Fruit Beer and Cheese

April 23, 2014 by 2 Comments

I attend lots of different beer events all throughout the year, but don’t usually post about them- most of the time I might do a promotion post just to get the word out for an event I think needs to be shared, but not a recap. Untappd is my main beer outlet.

I also have been purposely avoiding writing about my favorite beer bar, which is like F and my Cheers, because we don’t want it to get too crowded. However, I really enjoyed a recent event at The Upper Lip, and thought I would share anyway to give props to what an amazing beer event it was and to encourage more like this from them or from anyone!
Breakside Brewing / 10 Barrel Brewing Fruit Beer event at The Upper Lip with cheese pairings by the awesome Steve of Cheese Bar

Perhaps when you think about fruit beer, you think of just a bunch of girly beer that tastes sweet and like juice and not much like beer at all. I hope not- and I think that the Portland Fruit Beer Festival, now returning for its 4th year, has helped a lot with that misconception.

I thought I would write this post about the beers at this event I just attended, just to reinforce that fruit beer is awesome, and what it can entail.

This event was a Breakside Brewing / 10 Barrel Brewing Fruit Beer event at The Upper Lip with cheese pairings by the awesome Steve of Cheese Bar. I have enjoyed many a Breakside beer and been to a few of their events since they are here in Portland, but 10 Barrel Brewing is harder to get as they are based in Bend and their fruit beers don’t usually make it here to Portland. Even better, with the price of admission, besides getting tasters of 8 beers we would also get 4 cheeses that were specially paired!
Breakside Brewing / 10 Barrel Brewing Fruit Beer event at The Upper Lip with cheese pairings by the awesome Steve of Cheese Bar

The first pairing was Fresh Ladysmith a cow cheese from Samish Bay, WA. I’ve had this cheese several times- not just because Steve seems to love pairing it, but because it just goes well with so many beers. During Thanksgiving I saw it at a co-op in San Juan WA and bought a 1/2 pound that was gone by the Sunday we were heading back. I also really enjoyed many of their other cheeses while at the The Wedge Cheese festival.

The Fresh Ladysmith was paired with the Breakside Gooseberry Wheat and the Breakside Peach Pale.  The Gooseberry Wheat was a wheat ale with pureed Oregon gooseberries from Oregon Fruit Products and had a subtle tartness to the wheat beer. Meanwhile, the Peach Pale offered a lot of hop flavor (specifically Citra and Amarillo) and had a nice peach nose but I didn’t detect much peach flavor.
Upper Lip Fruit Beer with Cheese Bar beer and cheese pairing, Breakside Gooseberry Wheat was a wheat ale with pureed Oregon gooseberries from Oregon Fruit Products and had a subtle tartness to the wheat beer. Paired with Fresh Ladysmith a cow cheese from Samish Bay, WA Upper Lip Fruit Beer with Cheese Bar beer and cheese pairing, Breakside Peach Pale offered a lot of hop flavor (specifically Citra and Amarillo) and had a nice peach nose but I didn't detect much peach flavor. Paired with Fresh Ladysmith a cow cheese from Samish Bay, WA

Next was the pairing of Pastorale from Sartori of WI, a sheep and cow milk cheese with the Breakside Kriek with Brett and the 10 Barrel Strawberry Crush. In this berry face-off, the 10 Barrel was the winner with its strong fresh strawberry puree flavor and it is so sad that this was a one-off keg made exclusively for this event. I hope they made more of it. A lot more. This was my favorite beer of the event.
Upper Lip Fruit Beer with Cheese Bar beer and cheese pairing, Breakside Kriek with Brett, pairing of Pastorale from Sartori of WI, a sheep and cow milk cheese Upper Lip Fruit Beer with Cheese Bar beer and cheese pairing, 10 Barrel Strawberry Crush with its strong fresh strawberry puree flavor and it is so sad that this was a one-off keg made exclusively for this event. I hope they made more of it. A lot more. This was my favorite beer of the event. Paired with Pastorale from Sartori of WI, a sheep and cow milk cheese

The next cheese pairing was Adnatou from Black Sheep, a WA sheep and cow cheese. This was paired with the Breakside Beaujolais Avec Brett and the 10 Barrel Apricot Crush. Both of these beers were amazing- the Beaujolais Avec Brett is a strong ale with a bit of sourness thanks to being fermented wild yeast  and bacteria and use of Oregon grown Gamay grapes. It was really enjoyed by some at my table, while I was hoping for a bit more sourness. Meanwhile, the 10 Barrel Apricot Crush was my second favorite beer of the event with its complexity of flavors.
Upper Lip Fruit Beer with Cheese Bar beer and cheese pairing, Breakside Beaujolais Avec Brett is a strong ale with a bit of sourness thanks to being fermented wild yeast  and bacteria and use of Oregon grown Gamay grapes. Paired with Adnatou from Black Sheep, a WA sheep and cow cheese Upper Lip Fruit Beer with Cheese Bar beer and cheese pairing, 10 Barrel Apricot Crush. Paired with Adnatou from Black Sheep, a WA sheep and cow cheese

