Tillamook Flavored Cheeses

Holy smokes…Tillamook makes some spicy cheeses…

Tillamook Hot Habanero Jack Cheese

…and after sampling the Hot Habanero Jack Cheese, I actually checked to see if I had smoke billowing out of my nostrils, singeing my whiskers…had it happened, it would have been worth it…like The Lady, I love spicy food (funny how that works, don’tcha think???).

Tillamook takes its creamy, mellow Monterey Jack and kicks it to the Yucatan Peninsula (where habanero peppers are believed to have originated) and back to the Oregon Coast by adding habanero and jalapeno (no slouch either on the Scoville Chile Pepper Heat Scale) peppers.  This cheese is not for the faint of heart; but if you like spicy, this puppy will fit the bill. The Man is not big on spicy which means he is not a big fan…but he remains The Man as far as The Lady is concerned…

I, as your spicy Feline Foodie, give Hot Habanero Jack 4 Steaming Paws out of 4 Steaming Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got and after eating this cheese, I’m lucky to still have all 4…).

Serving Suggestions: The Lady served this with an apricot preserve and the combination was amazing. Habaneros have a hint of apricot naturally before the fire blows the apricot flavor out the door. The Lady also mentioned substituting this cheese for the Tillamook Medium Cheddar she usually puts in her pimento cheese spread. This cheese would also make one mean grilled cheeses and I mean that pretty literally…

Wine Pairings: Ferngrove Shiraz, Frankland River, Western Australia

Beer Pairings: Habanero Pilsner, The Brewhouse, Santa Barbara, California

Source: Cows’ Milk

tillamook Garlic Chili Pepper

 

The second flavored cheese from Tillamook was Garlic Chili Pepper Cheddar Cheese, which The Lady sells in her BH-adjacent Cheese Island. This cheese also has a “kick” because Tillamook decided to lace the cheddar with red chili pepper flakes. The garlic does “domesticate”…not to be confused with the manner in which The Lady “domesticated” me (more on this below)… the chili pepper slightly. The Lady and I both enjoyed sampling this cheese…The Man, again, not so much…

I give Garlic Chili Cheddar 3 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).

Serving Suggestions: The Lady combined the Garlic Chili Cheddar with my personal Tillamook favorite, Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar and made a Quesadilla…man oh man…now that was one tasty Quesadilla. Living with The Lady is quite a culinary journey; you just never know what she’ll think of next. When I was assigned observation duties of The Lady and The Man, The Brain told me, “I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is The Lady will love you unconditionally and pamper you in a style to which you will become accustomed quickly. The bad news is…” …well the bad news had to do with the loss I suffered during my first trip to the vet…I mis-heard (something The Lady says The Man does…a lot) and thought The Brain said I was going to be “tutored”…I sadly digress…(but I must also give credit to Gary Larson for the use of “tutor”)

Wine Suggestions: Atwater Estates 2007 “Finger Lakes” Pinot Noir, New York State

Beer Pairings: Rogue Mocha Porter, Oregon

Source: Cows’ Milk

Tillamook Horseradish White Cheddar

 

The third cheese we sampled was Horseradish White Cheddar. This one was the favorite of The Man, who eats horseradish on his French Dip, his prime rib and even has The Lady add it to deviled eggs. You might dub this cheese “The Lady’s Peace Offering” to the Man. The horseradish, while pungent, is not overpowering and adds a nice edge to the creamy, mellow medium cheddar.

In honor of The Man, I give Horseradish White Cheddar 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got)…I would have given it 4 paws anyway…but I have to blow some smoke at The Man because he and I spend so much “quality time” together while The Lady is off in the cheese mines…

Serving Suggestions: The Lady served this cheese with some of the private selection rare roast beef that is sold in her deli. She added organic field greens aka “weeds” affectionately referred to by The Man, a slice of Vidalia Onion, tomato and fat-free mayo on Dave’s Killer Bread (Good Seed). This makes a great table cheese served with grapes or pears.

