by glenn on January 20, 2012
Cheesemonger Stephanie Santos
For me, this was the perfect evening (but then, I’m hardly typical) - comparing and contrasting ten cheeses, five Old World classics with five New World cheeses derived from those classics, all under the tutelage of Stephanie Santos, cheesemonger at Central Bottle. The theme of the class had intrigued me; my thoughts concerning European versus American cheeses have been evolving. At one point, I’d felt that European cheeses were the pinnacle and that American cheeses poor imitations. Over time, though,my hard line has softened – while some European cheeses could and should be considered classics, American cheeses should be judged on their own merits. That being said I still feel that some American cheeses fall short; however, the Europeans have been making cheese for thousands of years and the cheese renaissance in the US is barely thirty years old. So how would Stephanie design the class – as a competition or as a comparison? I was intrigued.
We began the class by being offered a choice of beverage – an American Riesling from the Fingers Lake, a red French blend or a Belgian Lambic. Since the temperature had been falling all day, I chose the 2008 “Les Cimels” from Chateau d’Oc et des Gueules in Nîmes, a Syrah-dominant blend which was bright, fruity, spicy and herbal – a hit of French sunshine for a chilly New England evening and with the fruit and acidity, a good companion to cheese.
The class comprised five types of cheeses. First up were the fresh goat cheeses followed by aged goat, sheep, washed rind and finally blue cheeses. Stephanie had stated that she has been thinking about this class for years yet had only hit upon the final presentation recently due to what was available and good at the moment. All her choices were excellent. Stephanie would introduce the cheeses, we would taste and then she would elicit responses from the group. Fortunately, my classmates were not shy but expressive - all had opinions they were willing to share. Interestingly, we were all split whether we liked the European or American expression of each cheese. Throughout, she shared much information about the cheeses we were tasting. For the last two pairings – the washed rind and blue cheeses – we were offered the Lambic, the Lindemans Black Cherry Kriek. The two washed rinds were extremely runny and unctuous; the cherries and the mild carbonation a good foil to their buttery and meaty richness. And the sweetness of the Lambic paired nicely with the blues, as sweetness always does.
Since Vermont has been the locus of much of the current cheese revival, Stephanie included five cheeses from the Green Mountain State – though perhaps it should be renamed the Green Pasture State. She spent time discussing the vital role that the Mateo brothers of Jasper Hill Farm are playing in American cheese making. She included two of their cheeses in the evening’s line-up – Winnimere, perhaps the best cheese of the class and the near iconic Bayley Hazen blue.
Stephanie and Central Bottle will be offering more cheese classes during the coming year. Why not stop in, chat about cheese and sign up for a class?
Central Bottle + Provisions
196 Mass. Ave. Camb. MA
617-225-0040
by glenn on December 13, 2011
A most captivating cheese
Typically, when I compose a cheese plate, I chose three different cheeses in order to contrast or compare. I usually begin by deciding which of the cow-sheep-goat trinity to present – one, two or all three. Next, I think about styles – fresh, cooked, aged, washed rind, bloomy rind, natural rind. Seasonality is a further consideration – in spring, a selection of fresh chevres; in winter, perhaps a stinker, a robust blue and one of the incomparable sheep’s milk cheeses from the Pyrennees. Though some may offer “one perfect cheese”,in order to savor a single cheese, that has never been my wont. Until now. At the Holiday Cheese Tasting held recently at Central Bottle and Provision, I was introduced to Harbison from Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro VT. As cheesemonger Stephanie Santos pointed out to me, the cheese combines the dairy’s Winnimere and Moses Sleeper – banded in spruce like the former, bloomy rind like the latter. The cheese is named after Ann Harbison, one of the leading lights of Greensboro. Since the white paste presents in a near liquid state, the spruce bark band keeps the cheese intact. Though the milk is pasteurized – the cheese is only aged 3-6 weeks - the flavor is rich and herbal. Near the bark band, the flavor woodsy; nearer the center, I detected a pleasant spicy mustard flavor. Whatever lush autumn pasturage the Jasper Hill cows were grazing on this fall, the result are quite excellent. After I purchased the cheese, I kept it at room temperature for eight hours to ensure the cheese’s creamy texture. For serving, I sliced off the top rind – like some Spanish tortas, it should be eaten with a spoon. I served with my favorite crackers – Castleton Crackers Whole Wheat. Harbison is a great addition to any holiday gathering.
