Wensleydale with Cranberries
March 12, 2011
Suitable for Vegetarians
Whenever we review a cheese with “stuff” added, the comments are interesting. Some “cheese elites” tend to “poo poo” flavored cheeses; while the rest of us regular folks are inclined to go with the flow and enjoy the cheese with its added herbs, spices or fruits, etc. Now, don’t get me wrong, some of my BCFFs (Best Cheese Friends Forever) are “elites” and for the most part, they’re great folks… just a bit snobby when it comes to their cheese…
The Lady carries a Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese with cranberries added. This cheese is a huge seller during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, however, it continues to do well the rest of the winter season and tapers off as the weather warms. We have previously reviewed other Stilton cheeses with fruits.
The cheese is creamy, crumbly and mild; the cranberries are sweet, tart and pungent. The combination is not only pleasing to the palate but also eye-catching.
The Lady served this with thin slices of her homemade banana nut bread and as usual… The Man swooned… surprise…
I give Wensleydale with Cranberries 3 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).
Serving Suggestions: As a dessert cheese, you will win smiles. You can also crumble this cheese into salad with a simple balsamic and EVOO dressing.
Wine Pairing: Champagne or Port would pair nicely with this cheese.
Beer Pairing: A fruity ale.
Source: Pasteurized Cow’s Milk
Our favorite South Georgia Dairy, Sweet Grass Dairy, is celebrating all things Italian tomorrow and Saturday at their Thomasville Cheese Shop. Please stop in and visit… and be sure you tell them that “The Feline Foodie sent me!!”
What: A two-day Italian extravaganza
When: Fri. March 5 AND Sat. March 6
Time: 10am to 8pm
Where: The Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop
106 North Broad St. Thomasville, GA
Price: Free
Details: In conjunction with Thomsville’s monthly First Friday event, the Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop will present an “Italian Celebration.”
We’ll be highlighting many of the culinary delights from Italy in the cheese shop. There will be samples of Italian antipasti, cheeses, olive oils, wines, and charcuterie. The two-day event is free of charge and open to the public.
A few notable highlights for purchase include:
- 10-year old Balsamico Tradizionale Vinegar
- Gaeta and Castle Vetrano olives
- Italian Chestnut Honey
- Italian Forest Honey
- Bresaola Bernina Beef Top Round
For more information call at 229-228-6704.
Cheeses Awarded the Feline Foodie’s 4 Paws Designation
February 17, 2011
The Following cheeses and other items reviewed on the blog, all received 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got…)
34° Cracked Pepper Crispbread Crackers
34° Lemon Zest Crispbread Crackers
*34° Natural Crispbread Crackers
*34° Rosemary Crispbread Crackers
*34° Sesame Crispbread Crackers
*34° Whole Grain Crispbread Crackers
*Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
BelGioioso Tiramisu Mascarpone
Cahill’s Original Porter Cheese
Carr Valley Cows’ Milk Cheese Plate
Consider Bardwell Farm’s Pawlet
Consider Bardwell Farm’s Rupert
Crave Brothers Fresh Mozzarella
Fiscalini Farmstead Premium Aged Cheddar
Ford Farm Rugged Mature Cheddar
Fromager d’Affinois with Garlic and Herbs
Golden Age Cheese Super Sharp Cheddar
Golden Glen Creamery Farmstead Butter
Gothberg Farms’ Raw Milk Gouda
Gothberg Farms’ The Woman of LaMancha
Greens of Glastonbury Organic Mature Cheddar
*Hawthorne Fred Meyer Meat Counter Has Got It Going On
Ilbesa’s Aged Sheep’s Milk Cheese
Ilbesa’s Mature Sheep’s Milk Cheese
Laack’s Eight Year Extra Sharp Cheddar
*Long Clawson Dairy Lemon Zest Stilton
Mauri Gorgonzola Piccante D.O.C.
*Rogue Creamery Rogue River Blue
Roth-Kase Natural Smoked Gouda
*Salemville SmokeHaus Blue Cheese
Sally Jackson Raw Sheep Milk Cheese
Sartori Bellavitano Gold with Pepper
Sweet Grass Dairy’s Thomasville Tomme
Tillamook 100th Anniversary Three-Year Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar
Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar
*Tsunami Sushi at Hawthorne’s Fred Meyer
Upland’s Pleasant Ridge Reserve
Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery Bijou
*Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery Crème Fraiche
Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery Cultured Butter
*Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery Mascarpone
*Indicates Cheese is carried on The Lady’s kiosk or Cheese Island
The Lady shops a lot of places in the Portland, Oregon area but she now only buys fresh sausage from Greg at the Hawthorne Fred Meyer located on the corner of 39th and Hawthorne in Southeast Portland.
