Coupole

Producer

Vermont Creamery

Country

United States

Region

Vermont

Size

2-3 in. diameter, 1-2 in. high

Weight

6.5 oz

Website

www.vermontcreamery.com

Milk

Goat

Treatment

Pasteurised

Classification

Soft

Rennet

Microbial

Rind

Mold Ripened

Style

Soft-Ripened (Brie-like)

Based on the lovely goat cheeses of the Loire Valley in France, Coupole is a fluffy mound with a wrinkly rind.

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 family farms in Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Toronto and Quebec. Vermont Creamery makes a variety of lactic cheeses and cultured dairy products, many of which are based on French recipes adapted to American tastes. They also make an outstanding cultured butter. Cheeses are made from either goat's or cow's milk.

Produced using pasteurized goat's milk, Coupole is based on a French recipe. After a slow, lactic fermentation lasting twenty-four hours, the curd is drained in cheesecloth overnight. The following day, the Coupole are hand formed into small domes. The young cheeses are salted and put into a drying room for an additional twenty-four hours before being transferred to an aging room.

Tasting Notes

The texture of Coupole is dense yet fluffy, moist, and smooth. Flavors are mild with a delicate hint of yeast that intensifies with age, along with notes of citrus, hazelnuts, and grass.

Pairings

Serve it alongside fresh pear slices or pickled beets. For wine pairings, try it with a pinot noir.