Grilled Cheese

As with almost all things with me, this story starts with the farmers market at Dewey Square. On Thursday, I noticed a stand that I hadn't seen previously at the market. Two smiling young people stood in back of a little case of cheese samples, and while many people were visiting the other stands around them, I didn't see anyone approaching their stand. But I love cheese, so there's nothing that could keep me away. Upon walking up, they were really proud of their cheese, various cheddars, a swiss, and a really gorgeous looking Tomme. These were the people of Robinson's Farm, based in Hardwick, MA, and they pride themselves on artisinal raw milk cheese. Raw milk cheese is nothing new. It's rich in nutrition, as pasturizing is accused of killing off some of the nutritional value of cheese. Then again, no one likes listeria, do they? Anywho, I love raw milk cheese. In MA to my knowledge, we have a rule that anything made with raw milk must be aged over 60 days. If you really want raw milk cheese that is aged less than 60 days, you can run to Quebec and then try your luck as a smuggler. Breaking the law while hurting no one is a hell of a rush, son. 
At any rate, back to the Robinson farm stand, after sampling the cows milk, creamy, semi-soft, tangy, and even a little tart Tomme cheese, I knew I had a winner. This could be the key to the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich. It tasted like it would melt nicely. It wasn't as sharp as a cheddar, it had a little bit of the Gruyere funk going on, and the creamy quality would match nicely with the beautiful yellow plum tomato that had my name on it back at Kimball Fruit Farm stand. Grilled cheese here I come.
Now grilled cheese touches a special place in every American's heart. I'm convinced. It's something that makes me shed a tear for those who are lactose intolerant, or those people that do stuff like "diet." It's something you had for lunch when it wasn't a school night. It may have been the first thing that you learned to cook. It's easy, and it's comforting, and it means mom and all those nice things. When the tomatoes are ripe in New England, there's really one thing that calls for, and it's a grilled cheese with tomato. Kind of like a ghetto pizza. 

So here's the ingredients for my grilled cheese: Tekenink Tomme from Robinson Farm, one small heirloom yellow plum tomato, and two nice slices of country white bread. 

Here's how they are assembled:

Here's how you eat them. It's kind of like floating into a grilled cheese flashback... isn't it? ::boo dilly boop boo dilly boop boo dilly boop::










DETAIL RUNDOWN:
Robinson Farm
42 Jackson Road
Hardwick, MA01037
or
Dewey Square Farmers Market (Thursdays)
http://www.robinsonfarm.org/cheese.html