Day 944 : Great right now at Beechers

Beecher's -- Seattle Implant, Flatiron based.
Excellent selection of American artisanal cheeses and one of the only places in NYC that one can see cheese being made.

Looking for cheeses that are good right now?
Or perhaps a Christmas present?

Then I strongly recommend Carr Valley Cheese's Cocoa Cardona hailing from La Valle, Wisconsin.

This firm aged goat's milk cheese is rubbed with cocoa powder during its aging process lending a deep rustic brown to the exterior of this cheese and a truly unique flavor profile. Tangy and spicy yet somewhat sweet and earthy, the cocoa powder provides a distinctive dynamism to this crisp, bright, milky, citrusy, goaty paste.

Nothing says the holiday season like a winter white cheese lusciously wrapped in tender cocoa powder.

Found at Beecher's now.
Great for a night in with a glass of red or bubbles or as a gift for the hostess of that fabulous Holiday party you are about to attend or as a stocking stuffer for that family member who just adores cheese.

Beecher's
900 Broadway
NYC

Day 943 : Bright Greens for a Bright Day

Inspired by the Tuscan Kale Salad at Boulud Sud that I had the pleasure of enjoying this weekend, I decided tonight we should feature a rustic warm kale salad recipe.

I like to use Satur Farms mixed kale as a base for this recipe as I like the difference in kale textures and I think it adds a nice flavor dynamism to our salad. So what else goes into our salad?

Roasted Butternut or Kabocha Squash
Roasted Almonds - sliced
Roasted Carrots
Lemon
EVOO
Shallot
Garlic
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Smoked Paprika
Vermont Farmstead's Governor's Cheddar - featured on day 928, this is a 1 - 2 year old cheddar that has been crafted in the traditional style. Round, dense, and buttery, yet with caramel butterscotchy nuances and a sweet, floral grassy and rustic finish.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cube butternut squash and carrots. Toss with EVOO, a garlic clove, sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile toss your kale with EVOO, sea salt, a slight drizzle of lemon, your sliced almonds, a dash of smoked paprika for a spicy aromatic kick, and a diced shallot over low heat in a saute pan. Cook the kale for just a few minutes as you want it to maintain a nice crunch. Combine the roasted veggies with your kale and top with a drizzle of lemon and EVOO. Of course some sea salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika as well. Finish off with a nice amount of crumbled Governor's Cheddar.

Enjoy!

Day 942 : Seasonal Sips

Do your eyes light up with a glass of bubbles? Mine sure do! And the good news is that 'tis the season for bubbles! Prosecco, Cava, Champagne, Blanc de Blancs, Sparkling Shiraz, Lambrusco, you name it, the bubbles selection is endless.

There's something particularly festive I find about Lambrusco -- maybe its the mixture of the bubbles and the color and the flavor, it's just perfect in my mind for the holiday season whether its at that big bash or enjoyed with good friends in the comfort of your own home, it will dress up any evening.

Lambrusco traditionally hails from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy and is both a grape and a frizzante red wine. Traditionally crafted in a charmat process -- when the second fermentation happens in a pressurized tank. Light, bright, and fruity, yet crisp and dry with a nice acidity, this festive red bubbly does a dynamic dance on your palate.  Looking for a good Lambrusco that will delight? Try Carafoli Lambrusco Tocca, found at 67 Wine & Spirits.

So what sort of cheese to enjoy with our red bubbles?

This is a pairing that's all about terroir my friends -- local wines and local cheeses that have an excellent harmony based on the region in which they are from.

How about the local cheese from the Emilia Romagna region -- Parmesan.

This beloved cheese's nutty, butterscotchy notes will go hand in hand with the bright red fruity notes of the bubbles. The acidity of the wine will cut right through the dense depth of the cheese to create the perfect holiday festive wine and cheese marriage!

Day 941 : Lunch at A Voce Columbus

This weekend was a blur of holiday parties full of good cheer, good drinks, good friends, good food, and of course good cheese! But in the process, we fell a little behind in our cheese musings and for that my dear friends, I am sorry.

It's catch up time!!

Lets rewind the clocks back to Saturday afternoon and lunch at AVoce Columbus Circle. Located at the other end of the third floor corridor of the Time Warner Center as my other local favorite, Landmarc. Elegant and sleek with a warm inviting atmosphere, this rustic yet elevated, inventive Italian restaurant looks out onto Central Park and currently the Public Art Fund's Discovering Columbus exhibition.

The room was a-buzz with holiday cheer on Saturday -- friends enjoying a late brunch; families enjoying a little midday nibble; those in from out of town trying this well regarded restaurant; couples in the holiday mood toasting the season and many others.

