Three cheesemakers walk into a bar. After a bottle of wine (or two), they start discussing the idea of American Originals, cheeses that are distinctly American rather than European in origin. They come up with perameters for the cheese: it must be made from raw milk from one herd of cows, with starter cultures made from that same milk, minimally processed animal rennet, and salt sourced as locally as possible. This way, the cheese will taste of the place where it is produced. They named it Cornerstone as this cheese is an important part of a foundation for many more American Originals to come.

The three cheesemakers involved in the Cornerstone Project are Sue Miller from Birchrun Hills Farm in Pennsylvania, Mark Gillman from Cato Corner Farm, and Peter Dixon and Rachel Schaal from Parish Hill in Vermont. Here we have Parish Hill’s version of Cornerstone. Peter and Rachel make cheese only when the cows are on pasture, which in Vermont limits them to about six months. Since one of Peter and Rachel’s goals is that we taste where their cheeses are really from, the milk is the best expression of place when the cows are eating the local vegetation. This means that Parish Hill Cornerstone can change a little from wheel to wheel as the milk changes! Generally though, the cheese is semi-firm with a tangy bite and flavors of berries, fresh peas, pepper, and earth. We recommend eating Cornerstone simply in slices or chunks, preferably on a porch watching the sun set.