Boucher Blue - Cheese Course

by Max Shrem, Posted Apr 7th 2009 @ 11:00AM

Though we've been covering goat's milk cheeses for the past couple of weeks, today I'd like to concentrate on an American blue raw cow's milk cheese from northern Vermont called Boucher Blue.

This sweet and creamy fromage has an earthy flavor reminiscent of the famous French Fourme d'Ambert. What sets it slightly apart is a unique taste of chestnuts and vanilla and a long finish on the palate. While Boucher Blue is certainly tasty eaten plain, it would also make a great addition to a fresh spring salad, such as one with watercress, prosciutto and hazelnuts.

Boucher Blue is handmade by brothers Daniel and Denis of the renowned Québecois Boucher family, whose 1,000 acre farm boasts 120 Holstein and French Normandy cows. The brothers have deep roots in the region: Their family has been cultivating land for nearly 400 years. Long ago they tilled the land by the Lake Champlain and St. Lawrence River valleys in what was once New France (now Quebec). Their ancestor Pierre Boucher was celebrated after the French and Indian War for making peace with the Iroquois.

Fnd their cheese at farmer's markets such as the Burlington Farmers' Market or purchase it from Saxelby Cheesemongers here in New York.

Filed Under: Cheese Course, Food Politics, Ingredients
Tags: artisanalcheese, blue cheese, BlueCheese, cheese, cheesecourse, dairy, vermont cheese, VermontCheese