The last pairing was the Smokey Blue cow cheese from Rogue Creamery OR. I admit I actually started with this cheese and its beers because I had really been curious about these two beers the most. The beers here were the Breakside Smoked Apple Ale and the 10 Barrel Cucumber Crush. The Smoked Apple Ale was a mix of smoked malt, freshly pressed apple juice, and apple pie spices but I guess I built it too much in my head as I was disappointed by how subtle the flavors were.
Upper Lip Fruit Beer with Cheese Bar beer and cheese pairing, Breakside Smoked Apple Ale was a mix of smoked malt, freshly pressed apple juice, and apple pie spices
On the other hand, the Cucumber Crush was all you would expect it to be in terms of being super light and refreshing, like cucumber water but so much better because it’s a BerlinerWeiss beer (all 3 10 Barrel fruit beers here, and all the beers of their Crush series, are Berliner Weiss style which then have various fruits added). I would drink this all summer long if I could get it.
Upper Lip Fruit Beer with Cheese Bar beer and cheese pairing, 10 Cucumber Crush was all you would expect it to be in terms of being super light and refreshing, like cucumber water but so much better because it's a BerlinerWeiss beer (all 3 10 Barrel fruit beers here, and all the beers of their Crush series, are Berliner Weiss style which then have various fruits added). Paired with Smokey Blue cow cheese from Rogue Creamery OR.

This was a fantastic event- I loved that it offered tastings of beer with cheese pairings, and it was incredible to be able to get access to 10 Barrel Crush series beers. The event was ticketed and sold out, which allowed us plenty of room up stairs to enjoy sitting at a table and chatting with other beer and cheese aficionados in a relaxing atmosphere without the usual loud “wooooos” or lines of a normal beer fest. No worrying about balancing a drink and cheese here!

There is a confirmed rumor first published by Brewpublic and then confirmed by Eater that 10 Barrel will be opening a pub here in Portland in the former Mellow Mushroom space by mid-summer, and I eagerly hope that the rumors turn out to be true!Of course depending on what they do with the space whether it’s mid-summer or end of this year or who knows when we’ll have to see.

I should also let you know that this coming Saturday the 26th that Bailey’s Taproom is holding their annual Germanfest– check out the beer list and see if you are interested! Usually I am torn between attending Germanfest and the Eat Mobile food cart festival, but this year they moved Eat Mobile to Sunday the 27th, so I will be at Germanfest this year. This 4th annual GermanFest will feature German style beers brewed by Oregon breweries as the name suggests (including 10 Barrel German Sparkle Party Berlinerweiss and Breakside Ice Smoked Eisbock) with general admission beginning at 2 PM and until close (you purchase beers as you order them, no admission fee).

There are a few advance entry VIP tickets for $20 (which is what I got). These tickets include five tastes but also allow entrance two hours earlier from 12-2 PM, providing a less frenzied experience as well as guaranteeing a seat somewhere in a far less crowded bar. I also like to bring a cheese plate with me to enjoy the beers, but as Baileys doesn’t serve food you can also feel free to order Santeria Mexican food from next door.

If you are interested in trying some fruit beer, also check out the taps at Breakside Brewing as some of these beers are available (check out the video below that highlights how they made the fruit beer in partnership with Oregon Fruit Products).

Finally, be sure to look forward to the Portland Fruit Beer Festival– tickets for this June 7 – 8 event are already on sale at $20 general admission Saturday 11am-9pm or Sunday 11am-6pm, or go for $30 VIP admission on Friday June 6 4-9pm and limited to 400 VIP guests + supposedly a few special tappings.

The festival will be held Burnside Brewing at 701 SE Burnside again. Burnside Brewing will be open, so you can still get a cheese plate to compliment your beers, or my personal favorite their cohiba cigar and/or beer cheese curds on their menu!

Aren’t you inspired to have some cheese and beer now? I am just writing this post! If you would like some tips on pairing beer and cheese, check out this great post “Cheese and Beer Pairing Tips From Steve Jones of Portland’s Cheese Bar” from Serious Eats with pointers from Steve while at this event himself (and also photos from this event!)

What kind of fruit beer would you want to try?

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Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe

January 2, 2014 by 4 Comments

I thought I would kick off the New 2014 year by sharing a recipe for one of my favorite things – cheese! In this case, fondue via a Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe, because melted gooey cheese is wonderful!

