Crème Fraîche (Vermont Creamery)
- Producer
- Vermont Creamery
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Vermont
- Size
- Varies
- Weight
- Varies
- Website
- www.vermontcreamery.com
- Milk
- Cow
- Classification
- Soft
- Rind
- None
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.
Crème fraîche is a French-style cultured cream. During production, cream is separated from fresh cow’s milk and set aside undisturbed, allowing the natural lactic bacteria to work. This creates a thick, smooth, and slightly tart cream, which is the final product. Allison learned the recipe while working on a dairy farm in Brittany, northern France, more than thirty years ago. At the time, domestic crème fraîche was virtually unheard of in the United States, and even imported brands were scarce.
Tasting Notes
Made with fresh, high quality Vermont cream from the local St. Albans Cooperative, Vermont Creamery's Crème Fraîche is extremely rich. The flavor is cultured and nutty with a creamy, smooth texture.