Wine Pairings: Black Mountain Malbec (one of Trader Joe’s private labels) Napa Valley, California

Beer Pairings: Lohrer Dunkles

Source: Cows’ Milk

There are several other “flavored” cheeses from Tillamook and I will be reviewing them in the near future…stay tuned…but for now, it’s my nap time…

Dessert Cheese – White Stilton with Fruit

Vegetarian – Suitable Cheese 

It’s like eating cheesecake without the sugar…

The Lady brought home a slice of White Stilton that was laced with blueberries, very generously laced.

The Man, as you recall has a sweet tooth, was immediately interested, in much the same way that Politicians (aka Rat Ass Bastards, according to The Lady) are interested when other Politicians are lying (getting pointers on how to improve the “skill”)…but I digress…

The Man asked if this slice of cheese heaven was considered a dessert cheese and The Lady confirmed that it can be eaten after a meal as dessert; but she had other ideas…she planned to crumble it on some of this week’s bounty from Purple Rain Vineyard and make a salad with the cheese and “field greens”, which The Man prefers to call “weeds”; but he eats and enjoys them.

I was dismayed that the cheese would be going into a salad rather than my kitty pate dish but The Lady didn’t disappoint. She crumbled some up and gave it to me, her favorite feline foodie. It was my first experience eating blueberries and while they are not my first choice for lacing cheese; it could have been worse…

The Stilton part of the concoction was crumbly with a soft texture. Alone my guess would be that it would taste much like a yogurt. With the blueberries, it tasted like blueberry cheesecake.

The Lady mentioned that it often is made with lemon zest, mango, cranberries and apricots. I think Stilton should consider adding some crispy, crumbled Micomaronus leytensis which is so rare that even Wikipedia doesn’t have an article about it – but take my word for it…it would be yummy with White Stilton.

I give White Stilton 3 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).

Serving Suggestions: On crackers or ginger cookies would be a nice after-dinner treat. Crumbled on field greens works if you are of the humankind persuasion…

Wine Suggestions: A little bubbly would go quite nicely with this cheese.

Beer Suggestions: A fruity ale.

Source: Cows’ Milk

Fat Content: 45%

Suitable for Vegetarians.

Tillamook 100th Anniversary Cheese Wheel

Tillamook 100th Anniversary Wheel

It’s here!! Aged Three Years – Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar.

The Lady has promised to order a two pound wheel just for this feline foodie…her favorite feline foodie…okay, I’m her only one…

You can order your own wheel from Tillamook by clicking here.

Don’t wait too long…there’s a limited amount and when it’s gone…it’s gone…

Denhay Farmhouse Cheddar

 A new cheese arrived this week at The Lady’s Kiosk: Denhay Farmhouse Cheddar from the Marshwood Vale in the West Country of England.

This award-winning cheese has been made on the Denhay Farm since 1959 using traditional skills and techniques that have been used for generations and results in a consistently high-quality cheddar.

The Lady brought a small wedge home for her favorite feline foodie(that would be me!!) to sample and review and I gotta tell you, this is one happy feline foodie…It is bandage-wrapped and that adds to its distinctive nutty yet mellow flavor. It has a smooth texture, with just a bit of the crumbliness of a cheddar. It is a mature cheddar that is aged in wooden boxes for up to a year. That year fully develops the flavor. You won’t be disappointed in this cheddar.

A little bit about the farm. At Denhay every one of the 1000 Holstein cows have their own mattress. The five herds were selected for the high protein quality of their milk. The welfare of the cows is audited independently by the RSPCA’s Freedom Foods scheme. In the summer the cows graze the grass and the farm has cow-friendly tracks for the cows to get to the fields. Surplus grass to the grazing is made into silage for storage as winter feed. The silage naturally ferments and is easily digested by the cows. In addition, the farm also grows corn and wheat for cow feed. In the winter when it is too cold and wet for the cows to go outside, they are kept inside and fed the grass, wheat and corn silage. They add wheat and soya cereal for supplements to their winter diet. All of the milk produced by the 1000 cows is used on the farm to produce the cheese and butters.

