Goat cheeses to savor

Artisan goat cheeses come in a range of styles, like the California cheeses at left. They work beautifully on a cheese plate, along with a few sweet touches: Try a drizzle of lavender honey, a scattering of dried cherries or fresh figs, or a small slice of quince paste.

Redwood Hill Farm’sCrottinis a rich, fresh goat cheese with a clean flavor, while itsCamelliais a Camembert-style ripened cheese that’s wonderfully creamy and slightly on the salty side. Redwood Hill Crottin (six 3-oz. cheeses for $17) and Camellia (six 4-oz. cheeses for $22), atRedwoodhill.com.

Capriciousfrom Achadinha Goat Cheese Company, is a semihard aged cheese with deep, nutty flavor and a surprisingly creamy texture for a hard goat cheese. It works beautifully as a grating cheese—try sprinkling it over your favorite pasta dish. Capricious aged goat cheese, $25 per lb. To order, call 707-763- 1025. For more information, visitAchadinha.com.

Cypress Grove Chèvre’sgoat’s milk Cheddaris much milder than other Cheddars we’ve sampled. We also love Cypress Grove’s Mount McKinley aged goat cheese with its round, milky sweetness and impressively lasting creaminess. Cypress Grove Goat Cheddar, $15.50 per lb., and Mount McKinley, $17.25 per lb., atCypressgrovechevre.com

A butter standout

During a recent taste test of goat’s milk butters, one brand stood head and shoulders above the rest. Meyenberg butter is rich, sweet, salty, and delicately goaty all at the same time. Slather it on grilled bread or toss a little on steamed vegetables.

Meyenberg goat milk butter, available at select Whole Foods and Wild Oats stores, or order fromMeyenberg. $7 per cube (two cubes minimum).

Ice cream with a sophisticated tang

在经典的香草和巧克力以及更多nusual flavors like Chocolate Cabernet and Black Mission Fig, this goat’s milk ice cream is intensely flavored but light in texture. Because of its tanginess, we like it best in small tastes, as in a scoop to complement a fruit tart. If you order by mail, note that the ice cream may arrive quite soft—be sure to pop it into the freezer right away.

LaLoo’s goat’s milk ice cream, $8 per pint (four pints is the minimum order) atGoatmilkicecream.com.