TasteCheese Weekly Market Selection

TasteCheese Weekly Selection

January 19-22, 2012

This Week's Market Selections

Dear Friends,

I made a quick trip to San Francisco this week for the annual rite of decadence known as the Winter Fancy Food Show. It takes a bit of discipline to focus on just one food category when so many delicious options are there to distract you. But focus I did, spending nearly an entire day sampling new cheeses and mingling with some of my favorite farmers and producers. While some of my new discoveries might prove difficult to source, I'll bring as many of them in as I can - starting with this week's selection which includes several cheeses I tried up at the show.

It's a great week to discover some new American artisan cheeses like the luscious sheep's milk Kinderhook Creek from Old Chatham Sheepherding Co. in upstate New York; Harbison,a brand new bark-wrapped cheese from the talented folks at Vermont's Jasper Hill Farms, and a pair of spice-infused chevres from Arcata's Cypress Grove Creamery - the beautifully spicy Sgt. Pepper with a special 4-pepper blend, and Herbs de Humboldt, with a blend of herbs de Provence are both delicious and sure to be popular with goat cheese fans!

In addition we have some returning favorites like the amazing German Alpine treat Alpkäse Spicherhalde; Selun, a small production artisan stinker from Switzerland; Minuet and Trio, a pair of triple cremes from Petaluma's Andante Dairy; and just in time for Championship Weekend, one of our favorite snacking cheeses, Piave Stravecchio. Basically, we have something for everyone this week so come on down and discover a new favorite!

See you at the markets,

Mary, Jen, Tom & Tony

North Park Farmer's Market

Thursday 1-19-12

North Park Farmer's Market
Every Thursday, 3-7pm
Located in rear part of the CVS parking lot
@ North Park Way/32nd St

This Week's North Park Selection

*Denotes cheeses exclusive to this market

BeemsterXO Our most popular gouda, aged just under 3 years, but chock full of crunchy salt crystals. Pair with a Belgium-style ale, or vintage port.

*Bleu d'Auvergne Melt this deliciously salty French blue on top of a freshly grilled steak and you just might swoon.

Boschetto al Tartufo Mixed-milk (cow/sheep) Italian cheese studded with sliced black truffles. Every bite of this one is a decadent treat!

Brindisi Farmstead cow's milk cheese from Oregon's Willamette Valley Cheese Co. The firm, dry pate and slightly sharp flavors are a perfect match for a lighter bodied ale.

*Bucheron Tangy soft-ripened goat cheese from France. Drizzle with honey or pair with your favorite jam for a delicious treat!

Canestrato di Moliterno Raw Italian pecorino made exclusively with milk from pastured animals. The cheese is made year-round and changes as the diet of the animals changes with the seasons.

Cypress Grove Herbs de Humboldt The creamery has recently updated its line of flavored chevres giving this one, a hand-mixed blend of herbs de Provence and tangy goat cheese, a clever new name. (Arcata, CA)

Cypress Grove Sgt. Pepper Tangy chevre infused with a blend of 4 different peppers which not only makes for a beautiful presentation, but a spicy one too! (Arcata, CA)

*Flora Nelle The newest blue from Oregon's Rogue Creamery is the first they've made using pasteurized milk enabling a shorter aging time. Thankfully, it's plenty of time for the piquant, earthy blue flavors to develop. (Central Point, OR)

Harbison Unlike other bark-wrapped cheeses which generally have inedible rinds and intensely smoky flavors, this delicious new treat from Vermont's Jasper Hill Farm has an edible, brie-like rind that adds great texture and mellow, slightly sweet flavors with just the right balance of smokiness. (Greensboro, VT)

*Hoch Ybrig Delicious Alpine cheese made with raw cow's milk during the summer months. During the aging process the cheese is washed in a white wine brine by master affineur Rolf Beeler. Great for a special fondue or as part of a cheese course.

*Hooligan From Cato Corner Farms, a raw, cow's milk cheese with a brine-washed rind. Pair with a Belgium Triple or sweet dessert wine. (Colchester, CT)

Landaff Delicious farmstead cheese from New Hampshire, based on a traditional Welsh recipe. The cheese is made with raw milk from the farm's own herd, and the cheese is then aged in the famed Cellars at Jasper Hill in Vermont. (Landaff, NH)

Ossau Iraty Lush semi-firm sheep cheese from Southern France's Pyrenees Mountains. The rich texture melts in the mouth and the flavors pair really well with fruity wines like pinot noir and beers like lambics.

Piave Vecchio 'Oro del Tiempo' Created in 1960 by expert dairy master-producers at Lattebusche, this magnificent cow's milk cheese is well-known and highly appreciated all over the world. It has the toasted walnut character of Gruyere and the caramel-like sweetness of an aged Gouda. It is a rather complex cheese and has dense, rich, savory flavors.

