All Set in Massachusetts

The 2014 March Madness Cheese Tournament

In honor of the March Madness Tournament, I have created an equally exciting but significantly tastier tournament of cheese. Tournament tasters will sample sixteen cheeses from the world's top cheese regions in the ultimate battle for supremacy of the palate. 

                                                                                                      

Region: Spain/UK            

Campo de Montalban vs. Urgelia

Wensleydale vs. Lincolnshire Poacher

Campo de Montalban is a semi-firm to firm Spanish cheese made from a blend of cows', sheeps' and goats' milk in La Mancha. This cheese resembles manchego in texture and appearance, and until 1985 it was in fact considered a manchego. Campo de Montalban is distinguished by its three milk blend, while manchego contains only sheep's milk. The flavor is also similar to manchego. However, the characters of all three milks are noticeable in Campo de Montalban.

The cheese form l'Alt Urgell y la Cerdanya (also known as Urgelia) is a soft cheese cured for a short time, that is produced in the mountainous townships of the northwest Catalonia, from pasteurized cow's milk.

Yorkshire Wensleydale is creamy, crumbly and full of flavour. Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese is lovingly handcrafted to a time-honoured recipe, using Wensleydale milk from local family farms.

Lincolnshire Poacher is our most widely available cheese which is usually matured for about 14 to 16 months and has quite a lot upfront with a rich full flavour.

Region: Vermont & Massachusetts        

Tarentaise vs. Prescott

Winnimere vs. Cremont

Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise is an aged, raw milk, farmstead organic cheese which is handmade by John and Janine Putnam on their family farm in North Pomfret, Vermont from the certified organic milk of their grass fed Jersey cows.

Tarentaise is unique to Pomfret, Vermont - its soil, geography climate and flora combine to give Tarentaise its characteristic smooth, subtle nut flavor and complex finish. Following the traditions of the Savoie region of the French Alps, Tarentaise is made in a copper vat, which is essential to the development of the proper flavor. 

Prescott - Robinson Farm.  A dense, complex, Alpine style cheese with a mosaic of nutty notes and a slight saline finish. Aged 9-12 months. 

Winnimere by Jasper Hill Farm

This exciting cheese was developed by Mateo Kehler to harness the rich, high-fat, high-protein winter's milk of the Ayrshire cows at Jasper Hill Farm. Wrapped in cambium cut from the spruce trees on the farm, Winnimere shows remarkable variation from batch-to-batch - sometimes smoky, sometimes fruity, sometimes mustardy, sometimes meaty. For serving, we encourage you to peel away the top rind and let the bark form a bowl for the spoonable paste within.  

Cremont by Vermont Creamery

Cremont named for the “Cream of Vermont” is a mixed-milk cheese combining local fresh cows’ milk, goats’ milk and a hint of Vermont cream. This cheese is a true celebration of Vermont Creamery’s terroir. An American original crafted in the bucolic Green Mountains of Vermont that combines the nutty taste from of our crème fraîche, the creamy texture of our Bonne Bouche, and the wrinkled geotrichum rind of our Bijou.             

Region- Italy

Gran Mugello Riserva vs. Moliterno al Tartufo 

Gran Mugello Riserva is the flagship cheese of Pa;agiaccio Farmstead, just outside Florence.

Moliterno al Tartufo is a moderately sharp, beautifully aged cheese with intense truffle flavor. Made of sheep and goat's milk in Sardinia, this cheese is aged and then injected with black truffles for more aging. The result is irresistible flavor and texture  

Crucolo vs. Gorgonzola Piccante

Crucolo is an artisanal cow's milk cheese made by a single producer at the Rifugio Crucolo, situated at the mouth of the Val Campelle in Trentino, northern Italy. The cheeses, which are matured for at least two months.

Gorgonzola Piccante, a formidable cow's milk blue cheese from the region north of Milan, is Italy's answer to Roquefort. Its rough, reddish rind protects a tender, light yellow, blue-flecked paste that is firm, moist, and buttery. The flavor is sharp and sweet.

