Photo courtesy of Murray’s
This is the third cheese in our yearlong monthly Cheese Give-A-Whey. Marc Freshman, out official cheesemonger for this drawing, works at Murray’s and he told us Greensward is one of his all-time favorites.* It comes in little 10 ounce wheels and it can only be bought at Murray’s.
Photo courtesy of Murray’s
In 2013, Murray’s and Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, Vermont conspired to create a unique, washed-rind cheese for an up-scale New York restaurant- Eleven Madison Park. The idea was for Jasper Hill to make the cheese and for Murray’s to age it in their caves. This turned out to be a very good idea!
In the 2015 US Cheese Championships in Wisconsin, Greensward was awarded Best in Class in the Smear-Ripened Soft Cheeses category.
Photo courtesy of Murray’s
To produce this award-winning cheese, Murray’s begins with Jasper Hill’s Harbison, a bloomy rind, soft ripened pasteurized cow’s milk cheese wrapped in spruce cambium strips (which we now sell!). The staff at Murray’s then washes it in a mixture of hard cider (Virtue Cider from Fennville, Michigan), yeasts and salt which turns the cheese from white to an orangy color.
Photo courtesy of Serious Eats
After it goes through a rotation in Murray’s caves, the Greensward becomes soft and spoonable. It can be eaten as it is, or heated and served. Murray’s suggest pairing it with a cranberry chutney or pickled cherries.
Photo courtesy of Murray’s
*In our first interview with Marc, he referred to Greensward when he was telling us about his job:
The flavor of a particular cheese can sometimes vary from wheel to wheel. For instance, with Greensward, a gooey spreadable masterpiece which I consider one of the best cheeses I’ve ever tasted, flavors can subtly fluctuate based on the batch. Sometimes it has a smooth finish with notes of mustard seed and roasted vegetables, while other times it’s more aggressive and tastes like a smoky cheeseburger. Of course, as a cheesemonger, I’m probably more sensitive to those fluctuations, more so than someone who’s trying the cheese for the first or second time.
