Chef Spotlight > Jonathan White: Cheesemaker

A Curd Above
Text & Photos by Nina Bachinsky

Meet Jonathan White, artisanal cheesemaker. Informative and entertaining, White’s mind bubbles over with stories, facts, and theories on natural farming, baking, and cheesemaking. To White, cheesemaking has elements of science, mystery, and alchemy. But mostly it’s a way of life. White is one of the leaders in a growing trend of sustainable agricultural farmers in the Hudson Valley. His cheeses are handmade from start to finish, using as natural a process as possible and his cows eat grass.

“It starts with the cows, the sun, and the grass. All I do in that little room [the dairy] is remove the water to help what happens in the pasture express itself in the ripening room,” says White. The French like to say that “terroir”—the land where the cheese is made and the organisms in that particular air space—imparts the cheese with its unique flavor. But White argues that the most important elements are “the grass the cows are eating and the distribution of moisture, salt, and acidity.” White’s cheeses are made only from raw milk, allowing the wild grasses and clover his cows graze on to impart a unique freshness. Clover seed is occasionally fed to the cows to fertilize their pastures and then sow the seeds of a nutritious and delicious diet. The season in which the cows graze bestows an incredible diversity of flavor to the cheese curds, summer being the most luscious.

His cheese making schedule works in a cycle, like life itself. The evening’s milking is ripened as a mother culture for the richer morning milk. The cheeses are all aged in a “cave,” where naturally occurring molds form the rind and aid in the aging process of the cheeses. The last time White tested the surface of one of his cheeses, he counted 15 different wild molds protecting the soft curd inside. Bobolink cheese is never inoculated with pharmaceutical grade molds. White’s theory on mold tolerance, why we can eat certain molds, stems back to our ancestors. “We’ve co-evolved with molds that grow on cheeses, just as cows have co-evolved with lactic acid.”

Bobolink is a special place; its tranquility encompasses the rolling hills it sits upon. I arrived on a perfect autumn day as Brunhilda, Swanilda, and Coppelia, along with 17 or so other Jerseys and Guernseys—whose names are equally well chosen—grazed in the green pasture bathed in sunlight. A cackle of chickens wandered about by the farmhouse, pecking treats from the earth.

As I walked down the hill toward the dairy, the aroma of baking bread and wood burning filled the air. There, at the bottom of the hill, stood White in front of a massive brick oven, conducting one of his classes on cheese making and baking, his fingers quietly touching a smooth ball of dough. As his baker, Taylor Libby, rolled and cut rounds of dough to form wheat-like shapes, White mused over different wild mushrooms—such as the giant puffball—coming into season and ways to enjoy them. He baked them in bread and sprinkled them on top of warm fresh mozzarella pizza. “A roasted puffball has the texture of foie gras,” he explained with a sparkle in his eyes. I pictured the delicate flavors of fresh mozzarella and puff balls mingling, softy and luxuriously. With this in my mind—and undoubtedly the rest of the class—we followed White inside to the creamery.

Inside we learned Mozzarella 101. In a pot filled with hot, salty water, White dropped sliced curds. With quick hands and many an anecdote, he added and removed the sliced curds from the hot water, repeatedly stretching and folding them till the proper consistency was reached, at which point he deftly braided the curds into “challah” shapes. No sooner had he braided one, then he sliced another, warm cream oozing out of every slice. He smiled and quoted a Neapolitan cheesemaker who brazenly stated, “If you make it right, the cream comes in your mouth.” In Italy, Mozzarella is only eaten fresh. Italians call it fiore de latte or “the flower of milk” because of the sweet cream that runs out of it. It has a short, 24-hour life span, after which it is hung to age and renamed.

Each of us in the class devoured a warm slice of fiore de latte before returning to the brick oven to make the rest into pizza. There, Taylor Libby rolled and tossed rosemary-infused dough, then spread it with the warm mozzarella and thick slices of shitake mushrooms and into the oven it went. While the pizza baked White fielded questions from the class and informed us about the acidity, salting, and washing of cheese.

He explained that creating the proper acidity in cheese encourages the growth of good molds and prohibits the growth of unwanted molds. Rubbing the cheese with salt—dry salting—rather than brining, forces the molds to go deep, creating a softer, sweeter inside. Some cheeses are alcohol washed instead of salted—White uses the Belgian ale Forêt. This kills the molds and interacts with wild bacteria to create its rind and special fruity flavor.

