Pass the ......

Over the holidays I was given a book called “The Cheese Chronicles” by Liz Thorpe, a Yale Graduate who, judging by the jacket notes (including one from Thomas Keller), is a Cheese Expert:



She dumped a career in corporate law when she got enamored with the making and appreciation of cheese. This book is not so much about how to make cheese (although there is a good deal of that – it’s a lot of work), but mostly a review of American cheese and a compendium of cheese makers across the country. She tosses around the word “Artisanal” a lot, a term which of course we’re all (maybe over) familiar with. She was struggling with an exact meaning (it’s so common now) and after a lot of thought she finally came up with:


“Artisanal cheese makers change their recipe, and their cheesemaking technique, to accommodate the shifting fluid medium that is milk. Commodity cheesemakers take all possible steps to forcibly create a consistent fluid medium that can be made into a consistent final product, without modifying their approach.”

So there you are.

A large part of the book is devoted to describing various farms and their products, talking about cheesemaking operations, quality of the milk, raw vs. organic, etc. Bravo Farms, Traver, CA; Grafton Village Cheesemaking Company, Grafton Village, VM; Edelweiss Creamery, Monticello WI; Widmer’s Cheese Cellars, Theresa, WI. You get the idea. She lists most of their products together with candid tasting notes (hey, she is a lawer). Bravo’s “Western Sage: the body of the cheese is young like the signature Cheddar, and that simple creamy backdrop is ideal for the musky herbaceousness of sage. It tastes green but muted and savory”. Who says wine guys have the corner on “speak”?.

One of the cheesemakers she visits is Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in Seattle, Washington. In describing their operation, she mentioned that they have a shop in Pike Place Market. Beecher’s is primarily a Cheddar outfit, with their Flagship and Flagship Reserve. But, they also make some variations like “No Woman” (which, with a nod to Mr. Marley, she describes is "not laced with kind bud, but rather Jamaican Jerk spices"), Marco Polo which is laced with black peppercorns, and Just Jack. Now, as it happens I have some friends who almost commute between here and there (their parents are there), so I asked them to go take a look. They agreed, and the next thing you know, this is what I have:



Liz's description reads thusly:

“There’s the tiniest bit of elasticity in the texture, so it doesn’t just crumble up into wet bits the way block cheddars do. There’s a whole range of mellow, savory flavors, hard boiled eggs and buttered toast, those Swiss cultures keeping it a little bit sweet with the barest backbone of butterscotch”.

After reading that we were almost afraid to open it and try it, but of course we did



I have to admit that she’s pretty much on the mark. I’m not sure I’d have come up with the butterscotch, but I did appreciate the texture although it did have a tendency to crumble a bit



But there is no doubt that when you put it in your mouth, it felt good (sounds silly, but it did) and there were layers of flavor going on (sounds silly, but there were). As you chewed it, different tastes became evident – not Wham! But subtle changes in flavors were there. Great stuff, am looking for a chance to try more varieties from other producers. Our generous friends who brought the cheese said that Beechers also make macaroni and cheese, and we’re scheming on how to venture into that. If the Flagship is any indication, it should be a good experience.

We’ve remarked before that cheese is pretty close to the top food, oh, well, then there’s charcuterie, foie gras, and, well, at least cheese ranks right up there..

This’s and That’s:

the place occupying Vincenzo’s is called Back Creek Bistro. I note that the photos on their web site are taken AFTER the sun is down. I don’t know if they revised the room, but I never felt comfortable there (regardless of sun). Guess have to go check it out..

you can’t win department: Cover of February Food & Wine – 50 best recipes to pair with wine, beer, & cocktails. Example: Winter Vegetable Chili , Perfect with a smoky Syrah…. There’s another of my favorite words – “perfect”. Another time.

Be sure after you enjoy your cheese appetizer (or final) course that you are

DFD