Region – France

Fourme d’Ambert vs. Brie Fermier Affine

Fourme d’Ambert - This cheese is in rare Fourme. Made from pasteurized cow's milk in Auvergne, each wheel of this little Frenchie is formed from unpressed curds inoculated with a less spicy blue mold than that of its cousin, Roquefort.

Brie Fermier Affine  - Made at the ''Farm of rejuvenation'' in Northern France, this brie is the best we've found yet. Mushroomy and fungal, gooey and creamy, you'll get hints of fresh shucked oysters and a tiny bit of iron. We think we're in love. 

Chebris vs. Comte

Chebris – is a nutty-sweet blend of sheep and goat combines the best of both worlds in a harmonious duet. Sheep's milk indulges in the first few lines with its rich, nutty personality; soon after, goat's milk chimes in with a gentle tartness that raises in volume until it's singing a clear, round note. Chebris' capricious nature stays in check against a lovely wash of sweetness in the end, with a lingering grassy layer.

Comté takes time to acquire its taste. Once the milk has been skimmed and pressed, it is stored in a maturing cellar for at least 4 to 18 months, or more to gain its full spectrum of delicious flavours. Nutty, creamy, fruity, peppery and toasty are just some of the notes you will come to love. After 4 months each round is tested and marked on its taste and shape.

 

Ken Forrester Research

Ken Forrester Vineyards

Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc, 2011

Stellenbosch, South Africa

$16.99

This wine was delicious enough to dust off the old blog and craft a review - on a Saturday night no less. So take note.  This 100% Chenin Blan has strong floral scents and hits you with a tart citrusy flavor that smooths out with hints of oak as you swallow and ends with a surprising hint of spice.  The overall effect is both complex and well-balanced.  Enjoy this full-bodied wine by itself or with a meal.  We had it with a shrimp appetizer and tuna steaks tonight (the tasting notes suggest crayfish and prawns, so we weren't far off!).  We bought this wine last weekend in NYC at the Chelsea Wine Vault, and will be definitely looking to get our hands on more somewhere in the Boston area.

A&T Ranking: 8.5/10

Belle Glos Experiment Wine #1 - Getting in the Holiday Spirit

Belle Glos Pinot Noir

Las Alturas Vineyard

2010 Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County

Approx. $35 (Stoneham Wine Cellars @BJs)

Before we get started, let me first apologize for being such sporadic food & wine bloggers these days.  Life has been busy over the past 14 months with the addition of our beautiful daughter, Annabelle, to our family.  This is not to say we have not been drinking wine.  In fact, we might drink more!  We have also traveled to some great places -- from Cape Cod to Paris -- and enjoyed some of the best meals of our lives (we racked up six Michelin stars in one day!).  We are just extremely behind in documenting it all in our blog - but we will catch up...eventually...

Tonight, we are decorating our Christmas tree (and concluding that Annabelle will be very helpful at the end of December when we "undecorate" :-) Thadd is also preparing a feast -- roasted leg of lamb with parsnips, sunchokes and baby potatoes with side of red wine braised collards greens and lacinato kale greens.  For the occasion, we decided to break open one of our bottles of Belle Glos Pinot Noir - the Las Alturas Vineyard 2010.  Like all Belle Glos wines we've tried, once we got through the challenging red wax seal, our taste buds were greeted with pleasant sensations of juicy berries, cocoa, vanilla.  This wine is less fruity and heavier and more complex than some Pinot Noirs, but still velvety and smooth.   

It's also important to note that this wine is a bit young - and that's reflected in the way it drinks.  Even the tasting notes on the Belle Glos are only for the 2009 vintage, so perhaps we were a little overeager in opening it.  If we were to purchase another bottle, we might keep it on the shelf a bit longer -- and save it for another perfect winter night, just like this one.

