Top 10 Ways to do BLUE for July 4th!

The Fourth of July is approaching and of course, we are celebrating our Independence from ordinary, bland and tasteless cheese by focusing on the wonder that is Cave-Aged Blue. Although it’s creamy, this blue cheese from Minnesota bursts with bold flavor and sparkles with a peppery finish. Check out our 10 favorite ways to do Blue for the Fourth of July and throughout the summer. It’s such a versatile gourmet cheese, there’s no doubt you’ll find even more ways to enjoy it!

Savor Blue Cheese with Ripe Summer Veggies and Fruit of the Season

Grilled Goods Get a Kick with Blue Cheese

Impress with Easy Appetizers

9) Spear blue cheese and dates with toothpick for simple and elegant hors d’oeuvres.
10) Toast slices of Italian bread, top with blue, toasted chopped hazelnuts and drizzle with honey. Seriously, yum!

A Hoppy Marriage: Gourmet Cheese & Beer Pairing Guide

Is there really a season for beer? I certainly enjoy beer year round but find myself opting for a cold brew more often during warmer weather. This time of year seems to call for lighter and more refreshing beverages but did you know beer just may be the better beverage choice to enjoy with gourmet cheese?

Beer, like wine, has something in common with cheese. All of these products are pastoral and crafted using traditional methods that date back centuries. Wine, beer and cheese speak of a particular culture, a place and a time. The connection between beer and cheese is particularly strong since the animals milked for cheese ate the grains used for brewing beer. It’s possible that your nose and palate may pick up similar flavor profiles. Putting aside their natural affinity, perhaps the most important reason to pair beer with cheese is that the carbonation and brisk qualities of beer refresh the mouth and wash away the tongue-coating richness of the cheese. Simply put, they taste good together.

With the wide variety of domestic, imported, and craft beers now available, selecting the right one can be just as overwhelming as choosing an appropriate wine. Fortunately, we have teamed up with Peter Estaniel, founder of Better Beer Blog, to be our guide.  Take a look at our Gourmet Cheese and Beer Pairing Guide for Peter’s recommendations for your next gourmet cheese and BEER tasting.

Cheese Type: Bloomy Encased in a whitish, edible rind, bloomy cheeses are often velvety, gooey with a mild flavor. Add brie, camembert or Pierre-Robert to the cheese board for a decadent treat.
Peter’s Picks: Pilsner, with its balanced flavor and mildly bitter finish, washes the palate of creamy, bloomy cheeses. Try Trumer Pils, Spaten Pils.

Cheese Type: Washed Rind AKA “Stinky Cheeses”. During the aging process, washed-rind cheeses are usually bathed in a brine or washed with liquor such as wine, beer or a spirits. It’s this brining process that gives the cheese an aromatic quality. Almost all have orange or reddish hued rinds. Not mild and not sharp, washed rind cheeses are full-flavored. Give taleggio or epoisses a taste.
Peter’s Picks: India Pale Ale (Blind Pig IPA, Stone IPA) and Belgian-style Dark Strong ales (Chimay Grande Reserve, Gouden Carolus Grand Cru of the Emperor) have enough gusto to stand up to the power of these cheeses.

Cheese Type: Aged, Hard Cheeses As cheeses matures, it hardens and concentrates in flavor. Try aged cheddar, aged gouda and piave.
Peter’s Picks: A pint of English ale (Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale, Newcastle Brown Ale) is the traditional beverage of choice for cheddar. The nutty and caramelized flavors of aged gouda and piave match well with brown ales, as well.

Cheese Type: Blue The bluish-green veins give blue cheese its punch. Listed from strong to strongest in pungency are our gorgonzola dolce, nutty stilton and salty roquefort.
Peter’s Picks: Intense cheeses like blues can be tamed with sweet, fruity beers. For a unique treat, try a raspberry flavored beer like Belgian Lambic (Lindemans Framboise) with blue cheese for dessert.

