Cream cheese is certainly not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking "artisanal" cheese. However, where there are bagels, and sometimes lox, this fresh, creamy spread is ubiquitous. It usually comes in a plastic container with the name of a large industrial brand name, like Breakstone's Temp Tee and Philadelphia (in Spanish "queso Filadelfia" is translated as "cream cheese"). With that kind of supermarket pedigree, it's hard to believe cream cheese could be artisanal. And yet, after tasting Champlain Valley Creamery's denser (it's not whipped) and richer organic cream cheese, we now know that yes, indeed, it can — and it makes a big difference in flavor and texture.
What exactly makes the production of Champlain Valley Creamery's cream cheese distinct from its industrial counterparts? To start with, the organic milk used to make the cheese comes from Journey's Hope Farm, a neighboring dairy. Using organic cow's milk from crossbred Jerseys and Holsteins that yield milk with high butterfat produces a tastier milky flavor in the cheese; a slight tang that can also be enjoyed with the creamery's other cheeses (try Champlain Valley Triple Cream).
Apart from the milk, there are several other aspects to this cream cheese that make it artisanal. It's not made with any stabilizers (a food additive that thickens consistency and increases shelf life). The high butterfat content (at least 33 percent) of the cheese often repels the water and leaks the moisture out of the cheese. Without stabilizers, Champlain Valley Creamery's cream cheese may have a shorter shelf life, but the flavor is much more authentic and the texture is thicker and drier. "Stabilizers and preservatives contribute to things like cold temperature spreadability and shelf life extension," says Carleton Yoder, owner of Champlain Valley Creamery. "These are typically added in a hot process that also kills any culture."
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