Photo: Baetje Farms website
When my daughter calls on Saturday mornings and says, “You want to go to Soulard?” I invariably say yes even though I may have been to the grocery store the day before. Even when I don’t need anything, I find something at the old city market. Saturday it was the French-inspired artisan goat cheese that caught my eye. It’s made at Baetje (BAY-jee) Farms in Bloomsdale, MO (pop. 542), near Ste. Genevieve, about 45 miles down the road.
Award-Winning Goat Cheese
I tasted a few slivers and selected a small chunk of their Coeur du Clos. The award-winning cheese sells for the price of a fine roast, but is quite splendid. It could easily become habit forming. I later went to their farm website and found that my new purchase was a Camembert-type cheese made from a blend of goat and sheep milk and encased in a velvety rind that feels much like soft wool.
Owners of Baetje Farms, Steve and Veronica Baetje show samples of their handcrafted goat cheeses. Photo from Baetje Farms website.
Owners Steve and Veronica Baetje’s attention to quality has brought recognition to their products from far and wide. In 2013, Coeur du Clos was the American Cheese Society’s second place winner. Their cheeses have won a number of national and international awards and the farm was featured in the New York Times.
The next time you’re at Soulard pinching peaches and sniffing melons, stop by for a slice of Coeur du Clos. Their handcrafted cheeses can also be found at farmers’ markets throughout the area and in major groceries.
There are a number of other varieties I want to try. I’ll save those for my next visit.
There was even a bit of Scripture on the label. Note the line from Proverbs: “And thou shalt have goat milk enough.”
Coeur du Clos goat cheese is perfect for a cheese board served with crackers, chunks of bread, sausage, and fruit.