Grilled Cheese Goes Gourmet

Hallelujah! The cheese gods have declared April to be National Grilled Cheese Month. There’s certainly nothing wrong with the ooey gooey goodness of a classic grilled cheese sandwich. In fact, this may be the one instance where I will recommend processed American cheese. You just can’t go wrong with its superior melting properties. But where you can go exceedingly right is by trading in the kid cuisine for a more sophisticated version. Not to worry, it’s still easy to make. Just upgrade your ingredients to include your favorite gourmet cheese and food pairings. Need inspiration? Here are a few of our favorite gourmet grilled cheese combinations:

Taleggio/Sliced Pear/Arugula

Smoked Mozzarella/Sundried Tomatoes/Basil

Fontina/Sauteed Sliced Mushrooms/Basil Pesto

Aged Cheddar/Sliced Fuji Apples/Peppered Bacon

Gruyere/Fried Egg/Tomatoes

Goat cheese/Grilled Portobello Mushrooms/Balsamic Drizzle

Brie/Prosciutto/Mango Chutney

PS - Looking for ways to celebrate the glory that is the grilled cheese sandwich? If you live in the Los Angeles area, head to the 8th annual Grilled Cheese Invitational on April 24th.

Finding Joy in the Winter Blues

I am not sure about you but we New Yorkers are getting hammered by yet another blustery snow storm. It seems the arrival of Spring can’t come soon enough although there are only 23 days until the Vernal Equinox. Why not light a fire, get cozy and embrace the winter blues – blue cheese, that is.

Winter is a great time to explore gourmet blue cheese since it pairs perfectly with what I consider to be a cold-weather sipper – Tawny Port. I initially turned up my nose at Port given the medicinal, cough-syrup aroma. But with one sip, I saw the light and will now extol the virtues of a 20 year Tawny Port. With flavors of honeyed dried fruit and a nutty finish, Tawny Port is smooth, sweet and delicious. It makes the perfect foil for an audacious and piquant blue. After a hearty winter meal, this is an ideal gourmet cheese combination for dessert.

Take a look at a few of our Port-worthy favorites:

So if you have those fancy little sherry glasses, the kind that forces the extension of your pinky finger, now would be a great time to dust them off. Treat yourself to the stomach-warming libation of Tawny Port and a little nibble of gourmet blue cheese - the perfect antidote to the seemingly never-ending doldrums of winter.

Seven Simple Tips for How to Serve a Gourmet Cheese Course

Whether you are hosting a soiree or a casual get-together this holiday, your mission is to provide your guests with warm hospitality, lively conversation and a delectable spread of food and drink. Whether the menu is complicated or simple it better be delicious. Serving a sumptuous gourmet cheese course is perfect as a starter or centerpiece of the meal. Not only is the preparation simple (no cooking!) but like fine wine, serving a gourmet cheese course can be mystifying. How to select an array of cheeses? What sort of foods to serve alongside? Not to mention the question of what to drink. Relax. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to serving a cheese course. Just keep in mind a few simple considerations.

1. A cheese course is about observing and enjoying contrasting and complementary flavors. For a foolproof gourmet cheese course, select 3 – 5 cheeses that vary in texture and flavor.

2. For an even more mind blowing cheese experience, serve accompaniments such as juicy grapes, briny olives and crunchy warmed nuts. These little tidbits add even more distinct tastes and enhance the epicurean experience.

3. Cold cheese is unhappy cheese. Before serving the cheese, allow it to come to room temperature (about an hour). This lets the flavors emerge to their fullest. It may be tempting to sneak a bite but will be well worth the wait.

4. Keep the cheeses looking and tasting their best until you are ready to serve. Cover with wax paper or plastic wrap so they do not dry out.

5. Save the mingling for the party. Use a separate knife for each cheese so the flavors do not mix.

6. That bold blue cheese may be your favorite but save the best for last or it may be the only thing you taste. Be sure to start with the mildest cheese and progress to the sharpest. This allows your palate to adjust to the increase in flavors.

7. Wines are meant to cleanse the palate, wash away the tongue-coating richness of the cheese and prepare the mouth for the next bite. It’s important that the selections don’t overwhelm the cheese and vice versa. Essentially, you’ll want to match wine and cheese of the same intensity level. Just remember “like for like”.

Click here to view more cheese course recommendations.
Click here to read more about pairing wine & cheese.

Sommelier Suggestions: American Wine & Cheese Tasting

Our wine expert Anu Karwa, founder of Swirl Events, helps us celebrate Thanksgiving by recommending the perfect American wines to complement the Thanksgiving meal and American Artisanal Gourmet Cheese Course Collections.

