Oops oops, as usual, it seems that the weekend got away from me and I have yet had the chance to write to you all, my dear followers. Yesterday was a historical day in the game of soccer, for the first time since 1950, England and America faced off on the soccer field. And of course by now, we ALL know what happened - it was a tie, not what many had predicted and left a lot of English quite unhappy. So in honor of the World Cup, I thought we would have a friendly competition between two quintessentially nationalistic cheeses. It is up to you my readers, to determine whether you think these two just like the soccer game will tie, or whether there is a clear winner.
When thinking of England and English cheese, the first thought that comes to mind is but of course Stilton, the quintessential English cheese, right up there with fish and chips, bangers and mash, and tea and crumpets. As you probably know in the event that you haven't tried it, this a pretty punchy and pungent blue cheese, not for the amateur. Stilton has been produced since the mid 1730s in three specific counties of England -- Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire. And since that time there are a few characteristics that have never once changed in terms of its production and look -- It is always made in a traditional cylindrical shape; it always has to be allowed to form its own "crust" or exterior; it is an unpressed cow's milk cheese that always has a delicate blue veining through the entirity of the cheese. Steeped in history, this is a cheese that definitely has chops and the ability to defeat its opponents.
On the other hand, when thinking of America and American cheese and what is quintessentially American that would be a successful and a fair match up for our competition of Stilton, I struggled to come up with an appropriate opponent. When I think well-known American cheeses I think Kraft singles and cheese in a can. Granted there are so many local and artisanal cheeses that I love that are made here in the US, why couldn't I utilize one of those?? Well, the reason I couldn't do that, was because the majority of those cheeses I loved, were totally obscure and not a fair competitor. So in the end, I decided to put another blue cheese up against Stilton for our USA vs England Blue Cheese World Cup game one. The cheese that I chose is Rogue River Blue Cheese hailing for the Northwestern state of Oregon. Also a raw cow's milk, blue veined cheese, this cheese is aged for over one year and is lovingly cared on a daily and weekly basis as the wheels get turned and tended to. Apart from just being cared for, this cheese is wrapped in grape leaves harvested from Carpenter Hill Vineyards in the Rogue River Valley. Before being applied to the cheese, the leaves are macerated in Clear Creek's Pear Brandy and tied with raffia. The leaves impart an earthy, fruity, fresh, farmy yet vegetal sort of flavor to this fantastic cheese -- an excellent representation of its terroir, being aged in local caves, wrapped in local leaves that are macerated in local brandy, how can you go wrong here?!!?
Now, the interesting thing here, is that in fact these two cheeses have been put up against one another in competition a few years back. However, before I reveal the winner in that competition, I'd like for you all to think which you might prefer and send me some opinions!
The original winner will be announced during the next USA World Cup Game on Friday.
No comments:
Post a Comment