Category: Food: Cheese

Loving that Landaff Cheese: Welsh Style Flavor from New Hampshire

You know how we love to discover a local cheese that is in wonderful condition at a local store.

We've recently enjoyed a piece of Landaff Cheese produced at Landaff Creamery in Landaff, New Hampshire and aged at The Cellars at Jasper Hill in Greensboro, Vermont.

The Cheesemaker says:

"Made from our own high quality raw cow's milk, Landaff Cheese is a mild, semi-firm cheese with a delicious combination of flavors, tangy with a clean finish. The open and buttery texture comes with a natural, cave-aged rind. It melts beautifully for cooking, and makes a wonderful addition to any cheese plate."

The experts at Murray's Cheese say:

"Taking a cue from the Welsh history of New Hampshire, cheesemaker Doug Erb has based his Landaff on Caerphilly. The Erbs' herd of registered Holsteins is renowned for milk quality, another reason to leave the milk unpasteurized; that, and Doug spent two years training before bringing this cheese to market."

We say:

"We'll add Landaff to our cheese order often when we find it at our local shops. Many times, we prefer sheep and goat cheeses to cows milk, but this is one that has won our hearts."

And, here are other posts from our Cheese Collection!

What's on your Cheese shopping list? Here are some great books about cheese. These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino, top photo courtesy of the Cellars at Jasper Hill Farm.

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January 8, 2015
Do You Have a Signature Dish that You Bring to Food Gatherings?

Do you have a signature dish? Is there something that you are often asked to bring to a potluck or holiday meal? Or, are you trying to think about what you might take to an upcoming event?

I've been considering my tabouli with chickpeas. It is best made ahead. It will be a complete protein for vegetarians, a boon to those trying to eat fewer calories, and it's delicious.

Food Gathering Season

We are about to step into the season of food gatherings. Thanksgiving dinners, potluck suppers, cookie swaps, open houses, Hanukkah celebrations, Feasts of the Seven Fishes, Christmas meals, and New Years rites all have food traditions that we follow.

Today, many of these events are cooperative efforts. While a few hosting families may insist on doing the whole thing, more often than not, an offer to bring something will be met with a sigh of relief.

Our friend Bob Oppenheim is assigned the vegetable side dishes for his family’s holiday table. He jokes that this is because the vegetables are the most work. But, it may also be that dishes like his roasted root vegetables have become a favorite among the folks at these events with even fussy eaters finding something they love in the mix.

Here's our post: Roasted Root Vegetables: Treasure for the Busy Cook

What's Your Talent?

If you’ve mastered artisan bread baking, you could bring the bread and rolls for the meal. If you’ve preserved the foods from your garden, you might offer a relish tray of pickles and chutneys.

In my family, Uncle Freddie brought the pies. He was a great baker and his raisin pie was legendary. Not every cook is a good baker, so pies and cakes are often delegated to those with a talent for sweets.

Contributions for Non-Cooks

Dessert offerings are also a great choice for someone who doesn’t cook. Those who don’t cook at all often know the best places to shop for very good prepared foods. A pie, cake, or tray of cookies is relatively easy to transport, even on the MBTA, and is one less task for the hostess.

Another option for the non-cook to offer is a cheese platter or a large wedge of a special cheese. One reason I often suggest a large wedge instead of an assortment is that it can make for a great presentation, even after a few people have feasted on it. And, it's easier to pack up and put away in good condition after the meal. I would suggest something like Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Moliterno al Tartufo, or a wheel of a semi-soft cheese.

Let us know what you're asked to bring or love to bring to food gatherings.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2009-2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino with the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar Cheese photo courtesy of Cabot Creamery.

November 18, 2014
Robiola di Capra Incavolata: Goat Cheese Wrapped in Cabbage

What is aging to perfection inside this intriguing cabbage wrapper? A wonderful goat cheese called Robiola di Capra Incavolata from the Italian Piedmont region.

On a recent visit to South End Formaggio, I asked the cheesemonger what was really special in the case that day and he was quick to point out a fully ripened half wheel of this beauty. Formaggio says this cheese is really special when it's ripe. In their cheese notes they say:

"As it ages, the cheese starts to mellow and through contact with the leaves, it develops an vegetal strength in its aroma and flavor. At its ripest, it oozes out through the leaves. If you're lucky enough to get one at this stage, serve it up on a sloped plate to catch all the gooey goodness."

