A quick and easy summer meal using leftover steak!

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 large head Belgian endive, thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
• 3 cups fresh baby arugula
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 ounces blue cheese (like Gorgonzola or Bette Davis Eyes) coarsely crumbled
• Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Roughly 1 pound sliced steak (such as New York, rib-eye or filet mignon), pan-fried or grilled and chilled
• optional avocado chunks, or pickled red onion instead of fresh

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup olive oil

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

1. Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper in a jar with a tight lid. Making sure the lid is tight, shake it vigorously til the mix is emulsified (thick and opaque with all ingredients mixed).

Salad Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the romaine lettuce, Belgian endive, red onion, baby arugula and cherry tomatoes, and half of the cheese. Toss the salad with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the salad on a platter.
2. Cut the steak crosswise into thin slices. Arrange the steak slices atop the salad and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Drizzle more vinaigrette over the steak slices and serve.

Terroir is the French word specific to winemaking that means “the characteristic taste and flavor imparted to a wine by the environment in which it is produced.”  Another way to think of it is taste of place… and now we understand that terroir influences everything from grapes to tomatoes to the milk from grazing cows.

All those seasonal grasses and plants, the chickory flower, the orchard grass, dock and pineapple weed, the wild mustards in summer and onion grasses in spring… all those flavors dance in our cows’ raw milk. Some are more prominent in spring, and fall back in summer. Other disappear altogether until the following spring. Some weave in and out throughout the season. And all those flavors alchemize as they age to become luscious, earthy raw milk cheese.

When the cheesemaker’s heart turns to Trilby making in summer, we handpick edible leaves from fig and chestnut trees to wrap the cheese when it is ready for sale. Trilby is a small washed-rind cheese that, while ageing, is washed with rye whiskey from Dad’s Hat in Bristol. The chestnut leaves above were picked from our head cheesemaker’s yard and then soaked in that lovely local whiskey until fully saturated. The leaves soak up all that flavor and when wrapped then help seal it into each little wheel.

Come into the farm store or visit us at our farmers markets this week for a taste! #Trilby

Batches are ripening as we type, but this week our all-stars for the farm store and farm markets are…

Havilah
These June 2018 batches of our Havilah are even better than the May batches. The raw milk used in these alpine-style wheels lets you taste all the layers of flavor present, thanks to our lush green summer pastures. These wheels boast a dense, almost velvetty texture, with aromas of browned butter and roasting meats. Notes of fresh scallions, and super hearty beef-and-onion flavors are all present, and are rounded out by subtler, sweeter hints of hazelnut and salted caramel. All in all they are exceptionally balanced and incredibly delicious. Raw Milk.

Rarebird
This young batch of our raw milk Rarebird really let the pure flavors of our milk sing. These little washed rind wheels have a soft, sweet cream aroma and a fudgy, palate-coating texture that just about melts in your mouth. The flavors of this Rarebird batch are simple and clean, wonderful salted butter notes, subtle hints of fresh baked bread, with a tiny bit of that lovely washed rind funk near the creamline, and a tinge of sweetness carrying notes of vanilla and almond through the finish. Raw Milk.

Herdsman
Herdsman is one of our tried and true, kid- and kitchen-friendly cheeses. This batch of extra aged Herdsman baskets starts off with notes of cultured butter, lemony citrus, and fresh sea salt, and finishes with hints of toasted cashew, and a sharpness reminiscent of clothbound cheddars at times. This Herdsman is firm and flakey, very versatile, and equally great for snacking or for cooking! Raw Milk.

Toma
Toma is especially delicious right now, but we are running low so get it this week. The wheels start out with a funky, almost boozy aroma, but when you bite into this dense and creamy cheese, you are greeted with flavors of fresh yeasty bread with salted butter, hints of sweetness, and an undercurrent of grassy notes. The finish is bright and overall the wheels are wonderful! Raw Milk

Buttercup Brie
Everyone’s favorite little earthy bloomy rind is available this week! Serve at room temperature with a delicate wine jelly or on a baguette with roasted garlic. Pasteurized.