On more than one visit to The Cheese Iron in Scarborough, my temple of heavenly cheeses, owner Vince Maniaci has raved about Snow Pond, a brie-like goat cheese made by Kennebec Cheesery in Sidney.
Why? The cheesemakers, Maniaci says, totally nail the handling of the Penicillium Candidum, the white mold that ripens and flavors the cheese and becomes the rind. Maniaci knows total command of goat cheese when he sees (or more aptly tastes) it – in October, he will be a judge at the American Dairy Goat Association’s national goat cheese contest at the organization’s annual convention, to be held in Portland.
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Snow Pond, a nickname of Messalonskee Lake, comes from the milk of pastured Alpine goats raised by mother-daughter cheesemaking team Jean Koons and Linnea Koons Morrison. On the package, they describe its flavor as “earthy” and tasting of mushrooms, while Maniaci leans towards “nutty” and tasting of pistachio. Yes and yes. From the first bite, I tasted a strong note of pistachio ringing through an earthy, slightly tangy background.
Snow Pond should be served at room temperature, so Maniaci suggests taking it out of the refrigerator a couple of hours before eating. I noticed that the longer it was out of the fridge, the softer and creamier the cheese became, from the outside in. Serve Snow Pond on a crostini or with multigrain crackers.
— MEREDITH GOAD
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