The cabbage was no longer green and the cheese inside was runny and full flavored. We spread it on the our favorite Sardinian Parchment Crackers and savored each bite.

The label from Formaggio said it was a mixture of goat and cow, but most of what we've found about this cheese says it is goat. No matter, it is delicious and it has introduced us to a full range of Robiola cheese variations that we will now explore.

Here is a great article about this cheese from Janet Fletcher at SFGate. We are big fans of her cheese coverage. Cabbage leaf a nice cheese-wrapping resource.

And, here are other posts from our Cheese Collection!

What's on your Cheese shopping list? Here are some great books about cheese. These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2008-2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Top photo photo courtesy of Formaggio Kitchen.

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July 29, 2014
Robiola di Capra Incavolata: Goat Cheese Wrapped in Cabbage

What is aging to perfection inside this intriguing cabbage wrapper? A wonderful goat cheese called Robiola di Capra Incavolata from the Italian Piedmont region.

On a recent visit to South End Formaggio, I asked the cheesemonger what was really special in the case that day and he was quick to point out a fully ripened half wheel of this beauty. Formaggio says this cheese is really special when it's ripe. In their cheese notes they say:

"As it ages, the cheese starts to mellow and through contact with the leaves, it develops an vegetal strength in its aroma and flavor. At its ripest, it oozes out through the leaves. If you're lucky enough to get one at this stage, serve it up on a sloped plate to catch all the gooey goodness."

The cabbage was no longer green and the cheese inside was runny and full flavored. We spread it on the our favorite Sardinian Parchment Crackers and savored each bite.

The label from Formaggio said it was a mixture of goat and cow, but most of what we've found about this cheese says it is goat. No matter, it is delicious and it has introduced us to a full range of Robiola cheese variations that we will now explore.

Here is a great article about this cheese from Janet Fletcher at SFGate. We are big fans of her cheese coverage. Cabbage leaf a nice cheese-wrapping resource.

And, here are other posts from our Cheese Collection!

What's on your Cheese shopping list? Here are some great books about cheese. These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2008-2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Top photo photo courtesy of Formaggio Kitchen.

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July 29, 2014
Cheese Question: Do You Eat the Rind?

One question always comes up when discussing cheese. “Do you eat the rind?”

If it is a natural rind that developed as part of the aging process (like the one on the Rogue River Caveman Blue above), you can eat it. If it is an artificial coating like wax, you shouldn’t eat it. If it's a wrapping like the the grape leaves that Rogue River uses to wrap its award winning rogue River Blue, you can unwrap it, but I would recommend enjoying the flavor the wrapper has added to the cheese it abutted.

Cheeses may also be rubbed with something delicious and that may tempt you to taste the rind. The Vella Dry Jack above is rubbed with a mixture of oil, pepper, and unsweetened cocoa during the aging process.

One of the best suggestions I’ve heard over the years was in the The Murray's Cheese Handbook. “If you're not sure eat your cheese from the inside out. The flavors will be stronger the closer you get to the rind, and if you don't like the paste just beneath the rind, you probably won't like the rind itself.”

This is a great suggestion for the Twig Farm Mixed Drum above. In the photo you can see how the cheese texture and look changes from inside out. Ed would cut off all the rind. That's how he enjoys it. I will taste it before I decide. Sometimes it's too funky but other times it's like getting a second cheese flavor as a bonus for tasting the rind with some of your bites.

I may wash the rind on a stinky washed rind cheese (like the Brebirousse d'Argental Petit: Soft Ripe Sheep's Milk Cheese above) before I try to eat it.

For me, it depends on the type of rind and the condition of the cheese. I’ll normally eat the rind on Brie, Camembert, and a soft bloomy goat cheese like the Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor in the photo above. But, I only buy these cheeses when they are perfectly ripe and I use them right away.

Most of the time, I don’t eat the hard, crusty rinds on long-aged cheeses like Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. Tasting the rind and eating the cheese all the way to the rind can be one more way to explore cheese.

And, here are other posts from our Cheese Collection!

