Saladini’s Mozzetta Knife

Father’s Day – Sunday, June 17

Treat Dad to a hand-crafted knife from Coltelleria Saladini – a special Italian find and a favorite of our cheesemongers. Alternately, if your father is local to our Cambridge shop, indulge Dad with a Formaggio Food Community cheese or charcuterie share!

Independence Day – Wednesday, July 4

BBQ is the order of the day for many folks on July 4th. Condiments can help to make or break your ‘Q. We’re particularly excited about Antonia’s Mosterds – new mustards from the Netherlands that we are importing directly. We also have a wide selection of hot sauces – as one staffer was overheard telling a customer, “Sriracha is the unofficial staff condiment.”

Cole’s Mackerel in Piri Piri Sauce with Salad

Labor Day – Monday, September 3

At the peak of summer, simple, no-cook meals are at the top of our list – especially if they include some specialty seafood. From anchovies to garnish your Caesar salad, to fine tuna for a Nicoise salad, to octopus for a “Frutti di Mare” dish, to prepared sardine fillets for a cold summer lunch, there are many options for keeping cool and adding a touch of the ocean to your menu!

Brian began by guiding me through the roasting process, from bag to finished bean. Barrington Coffee has three roasters, the largest handling up to 60 lbs. and the smallest able to roast as little as 1/4 lb. at a time. When I visited, Brian and Paul were manning all three roasters, producing select origin as well as blended coffees.

Bag of green coffee beans

The roastmaster begins by hoisting bags – up to 150 lbs. each – to a vacuum that feeds green beans into a waiting hopper, positioned atop an already-fired roaster.

With the fire off, the temperature is allowed to drop as the green beans are slowly added and gradually reach an equilibrium at a little above 200 degrees F. With the fire on and drum turning, the temperature climbs and hovers in the 400 F range. The exact temperature varies by region and batch.

Roasting thermostat and viewer

There is no set “doneness” for any given bean. Instead, the roastmaster checks the beans’ progress with a sort of core sampler, not unlike the tool we cheesemongers use to check on the progress of wheels as they age in our cave. Barrington roast times are relatively short by industry standards: the longer it takes to bring a bean to its optimal roast temperature, the more “cooked” or “baked” the final coffee will taste.

Checking the roasting progress

Once the right temperature is reached and the coffee has gone “exothermic”, meaning no additional heat is being applied but the beans’ temperature continues to rise, the roastmaster opens the door of the roaster, the finished beans spilling out to begin slowly cooling down.

Circulating the beans to hasten cooling

As they’re cooling, the roaster looks for anomalies. Any beans that are defective, over-roasted (sometimes a bean gets stuck in one spot as it roasts), or under-ripe are removed with a practiced hand. Under-ripe beans are called “quakers” and, after roasting, taste more like toasted rice or popcorn than coffee.

Sorting by hand to remove under-ripe “quakers”

Once the beans cool and (if applicable) are blended, they head into the bagging machine, where they’re weighed and bagged. This is still a manual process, the machines just expedite the pouring and ensure the numbers are right.

Cooled beans are removed for bagging

The bags are then heat-sealed, the familiar flexible wire tie is added, and Barrington’s signature “batch roasted in the Berkshires” seal is added.

Bagging the coffee

So how does it all taste? Brian, Gregg (one of the company’s co-founders) and I cupped three coffees – all recently roasted and chosen to represent a wide range of aromas and flavors: earthy (Sumatra Aceh Grower’s Cooperative), brightly acid (Kenya AA Ruiru Mills Estate), and richly balanced (Colombian La Esperanza). Brian began by measuring out 9 grams of coffee per cup, adding water just off the boil, and allowing steeping for two minutes while it developed a thick “crust” of grounds on top.

At the second minute mark, we broke the crust with spoons and gently pushed it under the surface, our noses close to the surface, inhaling deeply the aromas released by the breaking crust.

A coffee’s aroma is just as important, (if not more so!), as the actual taste, and breaking the crust in this manner is the best way to assess it. After two more minutes, the grounds have settled into the bottom of each cup, and we begin to taste.

A nice variety. Steeped, crust broken and slurped!