A&T Ranking: 8.5/10

Dinner in the 'Burbs - 80 Thoreau, Concord

At this point in our lives, we'll take a great meal out whenever we can get it!  Last weekend, we had babysitting coverage at Alice's parents house and decided to try the nearby 80 Thoreau in Concord, Mass.  Owner Vincent Vela hails from Per Se (check out the signed tasting menu near the bathroom - wow!), and Chef Carolyn Johnson has worked at Icarus in Boston andRialto in Harvard Square.

When we arrived, we found the decor to be more modern than we'd anticipated.  After all, everything in Concord is steeped in history.  Also, the early hour (yes, we had a 6:45 PM reservation) meant bright daylight streaming into the restaurant accentuating the faces of...yes...an "older" crowd.

That aside, the food did not disappoint.  The menu is not huge, but most of it is sourced from lcoal farms. The crispy duck confit and poached farm egg with garlic yogurt were tasty, but the highlight of our appetizer course was the scallop crudo, with pickled rhubarb, sorrel, and sea salt.  The scallop was fresh and the flavors complemented each other perfectly.  For our entree, we shared the pan roasted quails and English cut lamb chop.  The presentation was beautiful (see photos below) and the quails were good sized and more satisfying than expected.   For dessert, we highly recommend the 2007 Sauternes.

Would we go back? Yes.  Would we head west to Concord, rather than into Boston, for our next night out? Probably not.

A&T Ranking: 7/10

The Belle Glos Experiment

Ever since we bought a bottle for Christmas a few years back, Belle Glos Pinot Noirs have been among my favorites.  Perhaps it’s the allure of the elegantly poured red wax that covers about a third of the bottle – although that just makes it harder to open, so I don’t think that’s it.  Really, the wine’s flavor speaks for itself.  It’s everything I think a Pinot should be…smooth and silky but packed with chewy berry flavors and just the right amount of smokiness. 

However, given the steep price tag (I paid about $50 for that Christmas bottle), I never explored Belle Glos much further, only drinking it on special occasions or when I could find it by the glass at restaurants (only one place in Vegas that is now closed comes to mind).  However, when I recently saw it at our local BJs for around $36, I decided to snatch up a bottle.  When I went to pay for it, the cashier said, “Oh, you chose the Clark and Telephone.  That’s my favorite, but everyone has their preference.”   Of course, I’d never even noticed that Belle Glos had multiple labels!  Intrigued, I decided that it was a great opportunity (and excuse) to do a little experiment and determine which of these delicious Pinots gets the best A&T ranking.  Stay tuned for the results...

Texas Independence, March Madness & St. Patrick's Day Party Cheese Plate

Cypress Grove Chevre – Arcata, California

Humboldt Fog

Humboldt Fog is an elegant, soft, surface ripened goat’s milk cheese. The texture is creamy and luscious with a subtle tangy flavor. Each handcrafted wheel features a ribbon of edible vegetable ash along its center and a coating of ash under its exterior to give it a distinctive, cake-like appearance. An American Original!

Saxon Homestead Creamery - Cleveland, Wisconsin

Big Ed’s

Young, mild, but full of flavor, with a buttery body.  A “clean rind” cheese made from raw cow’s milk formed into cooked, pressed curds and ripened 120 days, with a shelf life of six months — clean rind cheeses are meticulously wiped to keep them clean, cultivating a nearly perfect rind.

Great Hill Dairy -  Marion, Massachusetts

Great Hill Blue

Great Hill Blue is an internally ripened variety made with raw, unhomogenized milk resulting in a true gourmet quality cheese. The cheese has a slightly more dense and yellow curd as no bleach or food colorings are added.

Jasper Hill Farm- Greensboro, Vermont

Cabot Clothbound Cheddar

Is a handsome natural-rinded traditional cheddar. Bandaged with muslin and skillfully aged a minimum of 10 months at the Cellars at Jasper Hill. Cabot Clothbound has all the characteristic texture of an English-style cheddar with the sweet caramel and milky flavors that sets it apart from other bandaged cheddars. The flavor profile is at once sweet, savory, nutty, and tangy.