Also, if for some reason you have any leftover white wine or sparkling/champagne, you can totally use it in this recipe! I never pour wine out unless it tastes bad- I can just cook with it.
Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe

Fondue doesn’t just have to be for a romantic party of two (or one… I totally did this on New Year’s day, just fondue and sparkling wine and the Rose Parade on the DVR). A fondue party, whether or not you use this Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe, is a great party concept. It is a great way to make conversation as everyone was gathered around that table for hours, chatting as you dip each mouthful individually. As we moved around to get access to various fondue pots on the large table, this helped us switch conversation partners.

In this case, there were 5 people responsible for fondue pots, everyone else was asked to bring cut up things to dip (ranging from crusty bread or shrimp or jars of dipping sauces for the broth cooked meat like green goddess sauce or horseradish!) or a bottle of wine to share so it was potluck style. The variety of wine meant everyone got to try different kinds of wines from different vineyards.

It’s just a more naturally active get together than a dinner party. It’s a fun, interactive way to dine together that I always look forward to every December.

fondue party photo- cheese, chocolate and broth fondue fondue party photo- cheese, chocolate and broth fondue

For my contribution, this Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe was bookmarked by me from the blog Geez Louise, who suggested this was a wonderful fondue to pair with Korean Pears. I am a big fan of blue cheese, but I know not everyone is. So when I decided to make a new kind of fondue for the annual fondue/wine party (previous fondue combinations included Irish beer and cheddar, and a smoked gouda), I wanted one that had a hint of blue but not overwhelmingly so.

That’s where the brie comes in, adding buttery creaminess and a nuttiness that relaxes the funk and saltiness of the blue. It’s more brie than blue.

If you think you don’t like blue cheese, I promise you, you will barely detect it here except that there is a bit more complexity to the flavors than just plain melted brie fondue, give it a try! Not all blue cheese is strong- there are milder kinds. I used to think I didn’t like blue cheese either. I have also tricked F into eating blue cheese by cutting out the blue portions so he can enjoy a smoked blue cheese without seeing the “moldy gross” part (just remember it’s not like regular mold- it’s a cousin to Penicillin antibiotic, totally edible! Well, unless you are allergic to Penicillin)- you can also get blue cheese that has less blue.

The softer and creamer, the more mild, versus the more crumbly potent kind. In this case, I used Stella Cheese for the blue cheese, and Alouette Baby Brie. See look, barely any blue!
crumbled Treasure Cave Reduced Fat Blue cheese

I doubled this recipe because I served 15 people, which it did handily (there was also a broth fondue, another cheese, and 2 chocolate fondues present). The original portions below should be good for 6-10, depending on what else is on the table.
Brie and blue cheese fondue recipe ingredients- cheese, wine, tarragon to add to shallots

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons organic unbleached flour
  • 12 ounces chilled Brie cheese, rind removed. This is basically one of the 13.2 oz or whatever wheels you can get at the store- after you remove the rind it will reduce the weight. To remove the rind, cut the brie while it is still pretty cold, and wet your knife so the cheese doesn’t stick. Cut as close as you can so you don’t lose a lot of the precious creamy brie- if your knife is sharp enough, you may be able to do just a few scrapes on each side after cutting the brie in fourths. The rind is actually edible so if there is a tiny bit left it’s fine. Then cut up the brie into little cubes about 1/2 thick or so.
  • 5 ounces chilled crumbled blue cheese (essentially a whole package of the blue cheese in the tub- it may be 4 or 5 ounces, mine was 5 ounces)– divided in half
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
  • fresh cracked black pepper
  • Serve with bread, precooked fingerling potatoes, veggies like broccoli or cauliflower (I like steaming or roasting it in the oven just a bit to bring out the color but raw is fine too), cut fruit like apples, pears (especially Korean pears), sliced cooked sausages, anything you are willing to dip in cheese cut into slices or wedges
    Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe - serve with hunks of bread Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe - serve with broccoli
Directions:
  1. Heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add in the olive oil and once hot, add in the shallots. Stir to combine and sweat the shallots until soft and translucent – about 2 minutes.
    shallots in olive oil
  2. Add the white wine to the shallots and stir to combine. You can use any white wine you want- I used a sweet and fruity Risata Moscato d’Asti, and thank drank the rest of the bottle before the first handful of guests filled my house! I made up for it later by opening a bottle of Iron Horse sparkling wine for the group, don’t worry.
  3. In a mixing bowl bowl toss the cut up brie and half the blue cheese with the flour. Reduce the heat to low and add the flour cheese mixture and chopped thyme into the simmering shallot and wine in batches. Whisk to combine until smooth – about 5-6 minutes.
    Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe - melting in the cheeses into the shallot wine mixture Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe - melting in the cheeses into the shallot wine mixture
  4. Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining blue cheese and black pepper to taste.
    Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe - melting in the cheeses into the shallot wine mixture
  5. Serve warm with your chosen cheese dipping items

You can see a hint of the finished dish in the red fondue pot above. I prepped this an hour beforehand, including already sweating the shallots and adding the wine, and then took it off the heat before adding the cheese (though it was already mixed with flour in the mixing bowl) so that I could quickly heat and melt this together when the party started.

