The Cheese Blog
Southern Cheese & Whiskey Fever
Southern cheese, my friends, has arrived. Or rather, it has been thriving, and the rest of us are finally noticing its presence. This last Sunday I taught the Cheese School of San Francisco's first Southern Cheese & Spirits Class. Quite an honor. It was great. We ate. We drank. We marveled at the jug of corn whiskey.
Southern cheese, my friends, has arrived. Or rather, it has been thriving, and the rest of us are finally noticing its presence. This last Sunday I taught the Cheese School of San Francisco's first Southern Cheese & Spirits Class. Quite an honor. It was great. We ate. We drank. We marveled at the jug of corn whiskey.
The idea of the class arose one day when I was telling Kiri Fisher, co-owner of the Cheese School, how excited I was about the region and its dairy goodness as a result of my cheese book research, a friend from Tennessee who's introducing me to its bounty, and a new distributer to the bay area bringing in southern cheese. We were chatting right before I was about to start teaching a class, and I was just rambling my little heart away when Kiri said, "You know, I like the idea of a southern cheese class."
Although southern cheese is thriving in the south, it's still hard to find a lot of the small production stuff around here. Plus, it's spring, when many mama animals need more of the milk that might otherwise go into our cheese to feed their young- there's just less of the small-prouction cheese around in general. So to source enough cheese, we had to diversify. We ordered four of the eight cheeses from my friend Kathleen Cotter who owns The Bloomy Rind in Nashville, Tennessee (beautiful cheeses, arrived in perfect condition, even though they were FedExed all the way from Nashville). We ordered others through Darren, the owner of Cream and the Crop cheese distribution, and Tomales Bay. All beautiful.
And did I mention we served booze? Whiskey heaven, plus New Orlean's own Abita beer.
1792 Ridgemont Reserve Bourbon, Templeton Rye Whiskey, Platte Valley Corn Whiskey (a.k.a especially tasty legal "moonshine"), Abita IPA.
Here's a a little look at our favorite pairings from that night.
1. Lambert Hoja Santa ♥ St. Abita IPA & Platte Valley corn whiskey
2. Capriole Kentucky Tomme ♥ St. Abita IPA & Platte Valley corn whiskey
3. Sweet Grass Green Hill ♥ Platte Valley corn whiskey
4. Cumberland, Sequatchie Cove ♥ Templeton Rye Whiskey, Platte Valley corn whiskey
5. Chapel Hill Calvander ♥ St. Abita IPA, Templeton Rye Whiskey
6. Looking Glass Chocolate Lab ♥ Platte Valley corn whiskey, Templeton Rye Whiskey
7. Blackberry Farm Singing Brook ♥ 1792 Ridgemont Reserve Bourbon
8. Sweet Grass Asher Blue ♥ 1792 Ridgemont Reserve Bourbon
Moonshine shined bright, folks. A lightly oaked pure corn whiskey stole the pairing show.
Again, thanks to The Bloomy Rind for getting us amazing cheeses at the drop of a hat!
What are your favorite southern cheeses? What do you drink them with?
First Southern Artisan Cheese Festival this Friday!
Even with cheese rock and rollers like Blackberry Farm, Looking Glass Creamery, and Sweet Grass Dairy, southern cheese still has to work its butt off to be taken seriously. I mean, tons in the south know of the region's dairy magic, and people in cheese nationwide talk about its beauty, but some folks- perhaps the same folks who think there's nothing more to California than the ocean, granola, and birkenstocks- need a little convincing. Introducing the Southern Artisan Cheese Festival.
Even with cheese rock and rollers like Blackberry Farm, Looking Glass Creamery, and Sweet Grass Dairy, southern cheese still has to work its butt off to be taken seriously. They've proven over and over again that there's more to southern dairy than just pimento cheese and warm Velveeta cheese dip, but many are still not familiar with the area's bounty.
I mean, tons in the south know of the region's dairy magic, and people in cheese nationwide talk about it, but some- perhaps the same folks who think there's nothing more to California than the ocean, granola, and birkenstocks- need a little convincing.
Introducing the Southern Artisan Cheese Festival.
My good friend Kathleen Cotter of The Bloomy Rind is throwing the region's first artisan cheese festival this Friday in Nashville Tennessee. Even the poster is awesome.