 Jasper Hill Farm

Winnimere 

This exciting cheese was developed to harness the rich, high-fat, high-protein winter's milk of the Ayrshire heifers at Jasper Hill Farm. Wrapped in cambium cut from the spruce trees on the farm and washed in a beer, Winnimere shows remarkable variation from batch-to-batch - sometimes smoky, sometimes fruity, sometimes mustardy, sometimes meaty.

Jasper Hill Farm

Harbinson

Harbison is a bark-wrapped bloomy-rind cheese with woodsy, sweet, herbal, and bright flavors. We named our newest cheese after Anne Harbison, seen by many to be the grandmother of Greensboro, VT. She's active in the community, runs a bed and breakfast, and volunteers at the public library. The bark, cut from Jasper Hill Farm's woodlands holds the delicate cheese together, provides flavor to the creamy paste, and allows for an ideal presentation as the centerpiece of a cheese plate.

 Jasper Hill Farm

Bayley Hazen Blue

Bayley Hazen Blue is a natural-rinded blue cheese named for the iconic Bayley Hazen Military Road that traverses the Northeast Kingdom. Like most blues, Penicilium Roquefort is used, but the usual peppery spice character associated with blue cheese takes a backseat to sweet, nutty, and grassy flavors in the milk. The breakdown of fats and proteins during ripening often show a distinct licorice flavor in the creamy and friable paste.

Nettle Meadow – Thurman, New York

Kunik

Kunik is a unique and voluptuous triple crème cheese only made in Thurman, New York in the Warrensburg area at our small family farm. It is a white mold-ripened wheel made from goat's milk and Jersey cow cream. The blend makes Kunik far richer and more flavorful than a brie-type cheese yet more subtle and sumptuous than similarly ripened goat cheeses.

Wensleydale Creamery - North Yorkshire, UK

Real Yorkshire Wensleydale & Cranberries

Real Yorkshire Wensleydale & Cranberries is carefully combined with delicate, fruity succulence of pure, sweet cranberries. An original creation from The Wensleydale Creamery, the cheese displays an innovative complement of flavors, with superb visual appeal.

 Fromagerie Rouzaire, S.A.

Brie Roauzaire- Nangis

Campo de Montalban La Mancha, Spain

Campo de Montalban is a semi-firm to firm Spanish cheese made from a blend of cows, sheep’s and goat’s milk in La Mancha. This cheese resembles manchego in texture and appearance, and until 1985 it was in fact considered a manchego. Campo de Montalban is distinguished by its three-milk blend, while manchego contains only sheep's milk. The flavor is also similar to manchego. However, the characters of all three milks are noticeable in Campo de Montalban

Fiacco Di Capra – Lombardy, Italy

It is produced with thermised goat milk. It has a square shape and its rind is washed with salt and water. Its paste is yellow and soft. Its taste is delicate, and creamy. The aging period last from 60 to 90 days.

Drunken Goat  -- Lumilla, Spain

From the village of Lumilla in the Murcia region of Spain, Drunken Goat is a semi-soft artisan goat cheese with a smooth violet rind, which has been soaked in Doble Pasta wine for 48-72 hrs. Aged about 75 days, it has a sweet, smooth flavor. Not too mild and not too strong - this is the reason Drunken Goat cheese is such a crowd pleaser. It has a slight sweetness and pleasantly sharp finish.

St. Patrick’s Day Cheese

Cahill’s Cheddar with Porter – Limerick, Ireland

It doesn’t get any more Irish than this! The rich, yeasty flavor of porter ale complements this wonderful cheddar. Individually hand-crafted using the pasteurized milk of Holstein Frisian cows, the Cahill family pours Guinness over their tangy cheddar, giving the cheese a mosaic-like pattern. Not as strong as its name might suggest, Cahill Cheddar with Porter is nutty and fruity with a pleasant finish.  Cahill Cheddar with Porter is an attractive cheese on the retail shelf, the cheese board, and in cooking; its marbled appearance even remains after melting for a unique look. If you like Guinness, you'll love this cheese!