Simon Hill, the Farm Director, is the one person responsible for everything from breeding to feeding to the welfare of the cows. My hat (if I had one) would go off to Denhay for their responsible care of their herds.

This feline foodie gives Denhay Farmhouse Cheddar 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got) and because I think the farm is totally cool when it comes to the welfare of its animals, I’m adding a little tail-wagging as well.

Serving Suggestions: this cheddar goes quite well with grilled Marmota vancouverensis; however, The Lady has warned me that this tasty tidbit is on the endangered species list and I should take it off my “wish list”…sheesh…This cheddar also goes well with apples, pears, walnuts and Marcona Almonds (of course, Marcona Almonds go with anything…after all, they are fried…what’s not to like). You can melt it on toast; you can shred it and use it in mac n cheese or any other dish that calls for cheddar. It makes a mighty fine grilled cheese.

Wine Pairings: Meritage, Shiraz, Zinfandel.

Beer Pairings: Pale Ale

Source: Holstein Cows

Awards: 2008 – no less than 25 awards around the world

The Lady Reports on the DPI 2009 Western Food Show

Thursday evening when The Lady walked through the door, my heart sank.

Immediately I knew she had cheated on me; she smelled of cheeses, glorious cheeses that I have never eaten…visions of “the smoking incident” danced through my head…where had she been and who was with her? As she and The Man began to chat I realized he had known all along The Lady was attending a cheese show and he had kept it secret from me. I was devastated; his buddy who hangs with him every day while The Lady is away at the cheese mines; his buddy who gives up valuable nap time to sit in his lap and allow him to pet me.

One more time, this feline learned that humankinds, even The Man, are more loyal to their own than to their favorite felines… The disappointment in these two is beyond comprehension; not to mention how pissed The Brain is going to be that I missed the opportunity to observe humankinds that otherwise would escape my cat eye… and the cheeses I missed eating… this is one annoyed feline foodie.

The Lady is already paying.  When forced (or not), getting even is always high on my list of priorities (I admit it; I hold grudges). My threshold is quite low when it comes to missing out on cheese nibbling.

Most nights, I wake up at 2am (remember cats are nocturnal by nature) and guess who I’ve been waking from her slumber each night since the DPI show? Not that it takes a rocket scientist to figure this out (even for humankind…); but…that would be The Lady… she’s lucky that’s the tactic I chose. Those of you who are owned by cats; know well that cats have far more aggressive ways to express displeasure…but I digress…

As it turned out, The Lady spent Thursday morning at the DPI Specialty Foods Product Show… now here’s the thing…she went to a CHEESE show and didn’t take me along…who is it that reviews the cheeses around here??? That would be, this feline foodie. And who around here loves cheese more than kitty pate??? That would be me as well…and yet, I sat (actually I napped but don’t tell The Lady) home while The Lady was out hob-nobbing with the elite of cheese and getting her picture taken with those Fabulous Beecher’s Cheese Ladies.

The Lady showered me with business cards and tales of cheeses she sampled. Did she bring me samples???…nada, nope, zipola…sheesh… Then to add insult to injury, she asked me to send a few shout outs to the terrific people she met and to tell you, my fans, about their cheeses.

Even though I am royally vexed, I just can’t say no to The Lady…

 Of course, I must start with those Fabulous Beecher’s Handmade Cheeses Ladies, Jena and Mike, especially since my cheesy heart belongs to No Woman, the cheese…there is nothing else to read into that statement. Just because I lost my balls somewhere in the San Fernando Valley, I did not lose my love for the ladies…especially sweet Mathilda, who stole my heart…Waltzing Mathilda, Waltzing Mathilda…

Cheese aside, that Mike is quite the dresser…talk about style…this lady has got it going on…and Jena, ooh la la…so elegant…Were I not a cat and so enamored with Mathilda, these two could really turn my head…Of course, the fact that they make some of the best cheeses in the Northwest and according to the American Cheese Society, the best cheddar in America…well, there you go…

