Harbison, the Cheese Version of a Jacuzzi in the Woods

And how to serve her when you want something fancy vs when you're stress eating

Harbison from Jasper Hill Farm

Hello congregants!

Happy Halloween! The holidays have officially begun, which means some of us are planning to build a lot of cheese plates over the next couple of months. If that’s you, then please comment on this post with your board building questions and I’ll do my best to answer them in the next bulletin. 

Not to dance around the big red elephant in the room, but I think I can speak for most Americans when I say that this week is stressful. I just dropped my ballot off at a polling center, and I feel a lot of frustration over our broken two-party system. I’m trying to frame my vote as against fascism rather than for a party that’s enabling a horrific genocide among other things. 

Anyway, we’re going to need a lot of comfort this week, so I’m featuring a cheese that’s uniquely suited for both festive gatherings and chaotic bouts of stress eating: Harbison from Jasper Hill Farm

Harbison with thyme-roasted potatoes and whole grain mustard

Cheese of the Month: Harbison from Jasper Hill Farm

Harbison is a petite, 9-inch wheel with a thick, downy rind, spoonable center, and a belt of spruce bark that’s harvested from the farm’s own woodlands. She eats like a hot tub of instant fondue that tastes of custard and forest, best served whole with a spoon or fried potato dipped right into her silken center. 

Jasper Hill Farm, located in Greensboro, Vermont

Jasper Hill Farm is located in Greensboro, Vermont, which is about 90 minutes east of Burlington. Brothers Andy and Matteo Kehler spent their childhood summers vacationing in the area, and returned to start their business in 1999. Together with their wives Victoria and Angie, they pooled together their life savings and bought a rocky piece of land. It was a long struggle at first, as all creameries are, but they started to make a name for themselves after their collaboration with Cabot Creamery won best in show at the American Cheese Society. That cheese, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, soon soared in popularity, and the brothers took the opportunity to expand their cellars and make new cheeses, such as Harbison.

Baby wheels of Harbison getting wrapped up in spruce cambium, the flexible layer of inner bark

Dipping into a wheel of Harbison is both comforting and ceremonious, like sitting down to a hot bowl of soup that your nana made for you. It’s a fitting image, since the cheese is named for Anne Harbison, a local activist known as the Grandmother of Greensboro. Anne knew the brothers when they were children, and now her name lives on with one of the most beautiful cheeses Vermont has to offer.

wheels of Harbison aging in the cellars

Harbison’s flavors are nuanced and vegetal, buzzing with hints mushrooms, bacon, mustard, and evergreens. She’s as soft as buttercream frosting when ripe, and best served as a whole wheel. I’ve seen her sold in halves and quarters, but her pudding-soft insides always ooze out and make for a very messy plate. I always suggest splurging on the wheel: she’s usually about $25-30 and very much worth it. 

If you’re using her for dipping, and you should, make sure she’s ripe. Look for wheels nearing their expiration date, which will reward you with the gooiest interiors. Then, give her a gentle squeeze: she should feel soft and yielding, like there’s liquid inside. If she feels a bit too firm, just preheat your oven to the lowest temperature, place the wheel on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and gently heat for 8 to 10 minutes.

Let me know how you’d pair Harbison in the comments below!

My favorite way to serve Harbison is with french fries

• How to Serve: buy a whole wheel. Insert a paring knife just above the bark, and slice all the way around the top of the wheel. Slowly peel back and remove the top rind and stick a spoon into the center. You can also just slice off half of the top for a more scantily clad presentation.

• Sweet Pairings: onion jam, fig jam, buckwheat honey, chutney, cranberry relish, apples, pears, figs

• Savory Pairings: any fried or roasted potato (french fries, tater tots, chips, etc), salami, bacon, crispy pork belly, mustard, all the pickles

• What to Drink: anything barrel-aged, stirred whiskey cocktails, any style of apple cider, sparkling wine, mulled cider, cinnamon tea

• Where to Buy: she‘s pretty available at specialty shops and even supermarkets like Whole Foods and Kroger. Find a local cheese shop near you or checkout my online retailer list. You can also order directly from Jasper Hill Farm.

• Similar cheeses to try:  Quinta from Point Reyes Cheese, Spruce Reserve from Firefly Farms, Washed rind versions include Rush Creek Reserve from Uplands Cheese and the original, Vacherin Mont d’Or.

A Cheese Altar for Fancy Celebrations

Some cheeses demand the spotlight all to themselves, especially spruce-wrapped sirens like Harbison. These indulgent, self-contained cheese Jacuzzis are worthy of ceremony. I love creating a cheese plate with one particular cheese because it feels like building an altar, surrounding one show stopping wheel with a plethora of pairings. This plate actually features Vacherin Mont d’Or, the Alpine cheese that inspired Harbison, but you can use any spruce-wrapped cheese. Pair with French cider, barrel-aged sour ale, or whiskey.

• 1 spruce-wrapped cheese, nearing the expiration date, at room temperature

• Small jar or bowl of whole grain mustard

• 1 ounce pickled carrots

• 1 ounce salami, thinly sliced

• Generous handful tater tots, cooked according to package directions

• 1 ounce dried figs

• Rosemary for garnish

Place the cheese in the center of your platter and use a paring knife to slice all the way around the top of the wheel. Slowly peel back and remove the top rind and stick a spoon into the center.

Place the mustard on the edge of the platter and stack the carrots next to it. Add the salami next to safely contain the carrot brine.

Follow with the tater tots and then the figs to fill out the platter. Garnish with rosemary to add a rich, woody fragrance.

Instant Mac and Cheese for Stress Eating 

This one’s a private, single-serving kind of indulgence. It’s great as is, but I also like folding in chopped caramelized onions and a little bit of pancetta, hot out of the pan. Pair with a pale ale, fruity red, or crisp cider.

• 1 spruce-wrapped cheese, nearing the expiration date, at room temperature

• ½-¾ cup of hot, short pasta, such as shells or cavatappi

• Freshly grated black pepper

Buy yourself a wheel of any Remove the top with a paring knife, slicing all around the wheel, just inside the outer bark. Gently slide off the top. Pour roughly a cup of hot, freshly cooked shell noodles into the center, and toss with a fork. Finish with black pepper and serve immediately.

The soft cheeses at Saxelby Cheesemongers in NYC

Tip of the Month

Soft-ripened cheeses like Harbison are some of the most delicate cheeses. They require the utmost TLC and are easily damaged by mishandling. Look out for these warning signs of a soft-ripened cheese that’s passed its prime:

• Bloated and almost bursting out of its package

• Slimy, dry, or cracked rind

• Brownish or crusty paste

• Flattened, misshapen, or bruised from mishandling

• Ammoniated smell

Cheesus bless each and everyone of you!

🖤 Erika