So what’s the proper way to taste at a cupping? A noisy slurp! We would lift each spoon of coffee to our lips, then slurp the liquid quickly back across the palate, covering the surface of the tongue and palate with a quick spray of coffee. This allows the flavors to be best and most completely appreciated. We started with the Sumatran, an earthy, heady cup, like the loam of a forest floor. It’s hard to find Sumatran coffees that are this deep any more, since processing standards have changed and tend to favor a more washed, “clean” flavor. But this depth is really what Indonesian coffee is all about, and Barrington’s has it. Next, the Kenya AA Ruiru, my personal favorite, exploded across my palate with incredibly lively acidity, dying down slowly and giving off floral and grapey  aromas as the flavor dissipated. The final coffee was the Colombian La Esperanza, with a beautifully dense but delicate body, rising in pitch with a light acidity, but remaining true to its deeper and richer notes – a very pretty coffee, with an integrated diversity of flavors.

Quickly realizing that the Kenya AA Ruiru Mills Estate was my personal favorite, Brian filled a bag for me, Paul showed me how to seal it properly, and I attached the metal closing strip and seal. Of course, we had to make sure the coffee had its date of roast on the bottom – that same day, May 10! Shortly afterward, I thanked Brian, Paul, and Gregg for what had been an educational and delicious day at the roastery.

Paul and Brian of Barrington Coffee

At Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, our ever-changing stock of Barrington coffees includes the Kenya AA, a single-origin espresso from Daterra Farms in Brazil, the company’s Espresso Gold, and several other select origin coffees. Look out for the Sumatra Aceh and the Colombian La Primavera in coming weeks.

Spring Brook Farm Cheeses – Reading (L) and Tarentaise (R – progressing in age from the youngest, to the Reserve)

At the end of March, Jeremy Stephenson, head cheesemaker at Spring Brook Farm in Vermont, visited our Cambridge shop. He led a staff tasting on the Friday evening, sampled out to customers on Saturday and, along with several other amazing domestic cheese and beer producers, taught a class that afternoon. It was a busy weekend!

The Friday evening tasting was attended by staff members from all areas of the shop. We tasted Spring Brook Farm’s Reading and Tarentaise – the latter at four different ages. Three of the wheels were from February, 2011 and the last wheel we tasted was a “Reserve” wheel, about 2 years old.

Jeremy of Spring Brook Farm

Jeremy kicked things off by giving us a bit of background on the farm. Turns out, it began as an initiative for the Farms for City Kids Foundation. The farm serves as an outdoor learning space for children living in an urban environment. Through group tasks – such as caring for the farm animals, planting and maintaining a vegetable garden and making maple syrup – students develop their ability to work as a team. Ranging between the ages of 8 and 12, the children typically stay on the farm for about a week at a time.

The cheesemaking operations at Spring Brook came a bit later but were also designed with education in mind and were launched in collaboration with Thistle Hill Farm. The cheese house, built in 2008, has a glassed-in viewing area so the students can watch the cheesemakers at work. The equipment was imported from France and included copper vats, much like those used to make Parmigiano Reggiano (as a side note, before becoming a cheesemaker, Jeremy imported parm, making this seem somehow especially appropriate!). Last year, the farm produced about 80,000 pounds of Tarentaise and 20,000 pounds of Reading.

Spring Brook is home to more than 100 Jersey cows and roughly 40 of them are milked. Jerseys produce great cheesemaking milk – it has a higher fat content, usually about 4-6% as compared to, for example, Holstein milk which usually rings in at roughly 3-3.25% fat.

Staff Members at the Tasting

Reading and Tarentaise are made with raw milk, inspired by traditional cheeses of the French Alps. Indeed, the cheesemaking operations at Spring Brook have a very strong French influence – a French cheesemaker was consulted both on the construction of the cheese house and on the cheesemaking itself. He continues to visit each year, to help nurture the Spring Brook program. Jeremy said he was shortly expected at the farm for his 2012 visit.

At the staff tasting, we started with the youngest Tarentaise and worked our way up in age. The first two samples were only a day apart in terms of production, with the third being a mere 10 days older. The fourth, as mentioned above, was a two-year-old wheel. Tarentaise is a washed-rind, cooked curd cheese and is generally aged between 5-12 months.