From Beechers, The Lady with her BCFF, Amy from DPI, moved up the alphabet just a bit and hung out with Michael of the Beemster Mice fame…oh that’s right, he also reps the best cheese to ever come out of Holland…that XO is to die for…and the mice are fun playmates…

(Hey Amy, what’s up? How come you didn’t send me the 411 on the cheese show? I thought we were friends…another one bites the dust…)

Did you know that Beemster is the official cheese to the Royal Family of The Netherlands? Did you know that the Beemster Cooperative provides all the cream to Ben and Jerry for their European production? And did you know that the Beemster polder was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999? Well, now you do and you, too, can wow your cheese head friends with these bits of cheese knowledge while serving any of the fine Beemster cheeses…

The Lady and Amy then visited with Conner from Kerrygold Butters and Cheese. It’s always a pleasure for The Lady to visit with Connor and fondly remember when The Man had red hair…actually when he had any hair is a distant fond memory…The Lady was especially taken with their Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey. It was reminiscent of Bushmills Whiskey, although Connor didn’t confirm what her tastebuds were telling her.

From there, The Lady stopped at Vermont Butter and Cheese Company to chat with Allison, one of the owners, who makes that “to-die-for” Mascarpone and Bijou and many other cheesy delectables. The Lady told me that Allison inquired into my welfare as did a few others she saw. Allison, right back atcha.

RJ of World Import Distributors was the next stop. You may recall that it was RJ and family who “vacationed” at the Estrella Family Creamery last August. And since they didn’t get enough abuse; they’re going back for more this summer…you can see why humankind observation is tedious…humankinds just never learn, do they??? It’s like when The Lady and The Man went to Thunder Ranch for handgun training… the first forty-hour course almost killed them; so what do they do? They went back the next year for twenty-four  more hours of torture…The Lady and The Man send a shout out to Clint Smith for operating the premiere gun training school in the country…as The Lady says, “If you’re going to own a gun; you sure as hell better know how to use it.” Hmm…I wandered way off the cheese reservation with that one, didn’t I???

Now this stop is the one I especially wish I had been with The Lady and Amy…Fromi USA…Agathe loves the cheeses she sells and “insisted” The Lady taste quite a few. Some that caught The Lady’s eye included Petite Sapin, Le Picandou, Bouchettes, Briebirousse d’Argental, Gres des Vosges. I’ll review these when I get the opportunity to sample them…Agathe also imports that most divine of all cheeses, Epoisses.

At Lactalis, she met Naomi and Pascal. Naomi also sent out a hello to this feline foodie. Again, right back atcha, Naomi. Lactalis provides many of the President Bries that The Lady sells on her BH-adjacent Cheese Island.

She also met the good folks at Mt. Townsend Creamery and fell in love with their Cirrus and Seastack cheeses made on the Olympic Peninsula in Northern Washington State. And also from New York State, she sampled goat cheese (I know…) made by Coach Farm. She enjoyed a cup of coffee with Chris at Vail Mountain Coffee and Tea and a scone at FatCat Scones.

Later in the day, Jim Lowes of Lowes Sales and Marketing and Howard Nep from Marcel Henri stopped by the Cheese Kiosk to introduce themselves. Jim reps a line of salsas (among other food items) and Marcel Henri makes this feline foodie’s favorite pate.

(Sigh)…this is one adventure I wish I had been able to go along on with The Lady…but she continues to pay… and pay… and pay…

The Lady and The Beecher’s Handmade Cheese Ladies

The Lady with The Beecher's Handmade Cheese Ladies

 

The Lady attended the DPI Western Show yesterday and among the many cheese “heads” she met were the fine ladies from Beecher’s Handmade Cheese from Seattle…

As you may recall…this feline foodie’s all-time favorite cheese is Beecher’s No Woman.

