Congratulations, it's a goat!

The young goat cheeses are the most fun to handle in the cheese caves below Murray's Cheese Shop on Bleeker Street. Many cheeses come in looking pretty much as they do when they are sent out, but the young goats undergo a genuine transformation during aging.

They come in naked and white then grow a rind in "cave three," also known as the goat cave. The mold starts out puffy and long, like newborn baby hair, before it is patted down so the rind can continue to develop. Early in the ripening process, the crottin really do look like fluffy haired babies.

Sounds yucky, looks lovely, and tastes terrific. Love the goat!