Cotter runs The Bloomy Rind- an artisan cheese farmers market stand and cheese consulting business in Nashville. She travels from farmers market to market every week to bring the region's bounty to Tennessee. And then she curates a cheese menu or two for local restaurants. She also travels around the country to learn about cheese. She headed to Consider Bardwell to take the cheesemaker's course, and toured Vermont with me while I was doing researching for my book. When not learning, traveling, or working her butt off, Cotter found time to put together this festival. Can you spell B-A-D A-S-S (I'm not sure I can either, but this feels right somehow)?
This is the perfect time for the festival. Some great producers are just making it out to east and west coasts and we're all abuzz about what's going in cheese in places like Nashville.
Also, check out a great interview with Cotter on southern cheese with Anne Saxelby on Cutting the Curd. A great precursor to the festival, it drops a little knowledge about who is doing what in Tennessee and beyond.
The festival lineup is fantastic. It spotlights the region's most active cheesemakers and ticket admission prices includes samples of cheese and more. Psst, look down to check out some southern brews too!
Here's a quick look at who's going to be there:
Hope some of you can make it. I'm already wistful about what I'm missing here in Oakland!
Do you have a favorite Southern cheese?
Oh, Banon: You Had me at Bourbon
Wrapped with chestnut leaves soaked in Woodford Reserve Bourbon, O'Banon is an easy party pleaser, a grilling wonder, and an example of the deliciousness that Indiana has to offer the dairy-loving world.
There's something special about a cheese that comes in its own packaging ready-made for the grill.
Wrapped with chestnut leaves soaked in Woodford Reserve Bourbon, O'Banon is an easy party pleaser, a grilling wonder, and an example of the deliciousness that Indiana has to offer the dairy-loving world.
A cheese named in honor of the French version that inspired its creation, O'Banon is six-ounce disc of fresh goat's milk cheese made by the Capriole Goat Cheese Company. When young, it has a fresh and slightly tangy taste paired with a sweetness imparted by the spicy, vanilla flavors in the bourbon. As it ages, the bourbon's flavors further marinate the cheese and it develops a stronger, spicier, earthier, richer taste that strongly differentiates it from the original version that's soaked in eu de vie.
The complexity of this fresh, seemingly simple cheese is no surprise to those who are familiar with Capriole. Situated in the hills of southern Indiana, the company was launched by a family who, after hearing the call of the pasture in the late seventies, moved from the suburbs to the farm. Focusing entirely on goats milk cheese, Capriole keeps a sustainably run farm, promotes the virtues of raw milk cheese, recently won a first place award in the American Cheese Society Competition for their bourbon beauty, and consistenly rocks the fromage world with anything that comes out of their dairy caves.
Keep your eye on Indiana. I foresee this region acquiring just as much attention for its cheese in the future as Texas, or in other words, as much press as Lady Gaga gets for walking around city streets without pants.
Serving, Storing, and Eating O'Banon
Storing: I take this cheese out of its plastic wrapping as soon as it hits my kitchen and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. Unless the cheese is not consumed in its entirety, there's no need to wrap it. Its leaves act as a natural wrapper.
Serving & Eating: O'Banon appreciates a little warmth in its life. Take it out of fridge half an hour before serving and let come to room temperature. Because of its strong bourbon flavors, keep it simple with food pairings. Accompany it with sliced, crisp apples, fresh fig or pear.
Or you can blow your guests out of the water by warming the cheese.
Tossing O'Banon on the grill or in the oven is as pleasing to goat cheese lovers as baked brie is to those who like it buttery. Place O'Banon, still wrapped in its leaves, on a cooler portion of the grill or in an oven heated to 375 degrees for five to ten minutes, or until the center of the cheese is very soft to the touch and leaves are hot and toasty. Then, set on a plate and slice open to reveal a tender, warm, and tangy center. Serve with crostini or fresh, crusty bread and fruit.
Wine
The bourbon in O'Banon conflicts with very complex wines. Stick with wines that are straight-to-the-point, like Sauvignon Blancs from the Loire Valley, mineral Fiano D'Avellinos from Campania Italy, or high-acidity sparklings from around the globe.
Lastly, check out the recipes on the Capriole website! Goat Cheese Gougeres w/Katie's BBq Chicken Salad anyone? Or how about Cheese Enchiladas with Corn And Mole Sauce?
Coming soon: pistachio cream accouterment & ricotta gnocchi recipe.