Staffers remarked on the variation in flavors, even between the cheeses produced in the same month. This isn’t terribly surprising when sampling a raw milk cheese – since the good bacteria in the milk is not killed off by pasteurization, unique flavors, specific to what the cows had been eating before they were milked, are more likely to present themselves. This is why it is a good idea to taste all of your cheese before you buy it, particularly if it is made with raw milk – each wheel of cheese can be a little different from its fellows and tasting helps to make sure that the cheese still falls within your “love it!” parameters. When Jeremy asked what we thought of the cheese, comments that were heard, included: “a lot like Comté,” “tastes like toast or bread,” “nutty,” “delicious,” “spicy finish on the Reserve” and “horseradishy.”

We also tasted the farm’s Reading – a cheese not too dissimilar from Raclette. Aged about 4-4½ months, this cheese is more pliant than Tarentaise, to some extent a function of its youth (cheeses of this type lose moisture as they age and tend to harden as a result). Very buttery and a little milder than Tarentaise, this cheese is a great melter and is ideal for mac and cheese.

Jeremy (L) of Spring Brook Farm Leading a Tasting for Formaggio Kitchen Staff

After taking questions from staff members, Jeremy shared some of his favorite pairings with Spring Brook cheeses: Belgian beers, Cabernet Franc based wines and white wines. He also told us about a delicious fondue he had made, combining Reading and Tarentaise. We’re certainly game to try it!

A big thank you to Jeremy for making the trek from Vermont and sharing his cheesemaking expertise with us!

Seedlings at Red Fire Farm

At Formaggio Kitchen, serious consideration is given to the impact of the land or terroir on each bottle of wine, wheel of cheese and bar of chocolate — for familiarity with soil and its composition yields a deeper understanding of the relationship between the Earth and our food. Many of our biodynamic and natural wine producers emphasize the importance of soil composition as it relates to the health of the vineyard as well as to the expression of the wine. I Clivi winemakers, Ferdinando Zanusso and Mario Zanusso, produce, “as ‘transparent’ a wine as possible, in which soil, climate and tradition may come fully through and be perceived without interferences.”

To understand the complex chemical relationship between the soil and the fruit it bears, it is good to have a grasp of the fundamentals. First, there are four basic components of soil. Water and air are two, each contributing roughly 25% of the final composition. Mineral matter, comprised of stones and gravel from the underlying bedrock, represents another 45%. An important 5% is organic matter — dead plants, dead animals, and the waste of those dead plants and animals.

In order to thrive, most plants prefer a particular soil composition with the correct balance of nutrients and minerals. For example, carrots prefer soil with a high potassium content. Apple orchards thrive in loose, deep soils with a slightly acidic (i.e. low) pH. Factors such as depth, pH, and water availability in the soil will develop the acids and sugars in the fruit, which in turn will influence the final flavor. Those who study terroir in viticulture argue that climate, soil density and water availability will heighten the complexity and influence the taste of the eventual wine.

Fields at Red Fire Farm

Soil-focused farming encourages growth and increases productivity in a sustainable manner. And, techniques such as the use of cover crops and crop rotation ease the challenges of farming organically. By definition, cover crops are plants are grown in between harvests to increase fertility, suppress weeds, control pests, lessen erosion and support wildlife diversity. Cover crops may be grown at any time of the year, but are typically started in the fall — about four weeks prior to the killing frost. Also known as “green manure,” traditional cover crops include winter rye, winter wheat, oats, sweet clover and buckwheat. In the spring, the covers are gently tilled, leaving soil that is rich in nutrients and organic matter.

Another soil-focused approach to farming is the use of crop rotation. This can be applied in both large and small scale farming. Crop rotation is a systematic cycle of planting that will fortify the soil, reduce disease, and improve tilth, structure, and water absorption. In a four-year crop rotation, the land is divided into four sections in which crops are organized and planted according to family. For the sake of illustration, imagine a rectangular plot, divided into four quarters. In the upper right-hand quarter, the legumes: peas and beans. Moving clockwise, the roots are next (onions, leeks, carrots), followed by nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes) and finishing with greens (lettuces, celery, broccoli). The following spring, the plants are rotated one quadrant along. Where the legumes once grew are the greens, where the nightshades blossomed, the legumes, and so on.

