Fresh Cheddar Curds (Silvery Moon Creamery)
- Producer
- Silvery Moon Creamery
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Maine
- Weight
- 8 oz or 4 lbs
- Website
- www.silverymooncheese.com
- Milk
- Cow
- Treatment
- Pasteurised
- Classification
- Semi Soft
- Rennet
- Microbial
- Rind
- Herbed
Rindless - Style
- Fresh
- Flavor
- Flavor added to rind
Silvery Moon Creamery is located at Smiling Hill Farm near Portland, Maine, which has been in the Knight family since the 1700s. The Knight’s Holstein cows graze outdoors seven months per year, and in the winter they eat haylage from the farm’s pesticide-free pastures.
Silvery Moon Creamery was born in 2003 from a partnership between cheesemaker Jennifer Betancourt, who first learned the art of cheesemaking at the Squire Tarbox Inn on Westport Island, and later at Cornell University, and the Knight family. Today cheese production continues under the direction of Dorothee Grimm, who was born and raised in Germany and worked for years as a researcher in microbiology. After moving to Maine, Dorothee took cheesemaking classes from different local cheesemakers and made yogurt and cheese at home before applying for a position at Silvery Moon. “I still work in microbiology, pampering the good microbes and keeping the bad ones out,” Dorothee says. “But now, I can eat the results of my work at the end of the day.”
Silvery Moon Creamery produces these fresh cheddar curds using milk that is gently batch pasteurized – at a lower temperature for a longer period of time than in a continuous pasteurizer – in an effort to preserve the integrity of the farm’s raw milk and to produce a more unique and flavorful cheese. Milk is then cultured and renneted, and when a curd forms, it is cut. After cutting the vat is gently heated and curd is “cooked” to promote the expulsion of more whey.
After stirring, the curds form together in a kind of mass, which is then cut into slabs for the “cheddaring” process. Slabs are turned and monitored for their increasing acidity and changing texture before they’re milled into smaller curds, and salt is mixed in. At this point, the curd can be formed into wheels and pressed to make an aged cheddar, but in this case the curds are packaged fresh.
The curds are sold plain or in two other flavor variations. The French Herbed version is marinated in extra virgin olive oil with chives, parsley, basil, tarragon, rosemary and marjoram. The Tuscan Herbed version is marinated in extra virgin olive oil, parsley, red pepper flakes and garlic.
Tasting Notes
Served plain, these Cheddar Curds are soft and plushy with a buttery, creamy mild flavor. The French Herbed version is soft, sweet and flavorful, with pronounced flavors of the herbs and notes of cinnamon. The Tuscan Herbed version is very garlicky, and the pepper flakes add a flavorful kick of spice.
Pairings
Cheesemaker Dorothee Grimm suggests that readers follow the example of several local restaurants: use any variety of this cheese in the famous Quebecois dish known as poutine. Sprinkle the curds over french fries topped with gravy, and voila!
