grilled goat cheese

A friend touted the deliciousness of a grilled goat cheese and strawberry sandwich on her blog, so since those are two foods I absolutely adore, I had to try it for myself.  She graciously shared the link to the recipe, and although it took me a few weeks to actually have all the ingredients in my house at the same time, it was worth it! It's a wonderful medley of flavors - tangy goat cheese, sweet strawberries and spicy arugula and red pepper jelly. And I even feel that it's healthier than regular grilled cheese, since it's on whole grain bread and uses only a tiny bit of butter (I've also made this sandwich in the toaster oven with no butter, and didn't miss it).  The colors also make this sandwich a feast for the eyes! 

fondue

For some crazy reason, I wanted to try the French-themed fondue featured at the Melting Pot before they took it off their menu. So the last Sunday in March, my husband and I set off to experience Fondue a la France. Several years ago, we had done their full four-course menu, and decided it was just way too much food.  This time, we were limiting it to cheese, salad, and dessert (a near-perfect meal in my opinion).

We ordered the featured fondue, which included Baby Brie (France), Fontina (Italy), Gruyere (Switzerland) and Raclette (France), all melted together with Nueske's bacon, onions, white truffle cream and chives.  It was very cheesy and flavorful, and every so often, I'd get a delicious little piece of the slightly more pungeant Brie that hadn't melted completely. They served it with several types of bread (white, wheat and rosemary I believe), raw veggies (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots) and green apple chunks for dipping.  We really enjoyed it, but I concluded that when it comes to cheese, if I'm trying to experience new cheeses and flavors, that fondue is not my preferred method. Don't get me wrong - melty cheese is not a bad thing, but several melted together makes it difficult to discern the unique characteristics of each.  

The Nicoise salad (haricots verts, tomatoes, hard boiled egg, Nicoise olives with shallot vinaigrette) was very pretty and provided an opportunity for me to try beets (verdict: not bad - at least these since they were very finely shredded). And finally the White Chocolate Creme Brulee (with caramelized sugar shards!) was delicious and happiness-inducing.

It has 3 cheeses? Must be good.

I think Publix Apron's Simple Meals are just fantastic.  They are typically quick and easy to prepare, are reasonably healthy, and always seem to taste great (and if you're hungry when you go shopping, as I usually am, a sample in-store can make all the difference).  A recent sample was their sausage and rice stuffed portabella mushrooms. I tried it, thought it was tasty, picked up the recipe card and was happy to see it called for not just one or two, but three different cheeses.  I used a shredded Italian cheese blend (in place of only mozzarella), low-fat cream cheese and blue cheese crumbles (instead of Gorgonzola), and they turned out rather well.  I think a vegetarian option of substituting spinach for the sausage would be equally good and make it even healthier.  We'll definitely be having them again!

release the crackin'

Saturday I had the opportunity to watch the cracking of a wheel of Parmesan at the Nashville Whole Foods. It was quite entertaining, from the actual cracking, to the samples, to the characters that come out to such an event (such as the older woman that feigned interest in buying a small wedge so that she could scoop up double handfuls of the smaller pieces on the cutting table).  The event held at many Whole Foods stores was intended to set a record for the number of wheels simultaneously cracked open. I was able to sample a couple tasty treats.  First, I had a small piece dipped in Belgian chocolate. It was amazing! Such a wonderful contrast with the smooth, sweet chocolate and the dry, crumbly, salty cheese (I love to mix my salty and sweet)!  Next, I had a couple small pieces from the fresh-cracked wheel. The first was from the center and seemed slightly softer, but the second morsel was full of grainy crystals. It was fun to experience two different textures from the same wheel.  The final treat was...get ready...Parmesan gelato! I can't believe this is not a regular flavor.  It was delizioso! It was cool, creamy and surprisingly smooth (not sure how they would do that with a cheese with so much texture). At the beginning, you didn't really taste the Parm flavor, but it came on very subtly at the finish. They first cups they passed around were just the gelato, but a second batch came around again with a dollop of sour cherries. You wouldn't think they could have improved Parmesan gelato, but the cherries made it even better (mixing sour, sweet and salty).

