Once upon a time there were microbreweries. And then there were microwineries, little postage stamp-sized patches of land producing a barrel or two of wine a year. And now? Microdairies. Don't know what to do with Bessie's milk? Make cheese!
I took a short trip to the tony Hamptons this weekend. I knew that the less fashionable North Fork had become a mecca for viticulture and that a cheesemaker or two had set up shop there. I had no idea that the South Fork, home to self-conscious actors, musicians, and socialites (think Seinfeld, Billy Joel, Lizzy Grubman), was also a viticulture region and a budding cheese lover's paradise.
Mecox Bay Dairy, located in Bridgehampton, NY, is the home to six cows; of those 6, four are currently milked. Arthur and Stacy Ludlow have been making raw milk cheese for about a year and a half, and the production is still rather spotty. A cheesemonger I met at a newly opened cheese shop in Sag Harbor told me that on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, he sold over 40 pieces of Mecox Bay's Atlantic Mist, a soft ripened cheese that resembles a stocky coulommiers in appearance, and an overripe brie in texture and flavor.
I admire cheesemakers who seek to preserve traditional cheesemaking methods in their production. But let's face it -- soft ripened cheeses made from raw cow's milk for the most part should be eaten under 60 days. The rind was mottled with black molds (not a good sign) and the flavor was acidic and burning -- the ammonia was taking over. I wanted to taste grass, herbs -- I willed myself to taste grass, herbs -- but all I tasted was the burn.
Two other cheeses were more successful. Shawondasee, a 'mold ripened cheese' resembles a tomme de savoie in flavor and has a pleasant finish. Mecox Sunrise, a washed-rind cheese aged up to 4 months, is less successful. It is bitter with an unpleasant finish. Cato Corner's Hooligan is a far more tasty, and interesting, washed rind cheese.
For a near-complete listing of New York State cheesemakers (and microdairies) check this out.
Posted by Wade at June 1, 2004 06:12 AM | TrackBack