Cheese and Antipasto Tasting Party, Part 1

For SpriteKat's party we inadvertently picked two things that were of little interest to her, cheese and antipasto. (She'd already investigated and played with the mice, even misplacing the cute vintage wind up toys somewhere in our apartment.) Typically when food is out and guests are around, SpriteKat is begging for nibbles.

After months of sampling and comparing various deli meats and cheeses we arrived at our spread (modified slightly due to the craziness Rainbow Grocery's Customer Appreciation Day brought to their cheese counter).

A Sampling of Cheeses from Bi-Rite

We plated the following cheeses:

• Petit Basque
  Pasteurized Sheep’s milk, created in 1997 by the French dairy giant Lactalis, produced in the Pyrenees Mountains of France from December to July.
  Firm, washed rind cheese with mild, nutty and slightly sweet fruity flavor with caramel notes. Pairs nicely with sliced apples and pears or stone fruits such as peaches, apricots or cherries. Can also be served with olives and pate.
• Idiazabal (pronounced Eee-dee-ya-ZA-bal)
  Unpasteurized Sheep’s milk from a village located in Goierri Valley, Basque region of Spain.
  Semi-soft pressed cheese, sometimes smoked over beechwood, hawthorn or cherry, with a rich nutty, buttery flavor. Often eaten with quince jam.
• Arte Queso Manchego
  Pasteurized Sheep’s milk produced in the La Mancha region of Spain.
  Semi-firm pressed cheese aged for 4 to 12 months with well developed, but not too strong buttery flavor, nutty piquancy, and peppery body. In antipasto plates, serve with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, crusty bread, and robust red wine or dry Sherry.
• Garrotxa (pronounced gah-ROH-chuh)
  Unpasteurized Goat’s milk made in Girona, a north-central Catalonia province in Spain.
  Semi-firm pressed cheese with mildly herbal and tangy flavor with hints of hazelnuts in the aftertaste as well as white pepper.
• Gouda – a comparison
  (on the left in the photo above) Semi-firm cheese from pasteurized Goat’s milk, aged for 2 to 4 months, with mild nutty flavor and peppery aftertaste.
  (on the right in the photo above) Ewephoria, Semi-firm cheese from pasteurized Sheep’s milk, aged for 10 months, with sweet, nutty, buttery flavor.
• Fiore Sardo
  Raw Sheep’s milk from Sardinia, the island north of Sicily, off the Italian Coast.
  Firm cheese that’s sharp and savory with wet smoke, salty tang, and piquant, nutty finish.
• Pepato
  Raw sheep’s milk made with whole black peppercorns at Bellwether Farms in Sonoma County in California, USA. Awarded first place in the Flavored Cheese Open Category made from Sheep’s Milk at the American Cheese Society Competition of 2009. Originated in Sicily.
  Semi-soft cheese with peppercorns.

Everyone voted for their favorite or favorites. Ewephoria, Fiore Sardo, Pepato, and Garrotxa all received a nod, but Petit Basque was the clear stand out with three times as many votes.

Have you tried the cheeses we served? Which is your favorite?

I'll reveal which deli meats we picked (and highlight the ones we sampled but declined to serve) tomorrow and share the Gluten-free snacks we served with Eggplant Hummus and Olive Tapenade on Monday. Two spoilers: the bread pictured was not Gluten-free, and the Salt and Vinegar chips that I wrote about on Wednesday were not one of the snacks served.

Bon Apetit!

Eden

 

Credits: All images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for Recipes for the Good Life.

Grocery: In the Cheese Case at Bi-Rite

It's been awhile since cubes and I went to Bi-Rite. Late Saturday afternoon we headed there on our way back from running errands (dropping shoes off at the cobbler, taking shoes - and my favorite jeans - to a thrift shop, donating clothes that no longer fit, and visiting the tailor).

I picked up one of our favorites - Ewephoria, A Sheep Milk Gouda - and a new cheese: Benning Goat Gouda. We'd just had a Goat Gouda from Trader Joe's and cubes had remarked how much he liked it. (Note unless you're able to eat the cheese you buy from Trader Joe's the same day you purchase it, avoid buying cheese at Trader Joe's. We had a Goat Cheddar start showing mold the day after I bought it, and the Goat Gouda the day after we opened it.)

On Sunday, The Great De-Cluttering of 2011 continued. As a reward I made myself a antipasto plate with Kalmata olives, Benning Goat Gouda, Ciabatta, Ewephoria, and Salumi. Yum!

For those curious about my progress, I didn't finish de-cluttering and organizing the living room closet. I discovered that the vintage suitcases I'd gotten for storage, thinking I could stack them, were angled. Anything placed on top of them slid right off and onto the floor. I had to do some rearranging of areas I'd already finished and order another shelving unit. All but the sewing area is neatly organized and one can see the floor in the closet again as well as close both closet doors.

Grocery: This Week's Cheese Finds

One of our guilty pleasures is exploring new cheeses from the case at Bi Rite Market. Yesterday cubes brought home two new cheeses for us to try:

1. Fiore Sardo: a semi-hard to hard Italian sheep's milk cheese that is sharp and savory and was traditionally used in Pesto in Naples and Genoa. It is aged a minimum of 8 months. It was awarded D.O.P. (Denominazione di Origine Protetta or protected designation of origin) status in 1996 which the Italians use to guarantee that the milk and cheese come from a certain location. "The slightest shavings of it brings simple olive oil-dressed pasta alive." (Sources: Cowgirl Creamery's Library of Cheeses; Gourmet-Food.com; and The Gourmet Foodstore)
2. Andante Selections' Tomme Brebis/Chevre: a semi-firm, slightly dry French sheep's milk cheese that has a mildly sharp flavor with sweet buttery finish that has slightly nutty undertones. It has been awarded A.O.P. (Appellation d’Origine Côntrolée or controlled label of origin) status which the French use to ensure the quality of their cheeses. "Delicious with crusty bread, fruit and wine. It also melts well for sauces and omelets." Pair with a Burgundy or medium-body red wine. (Sources: The Gourmet Foodstore; Marky's; and Vermont Cheese Council)

Have you tried these cheeses before? Did you enjoy them as antipasto or in a dish? Any wine pairings we should experiment with?