Pecora Dairy Fresh Curd

Fresh
Ewe's milk (East Friesian)
Southern Highlands
www.pecoradairy.com.au

At about this time every year, I get very excited about fresh goat's curd signalling the arrival of Spring. This year there's a new reason to get excited: the Fresh Curd from Pecora Dairy, made from ewe's milk.

Pecora Dairy Fresh Curd

As cheese-maker Michael McNamara explained, the curd is rich and earthy in Autumn, when the ewes are reaching the end of their lactation cycle, then re-emerges in Spring with fresh, spritely flavours, capturing the essence of the new season.

The pretty pat of curd has a dense texture, almost like cream cheese, and the sweetness of the ewe's milk shines through. At such a chaotic time of year, with torrential rain, lambing and the flush of new milk to deal with, it's wonderful to know that Michael and Cressy can find enough calm moments to create such simple, beautiful cheese.

The curd is equally good with sweet and savoury foods. I crumbled half of it on top of vege nachos - like an authentic queso fresco - and gobbled up the rest for breakfast on pancakes drizzled with honey.

Jannei Fresh Curd

Fresh Curd
Goat's milk (Saanen)
Blue Mountain Ranges
100g or 200g tubs
www.jannei.com

Nothing says Spring like the first batch of new season goat's curd, and this is one of my favourites. Jannei Goat Dairy is a true farmhouse operation, owned and run by Jannet and Neil Watson (Jan + Nei = Jannei), just outside Lithgow on the western side of the Blue Mountain Ranges.

Jannei Fresh Curd

Fresh curd really allows the quality of the milk to shine through. Being the youngest of all cheese styles, with virtually no 'maturation', there's litte the cheesemaker can do to tweek or enhance its natural flavours. And there's certainly nowhere to hide if the milk quality is below par.

Not that there's much risk of that at Jannei, where sustainable farming is practiced and the goats are grazed and given natural feed suplements. The Fresh Curd has a lovely texture - thick and creamy without being heavy or dry - and a delicious lemony tang. It's really clean and refreshing, and nicely salted.

Try it spread on olive bread, or dolloped on thinly sliced smoked trout with lemon zest - yum!