Preparing it on the stove is better than on the fondue pot as you can control the heat more, and once it was ready I poured it into my nonstick (so important!) electric fondue pot just to keep it warm for the next few hours- a slow cooker could work just as handily. And of course, you could just eat by dipping into the pot too, no specialized kitchen equipment necessary!

In the close up shots, it was a test version of the recipe and I happened to have had some tarragon left from another recipe- so you will see a bit of those in the photos, even though the recipe only calls for thyme.

Meanwhile, rather than go out and buy lots of small plates in order to make it easy for cleanup later after the wine and fondue party, I used these beautiful Ver Terra ware appetizer plates, specifically their 4″x4″ square plates. They look sophisticated with their wooden plate look, rather than using paper or plastic. Besides being convenient so I only had to worry about hand washing all the glasses and servingware and fondue pot, I also was able to rest easy about the environmental impact.

First, these plates are made out of only 2 things: gathered fallen palm leaves (so already putting what would be waste into a second use!) and water.

Second, they are chemical free, non-toxic, biodegradable and compostable (they biodegrade in about 2 months after disposal).

Third, the plates are durable if someone decided to pile on several snacks, but are light to carry and don’t transfer heat or bend, which is a plus when you are pulling out hot fondue items or in one hand holding this plate and a stem of a wine glass!

I saw them being utilized during the Feast Portland festival this year, and also at a wedding I attended in September in New York. I was lucky enough to win a sample of VerTerra dinnerware which I used for this event, but I was not asked to write this blog post or advertise for them- I just endorse their product and am always happy to see their dinnerware being used.
Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe, served on Ver Terra Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe, served on Ver Terra Brie and Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe, served on Ver Terra

What are your thoughts on blue cheese? Love it or leave it?

Happy 2014 to everyone!

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Whole Foods Top 10 Holiday Wines + Free Wine Tasting Placemat Printable

December 18, 2013 by 4 Comments

Disclosure: This wine and cheese tasting event was complimentary, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Last week I attended a Whole Foods Twitter tasting event (#wfmwine). I and a few other bloggers and media had the opportunity to taste four of the Top Ten selection of the Whole Foods 2013 top holiday wines, paired with cheese. Being as delicious as the Holiday Wines were, even better is what an incredible value they are – every wine on the list is under $25 –  so I wanted to share in case you are looking for some Holiday Wine picks to host or bring to a holiday get together.
Whole Foods Holiday 2013 Top 10 Wines

Not only that, but if you happen to be putting together a cheese plate, well these four are already wonderfully matched and ready for you to pick up at your local Whole Foods! This is great because even though I attended the event here in Portland, when I return to Chicago for the holidays I know I will be able to acquire all of these wines instead of worrying about finding equivalents when I travel there (or lugging it with me in checked baggage)- this Twitter tasting event was nationwide.
Whole Foods Twitter tasting event (#wfmwine) where I and a few other bloggers and media had the opportunity to taste a four of the Top Ten selection of the Whole Foods 2013 top holiday wines, paired with cheese Whole Foods Twitter tasting event (#wfmwine) where I and a few other bloggers and media had the opportunity to taste a four of the Top Ten selection of the Whole Foods 2013 top holiday wines, paired with cheese

One of the advantages of going to Whole Foods for your holiday wine selection is that besides being able to get other gourmet treats for your party (also just grabbing something from the deli to put in servingware for  party is acceptable too!) is what a great wine and cheese selection they have so it’s one stop shopping. They have lots of unique wine and cheeses that they offer. Many times I have visited where a helpful cheesemonger is present to help recommend cheese pairings to go with wines, and vice versa.

At the Twitter tasting event, the group was able to taste the cheese pairings with four of the Top Ten wines. Also very cool was the fact that some of the group members are vegan, and Whole Foods was able to easily accommodate them- and if you also need to account for gluten free they can also help you out. As beautiful as this cheese plate for us normal eaters were, when I looked at the vegan cheese platter, it looked equally as beautiful.
Whole Foods Pearl District in Portland offers wine friend Erin here to help us learn about the wine and cheese pairings Cheese Plate by Whole Foods to pair with four of the Top 10 Holiday Wines... they can also help you put together a vegan an/or gluten free cheese plate as well

The Whole Foods Blog listing of the Holiday 2013 Top 10 Wines not only includes tasting notes and pairing recommendations, but also each wine has a link to a recommended recipe. As a teaser, I’ve only shared the 4 I experienced at the Twitter tasting below… but there are 8 more! 8? Well, that’s because apparently they couldn’t only recommend 10, so the Top 10 Wines list actually includes 12 wines. There are also specific details on each cheese they recommend as well.