Restaurants for Cheese Lovers

The Lady came across this while “following” one of her twitter friends:

Restaurants for Cheese Lovers

By SUDI PIGOTT Wednesday, May. 20, 2009

From Time Magazine.com

 

Saying cheese has acquired new gastro-cachet. a temperature-controlled cheese room is the latest must-have at fine-dining restaurants around the world. So are cheese sommeliers (or “frommeliers”), who compile multicourse cheese menus, regale diners with tales of bucolic settings and artisanal production methods, and pepper their tableside conversation with terms like hand-stretched and cave-aged. Love cheese? Put these restaurants on your itinerary.

1 Le Bouchon Breton:
Located in Spitalfields, London, this brasserie de luxe, www.lebouchon.co.uk/breton/index.php, is already renowned for its impressive Gallic cheese trolley featuring more than 40 varieties, from Le Testard from the Hautes-Alpes to the Corsican Fleur de Maquis. Now frommelier Jean Claude Ali Cherif has started offering a series of regional-cheese master classes, coupled with unusual wine pairings, on the last Tuesday of each month. Ali Cherif’s knowledge, built up over 20 years, is formidable and his repartee amusing, inspiring and impressively practical, with advice on how to look after cheeses and when to enjoy them at their seasonal best. Cheese and wine menus from each event are also offered alongside the main menu. (See TIME’s Global Adviser for exotic, beautiful and interesting getaways.)

2 Duhau Resturant & Vinoteca:
Prime attraction at this minimalist venue within the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, www.buenosaires.park.hyatt.com, is a red-walled, walk-in cheese room — the first of its kind in Argentina, highlighting as yet relatively undiscovered Argentine artisanal cheeses based on European styles. The maître fromager encourages producers to age cheeses exclusively for the restaurant. Tasting plates served at a marble communal counter table include an earthy brie from Córdoba; Cordon, a goat’s cheese from Mendoza aged 15 months; and Morbier, Manchego and Parmesan-inspired cheeses matched with fresh-fruit marmalades and outstanding Argentine malbecs and cabernet sauvignons.

3 GPO Cheese and Wine Room:
At this vaulted sandstone cellar within Sydney’s heritage GPO building, www.gposydney.com, diners are encouraged to create their own cheese board from fromager Sonia Cousins’ extensive menu, which changes seasonally and is divided into fresh, white-mold, washed-rind, semi-hard, hard and blue cheeses from Australia and Europe. Accompaniments include truffled honey, muscatel raisins and novelties like hibiscus chutney. There’s an excellent choice of paired cheese-and-wine menus with tasting notes — even a single-malt-whiskey-and-cheese menu — as well as monthly master classes.

4 Flow:
There’s an unmistakably nutty, fruity aroma at the ultra-contemporary, climate-controlled cheese room at Flow restaurant within the riverside Millennium Hilton Bangkok, www1.hilton. com. Some of the world’s best varieties are flaunted, including Colston Bassett Stilton, Brie Royale with black truffle, and piquant Pecorino di Fossa from Italy. Guests are encouraged to taste before making their selection, which is served with a stylish range of condiments including celery jelly. A cheese-and-wine butler advises on pairings and there’s a dedicated cheese table for guests to sit at and convivially share their newfound cheese knowledge.

5 Classified Cheese Room:
Hong Kong’s Classified Cheese Room, www.classifiedfoodshops.com.hk, is tucked away on Hollywood Road outside the city’s SoHo eat streets, but that doesn’t stop it from luring plenty of custom with its walk-in cheese facility stocked with 40 artisanal varieties. The cheeses can be served at the Cheese Room’s parent operation, the Press Room restaurant next door, or in situ — choose from casual deli tables, or a wine cellar that functions as a private dining room for 20.

US Drops Tariffs on Roquefort

From the Wall Street Journal
by
Matthew Dalton

The European Commission and the U.S. announced a provisional agreement in a lengthy dispute over the European Union’s ban on hormone-treated beef.

The deal ends for now the threat of retaliatory duties from the U.S. on EU products ranging from Roquefort cheese from France to Spanish hams and Italian mineral water. And it more than triples the amount of beef from cattle untreated by hormones that the U.S. can export to the EU.