After the party's over
Available year round and available now at Central Bottle and Provision
by glenn on December 12, 2011
The season of festivities is underway. Are you hosting a holiday gathering for friends, family, co-workers? Are you experiencing “menu anxiety”? If this be the case, turn to Whole Foods River Street to make your party menu planning stress-free. The store can assist you in designing a menu and even providing beverage selections for all budgets and diet preferences. To showcase its seasonal catering menu, the River St. Market held a Bloggers Holiday Showcase Friday Dec. 12 for Boston-area bloggers.
The evening was hosted by David Remillard – social media person for the River Street market - who was joined by the lovely Claire Davies – social media person from the Fresh Pond store.
We were presented with an array of foods from the store’s various departments. First up, a selection of various themed and priced cheese trays; since every party needs a liquid component, a wine and beer station; next, a variety of hot appetizers, including vegetarian options; then, seafood appetizers which featured – for me at least – the winning hors d’ouevre of the event, house-smoked baby octopus tossed with agave syrup and cayenne – a perfect item for any Feast of Seven Fishes; and since no event is complete without dessert, a selection of petit pastries from the Whole Foods Bakehouse. To provide additional merriment to the evening, we were invited to participate in a store-wide scavenger hunt – the inducement a $150 prize. To complete the affair, we were given gift bags as we departed. Upon arriving home, I was pleased to find among the thoughtful items a box of truffles. How long will I be able to resist them? And should I even try?
And me being me – and not Manny – I positioned myself between the cheese station and the beverage station. The wines featured both reds and whites and covered a range of price points. At the “extreme value” end were two selections from the Whole Foods proprietary label “Three Wishes”. Mid-range in the line up were a cava and one of my favorite Loire Valley whites, the 2009 Cave de Saumur “Les Pouches”. The selection was topped off by my fave of the offerings, the 2009 Bodega Bernaveleva Navaherros, an old vine Garnacha, organic and biodynamic. The one beer being poured was the Peak Organic Winter Session Ale. This tasty wheat beer, like any good session beer, was easy drinking. And at 5% ABV, it won’t threatened to ruin the party with overly boisterous behavior. Yet what impressed me most was its compatibility with the cheeses. Too often, folks try to do a wine and cheese match up, when beer is the better partner.
The Everyday Value cheese platter
And finally, the pièce de resistance, the cheese displays. Nationally, Whole Foods has a strong cheese division. Cathy Strange, Global Cheese Buyer and past president of the American Cheese Society, has been the force behind the strength, diversity and quality of the cheeses that Whole Foods offers. Their partneship with Hervé Mons – négociant and affineur extraordinaire – is exemplary of their commitment as are their relationships with small producers. On the local level, however, the cheese department shines or not depending upon its Team Leader. At River St., it does, thanks to Mike Clark, Specialty Team Leader. Since his arrival at River St. four years ago, he’s done much to upgrade the cheese selection, presentation and care of the cheeses. Frankly, though, Mike should be entitled “Cheesemonger” since that shows a more appropriate respect for his experience and knowledge. Mike and his staff presented three trays – an 365 Everyday Value platter – which was indeed a good value; a “Local” platter featuring among other items, Great Hill Blue, assorted chevre from Vermont Butter and Cheese, the now ubiquitous but always wonderful Moses Sleeper from Jasper Hill Farm -which, I might add, was quite well ripened - and the Team-made Cheddar – made by members of various Whole Food stores – from Grafton Village Cheese. And lastly, the “Connoisseur” tray with an fine selection of domestic and European cheeses. Also featured were Raincoast Crisps, a great accompaniment to cheese.
It was a great opportunity for Whole Foods River Street to show those who write about food the options that the store offers for easy holiday entertaining.
Many thanks to David Remillard – it was great to see the person behind the tweets!
Cute and delicious - chocolate glazed bite-size brownies topped with buttercream, a strawberry cap and an icing pompom
by glenn on December 5, 2011
As Bubble said to Eddy, “Party, party, party, party”. The end- of- the-year season of celebration is upon us. If you’re hosting a gathering, rather than overly stressing yourself by attempting to recreate the menu at Per Se, relax and offer a few well chosen cheeses and various accoutrements – mostardas, olives, white anchovies, breads. Select wines – or beers - which are cheese-friendly and your menu is complete. Be wary of serving spirits, though! Cocktails+holiday stress=bad behavior. As James Brown said, “Papa don’t want no mess”.