Whole Foods Top 10 Holiday Wines

WF WINE NOTES PECH’S EXPERIENCE TASTING PEEK
Roger d’Anoia Cava

Roger d’Anoia Cava

Whole Foods Tasting Note: Lively effervescence, bright notes of green apple and pear. Ripe and round, a touch of sweetness in the well-balanced finish. This Spanish sparkler pairs well with everything! Recommended pairings include Uniekaas Parrano cheese, cocktail shrimp, eggs Benedict, sweet savory Chinese food Recipe: Shrimp Cocktail with Creamy-Spicy Green Onion Dipping Sauce

 This Brut provides some toasty flavors to help balance out the creamy richness of the cheese we paired with it, a Mt. Townsend Creamery Cirrus which is a Camembert style cheese from Mt. Townsend, WA. The Roger d’Anoia Cava got second (and third) pours at the tasting because we all loved it, and is a very affordable pick for a New Year’s Eve at less than $10 so you can keep the bubbling flowing all night long, and save a bottle or two for mimosas and brunch while watching the Rose Parade the next morning. Effervescent, easy pleasing Roger d'Anoia Cava Brut paired with a creamy Mt Townsend Cirrus, a camembert style cheese, this pairing was a big pleaser at the Whole Foods #wfmwine event

Skouras Anássa

Whole Foods Tasting Note: Moscofilero, the main grape used in this wine, is unique to Greece, thriving on the mountainous coastlines of the Peloponnese peninsula. Opulent aromas of ripe apricot and orange peel in this crisp, Greek White. Brisk fruit with a fresh clean finish. Recommended pairings include Red Leaf aged Cheddar, roasted chicken or salmon, roasted acorn squash, Greek salad Recipe: Roasted Salmon Stuffed with Spinach, Feta and Ricotta

 In Portland we paired this with a Uniekaas 18 month Reserve Gouda, which made for an interesting experience as these are “fighting friends”. That is, this is a wine and cheese pairing that relies on contrast, rather than being complimentary. The Skouras is very clean, bright, and refreshing, while the Reserve Gouda has a crystalline crunch that is a bit salty, nutty, and leans towards dry but thanks to the Skouras this dryness is filled in The Greek White Skouras Anassa is very crisp and refreshing and clean, a fighting friend for the crystally bite of the Uniekaas 18 mo Reserve Gouda. In this case, the contrast is used instead of complimentary to pair these two at the Whole Foods #wfmwine event

Santa Julia Innovación Bonarda-Cabernet

This wonderful Argentine Red is a fantastic party wine and comes in a 1-liter bottle–a great value at more than 6 glasses per bottle. Deeply complex and full-bodied. Forward notes of plum and cigar box, and then jammy flavors of dark ripe berries. Smoky savory notes show in the luscious finish. Recommended Pairings include Borough Market Cheddar, BBQ ribs, lamb chops, sausage-stuffed mushrooms, classic Swiss fondue Recipe: Apple, Sausage and Sage Sourdough Stuffing

 This Santa Julia Innovacion Bonarda-Cabernet is a 2013 vintage but already is ready to drink, and a huge deal at its $9.99 price for the 1 liter bottle. If you are hosting a party where you want the wine to flow freely, this is a great value, and the profile is flexible enough to please any palate. Although this wine is young, it stood up admirably to the strong flavors of the Beecher’s Handmade Cheese Flagship cheddar paired with it at this event. This Santa Julia Innovacion Bonarda-Cabernet is a 2013 vintage but already is ready to drink, and a huge deal at its $9.99 price for the 1 liter bottle. If you are hosting a party where you want the wine to flow freely, this is a great value, and the profile is flexible enough to please any palate

Mat Kearney Verse & Chorus Napa Valley Red Wine

Nashville-based musician Mat Kearney teamed up with the winemakers at Peju Winery of Napa Valley to create this wonderfully complex Red. Intense notes of black currant, plum and cocoa lead to rich juicy dark berry flavors. Toasty hazelnut and roasted coffee in the very long finish. Recommended Pairings include Emmi Le Gruyère cheese, beef tenderloin medallions, prime rib, lamb stew, marinated and grilled portobellos Recipe: Slow Cooker Lentil Stew with Polenta

 The Mat Kearney Verse & Chorus was my favorite of the four wines I tried because of it’s roasty coffee flavors with hints of chocolate that made me think this was a wine version of a beer stout! This wine was the only one of the four that was more than $15, but at $25 this wine tastes like something 2 or 3x as much. It does have a unique and bold flavor profile, so needs a pretty bold pairing so that its flavors don’t overwhelm, or enjoy its complex layering of flavors on its own. At the PDX event this was matched with L’Or des Domes Fourme d’Ambert. The Mat Kearney Verse & Chorus was my favorite of the four wines I tried because of it's roasty coffee flavors that made me think this was a wine version of a beer stout at this Whole Foods #wfmwine event!