What's on your Cheese shopping list? Here are some great books about cheese. These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2008-2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar photo courtesy of Cabot Cheese.

July 22, 2014
Cheese Question: Do You Eat the Rind?

One question always comes up when discussing cheese. “Do you eat the rind?”

If it is a natural rind that developed as part of the aging process (like the one on the Rogue River Caveman Blue above), you can eat it. If it is an artificial coating like wax, you shouldn’t eat it. If it's a wrapping like the the grape leaves that Rogue River uses to wrap its award winning rogue River Blue, you can unwrap it, but I would recommend enjoying the flavor the wrapper has added to the cheese it abutted.

Cheeses may also be rubbed with something delicious and that may tempt you to taste the rind. The Vella Dry Jack above is rubbed with a mixture of oil, pepper, and unsweetened cocoa during the aging process.

One of the best suggestions I’ve heard over the years was in the The Murray's Cheese Handbook. “If you're not sure eat your cheese from the inside out. The flavors will be stronger the closer you get to the rind, and if you don't like the paste just beneath the rind, you probably won't like the rind itself.”

This is a great suggestion for the Twig Farm Mixed Drum above. In the photo you can see how the cheese texture and look changes from inside out. Ed would cut off all the rind. That's how he enjoys it. I will taste it before I decide. Sometimes it's too funky but other times it's like getting a second cheese flavor as a bonus for tasting the rind with some of your bites.

I may wash the rind on a stinky washed rind cheese (like the Brebirousse d'Argental Petit: Soft Ripe Sheep's Milk Cheese above) before I try to eat it.

For me, it depends on the type of rind and the condition of the cheese. I’ll normally eat the rind on Brie, Camembert, and a soft bloomy goat cheese like the Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor in the photo above. But, I only buy these cheeses when they are perfectly ripe and I use them right away.

Most of the time, I don’t eat the hard, crusty rinds on long-aged cheeses like Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. Tasting the rind and eating the cheese all the way to the rind can be one more way to explore cheese.

And, here are other posts from our Cheese Collection!

What's on your Cheese shopping list? Here are some great books about cheese. These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2008-2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar photo courtesy of Cabot Cheese.

July 22, 2014
Twig Farm Mixed Drum Cheese from South End Formaggio

We are big fans of Twig Farm Cheeses and try to follow what the farm is producing and taste a sample when we can. On a recent visit to South End Formaggio, we added Twig Farm Mixed Drum to our favorites from this Vermont producer.

Expert Descriptions

Here's what the cheesemaker has to say:

"Mixed Drum is a natural rind semi-hard cheese aged for four to seven months, usually weighing about 5 pounds. Round (drum) shaped, 7-8" in diameter, about 6" tall. Made from raw (Ayrshire) cow's milk from Scapeland Farm (Crawford Family Farm) in Whiting and raw goat's milk from our farm. Produced from May to December."

Cheesemonger Anne Saxelby in her 2014 cheese picks wrote:

"Mixed Drum Twig Farm (raw goat and cows’ milk/animal rennet, Cornwall, VT)
A seasonal special from Twig Farm! Mixed Drum is an earthy, hearty, rustic wheel made from a blend of goats’ milk from their herd and cows’ milk sourced from neighboring farms. The ratio of goat to cow is about 20/80. The texture is semi-firm and squidgy, with the center of the cheese remaining chalky and breaking down around the rind. Nutty, lightly sharp and citrusy with some yeasty and lactic notes.
Aged for 4 months or more.

We loved the various textures Anne describes with the runny outer layer and firmer center. You can see the difference in the photo above.

If you want to learn more about cheese listen to Anne Saxelby's Cutting the Curd podcast. You can even search for Twig Farm and pull up the shows that feature this farm.

And, here are other items from our Cheese Tray!

What's on your Cheese Shopping List? Here are some great books about cheese.These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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June 10, 2014
Twig Farm Mixed Drum Cheese from South End Formaggio

We are big fans of Twig Farm Cheeses and try to follow what the farm is producing and taste a sample when we can. On a recent visit to South End Formaggio, we added Twig Farm Mixed Drum to our favorites from this Vermont producer.

