The Cheese Blog
A Statement Cheese: One for Thanksgiving
When you hear "statement piece" from a woman about to attend a holiday party, she's normally talking about the large piece of jewelry she'll be wearing to attend said party. Perhaps a large or bright coral or clunky gold necklace, worn with a simple black dress. Besides calling attention to fantastic jewelry, wearing a statement piece is also a great way to pare down. The jewelry is doing all the meeting and greeting, charming the crowd, smiling at the babies- not much else needs to be done besides throwing on a shift underneath to serve as a platform.
It's the same with statement cheese for Thanksgiving.
When things are crazy and I'm working four days a week at the wine shop advising people on what wine goes with turkey in addition to working on writing samples, recipes, pitches, and projects galore at home, I like to simplify what I bring to Thanksgiving (which we all know will always be fromage). In general, serving cheese is a great way to reduce the amount of cooking one does for events because besides remembering to take out a wheel or wedge an hour or two before the party so it comes to room temp and arranging it on a plate, nothing else needs to be done.
And its possible to do even less with cheese but have it shine even more by serving fewer cheeses.
This is statement cheese.
Serving from four to five cheeses is lovely, but sometimes the glory of a wheel can get lost when tastebuds are overextended. So here goes: try serving one spectacular cheese with varied condiments on the side so people can explore the pick with different flavors and textures. They'll enjoy it on another level because they'll have time to appreciate its nuances- like when a woman wears an LBD and a great chainmaille necklace without any rings or earrings so the eye isn't distracted. Statement cheese likes all the attention too, and pairing it with sides keeps all eyes on it- a touch of sweetness here, a crunch there, a tart pairing here- shows different sides of the cheese.
Here's how to do it.
Statement Cheese Guide:
Pick one cheese. Make sure it's one of your favorites. Stellar. A statement.
Pair it with three to five sides.
Here are two examples.
A Blue Cheese
Like… Bay Blue, Avalanche Blue, Shaker's Blue, Stichelton, Roquefort
Sides:
Candied or toasted pecans, sliced fresh pears, local raw honey, broken pieces of milk chocolate, pistachio cream.
Getting it? You're curating an experience.
A Soft Gooey Cheese
Forsterkase, Nettle Meadow Kunik, Harbison or Winnemere, Époisse (serve a whole wheel or large wedge)
Sides:
Rose confit, honeycomb, toasted hazelnuts, bacon jam, broken pieces of white chocolate, persimmons
What's your favorite statement cheese?
Unpacking: Return from the English & Irish Cheese Invasion
The first thing most Irish would ask upon meeting me upon learning that I was from California was, "How are you putting up with the weather here?" The ground was wet, my Wellies were in full use, my overgrown bangs curled haphazardly whenever I stepped outside, and the windshield wipers on my tiny car were working overtime. I adored it, I told them. After experiencing reseviors a third full in California for three years straight, I felt blissful in the Irish mist and showers. Things were green. Things were about thirty different types of green, in fact.
Today I'm curled up on my couch in California with a cup of Barry's tea in hand - my second after my starter cup of coffee- watching the rain fall outside. The skies are grey and bright. After I publish this post, I'm thinking of putting on my Wellies and going for a walk.
My flight returned me to the states late last Monday night, and since then I've been experiencing a wealth of emotions, which might not surprise those I ended up crying on when saying goodbye (sorry, guys), and, a tad bit of jet lag. I visited three of the most wonderful countries in the world- Wales, England, Ireland- spent time making cheese with top cheesemakers kind enough to let me salt and play with their curds, revisited friends and made new ones, was genoroursly welcomed into the homes of families who I hadn't met before and fed delicious things by them, and ate an insane amount of cheese and perhaps also drank a little local alcohol. Perhaps.
I had a blast. I'm unpacked. And, quite honestly, I'm ready to pack again. More news about that last part in future posts.