Sonoma Coast AVA...OMG

Pali

Durrell Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2007

Sonoma Coast, CA

$50 (Sonoma Wine Shop)

Tonight's enjoyment of a great bottle of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir was a bit happenstance.  After opening a bottle that turned out to be corked, we dug into our cellar to find this 2007 bottle of Pali Pinot Noir from Durrell Vineyard, which we purchase from the Sonoma Wine Shop.  For anyone visiting Sonoma, a visit to the wine shop in the square is definitely a must.  We've been twice and have been introduced to some amazing wines each time!

This chewy pinot noir is packed with ripe berry flavor yet is extremely refined and has a hint of smokiness.  Made from Dijon Clones and Pommard Clones, this wine is barreled in 50% New French Oak for 10 months, racked once and bottled in August (our anniversary month!).  It went very well with our roasted rack of lamb with merlot glaze and cherry reduction sauce.  The price tag is steep, but you get what you pay for.

A&T Ranking: 8.5/10

Wine Spectator: 90

Wine Enthusiast: 92

Pinot Report: 94

I love Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizzas and he is coming to Earthfest Boston.

Dr. Oetker Ristorante is embarking on its second annual Ristorante sampling tour and will be making stops in the Boston area to provide consumers free slices of its six delicious varieties, including Mozzarella, Spinaci, Funghi, Vegetale, Quattro Formaggi, as well as introduce and sample its newest culinary creation, Speciale, which features pepperoni, cooked ham and select cheeses.

Additionally, 100 lucky consumers (in total) will be picked to host a Ristorante Pizza Party at their home, which includes free pizza and all the necessary party equipment.

Dates:

May 21	10:00 am - 5:00 pm	Hatch Memorial Shell 47 David G Mugar Way Boston, MA 02114	Earthfest
May 22	1:30 pm - 3:30	34 Cambridge Street     Burlington, MA 01803	Roche Bros. - Burlington

March Madness Party - Cheese Sampler

Here is what we are serving tonight for our annual March Madness Party

Taleggio is a washed rind and smear-ripened Italian cheese that is named after Val Taleggio. The cheese has a strong aroma, but its flavor is comparatively mild with an unusual fruity tang. Its crust is thin and studded with salt crystals.

Cahill’s Porter is Irish cheddar flavored with their own, farm-made, Irish Porter. The cheese is made from pasteurized cow’s milk (from a Friesian herd). All of their cheeses are hand-crafted and individually blended, with no artificial ingredients. Marion uses vegetable rennet, making Cahill’s Porter also a vegetarian choice.

Young Fontina - Fontina Cheese is originally from Valle d’Aosta in Italy, and is made from cow’s milk. It is somewhat creamy and has a pale yellow interior with very small holes and a semi soft texture. The flavor of the cheese is mild and has a nut like taste with a hint of honey. However depending on how long the cheese is aged, it can be semi-soft to firm in texture, so the flavor can vary from mild and creamy to a more sharp taste.

Barley Buzzed – Beehive Cheese Co.- This is a full bodied cheese with a nutty flavor and smooth texture. The cheese is hand rubbed with a Turkish grind of Colorado Legacy Coffee Company's (The Cheesemakers brother) "Beehive Blend". The blend consists of a mix of South American, Central American, and Indonesian beans roasted to different styles. French Superior Lavender buds are ground with the coffee and the mixture is diluted with oil to suspend the dry ingredients in the rub. The rub imparts notes of butterscotch and caramel which are prevalent near the rind, but find their way to the center of the cheese. The cheese is aged on Utah Blue Spruce aging racks in our humidity controlled caves, and moved to different temperature during the aging process to develop texture and flavor. The name "Barely Buzzed" comes from Andrea at Deluxe Foods in California. She was the winner of the name this cheese contest.