So if you’re shopping for holiday fare, do as I do and head to Central Bottle and Provision to consult with the cheesemongers – not one but two – David Seaton and Stephanie Santos.
To showcase the store’s excellent cheese selection, Central Bottle hosted a tasting on Saturday Dec. 3. The cheesemongers offered seven cheeses for consideration, all first rate and delicious. The selections ranged from fresh cheeses – the visually arresting ash-coated Tronchetto Carbone from Piedmont Italy – to soft, bloomy rind cheeses – such as the superb Moser Cru Blanc from Switzerland – to aged tomme-style cheese – the Springbrook Tarentaise from Vermont – to the requisite blue – an English Stilton. A selection of three or four of these cheeses would make a spectacular holiday spread.
And since beverages complete the menu, Carl Thelander from Ruby Wines was pouring a varied selection of cheese-friendly wines. I particularly liked the 2005 Charles Schleret Pinot Blanc – bright, light-bodied, off-dry, perfect with fresh or soft cheeses; also notable, the 2008 Domaine Cheveau Or Rouge Beaujolais-Villages, suitable for cheeses needing a fruity complement.
Make your holiday party easy and delicious by making your menu cheese-centric. And by the way, cheese makes a great gift for food-loving friends and family.
Cheesemongers David Seaton and Stephanie Santos
The tasting line-up
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Robiola Incavolata, goat’s milk, Piedmont Italy
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Tronchetto Carbone, goat’s milk, Piedmont Italy
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Sage Farm Selection – Sterling and Madonna, goat’s milk, Stowe, Vermont
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Moser Cru Blanc, cow’s milk, Dotzigen, Switzerland
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Harbison, cow’s milk, Greensboro, Vermont
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Springbrook 2 Year Tarentaise, cow’s milk, Reading, Vermont
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Stilton, cow’s milk, Nottinghamshire, England
by glenn on October 17, 2011
Clockwise from left- Hudson Red, Coomersdale, Hubbardston Blue
The weather had been wonderfully unseasonable. A friend from the Rockies had just quit her job and sold her house – she was retired! – and was on a swing through New England to visit family and friends, then on to Block Island for a week long stay. A dinner party – albeit small – was in order. As usual, I brought the cheese and, accordingly, was off to Central Bottle to shop. Cheesemonger David Seaton was still in Sicily working the harvest and crush – an image of Lucille Ball stomping grapes came unkindly to mind - so Chef Leslie aided me in my selections. I decided to go with local cheeses, preferably cheeses I hadn’t encountered before – always that drive for the new and exciting. After the usual back and forth of sampling and discussing, I was able to choose three. All represented different aspects of local pasturage – late spring, high summer and early autumn. My Indian Summer cheese plate….. [click to continue…]
by glenn on August 24, 2011
- From top left clockwise – Vermont Dandy, Verhampshire, Hildene Farms Chevre
Each August, I spend time with a friend at her cottage located in one of the hill towns of Massachusetts. I eagerly anticipate this visit – the evergreen forest, the cool un-airconditioned nights, the ability to clearly see the Milky Way and its billions of stars and foremost, the opportunity to spend time with this friend who lives half a continent away during the remainder of the year. My friend, an ardent cheese lover, always appreciates a gift of cheese. My notion was to compose a cheese plate suitable for breakfast. And as summer was diminishing, I was feeling the urge to make bread. I pulled Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Bread Bible out of my bookcase where it had sat – unused – ever since I acquired it several years ago; I once was a cookbook junkie. I found a wonderful recipe for a cracked wheat loaf – a perfect breakfast bread and accompaniment to my soon to-be-composed cheese plate. As an aside, having baked extensively from Beranbaum’s Cake Bible, I was accustomed to dealing with her self-aggrandizement and often overwrought recipes, for these obsessive-compulsive formulas with near fanatical attention to detail actually work. Moving on, the bread turned out spectacularly though I did skip some steps I found unnecessary. It was now time to assemble the cheese which meant a trip to Central Bottle and Provision and a consultation with cheesemonger David Seaton. As we were catching up on cheese world gossip - such as a recap of the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival; and no, a cheese-themed tattoo is not the best idea for long-term self-adornment – David led me on a tasting of what was new and good in the store. In the end, I did a local trinity – cow, sheep, goat – consisting of two new cheeses and one reliable standby. My summer breakfast cheese selection -