Over the next couple of months I'll be posting here and there about my trip, and working on a project based on my time there. I"ll write all about it. Of course I'll stay grounded in American-ness too- all about Thanksgiving cheese plates here next week. I also have some news to share soon. There will be a lot going on here, folks, check back in.
To all the cheesemakers and families who let me visit and didn't yell at me in the make room when I did things wrong, thank you. I've never felt so welcomed by so many as I did over the past two plus months. I'm very, very lucky.
Lastly, if you don't have anything to do next Tuesday or simply need something else to think about for a couple hours other than turkey or how to sit family members at the Thanksgiving table to encourage wellbeing, I'm teaching a class at the Cheese School next week (sorry, guys the Bubbles class in December is sold out) and there are a couple spots open: Winter Cheese and Wine . I'd love to say hello.
First Stop: Making Cheese in Wales
The start of my two month trip to Wales, England and Ireland left me feeling spoiled. My first stop was to Hafod, a cheesemaker utilizing suuuuuper old cheddar-making methods- think 11 and 13 hour-long cheese making days- to produce earthy, layered Cheddars in east Wales. After spending a week with the wonderful Holden family, I wondered how I would be able to happily move on. Quite literally at times- I managed to throw my back out the day before leaving their place.
A combination of all that I learned from Sam and Rachel Holden in the make room (fueled by hourly tea breaks), Rachel's cooking, visiting Welsh secret gardens, and rubbing lard on cheddar wheels would be impossible to top, I thought. Luckily, I was proven wrong. Cheesemakers I visited in England, where I traveled after Wales, exceeded my expectations at every stop. I ate wonderfully, met more fabulous people, and, had more chances to witness animal fat and cheese form a close relationship (buttered Lancashire, be still my heart). Here are a few pics of my time at Hafod. I hope you enjoy. More to come.
The "It's Not You, It's Brie" British-Irish Invasion
As I type this, I'm flying over the Nevada desert towards Heathrow, London. Starting today, all newsletter updates and blog posts for the next two months are going to be sent from the British and Emerald Isles! If you're asking yourself, is this months-long British and Irish exploration cheese-based, your answer is yes. I'm going to eat more Cheddar, Wensleydale, and thistle-rennet goat cheeses than I've ever eaten in my life. And you can bet your bottom pounds and euros I will tell share the dairy glory.
I'm more than a little excited. First a month in England, off-and-on, then some time in Ireland. I'm also a little nervous. I'm hoping that at some point during my trip I master using phone country codes and that the British and Irish friends I'm visiting honor the beauty that coffee brings to a morning while I'm crashing on their couches (they already have). But more than anything, I'm excited. And hoping that the whole driving-on-the-left-side-of-the-road thing isn't as difficult as Irish car hire insurance policies suggest.
The purpose of my trip is, you guessed it, cheese inspired and general tourism! I'm visiting producers who I've been enamored with from afar for years and just hanging out in general. Just a few cheese folks I'll be visiting: Hafod, Quickes, Hawe's Wenslydale, Gubbeen. Seeing the rolling hills of Somerset, and being stopped in the middle of the road by sheep when I'm late to catch a train or do something important pretty much seems like the best thing ever right now.
I'll keep you all posted with blog updates (as jaunting across the pond and a little behind on blog updates, you may see a rendition of this newsletter here, but remember, you read it first!) and then, later after I return to the U.S., there will much more writing. And there will be articles and classes.
Keep posted on my whereabouts via my blog, and feel free to drop me a line in the comments section, or at kirstin@itsnotyouitsbrie. I've love to hear your local recs while I'm exploring the culture, history, and deliciousness of the cheese from these two beautiful countries. I'm honored to have this chance to roam and can't wait to share my adventures with you!
