Milk: Cow, Unpasteurized
Country: USA, PA (Newtown)
Texture: Firm
Accompaniment: Honey Blonde
Washington Crossing is made by Dwight Ely on his farm near Washington Crossing (it is where General Washington crossed the Delaware on Christmas night on his way to the battle of Trenton). Dwight is the seventh generation owner of the farm which dates back to the late 1700’s. The cheese is made using the milk from Jersey cows only and Dwight uses a culture that can best be described as producing cheeses that are a mix between a younger Gouda and a Gruyere. The cheese is never pasteurized so all the flavors that were in the milk are in the cheese. Aged for well over 60 days in the cave on the farm, the cheese can be sold as raw milk in NJ as well.
When tasting the cheese the creamy sweetness hits first, followed by nuttiness and a little crunchiness of the tyrosine crystals that are starting to form. The cheese leaves you with a little bite and a lingering milkiness.
The cheese was awarded second prize by the American Cheese Society in North Carolina meeting in 2012.