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Posts Tagged ‘food’

Mac and Cheese Magic with Toasted Orzo + Parmigiano Reggiano

Posted in Cheese, Main Dishes, Recipes, Salads & Sides, tagged , , , , , , , on July 7, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Toasted Orzo Parmigiano Reggiano Mac and Cheese

A couple of months ago, I had the good fortune to have a late afternoon lunch at B&G Oysters in the South End. With a natural affinity for all things dairy and, in particular, for a good mac and cheese, I ordered the orzo from their list of “sides” to go with my lobster roll.

It arrived in a small ceramic dish, hot from the oven. I pierced the crumb topping with my spoon and scooped up a bite. A little puzzled because there were some darker colored bits in amongst the cheesy creaminess, I thought that there was a little prosciutto surprise in there. (more…)

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Choosing Our Cheese: Cabot Clothbound Cheddar

Posted in Cheese, Local, United States, tagged , , , , , , on June 28, 2012 | 8 Comments »

Cabot Clothbound Cheddar

Cabot Clothbound Cheddar (note the batch date at right)

Every two months or so, Tripp, our domestic cheese buyer in Cambridge, and I, domestic cheese buyer for our South End location, drive up to Greensboro, Vermont and visit with our friends at the Cellars at Jasper Hill. The purpose of these trips is primarily to select new wheels of Cabot Clothbound Cheddar.

Artisan cheeses, like Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, tend to differ slightly from one batch to another – even wheels made one day apart and aged under the same conditions, can be surprisingly different. These variations can be attributed to the season, to changes in the weather and to what the cows might have munched on the day they were milked. I like to think of it as a sort of time capsule, a way of capturing a moment of the farm’s existence in time. (more…)

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Made in the USA: Cheeses to Celebrate Independence Day

Posted in Cheese, Fourth of July, Holiday, Local, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Lake's Edge - Blue Ledge Farm

Lake’s Edge – Blue Ledge Farm

Celebrate Independence Day with a cheese plate that is “Made in the USA!” Tripp, domestic cheese buyer in our Cambridge shop, is recommending four cheeses for this July 4th (“four for the fourth!”). All of the cheeses hail from Vermont and represent varying textures, styles and milk types. Whether you try one or all of these cheeses, we think you’ll be as impressed with what is happening on the American cheese scene as we are! (more…)

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Metaphors: Describing and Sharing Our Food Experiences

Posted in Cheese, Food Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 14, 2012 | 4 Comments »

Arthur Rimbaud

Arthur Rimbaud

Not long ago, a fellow cheesemonger and I were talking about the way we describe food – specifically, in selling cheese to our customers. “Like ‘nutty,’” she said. “Nuts really have nothing to do with the production of cheese.”

Why do I think of the flavor of sesame seeds when I taste Moses Sleeper, from Jasper Hill Farm, in Vermont? Why Brazil nuts with a recent Taleggio or pistachio when tasting Caprotto? Why do we describe specific tastes, or hints of taste, with things that are most certainly uncheese-like? Because these metaphors help people understand what to expect from a cheese. (more…)

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Delicious Ideas for Summer Celebrations

Posted in Father's Day, Fourth of July, Gift Giving, Holiday, tagged , , , , , , on May 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Peeling PeachesSummer encompasses a lot of holidays, festivities and parties. We unofficially kick the season off with Memorial Day weekend, celebrating our fathers in June, our country’s independence in July and winding things down with Labor Day weekend in September. Produce-wise, we relish fresh strawberries, local peaches and cherries. Freshly harvested, in pies or turned into jams for cold-weather enjoyment, there is a lot to do in the kitchen. On the cheese front, fresh mozzarella and burrata pair beautifully with ripe tomatoes, olive oil and basil – young goat cheeses are also high on our list, perfect with the greens harvested in our home gardens. Here are a few of our top picks for gifts and goodies as the thermometer starts to climb: (more…)

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Roasting with Barrington Coffee

Posted in Beverages, Coffee, Education, Producer Profile, Travelogues, United States, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 22, 2012 | 3 Comments »

I recently visited Barrington Coffee at their roastery in Lee, MA, in the heart of the Berkshires. Roastmaster Brian Heck, along with fellow coffee alchemist Paul, guided me through Barrington’s process of coaxing the delicate aromas and fine flavors out of their unroasted, green coffee beans. It takes an artisan’s practiced touch, a connoisseur’s critical taste, and a farmer’s dedication to his crop to create the consistently outstanding coffees Barrington is known for.

Green coffee beans starting to roast

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. (more…)

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Staff Tasting: Spring Brook Farm’s Reading and Tarentaise

Posted in Cheese, Producer Profile, United States, tagged , , , , , , on May 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Spring Brook Farm Cheeses - Reading and Tarentaise

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! (more…)

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Farm to Table: The Importance of Soil Health

Posted in Farms & Gardens, Food Science, Produce, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on May 10, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Seedlings - Red Fire Farm

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.” (more…)

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A Friend’s Finishing Touch: Goat Milk Caramel

Posted in Dairy (non-cheese), Desserts, Recipes, tagged , , , , , , on May 5, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Beltane Farm - Goat Milk and Yogurt

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. (more…)

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A Touch of Inspiration: Visiting Mt. Mansfield Creamery

Posted in Cheese, Cheesemaking, Local, Producer Profile, Travelogues, United States, tagged , , , , , on April 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Stan Biasini and Brad at Mt. Mansfield Creamery

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. (more…)

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