Winter Cheese & Wine, Tuesday, Nov 25th, Cheese School of San Francisco
What begins as fresh milk in the spring, results in a well-aged cheese to keep us nourished and satiated through the winter. These cheeses are meaty and rich and make the perfect foil for wine both red and white. Wine maven Kirstin Jackson will introduce you to eight beautiful examples of the fruits of spring and some wines that are also worth the wait.
Winter Sparklers: Wednesday, Dec 10th, Cheese School of San Francisco
Prosecco, cava, California sparkling wine, champagne. If you ask us, everything tastes better with bubbles. But some cheeses really do sing to the tune of fruity, floral effervescence. Join author and wine and cheese pairing savant Kirstin Jackson for a festive evening exploring the best cheeses to pair with sparkling wine. After this class you can consider yourself holiday-party ready.
Where's My Favorite Cheese? Raw milk, pathogens & the FDA.
Picture this: You walk into your favorite cheese shop. It's the one whose mongers eyes light up because they can't wait for you to sample their new small-batch wheel from Missouri or Sonoma that just arrived. It's the shop that taught you that not all Roquefort is created equal. It's the one that stresses that Gruyere and Comté are not the same cheese made in two different countries, and it's the one that doesn't try to sell you pre-grated low-moisture mozzarella for your pizza when you really want the balls that bob in water. In short, it's the one that has been supporting, educating, and fulfilling your cheese cravings for years.
Things at this shop might be different the next time you walk in.
If you had asked me a year or two ago which direction the cheese industry was going in the United States, I would tell you that things were getting better by the day. They were already pretty awesome. Our cheesemakers are making the best cheese that this country has seen. Distributors are looking beyond the big brands to bring in smaller producers. Those who are selling, making, storing, or writing and teaching about cheese's deliciousness are highly passionate, and educated. Cheesemonger certification exams and recent books are schooling folks in cheese science, proper storage, and culture and history. Harvard microbiologists are holding hands with artisan cheese companies. Things seem to be looking up. Right?
Well, it's a little bit of touchy topic right now. It's an interesting, hopeful, and sometimes scary time to be in the cheese biz. For consumers, it could be a sad time to walk into your favorite cheese store if you have your heart set on something particular made with raw milk- like Roquefort for example. New FDA regulations and testing methods are re-dictating what cheese will be in your favorite shop at any one time.
Domestic and Imported Cheeses Both Affected
Remember that scare about the FDA possibly outlawing the aging of cheese on wooden boards in the make-room even though using wooden boards to age cheese is a practice that's been traditionally keeping cheese safe and tasty for years? Well, the FDA backtracked because of petitions sent to the government and the attention paid in the press, much of which damned what the FDA was trying to do. However, hundreds of cheesemakers who built their caves based on board aging thought their business was in peril, and while the FDA backtracked, they didn't declare specifically that aging on boards was determined to be officially safe. They said that more research was needed. Could this issue come up again? Quite possibly, depending on what research the FDA consults or does, and who they hire to do it. Just a few cheeses this could affect: Parmesan, Comté, Dunbarton Blue, Fat Bottom Girl. This isn't just a domestic cheese issue.
Next, the FDA changed their allowance for Microbial Contaminants in cheese in 2010 to allow much smaller amounts of possible microbial pathogens in a finished cheese. They did this under the radar. Why is this a problem? Think of it this way.
A wheel of cheese is a symbiotic life form. It's fermented, and it's made up of proteins, fat, yeasts, molds, enzymes, and beyond. These things, in healthy amounts, are good. In the cheesy symbiotic life form, certain yeasts and bacterial microbes act as safeguards to keep some bad bacteria out or other bacterias in lower counts. This is similar to how planting good plants in an organic vineyard discourages certain pests, or helps to keep the bad, nutrient-leaching weeds that threaten the structure of a vine out. That is to say, microbes are inherently in cheese and even bacteria whose names people can fear can be perfectly safe in small amounts.
