Jun

The Glorious Goat

Picture yourself on a country drive through the sticks. You might see a homemade, weathered sign pointing up ahead and to the left, and it might say “corn” or “firewood” – generally an indication that someone has something to sell, and inviting passers-by to come partake. Well, picture one that says “Goat Cheese”. I kid you now – set back in the middle of nowhere (Hubbardston, MA) there is a little slice of heaven. In other words, a goat cheese plant. Complete with a long, windy driveway and chickens cluck-clucking around.
I declare, from now on, that if anyone asks what my favorite animal is, I shall answer “The Goat”. They may not be particularly cute and cuddly, but they do produce only the most phenomenal cheese. Ever. And I’m pretty sure I could be a certified goat cheese fanatic, if such a certification existed. Who else would insist on taking a country drive into the sticks just to get some glorious goat cheese?

The idea behind this excursion began when we visited the Boston Wine Expo last February. There, I had the privilege of tasting chocolate goat cheese. Can you imagine? My two favorite things blended together in a log of sweet, tangy, creamy goodness? It was smooth with a delicate cocoa flavor, almost like a milk chocolate cheesecake, if you can imagine that. All I remembered about this cheese was that it was made locally in MA, somewhere in western MA, to be exact.

Well, thank the Internet gods for Google. I was able to find Westfield Farm, the only place in MA that makes chocolate goat cheese, and it turns out that it is only about 40 minutes from where I live. Road trip!

I pictured a specialty cheese shop, overflowing with local goodies. Well, it’s not exactly that. There is a refrigerator, full of specialty cheeses alright. But the doors are never locked, and there is a cup to leave your money. In other words, this works on the honor system. An unlocked refrigerator full of goat cheese? That sounds pretty dangerous to me. Almost as dangerous as driving down that windy country road in the middle of the night. So fear not, I won’t be making any scandalous late-night trips to pilfer goat cheese. So anyway, with my wallet $20 less full, I left with two logs of chocolate goat cheese (one for a friend who was with me at the Wine Expo), a log of wasabi goat cheese, hickory smoked goat cheese, and some cheddar. The cheddar is actually made at another local farm, so I am guessing they have some sort of collaborative where they sell each others’ cheeses. If any of these sound good to you, you can order online through their website.

I can’t wait to try out all my new goat cheese!
Wasabi goat cheese – I think this will be great for shrimp or smoked salmon canapes, on a cucumber round or small toast.

Hickory smoked goat cheese – I would love to try this in a panini with turkey, spinach, sliced apple, red onion, a little rosemary, and honey mustard. Or maybe combined with some cheddar as a luscious mac n cheese with sundried tomatoes and mushrooms.