In 1989, Suzanne Dufresne and Daniel Gosselin took over the farm from Daniel’s parents in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, with the 65 hectares of land that came with it. As for the cheese dairy, it opened its doors in 2000. Report on the stages of cheese making — Le Pont blanc — at the Au gré des champs cheese dairy.
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Suzanne Dufresne and Daniel Gosselin’s farm has 60 Brown Swiss cows. Valerian Mazataud Le Devoir
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In 1989, Suzanne Dufresne and Daniel Gosselin took over the farm from Daniel’s parents in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, with the 65 hectares of land that came with it. The cheese dairy opened its doors in 2000. Valerian Mazataud Le Devoir
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On the right, Caroline Campeau, an employee of the cheese dairy, fills a basin with the milk from the previous evening’s milking and that of the morning’s milking. Before any other operation, the milk must reach a suitable temperature and pH. Valerian Mazataud Le Devoir
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Left: Once the milk has reached the correct pH, Suzanne Dufresne measures a small amount of rennet which will be added to the mixture. Rennet is a natural milk coagulant extracted from a calf’s stomach. Right: crucial first step in making Pont Blanc: adding ferments. Using a precision scale, Caroline Campeau weighs the bacteria, yeasts and molds that will be mixed with the fresh milk. Valerian Mazataud Le Devoir
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Caroline Campeau mixes the milk with ferments and rennet added in a coagulation tank that can hold up to 200 liters of milk. Valerian Mazataud Le Devoir
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After one night, the milk coagulated to become firm. Nancy Gravel, another employee, measures the pH using a probe before moving on to the stage of molding the Pont Blanc. Valerian Mazataud Le Devoir
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Left: Nancy Gravel fills Pont Blanc molds with a ladle. Ladle moulding, which is more delicate and tedious, allows the fine texture that the milk has acquired overnight to be preserved. Right: once unmolded, the Pont Blanc is left to yeast for a day before being salted. Valerian Mazataud Le Devoir
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After a drying phase, the Pont Blanc is refined for one to three weeks, in order to allow its aromas to develop. Valerian Mazataud Le Devoir
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