I know, August is National Goat Cheese Month, but there’s no need to limit yourself to just one style of cheese. (If you were, buffalo milk mozzarella and burrata are really far more necessary for pairing with late summer’s bounty of tomatoes and peaches, no?) So go a little wild this weekend and top (or stuff) those burgers with a nice tangy cows-milk blue … like this one from Berkshire Cheese Makers.
I have to confess, when I spotted Berkshire Blue at the New Amsterdam Market Dairy Fair in New York* earlier this summer, it occurred to me that I hadn’t tasted their cheese in quite a while. As it turns out, there’s a new cheesemaker at the helm, Ira Grable. After apprenticing for the former owners for six months, he bought the farm — in Berkshire County, Massachusetts — five years ago. There may have been more to the story, but I was busy admiring the rind on his smoked blue. Gorgeous, no?
A raw milk blue, Berkshire uses entirely Jersey cow milk from a farm just ten miles away. With low salt content, the cheese is rich and creamy. The added smokiness of the smoked blue would truly kick those Labor Day burgers up a notch.
Keep an eye out for Berkshire Blue in your local cheese case — and tell us, what was your favorite burger-topper of the summer?
*It’s been a cheesy summer. Can you believe there was an entire day of cheese feasting I haven’t even mentioned yet? The ACS debrief took longer than expected — but there are many more fantastic New York, Pennsylvania and beyond curd reviews coming soon!
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