Expert Descriptions

Here's what the cheesemaker has to say:

"Mixed Drum is a natural rind semi-hard cheese aged for four to seven months, usually weighing about 5 pounds. Round (drum) shaped, 7-8" in diameter, about 6" tall. Made from raw (Ayrshire) cow's milk from Scapeland Farm (Crawford Family Farm) in Whiting and raw goat's milk from our farm. Produced from May to December."

Cheesemonger Anne Saxelby in her 2014 cheese picks wrote:

"Mixed Drum Twig Farm (raw goat and cows’ milk/animal rennet, Cornwall, VT)
A seasonal special from Twig Farm! Mixed Drum is an earthy, hearty, rustic wheel made from a blend of goats’ milk from their herd and cows’ milk sourced from neighboring farms. The ratio of goat to cow is about 20/80. The texture is semi-firm and squidgy, with the center of the cheese remaining chalky and breaking down around the rind. Nutty, lightly sharp and citrusy with some yeasty and lactic notes.
Aged for 4 months or more.

We loved the various textures Anne describes with the runny outer layer and firmer center. You can see the difference in the photo above.

If you want to learn more about cheese listen to Anne Saxelby's Cutting the Curd podcast. You can even search for Twig Farm and pull up the shows that feature this farm.

And, here are other items from our Cheese Tray!

What's on your Cheese Shopping List? Here are some great books about cheese.These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Brebirousse d'Argental Petit: Soft Ripe Sheep's Milk Cheese from France

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Twig Farm Square Cheese Is Back!

June 10, 2014
Brebis Pardou: One Sheepie Cheese

Ed and I both have a taste for Sheepie cheeses, so we both enjoyed a wedge of Brebis Pardou from the Pyrenees region of France that was recommended by a cheesemonger at South End Formaggio.

Ed was waiting outside the shop with our puppy Poppy. I loved my first taste so much that I had to share it with him and excused myself for a moment to bring him half of my sample slice. (The shop is smart enough to have a bench out there. Thanks!)

Ed approved the purchase with a happy nod and we enjoyed this piece over the next week.

Here's how Formaggio describes this cheese:

"Brebis Pardou
Country of Origin: France
Region: Pyrénées-Atlantiques
City / Village: Laruns
Type of Milk: Sheep
Flavor Profile: Medium
Wine Pairings: White: Full-bodied & Dry
Wine Pairings 2: Red: Lean Old World

A farmhouse sheep's milk cheese from the Vallee D'Ossau Iraty using the milk of the traditional breed of sheep: brebis béarnaise. Brebis Pardou has a wonderful smooth and supple texture with flavors and aromas of herbs, nuts, and sweet cream."

And, here are other items from our Cheese Tray!

What's on your Cheese shopping list? Here are some great books about cheese. These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny Cherubino

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June 2, 2014
Brebis Pardou: One Sheepie Cheese

Ed and I both have a taste for Sheepie cheeses, so we both enjoyed a wedge of Brebis Pardou from the Pyrenees region of France that was recommended by a cheesemonger at South End Formaggio.

Ed was waiting outside the shop with our puppy Poppy. I loved my first taste so much that I had to share it with him and excused myself for a moment to bring him half of my sample slice. (The shop is smart enough to have a bench out there. Thanks!)

Ed approved the purchase with a happy nod and we enjoyed this piece over the next week.

Here's how Formaggio describes this cheese:

"Brebis Pardou
Country of Origin: France
Region: Pyrénées-Atlantiques
City / Village: Laruns
Type of Milk: Sheep
Flavor Profile: Medium
Wine Pairings: White: Full-bodied & Dry
Wine Pairings 2: Red: Lean Old World

A farmhouse sheep's milk cheese from the Vallee D'Ossau Iraty using the milk of the traditional breed of sheep: brebis béarnaise. Brebis Pardou has a wonderful smooth and supple texture with flavors and aromas of herbs, nuts, and sweet cream."

And, here are other items from our Cheese Tray!

What's on your Cheese shopping list? Here are some great books about cheese. These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny Cherubino

Related articles

Vermont Shepherd Verano: Seasoned with Summer Grass

Mas Marcé El Set: Milk from a Rare Breed of Sheep

Basque Country Supper: Recreating Happy Memories

June 2, 2014