Finally, one of the most intriguing methods used is intercropping, or companion planting. Companion planting is the practice of growing two distinct crops in close proximity to achieve a symbiotic relationship. It encourages productivity by using the natural chemicals found in plants to add minerals, deter pesticides and fix nitrogen deficiencies in the soil. Edible flowers such as marigolds and borage are harvested and sold as well, benefiting the farmer in ways that cover crops do not. This graphic, courtesy of Nigel Hawtin and New Scientist magazine, brightly portrays the concord between beans and brassicas, marigolds and tomatoes.

Diagram by: Nigel Hawtin for New Scientist (newscientist.com)

So why is this information pertinent to urban inhabitants? Gardening tips aside, encouraging sustainability in urban settings is increasingly necessary. By purchasing intelligently farmed fruits and vegetables, the consumer is supporting a sustainable agricultural system – for carefully nurturing crops in their preferred habitat eliminates the need for pesticides, genetic manipulation and intensive watering. To understand these techniques and why they benefit the land and the environment aids in making informed decisions at local grocery stores and farmers markets, hopefully bridging the gap between farmer and consumer and leading to a fuller appreciation of organic agriculture.

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If you are a Massachusetts-based gardener and are interested in having your soil tested, the Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst will analyze your soil for you for a small fee. If you are growing food for consumption, it is particularly important for checking lead levels but you receive a host of other information with your analysis, including fertilizer recommendations.

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Emily Shannon is a cooking enthusiast and works in the produce department and as a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge.

On weekends, we often have 12-16 people over for dinner. Since neither Ihsan nor I are big dessert eaters, someone else usually brings dessert. A couple of weeks ago, our good friend, John “Doc” Willoughby, brought a gingerbread cake and homemade goat milk caramel sauce. I have long been a big fan of anything made with goat milk, so I was thrilled with the dessert. Suffice it to say, we ate everything.

The goat milk that we carry at Formaggio Kitchen South End and in our Cambridge store is from Beltane Farm, located in Lebanon, CT. Beltane Farm is an 8-acre farm producing both cheeses and milk seasonally. Which is fitting. The name of the farm refers to the pagan celebration of May Day. In the Celtic tradition, fresh cheese and dairy were enjoyed as part of this celebration, welcoming spring, and the new milk supply that was the result of a successful kidding and lambing season. In addition to the fresh goat milk, we also have their thick Greek-style goat milk yogurt and, occasionally, soft ripened cheeses from Beltane Farm (depending on availability) at our South End location.

Beltane Farm’s grass-fed Oberhasli, Sannaan and La Mancha goats are milked twice daily. Fresh goat milk is an excellent beverage – the fat globules are smaller than in cow milk, and so it does not need to be homogenized. This lends a wonderful, creamy texture to the milk. As well, some research indicates that goat milk is easier to digest, contains less lactose, is less allergenic and is more akin to human milk than cow milk.

After our dinner, Doc was kind enough to share his recipe for caramel sauce with me. It’s delicious not only on cake but drizzled on ice cream or for caramel corn!

Goat Milk Caramel Sauce

Yield: about 1½ cups

2 quarts goat milk
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean, split open)
Large pinch of coarse salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water
1 cinnamon stick (optional)

Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla extract or bean, and cinnamon stick (if using) in a sturdy, heavy-bottomed sauce pan (important!). Heat over medium-high heat until the milk is just simmering.

Remove from heat and stir in the combined baking powder and water – watch out, it will foam up quite a bit. When the foaming has subsided, return the pan to heat. As soon as bubbles appear, turn the heat down so that the mixture is at a brisk simmer, not a boil.

Cook, stirring every 5 minutes or so to prevent burning, until the mixture has become a pale gold-brown. This should take about an hour.

At this point, you will need to pay close attention and stir more frequently as the milk thickens. When drizzled on a cold plate, it should be about the thickness of a medium caramel sauce. If it gets too thick, you can thin it with a little water. When it turns a dark caramel color, it is ready. If you’d like a richer, butterscotch flavor, you can continue until it is dark brown.

Remove from heat and let cool. Take out the cinnamon stick (if using) and vanilla bean. You can strain it if you want a fine texture. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

- Recipe courtesy of John ” Doc” Willoughby

Valerie Gurdal is the owner of Formaggio Kitchen South End.