Free Wine Tasting Placemat Printable

Did you think the placemat you saw up there for this event was adorable? So did I. In case you want to host a wine tasting party, or a wine/cheese pairing party, how useful would it be to have a placemat like that for each person that identifies the wine and cheese that you can take notes on? I could also imagine that if you wanted to compare a flight having a little place for each wine glass to go helps you remember which is which. So I’ve made a free wine tasting placemat printable for you!

Free Printable- Wine Tasting Placemat to track your wines when having a wine flight

It’s a Wine Tasting Placemat in powerpoint which I’ve placed here in Google Drive, so you can go in after you save it and edit whether you want to actually write the name of the wine and tasting notes, or perhaps you want to do a blind tasting and/or just bare-bones like a style and region write numbers and leave a place for notes. Update the graphics as desired to match your theme and other printables. The top reminds you of various things to look for in tasting wine, such as looking for the color and body (thin? sticky?), to swirl and smell, and in terms of taste to break it down into the initial flavors, the mouthfeel, the length, and the finish. Meanwhile, there are some example adjectives to help you think of what you might be experiencing in your taste- obviously not an all encompassing list but might inspire more descriptors.

Thanks Whole Foods for the learning experience with the wine and cheese tasting – I’m ready for more schooling anytime! If you’re in Portland, check out the Whole Foods PDX Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay updated on events and sales at the various local stores- and if you’re not from Portland look up what your local Whole Foods media is.

Disclosure: This wine and cheese tasting event was complimentary, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

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Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese – Portland Release Party

November 22, 2013 by 12 Comments

I was super thrilled when Tiffany from Thyme of Taste shared that there was a special event for Melt: The Art of Macaroni & Cheese occurring at Steve Jones’ Cheese Bar. First of all, I love cheese, and I will take any excuse/rationalization necessary to go to cheese.

Book cover for Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese cookbook

I also love Steve Jones, as I have enjoyed all the cheese education he has been imparting on me since the best cheese extravaganza I have ever experienced, his Cheese Bar Spectacular with Ten 01 back in 2010 with its 101 cheeses. That was a one time event, my first time meeting Steve, and was an important jumpstart of my cheese knowledge as it really upped my familiarity with local cheeses. Thankfully, there are still Steve’s annual pairing of beers and cheese (recaps of Portland Beer & Cheese Fest 2012 and Portland Beer & Cheese Fest 2013 as examples, and has done events with Lardo and Raven & Rose, among others). He also helps curate cheese plates for so many of the amazing restaurants in Portland.

Steve Jones of Cheese Bar offering cheeses and charcuterie at Bailey's Taproom- 2007-2012 5th Anniversary Gloriousness

Cheese plates are a great way to try lots of cheeses affordably, rather than buying them by weight $7-10 at a time – instead, you have the opportunity to taste several cheeses for the same price. You can never go wrong with a cheese plate curated with Steve’s Cheese- such as this one below of 11/17/2013, a Cheese Board of Remeker Pure Borenkaas (Raw Cow – Holland), Gran Cacio Etrusco (Sheep – Italy), and the Crottin (Goat – France). This was my first crottin! I’m a big fan of Borenkaas as they go wonderfully with beer with its nuttiness- this is true of most Dutch cheeses I think. The sheep cheese went best with the chutney you see on the board, and the Crottin’s grassiness was balanced out by the glass of red wine I was having.

11/17/2013 Steve's Cheese Bar Cheese Board: Remeker Pure Borenkaas (Raw Cow - Holland), Gran Cacio Etrusco (Sheep - Italy), and the Crottin (Goat - France) 11/17/2013 Steve's Cheese Bar Cheese Board: Remeker Pure Borenkaas (Raw Cow - Holland), Gran Cacio Etrusco (Sheep - Italy), and the Crottin (Goat - France) 11/17/2013 Steve's Cheese Bar Cheese Board: Focusing in on the Gran Cacio Etrusco (Sheep - Italy), and the Crottin (Goat - France)

If you want to appreciate cheese more, the key thing I would suggest you do is keep notes of what cheeses you had- particularly ones that you really love, or really hate. This will help you understand your tastes. An easy way to do this is to just have one document on your phone/cloud that you can use to make your notations. I often take photos of the cheese and the label if I’m dining out so that I don’t have to spend a lot of time typing into my phone instead of socializing. BTW this same trick works with wine!

The Cheese Bar is Steve’s place, a great cheese shop where you can procure marvelous exquisite cheeses from around the world, plus get access to the genius award winning knowledge of cheesemonger Steve or whoever is behind the counter to help select cheeses (and often sample as well to help make decisions!). But you don’t have to just subsist on the samples of cheese alone. Cheese Bar is also a beer/wine bar and cafe, offering multiple types of cheese plates (a cheese plate of the day, soft ripened cheese plate, blue cheese plate, etc) as well as other small plates of food varying from pimento spread to grilled cheese or fondue in order for you to try lots of kinds of cheeses.

