A diamond in the rough of a cheese, the Middlebury Blue from Blue Ledge Farm may have a rustic, natural rind exterior, but its interior paste is a smooth, mild, and creamy treat. Raw cow's milk from the creamery's Vermont neighbors gives the cheese an almost cheddary texture. Towards the rind, the pale paste takes on an amber hue, while deep blue veining cracks its way through the cheese. That blue adds a balance between earthy hay notes and sweet, caramel flavors, with a bite of pepper thrown in. Despite all this, it is a mellow cheese, and a sweet, light red is all it needs to shine.

Ingredients: raw cow's milk, culture, rennet, salt.

approx 8oz wedge