Here we share a selection of some of our favorite goat milk cheeses, ranging in texture and place of origin – from Spain, to France, to right here in Massachusetts. Recommended pairings include: a crusty baguette, raisins on the vine, Floriano Turco’s wildflower honey, a wedge of Duck Pâté and Jan’s Farmhouse Crisps.

Madonna

If you are local to one of our stores – in Cambridge, the South End of Boston or Essex Market in New York – we invite you to come in and sample these delicious goat milk cheeses!

Robiola di San Lorenzo – This exquisite round of lightly-aged goat cheese is relatively new to our repertoire. Kurt and David, lead cheese buyers for our stores, discovered this robiola last fall while attending Cheese in Bra, Italy. Made in small quantities, it is both tangy and a little yeasty.

Mothaise sur Feuille – “Sur feuille” means “on a leaf” in French. And, true to its name, this small round of goat milk cheese is wrapped in a single chestnut leaf which makes for a beautiful presentation. It has a wrinkly, ivory-colored rind that covers a slight ooziness, giving way to a slightly cakier paste towards the center of the cheese. The flavors are lactic and creamy with a very gentle tang.

Ada’s Honor

Madonna – Molly and Katie Pindell of Sage Farm in Stowe, Vermont, began making cheese in 2008. Their cheese, Madonna, is a small, bloomy-rind goat milk disc that has fast become a favorite on the cheese counter. The paste is dense but rich and creamy with a clean, fresh flavor.

Ada’s Honor – Made at Ruggles Hill Creamery in Hardwick, Massachusetts, this small cheese is shaped like the French cheese, Chabichou. The farm’s small herd of six does provides the milk for this cheese which is then expertly handled by cheesemaker, Tricia Smith. It is usually Michael, Tricia’s husband, who then delivers the cheeses to our shop. Due to the high quality of their milk, Ruggles Hill Creamery cheeses are always rich in flavor and Ada’s Honor is no exception – lightly lemony with a hint of earthiness.

L-R: Stan Biasini and Brad

I recently had the great fortune to visit with Stan Biasini and his family at Mt. Mansfield Creamery in Morristown, Vermont. I arrived bright and early, just as Stan was pooling the milk from the morning milking into a heating vat to begin making his cheese: Inspiration. Here at the shop, we only began carrying Inspiration this year – it is a washed-rind cow milk cheese based on a Corsican recipe and has quickly become a staff favorite.

Apparently, we are not alone in our admiration of Inspiration. Although Stan has been making the cheese for only three years now, he has received some serious critical acclaim. Last year, for instance, it was awarded 2nd place in its category at the American Cheese Society competition.

Pouring Curds

Stan says that he largely owes his success to the fact that his wife, Debora, single-handedly milks their small herd of Brown Swiss and Holstein cows each morning, with the milk going directly to the creamery for cheese production. Indeed, cheesemaking is a family affair at Mt. Mansfield. The morning I visited, we were joined by Stan’s young daughter Adele who had the day off from school and chose to help her dad make cheese rather than go skiing with her brother on the nearby slopes. On the wall of the creamery hangs a poster project Adele made a few years ago for school, documenting each step in the cheesemaking process. I had come looking for small-family, farmstead production and, clearly, this was it.

As a relatively new cheesemonger here at the shop, this was my first opportunity to participate in the cheesemaking process. Cheesemaking is part scientific calculation and part hygiene assurance. Calibrated instruments rest neatly beside the stainless steel vat and a chart on the wall records specific times at which the cultures and rennet were added and an estimate of when it would be time to cut the curds. The cheesemaking room sparkles and, in between each step in the process, Stan was constantly cleaning. Nevertheless, Stan views cheesemaking as a relaxed process. “I am not a scientist,” he said with a smile on his face. “I make cheese to have fun.” Spending the day with Stan, I had a great deal of fun myself.

Inspiration has a wonderful golden, unctuous paste, with a well-balanced profile of sweetness, bitterness and funk. It pairs well with sweet and velvety Belgian beers, notably Saison Dupont and Ommegang Rare Vos. Keep an eye out in the upcoming months for wheels of Inspiration with a special Formaggio Kitchen touch!

