Day 987 : What to buy right now

Walking into a cheese shop as we all know can sometimes be scary and if you don't know what you want, its even scarier, right?

That's what Fromagical is here for! Making life easier so you can look like a cheese aficionado!

Today Fromagical recommends getting a morsel of Pawlet from Lucy's Whey. Modeled on an Italian style toma, this six month aged raw cow's milk cheese is semi firm with a nice density. Approachable yet dynamic and developed, this Vermontster hailing from Consider Bardwell Farm is easy to love. Sweet and buttery yet grassy and rustic with a fabulously bright floral finish. The perfect and versatile pairing partner for everything from bubbles to an IPA to a medium bodied red and more, this cheese is a crowd pleaser that's for sure! Great for snacking with some roasted almonds!

Image courtesy of www.considerbardwellfarm.com

Day 902 : Break Fast Cheeses

In honor of Yom Kippur and the Day of Atonement in the Jewish religion, I thought I would share with you my dear Fromagical readers the cheeses I chose for the break fast event I'm attending. This year I decided to go with three of my favorite and very approachable American artisanal cheeses representing New York, Vermont and California.

From New York, I went with Nettle Meadow's Kunik.. This triple cream is a unique combination of 75% goat's milk and 25% cow's milk cream. Kunik's blend of the classic bright, grassy, chalky notes of a goat's milk cheese and the round, buttery, milky unctuous decadence of a cow's milk cheese is just perfection. Perfection with a glass of bubbles, this is a great way to celebrate a round, decadent, and unique new year.

From Vermont, I went with Consider Bardwell's Pawlet. Inspired by an Italian toma style cheese, this aged raw Jersey cow's milk cheese is a delight. Creamy and bright yet rustic and earthy -- this is one delectable yet approachable and dynamic cheese. It will bring a smile to your face. Great with a medium bodied red wine or even a beer, this a great way to ring a new year of happiness!

And lastly from California, Point Reyes Blue. An aged raw cow's milk blue that is spicy, salty, and piquant yet grassy, bright, milky and round. Enjoy this with something sweet to ring in a new year full of sweet and spice and everything nice. 

Day 799 : Freeman's

Confession - I love Freeman's for their outstandingly inventive cocktails, rustic barnyardy decor, laid back / lowkey vibe, locavore focused cuisine and their artichoke dip. The artichoke dip is heavy on the artichoke, light on the round creaminess and just the perfect blend of lightness and heaviness. What I do not love about Freeman's is unfortunately their cheese plate -- served on too large of a round wood cutting board with four pieces of over toasted multigrain bread and a half of a granny smith apple and two American cheese selections. The first of which was Sofia from Capriole Farms in Indiana and is an ash ripened goat's milk cheese inspired by the Loire Valley ash ripened goat's milk cheeses. The second of which was Consider Bardwell's Italian style toma, Pawlet -- a friendly approachable snacking cheese with buttery, nutty, earthy notes. Sounds great right?

Well not so fast...not only did the server call the Consider Bardwell selection by its farm and not know the cheese's name -- the apple and bread that were supposed to complement the cheese somewhat overpowered the delicate nuances of the cheese -- it became about the somewhat burned flavors of the bread rather than the cheese's flavor notes. On top of which, I tend to believe that a daily cheese selection should have three different cheese varieties to span the gamut of cheese styles. Lastly, if you are going to serve only two cheeses, serve them on a smaller cutting board, one that isn't meant for four to five cheeses. That being said, unfortunately I could not take a photograph of the cheese board to show you because they do not allow food photography within the restaurant.

Don't get me wrong I still adore Freeman's and will continue to go back often, but maybe will steer away from ordering the cheese plate in the future.

Freeman's

End of Freeman's Alley off of Rivington