*Scharfe Maxx The newest Alpine cheese in our selection comes to us from the Studer Family Dairy in the Swiss canton of Thurgau. The dense, fudgy cheese has had cream added and the rind is treated with an herbaceous brine during the 6+ months aging process. This is definitely one that grows funkier with age!

Trio With chefs like the French Laundry's Thomas Keller clamoring for her cheeses, it's something special to note that Andante Dairy's Soyoung Scanlon makes this delicious triple crème treat exclusively for our local distributor Aniata Cheese Co. (Petaluma, CA)

*Veigadarte The logs of this delicious Spanish goat cheese have been rolled in vegetable ash imparting notes of dry smokiness to the flavor. Pair with a crisp dry rose wine.

Little Italy Mercato

Saturday 1-21-12

Little Italy Mercato

SATURDAYS 9AM-1:30PM

Date Street-India to Columbia -North Side
Little Italy/Downtown San Diego **2 HOURS FREE PARKING!** @ Washington Elementary (enter at Date/Union)

This Week's Selection

*Denotes cheeses exclusive to this market

Barber's 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar This sharp and tangy raw milk cheddar from Somerset England has been produced using the same recipe for more than 6 generations.

BeemsterXO Our most popular gouda, aged just under 3 years, but chock full of crunchy salt crystals. Pair with a Belgium-style ale, or vintage port.

Boschetto al Tartufo Mixed-milk (cow/sheep) Italian cheese studded with sliced black truffles. Every bite of this one is a decadent treat!

Brindisi Farmstead cow's milk cheese from Oregon's Willamette Valley Cheese Co. The firm, dry pate and slightly sharp flavors are a perfect match for a lighter bodied ale.

Canestrato di Moliterno Raw Italian pecorino made exclusively with milk from pastured animals. The cheese is made year-round and changes as the diet of the animals changes with the seasons.

Cypress Grove Herbs de Humboldt The creamery has recently updated its line of flavored chevres giving this one, a hand-mixed blend of herbs de Provence and tangy goat cheese, a clever new name. (Arcata, CA)

Cypress Grove Sgt. Pepper Tangy chevre infused with a blend of 4 different peppers which not only makes for a beautiful presentation, but a spicy one too! (Arcata, CA)

Fresh Gioia Burrata We love hearing about all the wonderful ways our customers use this uber rich mozzarella with cream - from topping tomatoes or pizza, to roasted beets and more. What's your favorite burrata recipe? (El Monte, CA)

Fresh Gioia Ricotta The freshest, most delicious ricotta we've found made fresh for us every week by Gioia Cheese Co. (El Monte, CA)

Harbison Unlike other bark-wrapped cheeses which generally have inedible rinds and intensely smoky flavors, this delicious new treat from Vermont's Jasper Hill Farm has an edible, brie-like rind that adds great texture and mellow, slightly sweet flavors with just the right balance of smokiness. (Greensboro, VT)

Humboldt Fog Get a batch of freshly foraged mushrooms and bake them with this tasty goat from Cypress Grove Creamery. When the cheese is melted, remove the rind and enjoy. So delicious!(Arcata, CA)

Idiazabal This classic Spanish Basque cheese is made from raw ewe's milk and the wheels are aged over smoky coals. The flavors are rich with a very mild smokiness that pairs well with champagne, cava and other brut sparklers.

*Kinderhook Creek Runny and delicious rounds of rich, luscious soft-ripened sheep cheese from Old Chatham, a large sheep dairy outside of Albany, New York. The cheese is dense when young and gets oozy with age - and these rounds are perfectly ripe! Very limited quantity available.

Landaff Delicious farmstead cheese from New Hampshire, based on a traditional Welsh recipe. The cheese is made with raw milk from the farm's own herd, and the cheese is then aged in the famed Cellars at Jasper Hill in Vermont. (Landaff, NH)

Le Chevrot French goat cheese with a velvety outer texture and dense, chalky interior. Delicious!

Minuet Decadent mixed-milk triple creme from Petaluma's Andante Dairy. The soft-ripened rounds are made from tangy goat's milk enriched by cow's milk creme fraiche. The triple creme richness and tangy goat flavors pair well with most sparklers, but best with a fruity brut rose.

Piave Vecchio 'Oro del Tiempo' Created in 1960 by expert dairy master-producers at Lattebusche, this magnificent cow's milk cheese is well-known and highly appreciated all over the world. It has the toasted walnut character of Gruyere and the caramel-like sweetness of an aged Gouda. It is a rather complex cheese and has dense, rich, savory flavors.

Roaring 40s Blue This tangy Aussie blue continues to be one of our most popular cheeses and is so good at winning over the haters that we call it our 'gateway blue'.