If you haven’t been in this particular Fred Meyer… well, it’s time to make a trip to check it out. The store, originally built in 1939, underwent a major remodel last year and added a lot of specialty departments including a Sushi Train in the expanded upscale deli; a specialty cheese kiosk; a Moonstruck Chocolate Café; a produce department that boasts the largest organic selection in all of Portland (and that’s saying a lot); and recently a specialty Hot Dawg Bar was added in the deli area.
But it’s what’s happening over at the meat counter that sent The Man swooning and giving standing orders that the only sausage and bratwurst allowed at the manse are the handmade variety that Greg, the new meat manger, is turning out. (Even the Zenner’s Bratwurst, an up-till-now manse staple that The Man LOVES is on life-support…)
Greg took over a few weeks ago as the new meat manager and was given a long leash to experiment with product, especially the sausage and bratwurst that he makes fresh daily on the premises. Mark, the seafood manager, is getting in on the act as well, coming up with a couple of new combinations also.
Here’s a few The Lady has brought home:
Artichoke and Garlic Chicken Bratwurst. This was the first one she brought home and she didn’t tell The Man they were made with chicken (He’s a beef-kind-of-bratwurst guy…). He swooned and as you know, The Man only swoons when the food is really to his liking.
Spinach and Feta Bratwurst – another winner and another first for The Man. He doesn’t eat much feta. The Lady made these two ways; she served them with pasta and olive oil; she also chopped a couple of them up and put them in a quiche she made using Golden Glen Creamery Cheddars.
Raspberry Chipotle Sausage. This sausage has fresh raspberries, pork and a special spicy sauce that Greg created. The Lady thought this combination might be too hot for The Man but he thought they were great. He had his on a sandwich with a cranberry mustard and bam… he wanted more. The Lady sliced her share and sautéed it with Walla Walla Onion and a green bell pepper and olive oil. Another winning combination.
But this morning took the cake so to speak. She bought Greg and Mark’s latest creations: breakfast sausage: Denver Omelet Sausage and Blueberry Sausage.
The Denver Omelet Sausage had all the ingredients of the omelet minus the eggs.
The Blueberry Sausage had fresh blueberries, vanilla and cinnamon and chicken. (This one was Mark’s creation.)
She served them with French Toast that she stuffed with a cream cheese filling (see how she worked cheese into the meal… she’s good at that…). The cream cheese filling consisted of 8 ounces of cream cheese, a handful of chopped Georgia pecans, a few blueberries, and vanilla and Equal (hey, she tries to cut the calories when it’s realistic….)
Greg continues to try new combinations including some with cheese. One he made used Ilchester Beer Cheese. The cheese melted out of the sausage and collected in the pan. The flavor was extraordinary and The Lady used the cheese drippings to make a sauce for the fresh asparagus she served with the sausage. So even though it didn’t quite work perfectly; it tasted divine and made its own cheese sauce…
Greg’s adventure with sausage and bratwurst is turning The Man into a much more adventurous Foodie, an evolution The Lady and I enjoy watching… I guess you can teach an older, very distinguished dog new tricks…
It’s a new week at Hawthorne Fred Meyer and that means Greg will have at least a couple of new selections for The Lady to bring home.
I give Greg and Mark 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got) and I commend Fred Meyer for letting the guys be creative. If the manse is any indication… I’ll bet sales are soaring!!
Next time you are anywhere near the corner of 39th and Hawthorne, stop in and visit the meat counter. Tell them that Portland’s Feline Foodie (that would be me) sent you… you won’t be sorry… and that’s a promise!! (BTW, the seafood counter is also awesome…). Some sausages may NOT be available except on week-ends. You might want to call before dropping by and ask what’s been made that day… 503 872 3300.
Sartori Foods’ Cheese Plate
June 22, 2010
Sartori Foods was one of the cheesemakers The Lady visited last month and she created a cheese plate using some of their product line.
She divided the cheeses into groups as follows:
Asiago:
We have previously reviewed the Rosemary and Olive Oil Asiago.
Extra Aged Asiago. One of the first things you notice about this cheese is how beautiful it is: an incredible gorgeous ivory pate that is creamy and finishes nutty and savory on the palate. Sartori uses a double-aging process to make this savory cheese.
Basil and Olive Oil Asiago. Sartori takes their Asiago and hand-rubs it with basil and olive oil. The finish is perfect for a cheese plate and for crumbling over pasta tossed simply in EVOO. This version is aged for six months while the extra-aged is at least nine months old before release.
