Thursday, February 2, 2012

Day 722: A Grilled Cheese to ring in Punxsutawney Phil's Shadow

Happy Groundhog Day!

A day memorialized in our hearts and minds by a mixture of a Bill Murray movie and an old wives tale. Yet we always pay attention to what this creature says each and every year on February 2nd and this year as with most years in present memory, the little bugger saw his shadow meaning we have six more weeks of winter. So why not settle in with a nice warming grilled cheese and a pint of lambic?

Lambics unlike ales and lagers are produced with spontaneous fermentation causing their flavor profile to be funkier and more unique than a traditional beer but that's what makes them exciting if you ask me. There are a variety of producers that tend to infuse different fruits into their lambics creating sweeter nuances. 

Following in last week's footsteps utilizing Grandaisy's Pullman, tonight let's utilize their raisin walnut bread instead. On either side of the bread, spread a nice layer of our Vermont Butter & Cheese's Cultured Butter then place a nice layer of Beth Farm's Kitchen Fig Jam, tangy yet savory and sweet. Next up top this with a nice chunk of Great Hill Blue and some home roasted hazelnuts for a nutty roasty crunch. Toast away and enjoy with your favorite Lambic. 

Great Hill Blue is raw cow's milk non homogenized blue cheese from Marion, Massachusetts. It packs an excellent spicy, piquant punch while maintaining a creamy round mouth feel that will go perfectly with the rustic nutty sweetness of the remainder of your grilled cheese.

This is a pairing where big flavors complement bigger flavors, perfect to stimulate your palate to get you through the rest of the winter!

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