A recent visit to Maine allowed me to catch up with my cheesemaker friend Allison Laking, of Lakin's Gorges Cheese, who is a fancy-schmancy Ivy League (Cornell, hence "Gorges") educated anthropologist. Now She's a humble kick-ass cheesemaker, a milker of cows and farmer's market maven. She handed me this square wheel of her gorgeous (see what I did there?) bloomy rind cheese with a zig-zag layer of powdered seaweed running through its center. I'm so glad to finally get a chance to paint this beauty. After a week or so it was perfectly ripe and delicious, and so creamy it was threatening to ooze while I was painting it. In the end, it turned out to be a super model.

This cheese is a result of relocating her cheesemaking to her farm. Allison wanted to create a cheese that was truly a taste of place. East Forty Farm stretches down to Long Cove, on the Medomak River which is rich with seaweeds. After 6 months of research and careful choosing the best flavor profile, she started making the powdered ribbon for the center of the new bloomy rind cheese. It's aged for one month and is creamy, briny and deliciously savory. I almost get a hint of the fresh sea when I eat this, but perhaps that's just my silly artist imagination. Regardless, I absolutely love it!

Seek some out for yourself, from Laking's Gorges Cheese.

Country of Origin: Maine, USA

Availability: sold