Even more enthralling for this last visit for me however was the fact that Stephanie Stiavetti of the Culinary Life blog was hosting the Portland launch party for the book Melt: The Art of Macaroni & Cheese (co authored with Garrett McCord of food blog, Vanilla Garlic) at Cheese Bar. At the book launch party, she was offering two examples of the mac dishes from the cookbook! Amazon link: http://bit.ly/meltmacaroni. And this was a free public event!

PS. Stephanie has cut her hair and is even more adorable than the photo below. Check out her Facebook or Google+ for more updates and photos from the tour.
Stephanie Stiavetti of the Culinary Life blog, one of the authors of Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese Garrett McCord of food blog, Vanilla Garlic, one of the authors of Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese

I was so there!

The first sample was a cold pasta salad of Drunken Goat with Edamame, Fennel, and Rotini. I was surprised how fresh and salady with herbaciousness this take on mac and cheese was, with only the cubes of Drunken Goat cheese and a light lemony oil dressing.
Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese recipe, a cold pasta salad of Drunken Goat with Edamame, Fennel, and Rotini

The second sample she offered was the Lincolnshire Poacher with Cotija, Chorizo and Penne. Of course she used real chorizo meat, but based on the flavor profile I think Soyrizo would work just as well- they key is the grassy contribution of the Lincolnshire Poacher cheese with the salty crumble of the Cotija.
Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese recipe, Lincolnshire Poacher with Cotija, Chorizo and Penne

Although that sounds so specific to pick out Lincolnshire Poacher or the Drunken Goat as the cheese to utilize, the book does suggest several other alternate cheeses that can be substituted in, and she’s great at pointing out the specific flavors of the cheese she was looking for, so you can also chat with your local cheesemonger.

The key differentiator here for me is that Stephanie and Garrett really focused on highlighting the unique exquisite flavors of high quality artisan cheeses, and they prepare them in a large variety of kinds of dishes to really expand the what you can do with these cheeses besides enjoying them on a cheese plate. Though, nothing wrong with a cheese plate of course, brimming with multiple cheeses.  🙂

The recipes really run the gamut, from salad to stovetop baked and casserole to dessert, and also bring in influences of flavor profiles internationally, such as Greek, Mexican, Indian, and even Asian! That’s what really drew me to the book- even though the book title starts out with “Melt”, it’ s not always about throwing in cheese and cream over pasta into the oven. The recipes are a lot more diverse than that so that you could possibly be making more than one of these dishes in a week without feeling like it’s a repeat, since the recipes can be so unique in taste.

Some examples that I am so so excited to make:

  • Pumpkin stuffed with sausage and fontina recipe,
  • Raclette with Farfalle, Cornichons, and Sauteed Onions
  • Turkey and Robusto Mac and Cheeselet (perfect after Thanksgiving as a way to use up some leftover turkey!!)
  • Chicken Breast Stuffed with Leonora Goat Cheese, Star Pasta, and Gingersnap

Pumpkin stuffed with sausage and fontina recipe from Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese Raclette with Farfalle, Cornichons, and Sauteed Onions recipe from Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese
Turkey and Robusto Mac and Cheeselet (perfect after Thanksgiving as a way to use up some leftover turkey!!) recipe from Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese Chicken Breast Stuffed with Leonora Goat Cheese, Star Pasta, and Gingersnap from Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese
Photo Credit: Matt Armendariz, courtesy of Little, Brown and Company

Each recipe also suggest wine pairings, as well as other snacky pairings with the cheese (such as certain fruit) in case you are assembling a cheese plate or perhaps brainstorming another recipe. The book, which has about 75 recipes, is chock full of gorgeous, enticing photos that make you want to cook everything in the book. After only flipping through a few chapters I was already ready to throw out the Pumpkin Mac and Cheese recipe I had earmarked for Thanksgiving this year in order to try some of the recipes above.

Thankfully, wiser minds prevailed, and instead my friend and I discussed how we could just ADD another recipe for another day during our Thanksgiving vacation instead.

Also, maybe I bought 4 cheeses from Cheese Bar for the cheese plate on Thanksgiving Day. Until Thanksgiving early dinner is ready, a bottle of wine and a cheese tray and vegetable tray are the snacks to keep us fueled during our Thanksgiving meal is ready. I said I was going to buy 3, but I bought 4. This seems to always happen. I mean, it only added up to 1.25 pounds of cheese. For four people. And that’s only half the cheese plate.

I’ll report back on what I make from the Melt: the Art of Macaroni & Cheese cookbook, but meanwhile, here is a bit more on the book, including their cookbook trailer! I am SO RECOMMENDING THIS BOOK. And this is not a sponsored post- I just really love it!

Melt: the Art of Macaroni and Cheese – The Official Trailer from Stephanie/SJS on Vimeo.