So when the FDA changes their microbial allowances, this throws everyone off. According to some, it's not too difficult to make a raw milk aged cheese to fit their regulations. But making a softer, younger raw milk cheese that meets their guidelines is incredibly difficult because it has such a high moisture content. You can't just make a cheese with, say, less non-toxic E. Coli because it would change the structure, taste of the entire cheese. Some American cheesemakers like Andy Hatch of Uplands have decided to stop making such delicious creations like the soft, raw-milk Rush Creek entirely this year, mainly because if the FDA recalled a batch after testing, say because it had even too much of a ton-toxic pathogen according to 2010 FDA guidelines, such a recall could threaten the economic future of a creamery.
What are these tests like?
When the FDA pulls samples, they buy a wheel at wholesale cost to sample. Sometimes it takes as long as three weeks before a cheesemaker gets test results back- in the mailbox. While that cheese is being tested, most cheesemakers hold off on selling other wheels from that batch because if by chance the batch were re-called, they'd have to recall everything they sold from that batch from shops, distributors, and homes.
Unfortunately, if a cheesemaker decides to hold a batch while it's being testing for three weeks or so, and say it's a raw-milk soft cheese, that batch will become another cheese animal while it's sitting and waiting for test results. By the time it hits the distributors, then shops after that, it might be over the hill. That's a huge loss if an entire batch of cheese can't be sold. Rather than face potential loss, disappointed customers, or messing with the integrity of the cheese, some cheese makers are deciding not to make certain cheeses until FDA testing or standards change. Which means that we may have to say goodbye to some of our favorite cheeses for the time being.
But it doesn't stop at domestic cheese, or even in a cheesemaker's cave.
The FDA is pulling cheese, raw-milk in particular since the FDA has decided it's more threatening (for the most part, I highly disagree) at all stages in cheese's life- both domestic and international. They do it from the cheesemaker's make room and cave, from the distributer, and then again from the cheese shop.
Lately, a huge amount of raw-milk cheeses have been pulled aside from France as soon as they hit the docks and have been kept for testing. Then the next batch is tested after it comes in again from that same distributer/affineur from France. Result- by the time cheese gets to the distributers, the cheese has changed. Often it's not up to par or what affineurs or cheesemakers want it to be. Because of this, some affineurs have stopped are are considering halting shipping to the U.S. altogether.
And oh yeah, remember Roquefort? Do you remember anyone hearing anyone getting sick from raw-milk Roquefort? Me neither. Well, it turns out this raw-milk, high moisture cheese most often has too high of non-toxic E.Coli count for FDA tests (under 10 parts per gram) and entire batches of it have been denied entry into the U.S.. Affineur Jean D'Alos no longer exports my favorite Roquefort (or any Roquefort) to the U.S. because of so many batches being turned away, and for the time being, even if I wanted to carry the classic cheese in the wine bar I manage, the only one I can acquire is made from pasteurized milk. You can bet your bottom dollar it tastes different. From what I last heard, Jean D'Alos has halted shipping his creations entirely- at least to the west coast- for the time being.
How can we help?
The FDA has been talking to the American Cheese Society to better understand our industry. This is promising. Let's all encourage them to keep the conversation open, educational, and mutually beneficial. This isn't just about having all of our tasty foods available to us; it's about preserving tradition, foodways, freedom of choice, and supporting our friends, family, and economy through making sure its safe for them to sell what they devote their life to.
So! Sign all the petitions you can that encourage better and more thorough FDA research of microbial allowances, request that that they properly utilize current research out there (there's plenty in France), and that they change their testing procedures so that its more economically viable for cheesemakers. Feel free to share any petitions, links, or notes in the comments section. And remember, we have the power to influence!
Marinated Manchego: A Different Kind of Party Trick
This is how it goes: There's a party or social occasion to which I am invited. Food is involved. Because the party is thrown by my friends or family, beer or wine is also involved. People at party ask people to bring a dish to share. Kirstin goes to the party. Kirstin brings ______.
