steamed baby vegetables. It’s also lovely for breakfast, smeared on fresh bread with a spot of homemade preserves.
—Tenaya Darlington, madamefromage.blogspot.com
Amazing Acres goat cheese is available in Philadelphia at the Fair Food Farmstand, Di Bruno Bros. and Weavers Way Co-op. Amazing Acres Goat Dairy, 184 Grove Rd., Elverson, Pa. 610.913.7002;
amazingacresgoatdairy.com