Selun Despite its pungent aroma, the flavors of this small production artisan Swiss cheese are fairly mild. The creamy, rich texture and brine-washed rind impart creamy, meaty flavors perfectly balanced by the floral, herbal flavors of the thermalized cow's milk.

St Agur Über rich French blue with a deliciously salty, creamy finish that goes on and on. We just call it ice cream.

Trio With chefs like the French Laundry's Thomas Keller clamoring for her cheeses, it's something special to note that Andante Dairy's Soyoung Scanlon makes this delicious triple crème treat exclusively for our local distributor Aniata Cheese Co. (Petaluma, CA)

HILLCREST FARMER'S MARKET

Sunday 1-22-12

Hillcrest Farmer's Market
**WE'RE LOCATED AT THE NORTH END OF NORMAL ST (at Lincoln)**

SUNDAYS 9AM-2PM

This Week's Selection

*Denotes cheeses exclusive to this market

Alpkäse Spicherhalde Incredible Bavarian Alpine cheese! Just two 80# wheels per day are produced and only during spring and summer month. They're then aged at high altitude for a full year.

Barber's 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar This sharp and tangy raw milk cheddar from Somerset England has been produced using the same recipe for more than 6 generations.

BeemsterXO Our most popular gouda, aged just under 3 years, but chock full of crunchy salt crystals. Pair with a Belgium-style ale, or vintage port.

Boschetto al Tartufo Mixed-milk (cow/sheep) Italian cheese studded with sliced black truffles. Every bite of this one is a decadent treat!

*Bouchee Balls of tangy French chevre, rolled in 4 different coatings including tarragon, paprika, saffron and ash.

Brindisi Farmstead cow's milk cheese from Oregon's Willamette Valley Cheese Co. The firm, dry pate and slightly sharp flavors are a perfect match for a lighter bodied ale.

Canestrato di Moliterno Raw Italian pecorino made exclusively with milk from pastured animals. The cheese is made year-round and changes as the diet of the animals changes with the seasons.

Fresh Gioia Burrata We love hearing about all the wonderful ways our customers use this uber rich mozzarella with cream - from topping tomatoes or pizza, to roasted beets and more. What's your favorite burrata recipe? (El Monte, CA)

Fresh Gioia Ricotta The freshest, most delicious ricotta we've found made fresh for us every week by Gioia Cheese Co. (El Monte, CA)

Harbison Unlike other bark-wrapped cheeses which generally have inedible rinds and intensely smoky flavors, this delicious new treat from Vermont's Jasper Hill Farm has an edible, brie-like rind that adds great texture and mellow, slightly sweet flavors with just the right balance of smokiness. (Greensboro, VT)

Humboldt Fog Get a batch of freshly foraged mushrooms and bake them with this tasty goat from Cypress Grove Creamery. When the cheese is melted, remove the rind and enjoy. So delicious!(Arcata, CA)

Idiazabal This classic Spanish Basque cheese is made from raw ewe's milk and the wheels are aged over smoky coals. The flavors are rich with a very mild smokiness that pairs well with champagne, cava and other brut sparklers.

Landaff Delicious farmstead cheese from New Hampshire, based on a traditional Welsh recipe. The cheese is made with raw milk from the farm's own herd, and the cheese is then aged in the famed Cellars at Jasper Hill in Vermont. (Landaff, NH)

Le Chevrot French goat cheese with a velvety outer texture and dense, chalky interior. Delicious!

Minuet Decadent mixed-milk triple creme from Petaluma's Andante Dairy. The soft-ripened rounds are made from tangy goat's milk enriched by cow's milk creme fraiche. The triple creme richness and tangy goat flavors pair well with most sparklers, but best with a fruity brut rose.

Ossau Iraty Lush semi-firm sheep cheese from Southern France's Pyrenees Mountains. The rich texture melts in the mouth and the flavors pair really well with fruity wines like pinot noir and beers like lambics.

Piave Vecchio 'Oro del Tiempo' Created in 1960 by expert dairy master-producers at Lattebusche, this magnificent cow's milk cheese is well-known and highly appreciated all over the world. It has the toasted walnut character of Gruyere and the caramel-like sweetness of an aged Gouda. It is a rather complex cheese and has dense, rich, savory flavors.

Roaring 40s Blue This tangy Aussie blue continues to be one of our most popular cheeses and is so good at winning over the haters that we call it our 'gateway blue'.

Selun Despite its pungent aroma, the flavors of this small production artisan Swiss cheese are fairly mild. The creamy, rich texture and brine-washed rind impart creamy, meaty flavors perfectly balanced by the floral, herbal flavors of the thermalized cow's milk.

St Agur Über rich French blue with a deliciously salty, creamy finish that goes on and on. We just call it ice cream.