Brad Jones is a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge and is currently studying for a masters in the Gastronomy program at Boston University.

With Giovanna Tiezzi of Pacina

As Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge’s wine buyer, the long-awaited arrival of spring means traveling to Verona for Italy’s most significant wine expo, VinItaly. The enormity and intensity of the show are both invigorating and challenging as it offers an expansive view of Italy’s wine scene, not only with thousands of indigenous grape varietals, but also with a genuine diversity of both terroirs and winemaking styles. Feeling overwhelmed is unavoidable.

I was most interested in visiting stands shared by a few like-minded producers rather than those with hired oenologists and assistants in massive, often decadent, booths. Most of the growers we support are so weary of this façade they opt to exhibit at smaller, more independent and natural-wine focused shows, namely VinNatur and Vini Veri. They choose less conspicuous positions for their stands, knowing their customers will seek them out even if it requires more effort. As a result, attending VinItaly not only means attending the headline event but also visiting the “off-shows.”

L-R: VinNatur Entrance + VinItaly Chaos

My experience at expos like VinItaly, VinNatur, Vini Veri and Millésime Bio has helped me develop my role as wine buyer. Over the years, I have come to know several of our producers very well and by working closely with these producers and their importers, I can often bring in certain wines exclusively for Formaggio Kitchen. This has allowed me the freedom and confidence to establish and nurture a wine program emphasizing wines that balance quality and price, resulting in a focused selection from dedicated smaller growers.

The Pacina Estate

Below are some highlights of my trip. The wines should make their way onto our shelves in the coming months.

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It is not by chance that Piedmont is one of Italy’s most captivating regions for Formaggio Kitchen’s buyers. Our cheese buyers are sourcing some stunning robiolas from this region and, as a result, have raised the stakes for the wine selection to deliver a similar level of quality. This dialogue between cheese and wine couldn’t be more imperative than it is in Piedmont. With this in mind, we are looking forward to the arrival of wines from two Piedmont producers: Cascina Corte of Dogliani, with whom I visited last fall during harvest, and Azienda Agricola Iuli of Monferrato to whom I was introduced at Millésime Bio in Montpellier, France.

Sandro Barosi, is an organic farmer who produces Barbera, Nebbiolo and specializes in Dolcetto which is the varietal that is most acclimated to the sub-region of Dogliani. Like many of the other growers that we support, Sandro is committed to low yields so that his wines are more expressive of their terroir. Everything is done by hand in his vineyard and cellars. Paired with his impressive technical know-how, this translates to articulate, authentic wines of a high quality. His Dolcetto Pirochetta is my favorite. It comes from Cascina Corte’s oldest vines that are planted on clay-calcareous soils, imparting concentration and depth. He chooses to elevate the wine for at least eighteen months in stainless steel and then for a few months in bottle before release, patiently letting the wine develop.

Fabrizio of Agricola Iuli

Frequently, it is the producers we already know who introduce us to other new and exciting winemakers or food producers. Such was the case with Azienda Agricola Iuli – I have Giovanna Tiezzi of Pacina to thank for that introduction. Fabrizio Iuli focuses mainly on Barbera with a mix of old and young vines on his estate. The old-vine Barbera is most compelling as it shows tremendous acidity and concentration with succulent, cherry fruit and faint herbal notes. His young-vine Barbera shows great drinkability and freshness, making it a preferable warm weather red.

Andrea Oberto of Erbaluna

I would be remiss not to mention Erbaluna’s blockbuster line-up of Dolcetto, Barbera, Langhe Nebbiolo and Le Rocche Barolo that should be back on our shelves come autumn. Andrea Oberto, organic Barolista in La Morra, graciously led us (Richard Kzirian of Violette Imports, Lauren Friel of Oleana restaurant and myself) through a tasting of his powerful wines, noting particular elegance and appreciation for his ’10 Langhe Rosso which is a no-sulfites-added blend of Barbera and Dolcetto that seemed too evolved and delicious to be a cask sample. He took the time to tell me about Nebbiolo as a varietal, revealing that the resulting wines are often counter-intuitive. Nebbiolo’s meager extraction – especially in cooler vintages – suggests that it is a wine of delicacy and early consumption. However, its aggressive streak of tannins and its range of complex flavors that come with age, tell a different story. If you don’t want to wait for fall to try Andrea’s wines, we currently have a few bottles of his ’09 Rosso on our shelves.

