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Featured Cheese of the Week: Queso Fresco

2/27/12

We’re happy to highlight a locally-crafted cheese this week that is as much a product of its surroundings as it is, shall we say, incongruous.  Champlain Valley Creamery’s Queso Fresco is a traditional Mexican cheese which translates simply to “fresh cheese.”  Queso Fresco is often compared to Farmer’s Cheese and it’s certainly true that they are both fresh, young cow’s milk cheeses with incredibly milky and mild natures.  It can also be compared with a very mild feta with its crumbly texture and slightly acidic flavor.  What sets Champlain Valley Creamery’s cheese apart, however, is their use of locally-sourced certified-organic cow’s milk (while the creamery is in Vergennes, the milk comes from Journey’s Hope Farm in Bridport) and their artisan approach to small batches and high quality.  Their Queso Fresco, which debuted last year, is also firmer than most, approaching semi-firm, which allows not only for crumbling into things like soups, salads, and rice dishes but also for melting into quesadillas, enchiladas, etc.  So the next time you’re in the mood for making Mexican food, you need look no further than Vermont for the cheese!