Georgic Cheese: The German Wonder

You might have seen or tried our lovely beet terrine salad. We roast farm-fresh beets and layer it with Georgic cheese, chill it and serve on a bed of red mustard greens topped with pine nuts. It's a creamy, fresh salad that is at once unexpected and exactly what meets the demands of this immune-taxing weather we've been having. Part of this dishes strength is in the vitamin-packed roasted beets and deliciously fresh mustard greens, but it must be said that the Geogic cheese us what really makes this salad stand out.

Georgic cheese, which we source from Pennsylvania's Calkins Creamery, is of the Quark-style German tradition. Quark cheeses are akin to the commercial variety cottage cheese, though that might be considered slander to our European brethren. 

It is created by warming soured milk until the right amount of milk protein has coagulated. It is stirred continuously in order to keep it creamy--unlike it's curdy cousin. It is then placed into cheesecloth and strained. The amount of whey left after straining determines whether the cheese remains like a creamy spread or becomes more crumbly, like feta. 

In Germany, this cheese is often fruit flavored and sold in tubs. It is spread on toast at breakfast or on a slice of fresh bread in a sandwich at lunch. It is also used in making cheesecake. In America, this cheese is especially popular in the Midwest and usually referred to as Farmer's Cheese.

The Georgic cheese, which is creamy and bright white, is quite versatile. Not only can it be used in our terrine, but I think it would be excellent in tiramisu or sweetened with honey and used as fruit dip or mixed with herbs and a little salt and pepper for veggie dip. 

By any measure, the Georgic cheese we source from Calkins Creamery is delightful and a real winner. In fact, just last year it won first place in it's category at the American Cheese Society competition held in Madison, Wisconsin.

Spotlight: Calkins Creamery

Cheese is a pillar of French cuisine and no stranger to our kitchen. Not only do we offer a three or five variety cheese plate, but we tend to incorporate this fermented element into our dishes, the exquisite beet terrine, for example. And when it comes to choosing cheese, qualité is the only thing on our mind.

We source from a variety of dairies in the United States, places that have recaptured the traditional creamery and art of cheese making. Today we shine the spotlight on Calkins Creamery.

Since 1841, Highland Farm has nestled in the rolling hills of Wayne County, Pennsylvania. It's 260 pristine acres hosts vibrant grasses, a rolling stream, and, since the 1880s, the Bryant family. Their dairy consists of genuine Holstein dairy cows grazing happily in between sleep and milking.

In 2006, daughter Emily founded Calkins Creamery on the farm, utilizing skills of artisan cheese making from courses in California and Pennsylvania. They make over a dozen varieties of cheese, some that are fresh and pasteurized--like the Georgic found in our beet terrine--and the rest are raw, aged cheeses--like the Daisy, a cave-aged Tomme.

The caves are located on the property of a nearby winery, which reflects the traditional practices of agricultural life. The cave lends the perfect climate for aging.

But the cheese isn't just in the technique, the most important factor is the milk, and the Highland Farm milk is excellent. The secret is simple: calm, laid-back cows. "Cow comfort reduces stress and results in an increase of milk production and butterfat resulting in a higher quality product" says Emily. These Holsteins enjoy the outdoors, tidy stalls, fresh grasses, and clean water. Their environment couldn't be more pure.

The Bryant family utilizes several responsible farming practices to ensure longevity and environmental cleanliness. This includes using recycled newspaper and other recycled paper products for cow bedding, which, once soiled and put out to the fields, soaks up additional moisture reducing run-off. A Riparian buffer, orchestrated with help from CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program), protects the aforementioned stream, which uses fencing to keep the cows from eroding the banks, and trees, which soak up extra nitrogen before it enters the water tables and provides cooling shade to encourage robust marine life. Recently, the farm was also incorporated into the Wayne County Agricultural Land Preservation  Program, which ensures that the land will never be subdivided for housing or any other purpose.

Just 88 miles from New York City, this farm offers us and our guests delicious artisan cheese that also supports it's environment and community. 

Spotlight: Shooting Point Oysters

Currently on our winter menu, we are featuring half a dozen oysters on the half shell jazzed with a little horseradish and a champagne caviar for a contrast in texture. These oysters from the Shooting Point Oyster company dazzle the tastebuds with their fresh, clean brine, and plump meats. 

Known as the ultimate Virginia raw oyster, they are grown by Ann Arseniu and Tom Gallivan for over a decade on their farm. They are located in a remote part of of the Virginia shore on two watersheds. 

Nassawadox Salts from the lower Bayside create a salty-sweet oyster with hints of minerality. Shooting Point Salts from the Arlantic Barier Islands offer a sweet meat with a gentle brine. Both have purity, with clean finishes and there's no secret to that. This family farm uses heirloom oysters. 

Heirloom oysters, much like heirloom seeds, can be tracked back to their origin. These oysters have a lineage dating back to at least the 1880s. Unfortunately, the local population was all but destroyed over the following century due to over-fishing and disease. 

Thankfully, Shooting Point and several other oyster farms resurrected these populations of oysters. Additionally, Shooting Point participates in the regenerative practice of restoring wild populations of oysters to the Chesapeake area, placing nearly four million oysters back into this habitat every year. 

With so many reasons to support Shooting Point, perhaps the strongest is also the simplest reason: their product cannot be beat. These oysters are pure and delightful. Eat slowly and savor.