Simone of Lo Spaventapasseri

Simone of Lo Spaventapasseri was not only excited to have me re-taste his ’10 Barbera d’Asti that I currently stock but also sample his ’11 Pino Nero Rosato. My initial hesitation, that Pinot Noir is hardly indigenous to Piedmont, was quickly overcome by the wine’s deliciousness. Its raspberry-scented fruit came across as clean and refreshing even though its alcohol content was rather high at 14% (given his area’s propensity for hot summers). The wine will be featured in our rosé section this summer until my twenty-five pre-ordered cases run out. It should be here in late May-June. I am thrilled to deepen Formaggio Kitchen’s relationship with Simone’s organic farm (that began with importing their tiny production mostardas and condiments back in 2005) by carrying their wines. We also anticipate a visit from Simone in November or December of this year and promise a tasting for our customers – with me translating!

Also at Trimilli – the stand at VinItaly that is home to a consortium of organic Piedmont and Tuscan growers – was Gabriele Buondonno. The good news is that he still has some ’09 Chianti Classico left, as he mentions in this brief clip, and promised to reserve some for Violette Imports. I hope to put together a rather sizable order with him that will include some of his ’10 Rosato that, not surprisingly, drinks beautifully. Though retailers routinely stress to consumers that rosé should be consumed within the summer following its harvest, even rosé can continue to evolve in very desirable ways, showing more depth and nuance if given more bottle age. Bandol and many Cerasuolo (rosé from Abruzzo) are regarded in this fashion and I would argue that Buondonno’s Rosato will also age well.

Giovanna Tiezzi of Pacina

Giovanna Tiezzi and Stefano Borsa of Pacina anticipate a good harvest this year as a result of the approximately 1.5 meters of snow that they received over the winter. As we tasted their ’08 Chianti, they explained that it was a more classic vintage in its acidity and balance with respect to the ’07 vintage that we currently have, which shows boundless strength and tremendous age-worthy qualities. I urge travelers to Tuscany this spring and summer to pay them a visit as they have a beautiful agriturismo and an intoxicating setting, not to mention the history and tradition of the estate that offers a unique window onto the past.

From Friuli, i Clivi’s 2011 wines are stunning, which isn’t surprising given the sunny harvest back in September. Although their Brazan vineyard, located in DOC Collio, experienced the misfortune of a violent hailstorm in the summer that wiped out half of the Tocai, the Friulano and Malvasia show power and finesse, similar to the ’09 vintage. Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge will also see the return of i Clivi’s red wine by the end of May, including a small supply of their first vintage of red – Galea ’97 (always all Merlot from old, low-yielding organic vines). In addition, I happily report their best vintage yet of Spumante (100% Ribolla Gialla) should make its way into our stores in time for graduation season!

I Clivi in Corno di Rosazzo

As for this coming vintage, only time will tell. Ferdinando expressed concern over the lack of snow during the winter and perpetual dryness in the Colli Orientali and Collio thus far. The vineyards did look rather arid at sunset as we ascended their long, steep driveway, happy to have an evening of calm after four exhilarating days in Verona.

Gemma Iannoni is the wine buyer and a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge.

Grilled Cheese: Comté and Fieschi’s Confettura di Cipolline Borretane

Grilled cheese sandwiches are classic American fare. Many of us associate this archetypal melty sandwich with childhood and/or with camping trips. I recall one particularly memorable camping trip when, after a hard day of canoeing, we finally reached our camp site. Situated on a beautiful Maine lake, the spot was picturesque and well-poised for swimming. We were hungry when we arrived but absolutely famished by the time we got camp set up. First thing on the agenda? Dinner. We made grilled cheese and tomato soup and, boy, did it taste like the best thing ever! That was the day when I became a firm believer in the saying, “hunger is the best sauce.” However, our enjoyment was also, undoubtedly, due to the inherent deliciousness of grilled cheese itself and the classic pairing with tomato soup.

