What better Friday treat for the whole family than farm fresh cheese curds? This week’s cheese pick, curds from Fromagerie Les Folies Bergères would give Little Miss Muffet a run for her money. Owner Maggie Paradis says “curds have faithful followers” and are widely loved and versatile – they go anywhere, with anything (and I might add, anyone.)
Cheesemaker expertise and fresh high quality milk are the secret to really good curds. Maggie’s curds are a little sweeter and don’t have the heavy hit of salt you taste with most cheddar curds. They’re moist, milky, warm, spongy, springy, softer, and have a less rubbery texture attributed to her patience and hand processing. And, of course, they have the characteristic “squeak” experienced with fresh cheese curds (no squeak, not fresh!), best eaten within 12-24 hours and before refrigeration.
Find them fresh on Friday afternoons at newly renovated The Piggy Market (Westboro) or in the Savour Ottawa Parkdale Market Field House (until Dec. 17).
FACTBOX:
Cheese: La Fraîche de St. Sixte
Producer: Fromagerie Les Folies Bergères
Interesting Fact: Curds are what is produced after milk is coagulated (curdled), and separated from the liquid (whey). The “squeak” against your teeth from cheese curds is the result of what happens during the chedarring process as the cheese changes in structure.