I'm not one to turn down anything with goat cheese, anytime. On a boat, with a goat, in the rain, in a train, in the dark, in the summer, in the winter, whenever, wherever, is just fine with me. But hands down, spring is my favorite season for goat cheese.

Spring is when goat milk tastes its brightest. The goats are off jumping around in the green, green hills, eating the delciousness that is spring vegetation, and the mamas are possibly, perhaps, just naturally a little more glowy after watching their adorable young prance about (we're going with the happy dairy animals producing good milk theme here). For a little more info about milk seasonality, here's an article I wrote for Edible East Bay a few years ago, called Tasting the Seasons in Cheeses. I wish I could claim coming up with that title.

With that in mind, this post is a little devotional to spring goat cheese, with pictures of a few of my preferred goat cheese pairers. Some link to recipes. The "recipe" given at the end of the post uses fresh chèvre, but I'm down with any old kind of goat cheese. Keeping in mind that the cheese will taste of the season when the milk is procured with pastured animals, explore.

Chevre and salmon on rye "recipe" (header photo)

Thinly slice rye bread, pumpernickel, or rustic whole wheat and lightly toast. Let cool. Spread thickly with fresh chèvre (go local if you want to taste those green hills near you). Top with smoked salmon or lox, then cucumber rounds. Garnish with fresh chervil. If going big, consider drizzling with creme fraiche. Serve with an unoaked white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Verdejo, or a Savoie white.