Ten Vermont Cheeses Worth Tasting

Along time ago, I promised to make a foodie friend a list of my favorite Vermont cheeses. There are certainly many more, but here are my top nine--with the addition of a tenth from a fellow VT cheese-lover.. Additional Vermont foods that pair well are also listed. Enjoy!

Ten Vermont Cheeses Worth Tasting 

Cabot Creamery Co-operative: Alpine Cheddar
Cabot cheddar is every day cheese to Vermonters, but this kicks it up a notch with a drier, nuttier flavor I find addictive. Yummy paired with
Vermont Smoke & Cure Summer Sausage.


Twig Farm: Goat Tomme
This was the first tomme I ever tried, and still my favorite years later. Also, I think the cheesemaker's wife practicing/teaching violin makes for happy goats. To come full circle...we often put Twig Farm cheese in out visiting artists' green room.


Maplebrook Farm: Hand Dipped Ricotta
I've been on a real ricotta binge lately, and the rich, fresh flavor of this versatile cheese just overshadows the other ricottas in the dairy aisle.


Blue Ledge Farm: Maple Chevre
You knew something maple had to make it to the list. It was not uncommon for me to have a package of Maple Chevre and Whitney's Castleton Crackers' Middlebury Maple (now Salted Maple) crackers in my office at all times.


Jasper Hill Farm: Bayley Hazen Blue
I bought this yummy blue to make homemade blue cheese dressing. It's so creamy, it covered the fact that I totally botched the recipe.


Plymouth Artisan Cheese: Garlic Peppercorn
I'm not usually partial to flavored cheddar cheese, but this makes a killer companion to a LaPlatte River Angus Farm burger.


Grafton Village Cheese Company: Shepsog
I first tasted this earthy sheep/cow cheese on a charcuterie platter at a post-concert reception in a barn in southern Vermont. Quite fitting!

Vermont Creamery: Herb Chevre
Spread this on grilled O Bread Bakery French Batard and add the slightest drizzle of Champlain Valley Apiaries Honey or Sidehill Farm's Damson Plum Jam.


Taylor Farm Cheese: Leyden Gouda
I fell in love with Leyden—with its cumin and/or caraway seed flavor—in the Netherlands. Taylor Farms doesn’t make it often, but their Maple-smoked Farmstead Gouda is another yummy choice if the Leyden isn’t available. And these Goudas pair nicely with
Jan's Farmhouse Crisps.


And lastly a recommendation from a friend: 

Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company: Lillé (Coulomierres)

Handmade in small batches, their Coulommiers-style cheese--thicker ancestor to Brie--has a northern French origin as does the name itself, Lillé.

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Walnut Serving Board and picture by J.K. Adams Co. in Dorset, VT

Cool-Whip Crinkle Cookies

I was looking for an easy cookie recipe, and it doesn't get much easier (or slightly messier) than this!
These were fun to make and with only four easy ingredients you often have on hand. But a few notes to make the experience even easier:

•  While I rave about chocolate cookies, these can be made in any flavor cake mix is available in. Others rave about Red Velvet, Lemon, Strawberry, or even Funfetti mixes as the cookie base!
  
  
•  The mixture gets a little sticky, so I recommend:
  
  
• Using a small/tsp. cookie or melon scoop
• Drop the cookies into confectioner's sugar via scoop, and use a fork to roll in sugar before placing on cookie sheet
  
• Dusting your scoop with confectioner's sugar or cooking spray
• Use a silpat, parchment paper, or non-stick foil on your cookie sheet(s)
  
• If you can't bake all of the dough at once, chill between baking
  
  
• They will be soft and chewy when done. Enjoy!

COOL-WHIP CRINKLE COOKIES

Ingredients

• One 15oz. box Cake Mix (flavor of choice)
•  2 cups thawed Cool-Whip
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Confectioner's Sugar (in a bowl)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine Cake mix, Cool-Whip, and egg until well combined (it will become harder to stir)
3.  Make a teaspoon. size ball of dough (cookie or melon scoop suggested) and drop into Confectioner's sugar
4. Roll ball in sugar until completely coated and drop on cookie sheet. 
5. Repeat, leaving 1.5" spacing between balls on sheet.
6. Cook at 350 for 12 minutes. 
7. Cool cookies before serving. Cookies start plump then deflate before serving, and be very soft and chewy.
   

Photo courtesy of Huffpost

Garden Gazpacho

I love Gazpacho. In EVERY form it come in. But there is nothing like this wonderful chilled soup on a hot summer day made from vegetables fresh from your garden.  To try to make this soup a little lower in WW points, I've omitted the olive oil found in most versions of this dish.

Garden Gazpacho

Ingredients 

• 2 large fresh tomatoes, sliced and seeded 
• 10 grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, quartered, and seeded
• 1 large orange bell pepper, quartered and seeded
• 1⁄2 medium red onion, peeled and quartered
• 28 fl oz V8 100% Vegetable Juice, Low Sodium
• 1⁄3 cup(s)red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1⁄2 cup cilantro, chopped (1/4 cup reserved)
• 1 1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1⁄8 tsp hot pepper sauce (couple of drops) 

Instructions 

1. Pulse each vegetables individually in a food processor until desired consistency. 
2. Gently mix all processed vegetables and all remaining ingredients (except 1/4 cup reserved cilantro) in a bowl just until combined. 
3. Chill in refrigerator no less than 2 hours to let flavors mingle.
4. Serve garnished with reserved cilantro on top.
5. Serving size = 1 cup. Approx. 6 servings.

Photo courtesy of familyfoodonthetable.com

Corn and Three Bean Mexican Salad

Summer time is such a wonderful time for cold salads, and this one is chock full of dietary fiber and protein. It also makes a great topping for tossed salads, nachos, or as a vegetarian filler in tacos.  It was fun to revisit this salad with a homemade Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette.

Corn and Three Bean Mexican Salad

Ingredients

• 14 oz can Black Beans 
• 14 oz can Kidney Beans 
• 14 oz can Pinto Beans
• 2 medium Corn
• 1/2 Bell Pepper, diced
• 2 fl oz Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• Optional garnishes: fresh Cilantro, diced Tomatoes, or Pico de gallo

Instructions

1. Cook corn and remove from cob. 
2. Rinse and drain all beans.   
3. Gently combine corn, beans, and all remaining ingredients. 
4. Best served after flavors have blended at least 30 minutes. 
5. Keep leftovers refrigerated. Freshen with a splash of vinaigrette and/or optional garnishes at when serving.
6. Makes ten (10) 3/4 cup servings. WW SP=4. 

Photo courtesy of triedandtasty.com