Raw Milk; cheese makers perspective

At The Boulevard Market, we discuss the subject of raw milk on a regular basis.  We are sampling cheeses daily that are made of pasteurized milk and raw milk, sometimes it's the same type of cheeses one raw milk, the other pasteurized milk.  The question is always the same; "Are raw milk cheeses better?" 

The answer is not simple and that's why we are only discussing the cheese making perspective in this post.  The answer is; "It depends on the cheese maker's desired results". 

There is a huge misconception that all European cheeses not exported in Europe are raw milk.  It's not true.  We ate many cheeses in Italy and France that were pasteurized and labeled for sale as such.  (No, they are not just sending the Americans their crappy cheeses.)  It's true that many European soft cheeses WERE raw milk that, by law, are not available in the USA.  (We also had choices of raw milk or pasteurized yogurts in both countries)  Our law states cheeses must be aged at least 60 days, which pertains to most brie and other soft and/or fresh cheeses.  I purposely purchased raw milk soft cheeses to see if I could tell the difference from what I eat at The Boulevard Market everyday.  With the exception of 4 soft cheeses, I could not blatantly tell which were raw.  Now, there was a huge difference in the raw milk brie, but the Fromage de Meaux and Brie Nangis that we procure are pretty fantastic and would satisfy a European ex-pat. I would also like to note that most brie produced in France was quite flavorful and strong.  From a retailers perspective, most of my customers want a little less potent.

The cheese maker's perspective comes into play when choosing what cheeses to create.  Raw milk cheese ages much more quickly than pasteurized.  So obviously, if you are looking at creating older cheeses, you would want to pasteurize that milk to acquire the desired result after aging for X amount of years.  Let me point out a couple particular cheeses that do better with gently pasteurized milk.  Gouda, from the Netherlands.  It cannot age for 5 years if made of raw milk.  Goat cheeses in particular are usually pasteurized in even the most rural areas of Europe for any type of storage, as they age really fast. 

The one question you might want to ask the cheese maker is HOW are they pasteurizing?  At Four Corners Creamery, we pasteurize at 145 degrees for 30 minutes.  By using this method, we still preserve essential enzymes and proteins necessary for great cheese and abide by the laws.

A question I like to ask people that are proponents of drinking raw milk and eating only raw milk cheeses "Why?" 

On the personal opinion side of things I tend to think about issues like raw milk and organically grown foods in broader terms.  There are many bacterias that are extremely harmful to humans, do I want to take the PURPOSEFUL chance in consuming them if I don't have to?  I completely agree that the less processed a food is the healthier it is.  Does heating whole milk to kill off mainly harmful bacteria fall into the category of processing?  Have you seen milk that comes straight from the farm?  Do you know how the farmer prepares his cows for milking?  Every time, every cow?  What does he use to clean his equipment?  Are you getting residue?  Do you wash your organic produce?  Are you familiar with the list of pesticides approved for organic growing?

These are questions I like people to think about, whatever your choice may be.  When we are all informed, we make better choices in foods.      

Brie Soup for the Soul

The beautiful bout of Indian Summer here has kept me raking leaves, grilling and enjoying the season's last garden flowers. It saved me from the most hated task of changing the closets and bureaus over to winter!

I did however, have the most lovely weather for The Market's ,Soups and Sandwiches, cooking class. It was windy, drizzle-y and just plain nasty! Thanks Mother Nature! Fall soups aren't as tasty if the weather is beautiful and 80!

It's no surprise I had to throw in a cheese soup recipe but I wanted something a bit unusual. After scouring many recipes, I put together my own! I think it turned out great! It's quick, takes little prep, velvety and not too rich. Elegant enough for a dinner party, yet pleases your palate when you are wanting something more home-style.

A couple notes on the brie cheese; cooking with cheese is like cooking with wine...if you don't like the cheese, it won't taste any better in your cooked dish. Choose a brie that you love, the flavors will be enhanced by the other ingredients! You can purchase brie and it will last about 2 weeks in your fridge, after that, you may not be thrilled with the flavors depending on where you bought it. The bland stuff you get at the grocery will garner a bland soup. You do not have to remove every little bit of the rind, it won't melt and it will strain out at the end!

While I garnished with fresh basil, I can't help but think some pear slices, sauteed in butter, salt and peppered, would be lovely on top of this soup! Enjoy.

BRIE SOUP

3/4 cups Chicken Stock
1/2 cup Dry White Wine
2 Tablespoons Balsamic or Sherry Vinegar
4 cups heavy cream
12 ounces Brie cheese, rind removed cut in 1 inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
Sprig of fresh thyme
Sprig of fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Additional basil or thyme for garnish

In a saucepan over high heat, bring stock and vinegar to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes until liquid is reduced to about 1 cup. Keeping on low heat, add rest of ingredients and cook and stir about 8 minutes until cheese is completely melted. Strain using a fine mesh sieve and serve immediately.


If you are interested in joining one of The Market's cooking classes, feel free to contact me via email erika@boulevardmar.com or call 517-423-6000. We have 5 Ingredient Appetizers, Holiday Feast, Gifts from your Kitchen and Easy & Elegant Entertaining coming up! We demo some techniques, talk about wine pairing, enjoy sampling every recipe and more!