MELT: THE ART OF MACARONI AND CHEESE is a cookbook that reinvents the American classic, macaroni and cheese, with gourmet ingredients, handcrafted artisan cheeses, and unique flavor combinations. It is the first book to marry the American standard, macaroni and cheese, with handcrafted artisan cheeses and a wide array of pastas, producing dishes that are both classic and chic.

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Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe in Béchamel sauce

October 29, 2013 by 11 Comments

This recipe is my take on the butternut squash lasagna recipe by Giada de Laurentiis. The fact she includes amaretti cookies has always been very curious to me, so this has been bookmarked for a while. Now that the Indian Summer is over and it is cool and the leaves browning from their previous glorious colors of red, orange, and yellow and falling, this comfort dish moved up to the top of my list. It seemed appropriately perfect for a Sunday night dinner at my house as we were making plans for Thanksgiving. This dish yields about 8 servings.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, this will be the first of a series of posts of recipes I am going to cover on dishes to consider for Thanksgiving! They will all be vegetarian, so you might consider it for a side dish or if you have a vegetarian at your table like I do, be a way to provide something more hearty than the usual sides of rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Check out my Recipes Index page for other dishes that I have covered in the past.

Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce

The original recipe calls for basil, but I love the taste of sage for fall, not to mention when I buy a bunch of fresh sage, I love just crisping them up in a brown butter sauce for a simple weekday dinner. So I switched out the basil for sage.

Also, the original recipe also instructs you to take a 2 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch cubes which are then tossed in oil on a skillet then boiled/steamed until the squash is tender. The whole end result is to make a squash purée though, and I just didn’t want so spend all that to clean and cut. So I just cut it in half and roasted it in the oven until it was soft and I could scoop it into the food processor. If you wanted more of a shortcut you could probably start out with frozen squash.

Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce

In retrospect, although the recipe calls for no boil lasagna noodles, at least with the way mine turned out they were not the texture I was looking for- they were still firm and very doughy. If I make this again in the future I would take the time to use regular lasagna noodles and boil them before the layering step.

To lower the fat, you could do a mix of skim or fat free milk instead of whole milk, but I think having some portion of creaminess is nice for the sauce, not sure you would get that with a 100% substitution. Giada calls for whole-milk mozzarella cheese, but I used Tillamook Part Skim shredded mozzarella, and you could do a variation of using skim ricotta, or Gruyere or whatever cheese you’d like. For gluten or paleo diets I’ve heard of using zucchini instead of the lasagna noodles, and you could even use scrambled eggs instead of the cheese, and she suggests spinach lasagna sheets!

The amaretti cookies add a hint of nuttiness and crunch to the butternut squash- amaretti cookies are almond paste cookies, so you could switch it out for just using nuts instead if you can’t find the cookies. Honestly, I think I would add more cookies!

Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce

Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 (~2-pound) butternut squash
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 amaretti cookies, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup lightly packed fresh sage leaves
  • 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
  • 2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
  1. First, making the squash purée. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Trim the stem part at the top and button, then cut the squash in half lengthwise. If you have a hard time cutting it, peel some of the skin. Scoop out the strings and seeds until the skin is clean and smooth. You can roast the seeds if you want, but you don’t need them for this lasagna. Rub each half of the squash flesh with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil,. On a pan lined with foil, place each half flesh side down for about 45 min or so, until the flesh is soft, so that you will be able to scoop them into the processor. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor, since of course you don’t want to process hot food in there! Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper. Set aside.
    Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce
  2. While the squash is roasting, this can be béchamel sauce making time. Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly for at least 5 minutes.  As usual when blending hot liquids, when you transfer the liquid to the blender or food processor make sure you fill it no more than halfway (the food processor may have a marked liquid line). If you are using a blender, release one corner of the lid to prevent the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions! I didn’t have this problem because around this time I was processing the squash with the cookies, which gave time for the sauce to cool down some before getting to this part. Anyway, put half the roux in your blender, add the sage and blend until smooth. Return the now half a batch of sage sauce to the rest of the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Position the rack in the center of the oven and set the oven to 375 degrees F.
  4. Lightly grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread about a cup of the sauce over the dish, and arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom. Spread about 1/3 cup of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.
    Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce
  5. Top with the rest of the sauce, and then tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

This dish looks gorgeous with the colors- and I cursed that all I have is my point and shoot camera and the dark late October lighting because I don’t think these pics do it justice. I think it’s time to commit to making a light box/light tent with cardboard  and some white plates at least!

Every week until Thanksgiving I plan to post a recipe for a vegetarian dish that can served, so stay tuned! Have you ever had butternut squash lasagana? Did you have it with white sauce or marinara? And what do you think of the addition of amaretti cookies?
Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce Giada's vegetarian Thanksgiving side recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce

Summary of the Vegetarian Thanksgiving Sides Series 2013:

Thanks for reading!

 

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