White’s background as a scientist becomes evident in his discussions of the molecular structures of milk and cheese. “Thankfully, I went to engineering school where I was told most things are possible but most things are impractical. If I had gone to business school, they would have told me what I am doing is impossible.” White founded Egg Farm Dairy in Peekskill in 1993, and was the cheesemaker there for seven years and a consultant for two others before his wife, Nina, suggested they start their own farm in 2002. It was a quality-of-life move for the whole family, including the Whites’ three children: Jacob, Tobias, and Paula The Bobolink property—which is split between Vernon, NJ, and Warwick, NY—is appropriately named for the many Bobolink birds that nest in its pastures.

Just when our noses could no longer endure the savory aromas, the pizza emerged from the oven. It was well worth the wait—the mozzarella was transformed into a sweet custard, the shitakes became earthy and chewy, and the crunchy crust left rosemary lingering on my palate. Gastronomic indulgences continued after pizza as we followed Jonathan back in to the dairy to taste all the cheeses: Cheddar, Drumm, Jean Louis, Pancake, Yoko, not yet named ale-washed, La Tarte de Vache (my favorite), and Tower of Bobol. Each is unique and hard to compare to common cheese varieties. All of them are attached to a story, just like the cows. We finished the class at the pasture, watching the cows chewing their cud, relaxed and unfazed.

BOBOLINK DAIRY
42 MEADOW BURN RD., VERNON, NJ.
WWW.COWOUTSIDE.COM. (973) 764-4888.
OPEN WEEKENDS, SATURDAY 9-5 & SUNDAY 12-5.

TASTING NOTES
Marc Propper owner/chef of Miss Lucy’s Kitchen, Kevin Katz owner/chef of The Red Onion, private chef Jeffrey Gimmel, and Peter Coco, wine distributor for VOS wines were kind enough to taste Bobolink’s cheeses for Chronogram.

Farmhouse Cheddar
This is very different from what you see at the grocery store. It is large and square with a thick, dry, velvet-white rind and typically aged for six months to a year.

“Strong, sharp and creamy with a pungent rind,” said Marc Propper. Kevin Katz found it rich and punchy. Jeffrey Gimmel cited meaty qualities. Peter Coco thought it medium-sharp, mild and creamy and suggested Trimbach Pinot Blanc and Nwa Waka Chardonnay as accompaniment.

Drumm
A four-month old cheese, firm textured, mild but not simple minded.
Katz found the texture moist and creamy with a spicy pungency. Jeffrey Gimmel thought it to be herbal and sharp with a creamy finish. Coco drank Chateauneuf du Pape with it. And Propper thought Côte du Rhone might suit it well.

Jean Louis
Named in remembrance of Jonathan’s friend, chef Jean Louis Palladin. It is close in age to Drumm.

Gimmel thought warm toast and fig molasses would complement it. He found the flavor akin to buttered popcorn. It had an aroma of pear eau de vie and a lean flavor to Katz. Like “Butter Käase” thought Propper and cited a bitter finish.

Pancake
A comparatively thin cheese, made in the summer, soft in texture.
Coco found an aroma of ash, while Propper smelled nutty, caramel popcorn. This was Jeff Gimmel’s favorite. He found it rich, creamy, and delicious, with flavors of salty caramel.

Yoko
A limited edition cheese, aged seven months and named after Yoko—a Japanese artist helping the Whites.

Coco smelled white pepper and found the texture chalky. A “barnyard nose and straw-like flavor, with a hint of Asian pear,” said Gimmel. Katz found the aroma funky and pleasant, and the flavor mild.

Not Yet Named, Ale Washed
This cheese is washed in the Belgian ale Forêt. Jonathan is waiting for the legal papers to call it Bobolink Forêt. It is aged four months.
Propper found a nice texture that was slightly dry. Gimmel noted an aroma of apricots and Katz thought it exciting and fruity.

La Tarte de Vache
It has a long, pungent finish, is soft and creamy and tingles the mouth. It is one year old.

“Super creamy and sharp,” said Katz. Gimmel found flavors of roasted chestnuts. Coco noted an aroma of cigar ash. Propper, thought it displayed a strong, barnyard aroma.

Tower of Bobol
Named for its pyramid shape. This cheese is best at two months of age.
It was a close second to Pancake for Gimmel, nice and smooth. Propper thought it to taste similar to an aged goat cheese, although a little heavy on the rind. Coco found an aroma of grilled beef and Katz discovered a smoky depth of flavor.