What to serve with an Aged Gouda:
The classic red wine to have with Thanksgiving Dinner and an Aged Gouda is a Zinfandel. Although potentially Croatian by origin, Zinfandel has become a distinctly American grape appropriate for this quintessential American holiday. This is a rich, zesty, peppery red wine, not to be confused with White Zinfandel. Make sure the wine isn’t too high in alcohol, which is often the case with Zins from California.

What to serve with an Aged Cheddar:
While not inexpensive, a Cabernet Sauvignon with a few years of age (if not more) can be a wonderful wine to add as a holiday tradition and a perfect match for aged Cheddar. An aged Cabernet's tannins have somewhat mellowed out while the rich flavors and structure still shine with a bold cheddar. These are “special occasion” wines that truly celebrate the generosity of the holiday.

What to serve with Blue Cheese:
A tangy and punchy blue cheese is at its best when paired with a slightly sweet, though not cloying, dessert wine for balance. It's a perfect way to end a meal.

In Season: Heirloom Apples

You may have heard of heirloom tomatoes but what about heirloom apples? An heirloom apple is a variety that existed prior to the 20th century, before grocery store hybrids were developed for appearance and shelf-life. One bite and you’ll agree that heirloom apples deserve a spot on your cheese plate this Fall.

October is National Apple Month and our farmer’s markets are overflowing with bushels of apples. Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Macoun, and McIntosh are some of our favorites but we are seeing heirloom varieties like Jonathan, Ginger Gold, and Northern Spy make an appearance at our Union Square Greenmarket. Because they are smaller and less hardy than a typical commercial apple, heirlooms are sold at farmers and green markets if you are lucky enough to live near an apple growing region.

Heirloom apples are a great accompaniment to your gourmet cheese board and add seasonal flair. They are sweet and juicy with just the right combination of tart and tannins to refresh the palate. When serving sliced apples, brush a little lemon juice on the flesh so it doesn’t brown. For a classic American combination pair our 3 Year Old Amish Cheddar with a slice of your favorite heirloom apple. Enjoy!

Do Dads Prefer Wine or Beer?

In anticipation of Father’s Day, we recently surveyed Dads about the beverages they select when enjoying gourmet cheese.  The results are in and it turns out that Dads defy stereotypes.  While Dads may enjoy a cold, frosty beer while manning the grill or watching a sporting event, an overwhelming majority (73%) prefer wine when savoring gourmet cheese.  Red wine such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot was favored along with white wines such as Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay.  The 27% of Dads who quaff beer with gourmet cheese mostly reach for imports such as Amstel, Heineken, Stella Artois, Becks and Hefeweizen and domestic craft beers such as Yuengling, Sierra Nevada, and Sam Adams. 

With these results in mind, we developed the following guide to assist Dad in maximizing his gourmet cheese experience. 

Dad's Guide to Gourmet Cheese, Wine & Beer

Hey Dads, you told us you dig red wine while only a few love exploring craft beers when savoring gourmet cheese.  Did you know that you can choose either?  In fact, beer just may be the better beverage choice because the carbonation and brisk qualities refresh the palate.  When it comes to pairing gourmet cheese with beverages, there are no hard and fast rules - just one important point to keep in mind.  The beer or wine selected should match the intensity of the cheese (or any food for that matter). 

In Season: Zucchini

It's almost here! Memorial Day Weekend is considered to be the official start of the summer BBQ season.  Need to throw together a quick and easy, yet impressive dish to serve? Try Zucchini "Carpaccio".  Sounds sophisticated but it's a super-easy, no-cook recipe.  Buon Appetito!

Zucchini "Carpaccio"
2 large zucchini
1 lemon
High-quality, extra-virgin olive oil
Wedge of Piave, Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Pecorino Romano (or any hard, aged, Italian gourmet cheese)
Salt & pepper

• Remove ends of zucchini and thinly slice
• Arrange zucchini slices on a serving platter
• Squeeze lemon juice atop zucchini slices
• Drizzle modestly with olive oil (it shouldn't be drowning in oil, just lightly dressed)
• Season to taste with salt & pepper
• Top with shaved Piave (or other Italian cheese)
• Serves 4 - 6 people