Cremont

Producer

Vermont Creamery

Country

United States

Region

Vermont

Size

2 in. diameter, 1 in. high

Weight

5 oz

Website

www.vermontcreamery.com

Milk

Cow
Goat

Classification

Soft

Rennet

Microbial

Rind

Geotricum

Founded in 1984 by Allison Hooper and Bob Reese, Vermont Creamery is located near Websterville, Vermont. Having spent time with a small-scale cheesemaker in Brittany during the 1970s, Allison was working as a state dairy lab technician in Vermont when she responded to a request from Bob Reese to produce some fresh chèvre for a state dinner. At the time, Bob was employed as marketing director for the Vermont Department of Agriculture. The chèvre was a hit and after some experimentation, Bob and Allison decided to go into production on a more formal basis, founding Vermont Creamery.

Milk for cheese production comes from twenty-one family farms in Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and Quebec. Each farm has an average herd size of approximately 150 goats. Vermont Creamery makes a variety of fresh and young style cheeses and cultured dairy products, many of which are based on French recipes. They also make an outstanding cultured butter. Cheeses are made from either goat's or cow's milk.

Double-cream Cremont is a mixed-milk cheese made using a combination of fresh local cow's milk, goat's milk, and a hint of Vermont Cream. The goat's milk comes from one of twenty Vermont goat dairies that have a long-term relationship with Vermont Creamery. The cow's milk comes from a local cooperative of 500 family dairy farmers in northern Vermont.

During production, the milk and cream are blended together and pasteurized. Starter cultures are added and the milk is left to coagulate overnight. The following day, the curd is shaped by hand into small cylinders, and the young cheeses are placed in a drying room to remove surface moisture, encouraging the growth of mold. After twenty-four hours, they are moved again to the aging room, which provides the ideal environment for the growth of Geotrichum, the mold that gives Cremont its wrinkled appearance.

Tasting Notes

Cremont's texture is delicate, soft and yielding. Flavors are slightly tangy and nutty with a hint of crème fraîche, hazelnuts, and butter.