We started with their complimentary homemade whipped ricotta topped with olive oil, chili, sea salt, and parsley served with homemade foccacia. Fresh, creamy, and delish, this is such a nice interpretation of the classic bread and butter or bread and olive oil to start off the meal.

I had their funghi al forno dish -- a beautifully composed plate of roasted trumpet royal mushrooms, fonduta, mache, and roasted hazelnuts. Rustic yet refined, flavorful yet simple and perfectly seasonal. Great with the glass of Nero D'Avola I was enjoying.

We of course had to split their brussels sprouts contorni served with chili, lemon, and shaved pecorino. Warm and comforting yet with a dynamic bright depth and very well balanced.

Overall - a delish meal with stunning views of Central Park in a cozy yet sophisticated environment. It is always a pleasure to visit A Voce Columbus.

A Voce Columbus
Time Warner Center
3rd Floor
NYC

Day 940 : Great right now

The other evening I stopped into Murray's in Grand Central Terminal and was looking for a nice firm local Alpine inspired cheese  -- there's something about the temperatures dropping and my desire for red wine, rustic nutty cheeses and cozy fireplaces increasing. Of course my eyes gravitated first off to the Tarentaise, one of my all time favorites. The raw Jersey cow's milk cheese crafted by both Thistle Hill and Spring Brook Farm's just screams warmth and comfort to me with its nutty, buttery, butterscotchy, caramelly and rustic notes. Nope, it was time for something different, there's always Pleasant Ridge Reserve, another one of my favorites, this Wisconsin native is modeled on the classic European great, Beaufort, but completely its own. Ohh maybe I wanted Spring Brook Farm's Reading, the first American crafted Raclette style cheese. Yes! That was it!

If you rewind the clocks to warmer temperatures and this past summer's trip to Vermont, I had the pleasure of visiting Spring Brook in Reading, Vermont. Spring Brook Farm is a functioning dairy farm along with being an educational center stimulating the farm and environmental knowledge base for inner city children nationwide. 

Reading is one of two cheeses Spring Brook makes. Newish to the market place, having only been produced for the past three years, it a sweet and buttery raw cow's milk cheese aged for at least three months. Semi-soft, pliable and melting with a round honest flavor profile full of grassy, rustic notes, it is all around comforting and fabulous on a chilly December day like today. Enjoy it with a nice local Cab Franc red from the North Fork.

Day 939 : Cheese Plate at Vitae

Remember back, not that long ago, to the beginning of November when I visited Vitae for a birthday lunch? Well if not, feel free to visit Post #926.

Great at this time of year if you're looking for a reliable restaurant removed from the hussel and bussel of the 5th avenue Christmas Windows and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree! 

Their cheese selection changes almost daily just as any good restaurant's should!

Tonight their cheese selection featured :

Cremeux de Bourgogne - an absolutely fabulously unctuous triple cream bloomy rinded pasteurized cow's milk cheese hailing from Burgundy. Sweet and smooth, yet milky and round, mushroomy and honest. This screams please enjoy me with a glass of Champagne.

Hoja Santa - Hailing from Texas, this pasteurized goat's milk cheese is aged in the local herbaceous leaf of its namesake, Hoja Santa. Aromatic, herbaceous, citrusy, tangy and all around stunning -- it is not for the faint of heart, this little guy packs a punch in the most dynamic of ways. Think a bright white wine with this litte fellow.

Cabot Clothbound Cheddar - This aged cow's milk clothbound Cheddar is a partnership between the Cellars at Jasper Hill and Cabot. Nutty, caramelly, rustic, and barnyardy, this would go excellently with a seasonal brew.

Cashel Blue -- Cashel Blue is a pasteurized semi soft cow's milk blue that is traditionally aged for anywhere between two and four months. It is classically spicy and piquant but with a milky creamy finish -- this my friends is blue cheese done well! 

Overall a lovely and broad ranging selection of cheeses served with housemade quince compote and caramelized pecans.

A perfect accompaniment to a cocktail on an early December Eve.

Vitae
4 East 46th Street
NYC

Day 938 : Kickstart your way to making Cheese

Hear of Kickstarter?

Of course you have I imagine -- the crowd funding website for creative and unique projects -- it has revolutionized the manner in which entrepreneurs seek out funds.

Seen on Kickstarter this past weekend is a project after Fromagical's heart -- "Make Cheese Inc." http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/960345352/make-cheese-inc-lets-make-cheese-in-your-own-kitch?ref=home_popular 

This Kickstarter project funds the production and creation of fantastic cheesemaking kits, bringing you closer to your cheese, decreasing the commute from production to plate.

You can donate as little as $10 but still have the pleasure of receiving a cheesemaking kit and being involved in this awesome cheesy business!