Bellavitano Reserve:
As reviewed here last winter, Bellavitano Gold is a favorite around the manse. This is a cheese that starts out with Parmesan notes and ends with light fruity notes.
In addition to the Gold Reserve, Sartori has figured out several ways to perfect perfection:
Raspberry Bellavitano which The Lady used in the cheesecake she made for The Man and father’s Day. This cheese has been rubbed with Raspberry Tart Ale from the New Glarus Brewery (the raspberries are from Oregon). This is one damned fine cheese for a plate and desserts.
Merlot Bellavitano: Another winner using Bellavitano Gold and soaking it in Merlot which is The Lady’s favorite red wine – a double winner around the manse. The merlot adds just the right finish and makes for a beautiful looking cheese as well.
Under the watchful eye of Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker, Larry Steckbauer, Sartori has taken the Bellavitano Gold and bathed it in balsamic vinegar making a sweet coating that cries out for drizzling with a little EVOO and then dying and going to heaven… oh wait, when you eat this cheese, you are already in heaven… Balsamic Bellavitano was added to their line of award-winning cheeses this past January of 2010.
Another new and fabulous cheese to the Sartori Family is Pastorale Blend, their first mixed milk cheese which is a combination of cow and sheep milks. This wheel is bathed with paprika to produce an eye-popping cheese that would make a great centerpiece of any cheese display. And the combination of milks makes for a wonderful finish; the sheep comes through and the cow smoothes it out.
The last cheese on the plate was Dolcino Gorgonzola; an amazingly creamy blue cheese because Sartori added extra cream to enhance the flavor and appeal of this cheese.
I give this Sartori Cheese Plate 4 Paws out of 4 Paws; there’s not a cheese here that is not superb. My hat’s off to Larry, Jim and everyone that puts their hearts and souls into making Sartori cheeses so fine.
Serving Suggestions: Because I reviewed so many cheeses here, I suggest you visit both the Sartori Food website for serving suggestions and recipes.
For Beer and Wine Pairing, visit the Cheese Cupid – their pairings are the best.
Awards: More than 50 in the last 3 years – these folks have got it going on…
Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
April 29, 2010
This week The Lady added a new offering at the kiosk: Olivista 100% Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
This EVOO is from California and The Lady brought some home for The Man and your favorite Feline Foodie (that would be me) to enjoy. Before I proceed, let me explain that this oil is going to be an especially nice addition around the manse for me. I am fastidious about having a clean and perfectly groomed coat and Arbequina EVOO will assist me greatly in keeping my coat in perfect shape for the days when catting around is on the agenda. The lovely Mathilda should swoon when next we meet… but I digress, allowing my ego to get in the way of my critic-type duties… but, heck, this is “all about me”…
The Lady and I did some research this morning to bone up on the Arbequina Olive. Although named after the Catalonia (Spain) town of Arbeca, some believe that this olive variety originated in Palestine. Today it is grown in Aragon, Andalusia and Argentina. It was introduced into Central California’s San Joaquin with the assistance of the experts from the University of California, Davis. (In 2008, UC Davis, opened the Olive Center, with 30 faculty researchers, olive groves and even a new olive press. It’s focus is olive oil.)
The Arbequina Olive has a high oil content which makes it perfect for olive oil production. The tree is small, as is the fruit, which it makes hand-harvesting easy.
The September 2009 issue of Cook’s Illustrated has an article comparing California Olive Oils to those imported and until recently considered unrivaled. Not anymore. Cook’s found that the 100% Arbequina EVOO stood up and even surpassed, in flavor and quality, many of the European EVOOs.
The Lady served the Olivista 100% Arbequina EVOO straight and with a small dollop of Modena Balsamic Vinegar. We dipped freshly-baked French Baguettes in the oil and savored the flavors.
This EVOO is buttery and has little bitterness (bitterness is NOT a bad thing in EVOO, but it does require one to “acquire a taste” for it); there was a sweet and floral aftertaste and left a clean palate. The Lady thought she could taste a bit of apple and even a little artichoke. The Man, who likes his EVOO, on the mild side was quite taken with this EVOO and has requested that The Lady add it to the cruet of oil that sits on the dining table of the manse. And in The Lady’s book, if The Man wants it; he gets it… they make such a cute couple… after 30+ years together…
And incredibly, The Lady is selling this superior EVOO for $7.99 a pound… such a deal!!
This is my first venture into reviewing EVOO and I enthusiastically give Olivista’s 100% Arbequina EVOO 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).
Serving Suggestions: Dipping is the perfect use of this EVOO. It is also excellent for cooking and tossing pasta.
We found a video featuring the Arbequina Olive and thought you might enjoy viewing it:
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