Cooking with goat's milk and goat's cheese

My big brother very generously supplied me with a cache of goat's milk and goat's cheese (he works at Mornington Heritage Dairy - see more info below). I thought I would post my observations and comments here.

Firstly, in the past I have had problems with cow's milk. I'm not lactose-intolerant, but have experienced some GI tract discomfort, and so had switched to soy products. I have experienced no problems with goat's milk, and was even surprised to discover that it had no unusual tastes. I thought it might have a bit of a "gamey", "musky" taste like lamb meat. None. I must admit to having the great pleasure of returning to late night visits to the fridge to chug cold milk out of the carton.

Secondly, the cheese has a delicious bite that is not overpowering, or in any way "gamey" (as some people claim they find goat's cheese), but far more enjoyable than the rather bland standard cheddars most people tend to buy. My wife LOVES the cheese in salads, and we both have fallen prey to keeping an eye on how much cheese is left and measuring each other's consumption so that it is fairly shared. ;)

Thirdly, having a new cheese to experiment with has led me to try some new recipes, all of which worked well with a slightly stronger flavoured cheese. I have included below pictures of two. The first is scalloped potatos, carrots, and onions, with goat's milk and goat's cheese. The second is layered, baked polenta and goat's cheese, with a tomato relish topping. Both were delish.

Finally, for those of you who appreciate food that's grown with a traditional approach to human and animal health, and that contributes to maintaining the viability of locally-rooted, family-owned farming in rural Ontario, and businesses that operate on democratic principles, the products of Mornington Heritage Dairy (operated as part of the Ontario Dairy Goat Cooperative) are ideal.

- Feb. 2011: "Dairy Goat Co-op Take Over Mornington," Better Farming

Others apparently feel the way I do. In Westboro, Ontario, "The Piggy Market" offers the following comments regarding Mornington's goat butter: "While searching for Ontario cheese producers, we came across Mornington goat dairy, and found butter! Goat butter is, if you can believe it, even more creamy and decadent than regular butter."


Scalloped potatos, carrots, and onions with goat's milk and goat's cheese






Baked polenta layered with goat's cheese