Snow Camp: Cheese From My North Carolina Adventures

Hello everyone!

I took the last couple of weeks off so I could travel around Napa, San Francisco and North Carolina with Lynn. It was a wonderful getaway. I figured that since I was on the other coast, I could talk about a cheese that was local to where I was. In this case, I chose the Snow Cap from Goat Lady Dairy.

Cheese: Snow Camp

Producer: Goat Lady Dairy

Location: Climax, NC

Milk: Pasteurized cow and goat's milk

Rennet: Vegetarian 

One of my friends and past Official Conference Cheesemongers from the ACS Conference - Alexander Kast actually works at Goat Lady Dairy. But, every time I had seen him sampling their cheeses at various events, I hadn't been able to stop and taste their selection. I was really excited when I realized that I was close to their creamery and their cheeses were readily available at the Greensboro and Chapel Hill Whole Foods Markets. After looking over the selection and talking with the cheesemongers behind the counter at Whole Foods, the Snow Camp is the cheese I decided to feature.

What a sexy looking cheese! Right when I cut into it, the paste - or shall I say goo - oozed out onto the plate. The aroma of this cheese was very pleasant - with hints of mushroom and earth - nothing really over the top. The wheel I cut into was the at the perfect age in my opinion, with the rind being the structure holding the divine gooey paste inside. The flavor is a perfect balance with the cow and goat's milk. The cow's milk has the buttery, creamy, unctuous quality while the goat's milk gives a nice gamey, tangy touch of barnyard to balance out the richness. Such an amazing cheese! I wish I could get it more readily on the West Coast!

I decided to take it one step further since I was in North Carolina and pair the Snow Camp with a local beer. I decided to go with the Foothills Brewing People's Porter from Winston Salem, NC. The toasty, malty quality of the porter really paired nicely with the buttery, tangy Snow Camp. It reminded me of having roasted marshmallows while camping... You really have to try it!

That's all I have for now... I hope you all have chance to try this pairing! Until next time, eat, drink and be happy!