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by glenn and katrin on June 28, 2011
L’Espalier Wine Monday
Argentina
The Menu
First Pairing
2010 Crios de Susana Balbo, Torrontés, Salta
Apple Street Farm Greens with Shaved Carrot and Rhubarb
Second Pairing
2009 Alfredo Roca, Malbec, Mendoza
Roasted Lamb Sausage with Pearl Barley, Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives
Third Pairing
2009 Jean Bosquet [sic], “Reserva”, Malbec, Tupungato Valley
Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri and Roasted Potatoes
Fourth Pairing
New Age, Sauvignon Blanc/Torrontés, Mendoza
Mt. Tam, Menage and Fourme d’Ambert
GLENN – We were eager to attend our first Wine Monday at L’Espalier on June 27th. The featured wines were from Argentina, one of our passions at WDWU. What interesting gems would Sommelier Erich Schliebe offer us? What wonderful culinary treats from the kitchen? And what imaginative pairings would we experience? Alas, the watchword for Wine Monday is casual, as in “off-the-cuff”. The wines were basically an uninspired selection of entry-level wines. Though Susana Balbo’s “Crios” is a favorite of ours, this is a large scale production and not some undiscovered gem. I found a similar lack of depth in the choice of Malbecs. The first, the 2009 Alfredo Roca, was flat and unexciting. The second, the 2009 Jean Bousquet, was over-oaked. I don’t enjoy “chewing on an oak floor” (quote attributed to Kathy Benziger). And finally the fourth wine, billed as the most popular wine in Argentina and the mainstay of Buenos Aires nightlife, was a sweetened, carbonated concoction. (An aside about restaurant wine mark-up: additional glasses of wine were available for $12 a glass – more than the wholesale, and in some cases the retail(!), cost for a bottle of any of these wines.) This was definitely “Argentina for Beginners.”
KATRIN – Glenn described the wine selection perfectly. I really had been looking forward to this dinner, and particularly the wine selection, for weeks, knowing that the wine list at L’Espalier is well-chosen, both elegant and comprehensive, and has a number of fine selections from Argentina. Plus my last experience at L’Espalier was stellar and unforgettable. If this was “Argentina for Beginners”, then I wouldn’t be surprised if it made would-be Argentina enthusiasts run back to European selections. Which is not to say they make bad wines. Quite to the contrary. Susana Balbo has become a flying winemaker in South America and Europe; Alfredo Roca has made wine in Argentina for four generations; Jean Bousquet immigrated from Southern France in the 1990s, where he had made wine; and Valentin Bianchi’s namesake and founder left Italy in 1910 to make his future in Argentina.
GLENN – The food exhibited a similar lack of excitement. The greens from Chef Frank McClelland’s farm in Essex were unremarkable – my salad a handful of baby spinach leaves, some of which were totally bruised; the vinaigrette, though, was well made. The lamb sausage – tasty, but overly salted – sat on a tasteless bed of barley. The flank steak was fine and as there are as many versions of chimichurri as there are cooks who make it. L’Espalier’s rendition was quite different – more an herb aioli. The meal ended though with a solid cheese plate – the triple creme “Mt. Tam” was at perfection and the tomme-like mixed milk “Menage” from Carr Valley Cheese provided a good contrast. And of course, “Forme d’Aumbert” is always a reliable choice for the requisite bleu. The rye bread – a variation of Swedish rye – that accompanied the cheeses was outstanding. However, the cheese plate was done a disservice by the wine that accompanied it. Service, as one would expect, was professional and courteous except for the greeters at the doors who were overly scripted and effusive – honestly, I felt like a woman of a certain age being fawned over.
KATRIN - The impression I was left with was that the restaurant has a “you get what you pay for” mentality and that if you are only paying $65 for the privilege of dining there then that is the quality of the food and wine you should expect to receive. I asked Erich how the wines were selected and it seemed that the decision was based on price. A gem like the Bodega Chacra Barda Pinot Noir, which is on their wine list, wasn’t served because it would be too expensive. Meanwhile, only Susana Balbo’s Torrontés is on the wine list; the fact that the other three didn’t make the cut speaks volumes.