But back to the actual cracking. There is definitely an art to it.  I wondered how much training one receives and how stressful it would be cutting this wheel weighing around 90 pounds and worth hundreds of dollars.  They used a set of 5 knives, specifically designed for cutting wheels of Parmesan.  After splitting it in half, and then half again, one quarter was dealt with at a time.  After scoring the rind with one knife, several v-shaped knives would be inserted in a row to split the wedge (into layers that were still quarter-wheel size, but thinner). This was done repeatedly until those small, thin quarters were cut into small wedges and blocks for sale in the store.

jambon et fromage

One of my favorite food memories from Paris is grabbing a quick lunch each day in between sites.  If we didn't have crepes, we'd stop at a little cart for a sandwich.  It was typically a single slice of ham and cheese on the most delicious crusty, chewy baguette.  The sandwich plus a Coca-Cola (yes, I know - incredibly American, but sometimes you just needed the sugar and caffeine to get through a full day of museums) made for a delightful lunch.  It was good, inexpensive, and typically included entertainment (people watching in the park).

Yesterday, my husband and I were walking through Trader Joe's to pick up some pasta and salad for lunch, but when I saw a basket of fresh baguettes, we changed plans and decided to recreate those Paris sandwiches.  We allowed a couple modifications to the Paris version and used Black Forest ham and sliced goat cheese.  The sliced goat cheese was hanging in the cheese section just like any other deli-sliced packaged sandwich cheese (cheddar, provolone, etc) but was a nice change.  It became more flavorful as it warmed to room temperature.  The sandwiches turned out really well, and with a side salad, a few chips and a glass of French rosé, we had a memorable lunch in our own kitchen.

have cheese, will travel

I had purchased a second Living Social deal to Corrieri's and had been planning to use it in March to sample some more new cheeses.  But a few days before it expired, I found out that I had to go to Louisville for work, and since Louisville is almost halfway, Brett and I decided to tack on an extended visit to the in-laws in Indiana, which meant I wasn't going to make it back before the voucher expired.  So, the night before we left town, the husband and I went to the shop to make some selections.  After sampling several types, we walked away with five wedges:  St. Andre, Ossau Iraty, Garroxta, Monte Enebro and Prima Donna.   The next day, the cheese came along with us in a cooler. We also packed several items to pair the cheese with - bread, apples, walnuts, dried cranberries, olives and honey.

St. Andre is a French soft-ripened cheese from the Normandy region and is produced from cow's milk.  If you think that the picture looks like butter, you'd be about right.  This triple cream cheese contains up to 70% butterfat!  It was creamy and incredibly rich, so much so that it almost required pairing with bread, walnuts or dried cranberries.  The texture in the center was similar to whipped butter, while the texture closer to the rind was silky smooth and heavier more like cream cheese.  Very decadent!


Ossau-Iraty is a hard sheep's milk cheese from the Aquitane region of France.  It is aged at least 3 months and is protected by the AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controllee).  This sharp cheese had a firm texture, and I thought it tasted like the warm grass or hay eaten by the sheep.  It had a pleasant animal smell.

Garroxta is a goat's milk cheese from Cataluña, Spain.  It's classified as a semi-soft cheese and is aged between 2 and 4 months.  Compared to many other cheeses, this artisan cheese is a relatively new, having first been produced in 1981.  Like most goat cheeses, it was tangy and bright white in color.  I enjoyed it not only alone but also with Spanish olives.  The rind was especially beautiful with it speckles in various shades of gray.

Monte Enebro is classified as a natural rind goat's milk cheese.  Made in Avila, Castilla-Leon, Spain, the curds are pressed into the shape of a mule's hoof..  The girl at Corrieri's explained that the mold covering the rind is the same kind that is injected into Roquefort cheese, but only covers the surface on Monte Enebro.  According to the World Cheese Book, it was the first modern Spanish artisan cheese to gain recognition internationally.  I found the appearance to be very unique.  I preferred the center, which was softer, creamier and milder than the part close to the rind, which definitely had a stronger, more blue flavor.  The flavor of the goat's milk, which I love, was easier for me to detect in the center, as the blue flavor near the rind was more dominant.  However, this was a nice blue cheese for me, since I tend to shy away from them.

Prima Donna is a hard Gouda-style cheese from the Netherlands.  Made from cow's milk, it's aged about a year (Corrieri's noted the one we had was aged 16 months).  This is significantly less than some Goudas, some of which are aged for several years.  There were small round holes scattered throughout.  It had a firm texture with a rich, strong flavor from start to finish that paired very well with apples.  While delicious alone, I imagine it would also be great on a sandwich.  It's a cheese that should seem familiar to Americans with a texture and sharpness similar to a medium cheddar, however it had a nuttiness similar to a Parmesan.