Toussaint

Producer

Sprout Creek Farm

Country

United States

Region

New York

Size

7 ins diameter, 4 ins high

Weight

4 lbs

Website

www.sproutcreekfarm.org

Milk

Cow

Treatment

Raw

Classification

Firm

Rennet

Microbial

Rind

Natural

Style

Alpine-style

Made at Sprout Creek Farm, Toussaint is a Hudson Valley creamery's take on an Alpine cheese. 

Originally founded by two nuns from a religious order that focused on education and teaching, Sprout Creek was established with a view to continuing this mission. In addition to the cheesemaking component, Sprout Creek operates a fully functioning farm, a farmers' market, and residential courses. The courses are designed to give disadvantaged and inner city children a holistic taste of agricultural and rural life.

The Creamery component at Sprout Creek sources milk from the farm's own mixed herd of grass-fed Jersey, Guernsey, Milking Shorthorn and Brown Swiss cows. Cheesemaking methods are based on a traditional European model, and great attention is devoted to seasonality and animal welfare. Wheels aged over 60 days are made with raw milk.

This raw milk wheel, with its yellow-hued paste from the farm's grassfed milk surrounded by a rustic natural rind, is a great example of Sprout Creek's cheesemaking philosophy.

Tasting Notes

After five to seven months of aging, Toussaint becomes a robustly flavored cheese with a distinctive floral flavor, reminiscent of some of the mountain cheeses of Europe. These flavors become more complex and peppery with age. The texture is smooth and dense, with a thin natural rind.

Pairings

Pair a wedge of this Alpine-style cheese with a red ale or a glass of pinot noir.