Here at the shop, we don’t do grilled cheese every day but when we do, it seems as though we can’t make enough. Some of you may have encountered Adam or Eric out in front of the shop doing grilled cheeses on the days preceding Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. They were offering our two classic grilled cheese options, chosen by Food & Wine as among the top ten in the United States: one is made with Comté and the other is made with the Cellars at Jasper Hill’s Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. We vary the condiments a little bit but the favorite go-to for the Comté grilled cheese is Raphaël’s Confit d’Oignons (onion confit) or Fieschi’s Confettura di Cipolline Borretane, another onion spread. The go-to for the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar is Wood’s Apple Cider Jelly.

Our Go-To Grilled Cheese Ingredients: Comté, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Wood’s Cider Jelly and Fieschi’s Confettura di Cipolline Borretane

Embarking on this post, I was curious to see if my colleagues had any particular personal grilled cheese preferences and took a moment to stroll around the shop, conducting a very impromptu staff survey. In addition to getting very hungry in the process, I got some wonderfully specific, passionate and well-considered responses:

Tyler told me that his favorite grilled cheese was inspired by a Comté and cipollini onion combo prepared by Tripp. However, instead of Comté, he uses Spring Brook Tarentaise for its salty-pepperiness and balsamic caramelized shallots, riffing on the cipollini. Alyssa and Emily both raved about using “lots of ketchup” on their grilled cheeses, specifying Comté as the cheese of choice. Emily also evinced a preference for caramelized onions and rye bread. In the bakery, Hanako told me that her favorite grilled cheese was made with fresh crushed garlic and mustard. Last summer, she worked on a farm and was harvesting garlic – one set of cloves went straight “from soil to sandwich” and the results were apparently amazing. I have to say, that’s one I am keen to try!

In the office, Erin and I discovered a common affinity for mustard on our grilled cheese – she added that a little bacon also did not go amiss but wondered whether that variation pushed the sandwich out from under the grilled cheese umbrella. I don’t think it does.

On the Grill: Comté Grilled Cheese

On the register side, Serena, Nikki and I shared our fondness for tomatoes. Nikki also mentioned she likes to add some pickles to her (preferably cheddar) grilled cheese. Back on the cheese counter, Tripp and Gemma were in sync over their choice of cheese: Landaff, hands down. Tripp prefers his Landaff unadorned in the grilling process but likes a little Piri Piri sauce or cider vinegar on hand for dipping. Gemma told me that she likes her Landaff combined with a touch of a sharp cheddar (like Keen’s) on a sesame bagel with slices of tomato and a sprinkling of cracked pepper and salt. As for a pairing? Gemma is partial to some really crunchy olive oil potato chips.

Do you have a favorite grilled cheese combo? If so, we’d love to hear about your variation and how you came up with it!

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If you’re interested in a little grilled cheese experimenting, here’s a recap of some of our favorites for a bit of mixing-and-matching.

Cheeses: Comté, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Keen’s Cheddar, Landaff, Spring Brook Tarentaise Reserve

Condiments: Mustard, Wood’s Apple Cider Jelly, Raphaël Confit d’Oignons, Fieschi Confettura di Cipolline Borretane, Ketchup

Other Additions: Bacon, Tomatoes, Pickles, Fresh Garlic, Balsamic Caramelized Shallots

For Dipping: Tomato Soup, Piri Piri Sauce, Cider Vinegar

The lovely elixir that is Macvin du Jura is made from the juice of a combination of red and white grapes to which the local Marc (“mac”) or grape brandy is added. This addition fortifies the sweet juice with alcohol and stops fermentation. The “wine” is then aged in oak casks for several years to develop and integrate the flavors.

The delicious result is strong and sweet with complex flavors of burnt orange peel, nuts, dried fruits and southern sweet tea. A high alcohol content (17%) and some sweetness means a re-corked bottle will keep for months in your refrigerator, but in spite of these qualities the Montbourgeau Macvin retains a bright, fresh quality that makes it equally appropriate before or after dinner. Ideally we recommend pairing it with a hunk of your favorite Marcel Petite Comté. Try it also with fruit or nut desserts, or even dark chocolate.

Domaine de Montbourgeau Macvin du Jura is available in limited quantities at Formaggio Kitchen South End.

Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and wine buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston.