“Originally, [Reblochon] was made from cheating the tax man,” says Hidden Hills Dairy owner Lori Sollenberger. In 14th century France, landowners would tax farmers for the amount of milk produced by their cows. In order to minimize their burden, Sollenberger shares, “farmers would only partially milk the cows, weigh it for the taxman, and when he left, they would milk the cow again.” This second milking actually produced a richer product, which in turn produced a tastier cheese. A soft cheese with a characteristic nutty flavor, Sollenberger told me she has been experimenting with the Reblochon recipe, adapting the traditional process to use milk from her Jersey cows.

With assistance from her daughter, Sollenberger takes us through the steps of processing milk into cheese. Hidden Hills Dairy produces a number of other cheeses — original twists on gouda, havarti, and feta.