Geotrichum candidum is a tricky mould to master. And no one in Australia has mastered it as well as Holy Goat with their La Luna. Read on to learn about Australia’s best goat’s milk cheese.
Where La Luna comes from
La Luna is a soft goat’s milk cheese made by Holy Goat Cheese in Sutton Grange, Central Victoria.
Carla Meurs and Anne-Marie Monda established Holy Goat Cheese in 1999. After spending 12 months working on farms around Europe in the early 90’s, the couple returned to Australia and eventually purchased Sutton Grange Organic Farm where they set up the dairy.
A pampered herd of goats
A small and pampered herd of some 120 Saanen and British Alpine goats call the farm home. The goats are free to roam and feed on a variety of local grasses and shrubs.
Carla and Anne-Marie hand-milk 80 of their goats. Furthermore, the organic goat’s milk has the ideal protein and fat content for cheesemaking. They drew the inspiration for their signature cheese, La Luna, from the matured goat’s milk cheeses of Provence.
How La Luna is made
Its production begins with the milk being gently pasteurised and then slowly fermented to form a soft curd. Afterwards, the cheesemaker shapes the curd into a large ring with a hole in the middle which is left to mature for a minimum of 3 weeks.
During the maturation, the delicate Geotrichum candidum mould forms a wrinkly ivory rind on the surface. Underneath the rind, the soft white pâte has an ice cream like consistency and a mild milky and herbaceous aroma.
Moreover, as the cheese matures, its flavour goes from light and citrusy to being full- bodied and nutty.
How to serve La Luna
As always, let your cheese get to room temperature before serving. Enjoy this Aussie beauty with a zingy, zesty cool climate Chardonnay.
