Day 827: In honor of National Wine Day

Did you know that May 25th was National Wine Day?

What better way to ring in the holiday weekend than with a glass of wine in honor of National Wine Day and some cheese? I cannot think of anything better!

So in honor of the long weekend and National Wine Day - let's propose a Red, White, and Blue TGIF pairing!

Wine : Channing Daughters Rosati di Cabernet Sauvignon - Mudd Vineyard : Hailing from some of Long Island's oldest vines (1975), this medium bodied rose is full of earthy, herbaceous, fruity and floral notes with faint hints of red berries. It definitely packs a punch but doesn't weigh you down -- fanciful and fun, this is the ultimate summer time barbecue wine! In my mind, there is nothing that says summer more than a nice chilled glass of rose wine so this is the perfect choice for your Memorial Day weekend TGIF pairing.

Image courtesy of www.channingdaughters.com

Cheese : Rogue River Creamery's Smokey Blue - Following in our smoked footsteps of yesterday, the Smokey Blue was the first blue cheese that was ever smoked. Cold smoked for sixteen hours over Pacific Northwest hazelnut shells, this blue cheese is piquant and spicy yet round and creamy with caramelly, hazelnutty, earthy, rustic, and smokey notes. There's something about this marriage of flavors that just screams summertime to me. The jammy, fruity, floral characteristics of the wine will find their counterpart in the nutty, smokey notes of the cheese. An excellently summery TGIF pairing if you ask me!

 Image courtesy of www.roguecreamery.com

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Day 792 : Friday Happy Hour Chez Moi

Gosh it is already Sunday afternoon and I have had a great weekend enjoying the warm weather but there has not been much time in front of the computer so I reckon it's catchup time! Friday was one of those days where a glass of wine, specifically rose sounded so fabulous! So a good friend and I decided to have a springtime happy hour in at my apartment.

What were we drinking?

We started with a crisp Provencal rose with light red berry notes and hints of peach.

And foodwise?

A homemade burrata, cherry tomato, strawberry, basil and EVOO salad topped with a Southern French herb blend served with homemade whole wheat crostini.

Olives of course and some roasted almonds.

And for the sweet and savory melange marriage --Stilton and Red Jacket Orchards Apple Butter.

A perfect way to ring in the weekend!

Day 765 : Cheddar Hot and Cold Crostini

Apropos our in depth look at the aging process of Cheddars, I decided to make both a hot and cold crostini utilizing two different vintages of cheddar.

Cold Crostini:

2 year aged Cabot
Fuji Apple slices
Slices of Cucumber
Lettuce Leaf
Rye Bread
EVOO

Paired with Ravines Keuka White

Hot Crostini

Homemade tomato pepper sauce - Smoked Paprika, herbes de provence, sea salt, black pepper, two plum tomatoes, half of red pepper and some basil leaves. Cooked down to caramelized. Topped with five year aged cheddar on crunchy flax seed crackers.

Paired with Primo Primitivo.

Each crostini exhibits the inherent qualities of each cheddar and how they differ as they age -- almost two totally different cheeses but yet the same.

Day 738 : A Jet Lagged TGIF Pairing

Coming back from vacation with a twelve hour time difference and jumping right back into the swing of things at work while still pretty jet lagged makes one excited for the end of the week that's for sure and to celebrate why not enjoy a truly American artisanal wine and cheese pairing?

How about some Landaff and a glass of Lieb Cellars Bridge Lane Cabernet Franc paired with some dried cherries and toasted baguette brushed with EVOO and sea salt and chives?

Landaff hails from Landaff Creamery in Landaff, NH and is inspired by classic Welsh style farmstead cheeses like Caerphilly. Landaff travels to the Cellars at Jasper Hill for its aging period. So what is its flavor profile?

It is a firm aged raw cow's milk cheese that has round buttery and grassy notes with a crisp citrusy farmsteady finish. Biting and intense yet light, round and flavorful, it is a great snacking or melting cheese, this truly is a crowd pleaser. When paired with the rustic fruity qualities of dried cherries and the aromatic herbaceousness of toasted baguette slices with chives and sea salt, this will be a heavenly combination to awaken the senses after the week. Add in a glass of Lieb Cellars Cab Franc from the North Fork and you will be in heaven! Full of cherry, white pepper, red berry, and herbaceous notes, it will echo the flavor nuances created in the Landaff, dried cherry, toasted EVOO, sea salt, and chive baguette pairing. A great way to end the week and celebrate the truly gorgeous February day we are experiencing here in New York!

Day 717 : TGIF Pairing

Thrilled that the week is over?

In the mood for a nice Guinness? Something with weight and body to it after the long week?  The dark and fantastically thick beer full of coffee, chocolate, rustic smokey flavors is the perfect drink on this grey rainy day I think.

What to pair with it?

It is tough to pair with stouts and porters because their flavor profiles are so in your face that you don't actually want to go the big bold cheese route, in fact you want to go the creamy, slightly sweet, round route.

So why not one of my favorite Vermont cheeses?

Cremont!

A mixture of goat's milk, cow's milk and fresh Vermont cream, this cheese melts in your mouth in all the right sorts of ways. Bright and milky with a light grassy citrusy sweet finish, it is the perfect yet unsuspecting pairing partner! This mixed milk creamster will cut through the weightiness of the beer in all the right sort of ways and with a handful of walnuts and some rye bread you are set for a nice beginning to your evening.

Image courtesy of www.vermontcreamery.com