Tag: artisan cheese
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Alp Blossom Smells Like Heaven
If I could only smell one scent for the rest of my life, it would probably be the scent of Alp Blossom. This stunning cow’s milk cheese from Sennerei Huban is a celebration of springtime. Decorated with a rind of flowers and herbs from Alpine Meadows, the cheese is made in Austria and aged in…
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Celilo is Here!
This weekend, an older couple came into the shop looking for Death & Taxes. While I knew exactly what cheese they wanted, I had to report that we did not carry it; in fact, I do not know of a shop in Seattle that does (please let me know if I’m wrong, people!). At that…
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What Happens at Cheese Camp Doesn’t Stay at Cheese Camp
Yeah, I went there—with the bad “what happens at _______ stays at ________” reference in the title AND to cheese camp. You’re welcome. [metaslider id=890] So I went to Cheese Camp last week. And if you are wondering what that means, sit tight; I’m about to tell you all about it. For the…
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Everything You Didn’t Realize You Needed to Know About Irish Cheeses
Somebody (my mom) asked me last week if I was going to write any posts about Irish cheeses leading up to St. Patrick’s Day (I was planning to). Since we don’t carry many varieties of Irish cheese in my shop, I was concerned that I wouldn’t have much to write. In truth, the only cheeses…
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A Cheese I Cantal Love Enough
It’s not enough for the French to have 6,000 types of native cheeses. They have to compete with the English on the one cheese that couldn’t get more English: cheddar. That’s right; the French have a cheddar, too. And it’s delicious. Really, ridiculously delicious. Sure, it’s not really a cheddar—and the French would probably not…
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What in the Heck is Raclette?
Raclette is the new big foodie thing. You heard it here first, okay? Raclette is both a cheese and a dish. Raclette is a type of cow’s milk cheese that, like Gruyère, is made in Switzerland and in France. In Switzerland, Raclette is the name given to a style of cheese, and each Swiss Raclette…
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Parmigiano Reggiano versus Grana Padano (with videos!)
Parmigiano Reggiano is the king of cheeses. The real namesake of what Americans call “parmesan,” it is among the most famous of all the many Italian cheeses. Romano (which I wrote about briefly in a post on Pecorinos earlier on the blog) is up there, too. Parmigiano Reggiano comes in a massive, 84-pound wheel that…
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Happy Thanksgiving 2016!
What cheese are you thankful for? I’m thankful for all the lovely washed rind cheeses we sold on Tuesday and Wednesday. It warms my heart to know that the people of Seattle are including the funky bunch on their cheese plates today. I even brought home an Epoisse for myself. My boyfriend made gagging sounds…
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Tips to Make Your Thanksgiving Cheese Plate
Thanksgiving. In the general American consciousness, it is a holiday for feasting, celebrating one’s family (or close network of friends who might as well be family), and pondering all that is good in our lives. The focus is typically on the grand turkey dinner—but most people don’t fast all day before they eat. So what…
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The Care and Keeping of Cheeses
If there’s a question that almost nobody asks our cheesemongers, it’s this one: “how do I take care of this cheese?” Particularly if you’re spending a fair bit of money on artisanal cheeses, you don’t want them to just rot in your refrigerator. (I hope.) But too many people don’t actually know the proper way…
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Gruyère and Comté: Two of a Kind
Gruyère: a lot of people know what it is. Many more come into the store looking for it because a recipe told them to. And even more people have no idea what I’m talking about right now. In his book “Cheese Primer,” Steven Jenkins calls Swiss Gruyère, “Everything Swiss Emmental isn’t and wishes it were”…
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Emmental: Now that’s a Big Cheese!
Yesterday I shared a picture I took of my friend Chelsea with a cheese that weighs more than she does. It was actually the second of two such cheeses that she was preparing for the sales floor, so it goes without saying that Chelsea is a BOSS. That cheese behemoth was a French Emmentaler, or…
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Notes from the 2016 Washington Artisan Cheesemakers Festival
There was cheese everywhere. And by everywhere, I mean throughout the entire ground floor of the Seattle Design Center. Tables and tables of cheese samples, cheesemakers, cheese purveyors, and cheese pairings. It was a sight to behold. I arrived on the scene of the Washington Artisan Cheesemakers Festival with two of my dear colleagues, Alicia…