But it doesn’t address the main controversy: the U.S. practice of feeding hormones to cattle to make them bigger. The U.S. says beef from hormone-fed cattle is safe to eat. The EU says one of the hormones causes cancer and others pose a health risk.

The U.S. and EU reached a provisional deal to end the threat of duties on EU products such as Roquefort cheese, seen here maturing. The arrangement is designed to allow U.S. beef producers to benefit economically more directly than they would from tariffs on EU goods. Obama administration officials said they simply decided to table the long-running hormone dispute in exchange for an enlarged EU market for hormone-free U.S. beef. An official at the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said it was too early to say if the administration would seek to revive the dispute later.

“We still believe that the EU’s hormones ban is not scientifically justified,” said USTR spokeswoman Nefeterius McPherson. “However, for the past 20 years, our beef industry has been virtually shut out of the European market. We therefore decided to set aside our differences, for the time being.”

The deal must still be approved by officials from EU countries.

“This does not resolve the [World Trade Organization] case. It pushes it down the road for four years, with a sweetener for the U.S. beef industry,” said Timothy Josling, professor emeritus at Stanford University’s Food Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif.

“We call this a first step,” said Gregg Doud, chief economist of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which wants the administration to keep pushing the EU to drop the ban on hormone-treated beef.

“It’s a great thing,” said Liz Thorpe of New York specialty shop Murray’s Cheese, which — fearing a tariff increase — had ordered 300 extra pounds of Roquefort. Most of her stash sold as customers learned the venerable French blue might be priced off store shelves, Ms. Thorpe said.

Cheese Wars

Beer vs. Wine “Cheese Wars”

35 people come to taste beer and wine paired with cheese. A beer and a wine sommelier face off, which goes better? “Cheese Wars” is a scene from The American Brew (DVD extras) featuring Garrett Oliver, author and brew master from Brooklyn Brewery and Geri Banks, wine consultant. They’re given 7 of the world’s most flavorful cheeses and must pair each with a delicious beer and wine. The audience smells, tastes, swirls, and votes. And the winner is…?

The American Brew: producer, director, cinematographer Roger Sherman, producer, writer Jesse Sweet, editor Merril Stern, narrator Tovah Feldshuh, music composer by Teese Gohl, associate producers Brainerd Taylor & Lila Thaw, graphic designer and animator Marcelo Cermak, produced by Florentine Films/Sherman Pictures LLC (www.florentinefilms.com/sherman), presented by Here’s To Beer (www.herestobeer.com).

The Estrella Family Creamery and Randy Johnson’s Farm Visit

Update: July 9, 2009: Randy and Family are returning to Estrella for another week of fun and torture in August…details as received…here’s a picture of one of the goats and Randy’s son from last year’s visit:

You have to kiss a lot of goats...

The Lady’s friend, Randy Johnson who is a Sales Manager for World Import Distributors (which imports cheese…my kind of human) and his family had the unique opportunity of working a week at the Estrella Family Creamery.

RJ and his son designed and posted a blog that chronicled their week with the cows, which were constantly getting out of their pens, the goats, and the pigs…RJ is not a big fan of pigs…

After a couple of days of monitoring RJ, family and friends, the Estrellas took a much needed vacation and trusted them with their farm.

What did RJ learn:

• Cows are obstinate and do pretty much whatever they want.
• Farm work is a 24/7/365 job and is never-ending.
• And…pigs are…well…pigs…

You can read more about their adventure and view pictures of their “vacation” by clicking here.

The Lady does not sell Estrella Farmstead Cheeses and so far I have not had the chance to sample and review them. However, you can read all about the Estrella Family of Cheeses by clicking here.

After reading RJ’s blog and hanging out in Wisconsin, I have decided it is much cushier life for this feline foodie that The Lady sells cheese instead of making cheese…that career choice would seriously cut into my nap time…and the guano…worse than the corporate guano The Lady discusses with The Man…although “guano” is not the word she uses…