Eating local artisinal products is now hotter than ever, so pay a visit to Split Creek Farm in Anderson.
Goat cheese is a must have ingredient for many seasoned chefs and health nuts alike. You don’t fall into one of those categories? You’ve never tried goat cheese? Well, now is the perfect time. Eating local artisinal products is now hotter than ever, so pay a visit to Split Creek Farm in Anderson. Run by Evin Evans, this farm produces great goat products, including three main types of cheese.
Feta is a pretty familiar cheese, and is generally mass produced with cow’s milk. At Split Creek, they’re getting back to the cheese’s origins by producing an award-winning goat milk feta cheese. Their feta won Best in Show at the 2005 National Competition sponsored by the American Dairy Goat Association. Of course, feta is delicious on Greek salads, but for something different try roasting some squash and eggplant, tossing them with some penne pasta and pesto sauce, and generously sprinkling the top with their Split Creek marinated feta.
Split Creek Farm also offers Chevre logs and Fromage Blanc. These cheeses are similar in taste, but differ in texture. For you newbies to goat cheese, the taste is similar to typical cream cheese, but has less calories and fat per serving. Rachel Smith, who is in charge of marketing and tour management at Split Creek, points out that this makes the cheese not only delicious but healthy and easy to digest. The goat cheese logs, handmade by production manager Jessica Bell, are denser and contain less whey than the Fromage Blanc, which is sold in deli-style containers and is creamy and spreadable. The goats are milked and Chevre logs are made and sold all within a five day period. Talk about fresh!
Both of these would be perfect simply with crackers, but why stop there? To make Fromage Blanc filled dates for a tasty hors d’oeuvre, use a piping bag or zip top baggie to fill dates with Fromage Blanc. Wrap with a strip of pancetta or bacon, and place in a 350-degree oven until the meat is cooked. For a main dish, stuffed chicken breasts are always a hit, especially when you stuff them with the best ingredients. Pound out the chicken breasts until they are quarter-inch thick. Then fill with sautÈed onion and red bell pepper strips and a couple slices from a Split Creek Chevre log. Bake until the chicken is cooked, and serve hot while the cheese is melted and delicious.
These cheeses come in a variety of flavors, and are all made by hand and sold on the Grade A dairy farm. The farm store also sells gold-medal-winning goat milk fudge for a sweet treat. It has a creamy texture, and comes with or without several kinds of nuts. If you’re looking for a unique, inedible gift, the Split Creek store also offers goat milk soaps and hand-crafted folk art. The store is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1:30 to 6 p.m. Split Creek Farm is home to over 350 goats, plus dogs, chickens and pet pot belly pigs. For more information on guided tours, products, and directions, visit www.splitcreek.com.
