We are always on the lookout for new Canadian Artisan cheeses, and we are so pleased when we find one like the one we featured in the October Cheese Club! The Kenzie, a beautiful crottin style soft goat cheese, is made in Keene, Ontario by the good people of Crosswind Farm.
Crosswind Farm, Keene, Ontario
Kevin and Cindy started with the reconstruction of their 1800s barn to create a lovely home for their goats, and their dairy farm operation became a reality in 2006. In 2007, after a year of hard work, they brought home the does and they were ready to make cheese. And, like they say, the rest is history.
Kenzie Cheese
Kenzie is named after Kevin and Cindy’s daughter. They first gave a name to this cheese that nobody could remember or pronounce. After talking with a patron at the farmer’s market they decided to run a contest to rename it. The winner suggested to call it Kenzie. She was a teacher who knew Kenzie and thought as the cheese developed to be a tasty concoction, so too was Kenzie who was becoming a very nice young woman.
This cheese is a semi-aged, bloomy rind, crottin style cheese. It has a white fluffy rind with pleasant light floral undertones. As this lovely cheese ages, grey mold will appear and it will yield a light mushroomy flavour. Complex flavours develop as this cheese ages. Great on a slice of baguette or equally on some great crackers like the Fine Cheese Company Rosemary and Extra Virgin Olive Oil crackers or their charcoal squares!
Looking to pair the Kenzie, if you like red wine with your cheeses, you could opt for a fruity, extra dry and medium-plus bodied Jackson-Triggs Reserve Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon VQA. For a white wine, try a Chardonnay such as the Wayne Gretzky Chardonnay VQA. This cheese also pairs well with rosé, such as the Kim Crawford Rosé. For the beer lover, we suggest the creamy, smooth and hoppy Maclay’s Traditional Pale Ale.
In addition to the several Kenzie still available, we also currently have several other of the Crosswind farm goat cheeses in our fridge, including a soft chevre, goat cheddar, goat gouda and a smoked goat gouda.
Goat’s Milk Soap
Crosswind Farm also makes great goat milk soap! Customers come back for more because they love the scent and long lasting bar. This silky goat’s milk soap just flies out of the store!
Scents available: Honey Almond with Oatmeal, French Lavender, Lemon Grass