When invited to any occasion involving food (or even just alcohol, because what pairs swimingly with booze..?), I always bring cheese. And maybe something to slather on it, but mainly just a fermented milk star or three. I make sure that the selections I bring are glorious specimens of the dairy world (not hard in this well-rounded cheese age), but sometimes, I feel I should do more. Like me going to a party and unwrapping beautiful wedges of cheese and putting them on a platter for people to revel in their perfect simplicity isn't enough.
Most times I'm able to ignore that feeling. Therapy has helped. After all, I remind myself, we live in an age where we always feel like we should do more, but in reality the simple pleasures are often the most enlightening and enjoyable.
Despite the truths I've come to own via heavy cheese soul-searching, occasionally when I'm invited to someone's house for the third time in a row, I like to mix it up. I wouldn't want them to think that I don't know how to weld a knife or that I'm a one-trick cheese pony.
So sometimes I'll slice up and marinate cheese!
Marinated Manchego
This is my recipe for marinated manchego. It's inspired by a recipe of Spanish chef José Andres's in Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America in which he coats Idiazabal cheese with olive oil and herbs. Idiazabal is a Basque Spanish cheese. Though most Idiazabal that arrives in the U.S. is smoked, the majority in Spain hasn't been touched with wood. Because I like the idea of marinating an unsmoked cheese, I picked one of my favorite raw-milk small production manchegos. You can substitute any lovely sheep's milk cheese you'd like- just focus on finding a semi-firm, 4-8 month-old cheese. I like using one that hasn't been heavily pressed and whose paste might have a hole or two. Then the olive oil can sink into its grooves like melted butter does into a crumpet's. Also, this could be the easiest cheese recipe ever. Seriously. Six ingredients (substitute at will), five minutes to make, and an hour to marinate. Almost as easy as unwrapping cheese on a party platter if you've done that the last five times you've gone to a party.
Serves 2-4
5.5 ounces Manchego
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper
Remove the rind from the Manchego and slice the cheese into cubes. Don't worry about cutting perfect cubes- rusticity adds character. Place the cheese in a small bowl. Add the rosemary, garlic, olive oil, and a couple grinds of black pepper to the bowl and stir until the Manchego is well-coated with the oil and herbs. Let marinate for at least an hour or overnight. Serve at room temperature.
My 6 Favorite Parts of CheeseCon: An ACS Break-down
Three nights after The Festival of Cheese featuring over 1,500 varieties of fermented milk to eat (then follow up with a salad), it's time to hang up the #cheesesociety2014 hashtag. Or, the #acs2014 hashtag if you wanted to be a rebel and connect with the American Chemistry/Chemical Society from time to time. The American Cheese Society Conference this year in Sacramento was amazing. I'm not going to say it was my favorite, because I said that last year and the year before, and I'd hate to get repetitive on a blog that focuses entirely on cheese, so I'll just say it was glorious. And I'm still full.
My 6 Favorite Parts of #CheeseCon2014
1. The Cheese and the Microbe.
See first photo. 2014 was the year the microbe and cheese solidified their romance at ACS. While they were always aware that they were intertwined, linked, related, much closer than cousins once removed, they really got to know each other this ACS week. They were spotted sitting very closely at sessions like Microbiology of Cheese Rinds by Rachel Dutton and Benjamin Wolf, Ph.Ds. of Harvard University. They were seen whispering mold-type words in each other's ears at Cheese Salami and Microbes: Parallels and Discoveries with Wolf, Jasper Hill's Mateo Kehler and Fra' Mani's Paul Bertoli (both of whose goods are pictured above). They even made an appearance in the session I co-presented. A couple more beautiful than even Eva Medes and Ryan Gosling, cheese and microbes have decided to hide their connection no longer. They're out, they're proud, they're linked through Penicillium Candidum.