Awards - 1st Place, Flavored Cheddar American Cheese Society Annual Competition 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Pyrenees Brebis Sheep’s Milk - This authentic Ossau-Iraty-Brebis-Pyrenees is made in the Basque area from pure sheep's milk. Brebis, of course, is French for sheep and the sheep cheeses of this region in particular are some of the oldest in production. The Basques insist that their cheeses are around 4000 years old and often call them ardi-gasna, meaning "ewe or local cheese" in the local dialects. The Agour Company, located next to Baigura Mountain is in the heart of the Basque country. This artisan producer is committed to providing cheese of the highest quality and according to strict rules of tradition. About 1000 Shepherds from around the village of Helette provide milk daily. Generations of shepherds continue to breed small flocks of The Manech breed, recognized by their red or black head and thick wool. Some of the AOC rules include that milk production must be done in the Basque Country from local herds; milk must be transformed within 48 hours after milking; only natural Rennet maybe used and the resulting flavor and texture must adhere to regular inspections by experts. This cheese is firm in texture with a rich, aromatic and nutty aftertaste.

Momofuku Ko - Best Meal Ever (So Far...)

In early December, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy Sunday lunch at Momofuku Ko in the East Village. Getting seats at the 12-person counter requires careful planning and online reservations - and to say the price tag for lunch is steep is an understatement. But if you're a foodie, there's no money better spent!  This was, without question, our best meal of 2010 - and likely our best meal ever to date.  

No photos are allowed in the restaurant, so we only got a shot of the outside door - nondescript except for the signature peach.  However, we did record the menu and our impressions (with at little help from our new friends in the next seats over) - all 16 courses!  See below.

Menu from Momofuku Ko – 12.5.10

1) Carrot puree sticks (lightly fried on the outside), beef tongue with yogurt and rye toast, oyster with sweet potato vinegar

2) Amazing risotto with pumpkin seeds and duck

3) Sashimi - Madera - Japanese snapper-like fish with chives (my fave), Spanish mackerel with beets (thadd's fave), Fluke (had barbeque’d flavor), New Jersey scallops with buttermilk sauce and poppy seeds.

4) Australian wagyu beef with turnip greens, Santa Barbara uni with pea shoots and horseradish (puree looked like pumpkin - not our fave)

5) Pig face salad - thinly shaved pig, apples, Japanese yuzu (tangerine type fruit from California, originally only produced in Japan)- great, tangy, ash, pork cracklings, micro seaweed.

6) Oxtail consommé - vegetable tortellini, sprouts – cilantro  (Ravioli made out of thinly sliced daikon radish)

7) Breakfast - 7 courses in! Puffed egg from upstate New York– made with a nitrogen whip cream canister, bacon broth. Thadd thought this dish had too much bacon flavor.

8) Bento box - duck meatball in black cherry and tomato sauce, clam both with littleneck clam (chilled), broccoli with house made XO sauce, and grilled rice rolled in pork fat. Loved the duck meatball!

9) Japanese mushroom ravioli (sourced from mikuni) and matsutake mushroom tea.

10) Almond crusted skate - almond milk foam...lots more stuff. Cauliflower.

11) Shaved Hudson Valley Foie Gras - with lychee and pine nut brittle. Riesling jello.  Phenomenal.

12) Squab with black olives and sunchokes. White grapes, roasted. Artichoke. Squab.  Potatoes in bacon fat. Granola barley and chestnuts.

13) Gruyere consommé.  Toasted brioche with onion jam and lemon confit.

14) Pear compote. Peppercorn citrusy ice cream - Japanese.

15) Bittersweet chocolate pudding ice cream. Puff corn rice. Little glass of Hazelnut milk.

16) Vegetable kimchi onigiri to take for later!