You won't find a single Billy Goat Gruff among the herd at Prince Edward County's Fifth Town cheese-making facility.
Perceptions of the term "goaty" may have to be redefined after tasting owner Petra Cooper's cheeses. Rather than the stronger, tangy flavour that first hits you with many goat milk products, these cheeses offer a sweeter and more delicate introduction for your taste buds.
One of Fifth Town's more unique creations is a semi-soft, washed-rind goat's milk cheese called Cape Vessey. Named after the rocky cliffs close to the dairy, Cape Vessey has a rustic, honey-brown rind that becomes more copper-coloured as it ages.
The paste reflects the pale cream colour typical of goat's milk (goats turn the beta carotene found in grass into vitamin A, so their milk is less yellow). The aroma is gentle with a bit of tang, while the semi-soft paste has a sweet and delicate flavour, rich mouth feel and is balanced with a hint of goaty acidity.
The quality of the goats' milk used by Fifth Town is the secret to its fresh and sweet flavour. Milk is collected from three local farms, all Local Food Plus certified, meaning the farms naturally raise the animals using non-genetically modified feed and adhere to humane animal treatment and safe environmental practices. The milk is used within 48 hours, limiting the sharper, tangy flavour that increases with age.
Currently Cape Vessey is being sold after two to three months aging, keeping it mild for a washed-rind cheese. The curds are lightly cooked, poured into nine-inch moulds and hand-pressed to release moisture. The wheels are turned after one to two hours and drained overnight before being left in a brine bath for 18 to 24 hours.
(Brining is a way of adding salt to cheese to help add flavour, encourage draining of the whey and help preserve the cheese.) Then they are put into Fifth Town's underground "caves," where they are washed once a week in a brine solution.
The caves are man-made and have been constructed from raw cement to mimic the conditions of a naturally formed environment. Ms. Cooper likens them to a "really wet, unfinished basement."
Cooled by a geothermal system that heats and cools the whole dairy, the factory is made with 80 per cent recycled or recyclable material, making it the greenest dairy in North America. They are awaiting certification as a platinum level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design facility.
Cape Vessey will win over even the most stubborn goat-cheese naysayers, leaving only one lament to unite all cheese lovers: "How could I have bought such a small piece?"
Sue Riedl studied at the Cordon Bleu in London.
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On the block
Cheese Cape Vessey
Origin Prince Edward County, Ont.
Producer Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co.
Cheese makers Petra Cooper and Stephanie Diamant
Milk Pasteurized goat
Type Semi-soft, washed rind, lightly cooked and hand pressed
Shape 2-kilogram wheel
Notes Fifth Town uses organic animal rennet and is a LEED-certified facility. They also make sheep's milk cheeses. Cape Vessey recently won top honours in the Goat Cheese - Surface Ripened category at the 2008 Royal Winter Fair.
Distributor Provincial Fine Foods, FifthTown.ca
Availability
Toronto: Leslieville Cheese Market, Pusateri's, Culinarium
Kingston: Pan Chancho
Ottawa: Il Negozio Nicastro
Prince Edward County: Pinch Gourmet
Vancouver: Mount Pleasant Cheese
Calgary: Blush Lane Organic Market
Sue Riedl
Sue Riedl