2. Coffee & Cheese.
Thanks to the folks at The Rind, I discovered that cheese and coffee are also quite close. Who knew, you ask? Well if you attended the ACS session that paired the two a couple years prior, you might have known. But that session was at 8:30 in the morning in a time zone that was two hours earlier than mine, and since occasionally drinks and late nights go hand-in-hand at ACS and hence I didn't make it to that particular morning session, I didn't know. However, this past Tuesday I went on a walking tour of Sacramento with other conference attendees, where Sara of The Rind paired Old Soul's single origin coffee with cheese. She also paired them with Ginger Elizabeth's chocolates, which good god were amazing, but the coffee pairings were what stuck. The lightly bitter and bright finish of the coffee melded perfectly with the richness and sweetness of the cheese. And her pairings were perfect- certain coffee appellations that were stunning with one cheese she selected fell short with those that she avoided. If you ever get a chance to take a coffee and cheese pairing with this woman, do it.
3. Butter.
The last day of the conference kicks off with a morning brunch of butter and yogurt. As varied in scope, texture, and color as shag rugs in a seventies household, the butter table was gorgeous. Some was cultured, some was clarified, some was salted, some was goat's milk, and others were cow's milk. A dear friend was kind enough to go back to the table for seconds for me. I swiped third tastes when no one was looking.
4. Presenting.
My first time presenting at the ACS, I c0-taught a session called California Cheese & Wine: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why. My co-presenter was the lovely, charismatic and devastatingly intelligent Anita Oberholster, Ph.D., University of California, Davis. Even, I imagined, if I made a grave mistake like calling Sauvignon Blanc Chenin Blanc (I did) or knocking over the projector, ordering the wrong cheese and ruining the entire session (I didn't), I knew that I would be happy to just be able to present with Oberholster (Ph.D. idol). I was also a little nervous. We were connecting wine science with cheese science with which I was familiar, but hadn't before presented to a panel of 22o of my peers. But all in all, it went really well. I had a blast, the pairings were wonderful, the attendees were interested and kind, and I only tripped once outside of the room in which I presented and not on the stage itself. I was honored and proud to present. Thank you, ACS society for inviting me do so!
5. Sessions.
One of the many sessions that stuck with me was Flavor: The Third Experience with panelists Emiliano Lee of Farmshop, Russell Smith of Dairy Australia and Leigh Friend, Casellula Cheese & Wine Café. Not only did we go over some of the fantastic pairing combos and reasonings behind them at Casellula and Farmshop, we underwent sensory evaluations. Using unlabeled cups filled with graduating amounts of bitter, sour, and sweet compounds, we identified at what points we were able to detect particular flavors. According to Smith, 20% of people in the U.S. and 40% of those in Britain can't detect bitterness. So we did that, and then we ate a little.
6. The Awards Ceremony this Year.
This year marked the first in a while where the majority of the big winners were the small production farms and creameries. See the lovely Audrey from Sprout Creek Creamery in Poughkeepsie, New York above? Three of her creamery's cheese won awards this year. Three of Bleating Heart's in Sebastopol, California strolled away with ribbons. Two of Briar Rose's in Dundee, Oregon won. ManyFolds Farm in Chattahoochee Hill Country, Georgia earned two. The list goes on - Lazy Lady, Ancient Heritage Dairy… and more. In a cheese world where many of big guys have heavy-hitting funding and an arsenal of culture cocktails on their side, it's wonderful to see independent, small creameries demonstrate that that small batches can go big. Congratulations, ACS winners! And judges. Small or large creamery aside, I didn't taste one cheese that won whose reason for winning wasn't revealed in one bite.
We have an awesome thing going here, guys.
7 (numbers were never my strong suit) The People.
We work in a fabulous industry. While you never really have the chance to talk to everyone as much as you'd like, each conference brings the opportunity to eat and drink with old friends, and to verify the coolness of new friends whose awesomeness you've only suspected prior to conference hang-outs. Until #acs2015- I've said awesome enough times in one post, and I already miss everyone. Signing off.