Say "Cheese" for Dinner, Hurricane or Not

As hurricane charges up the coast, we thought it would be a good idea to continue discussing meals that require a minimum of preparation and heat, particularly in the face of potential power outages.

As huge fans of the cheese course, we'll use any excuse to serve a selection of our favorites.    These two goals collided this week and with a quick trip to Salumeria in Reading Terminal Market,  dinner was served.

Lucky for us, the folks at Salumeria are supremely knowledgeable and equally helpful.  I explained that I wanted a cheese course that would serve as  light dinner with a simple green salad.  They helped me select seven cheeses that created a perfect assortment of flavors and textures.

For this repast, I chose...

2 firm cheeses:
Hollander, a 4 year aged Gouda with a nutty flavor and grainy, crunchy texture.
Bellavitano, a sharpish Italian cheese which combines the bite of a great cheddar with the salty zing of a great Parmesan.

2 medium cheeses:
Etorki, a Manchego-esque cheese from the Pyrenees Basque region of Spain
Fontalino, a creamy Italian with a strong finish--approaching stinky in the best possible way

2 soft cheeses:

Delice de Borgogne--a triple creme, 'nuff said.
Taleggio--Italy's answer to Brie, in my opinion, but slightly more interesting.

1 bleu--because you kind of have to finish with a bleu, don't you?
Bleu D'Auvergne--the perfect blend of creaminess, sharpness, and pungence.


I surrounded them with some wafer crackers and whole wheat biscuits (slightly sweet), a jar of fig jam, a dish of Marcona Almonds and some fresh fruits and veggies. 

Come on, Irene. (ok, it's a stretch, but it gave me a little titter.)

Cheese at Reading Terminal Market - as recommended by the experts!

We assembled our own "flight" of cheeses from merchants at the Reading Terminal Market

What's a cheese condiment?  It's a food that plays a valuable supporting role on your cheese plate.  It includes chutneys, pastes, preserves, fresh or dried fruit, nuts - you name it, use your imagination.  The sensational cheese plate we enjoyed at Talula's Garden (see previous post) tipped us off to how these food pairings enhance one's appreciation of cheese.  We also stumbled upon a learned website, appropriately enough called The Nibble:  Great Food Finds which explains in detail the pseudo-science behind this food combining.  Interesting to note, that no-one mentions crackers anywhere...

To reproduce the visual and epicurean feast we enjoyed last month at Talula's Garden, we nipped into the Reading Terminal Market and interviewed the cheese merchants there; both Downtown Cheese and Salumeria were especially helpful. 

We also loved the labelling at Fairfood Farmstand - you felt like you were on first name terms with the cow that made the cheese by the time you'd read the label. 

Blue Suede Moo Cheese from FairFoods

And, most impressively, Fairfood Farmstand does all the work for you by recommending not only the condiments best suited to accompany that particular cheese, but even suggests the type of beer or wine that will bring out the best in that cheese.

Our own cheese plate featured, amongst others Cherry Glen Crottin; Uncle Joe's from Clover Creek Creamery; Bichrun Blue Raw Cow (these last two came from FairFood and have comprehensive 'tasting notes') and best of all a near liquid soft cheese called Delice de Bourgogne from Downtown Cheese.  This cheese is quite soft straight from the fridge; imagine it when served at room temperature!  It turned positively gloopy and was unanimously voted the star cheese on our cheese plate this weekend.  Try it, do.

The following cheese and condiment pairings were suggested by Aimee Olexy, owner and Maitre d' at Talula's.

1. Parmesan with olives (a dry, crumbly cheese works well paired with juicy olives).
2. Gouda cheese, which is quite oily and rich, served with caramel provides an unexpected contrast.
3. Cheddar for good reason is traditionally served with something tart like an apple slice or a quince paste (membrillo is the Spanish name for this conconction).
4. A fresh local (PA) farm cheese like ricotta or mozzarella is lifted to even greater heights by the addition of sweet - now in season - cherry tomatoes.

Other vendors worth visiting at the Market to source exotic condiments include gourmet grocer Jonathon Best (for marcona almonds and preserves); Salumeria for a wide selection of olives and the Pennsylvania Dutch for preserves and fruit chutneys.

Rhubarb compote, a wonderful flavor foil to cheese, and it beautifies the presentation with its gorgeous color.

Check out the olives at Salumeria.  Ummm.

We also tried this unusual fig bread, a compressed block of figs, which you slice thinly before serving.  This version from Downtown Cheese provides an interesting talking point because it includes chocolate, which we'd never seen before....

So what's your crowd-pleasing combo?

THE Perfect Cheese Plate

An oasis on Washington Square East

Talula's Garden is a vibrant new restaurant on Washington Square West in Center City, Philadelphia.  Its owner Aimee Olexy is a cheese devotee. At Talula’s Garden, cheese is a well nigh a religion, because it is Aimee’s enduring passion,  While she may have spent her formative years in Chester County, and sources many of her cheeses from the surrounding farms, she also draws deeply from her first hand experience traveling in Europe and California.  Aimee confesses: "I was studying in Provence and Toulouse and cheese crept into my life then.."

On a recent trip to Talula's, Keri and I experienced an oh-so-perfect "flight" of cheeses - a master course comprising eight artisanal cheeses.  I decided to try and emulate this cheese plate, assembling cheese and complementary condiments and nibblies that replicate our restaurant experience, by calling on the services of the cheese experts at Reading Terminal Market.

Aimee Olexy owner and Maitre d' at Talula's Garden

According to Aimee, nothing beats a good artisanal cheese plate:  " It really is 'Art' on a plate both in terms of the talent that goes into cheese production and the care in the execution," she says.  "I love to see people just sit there and chat over the cheese course and appreciate the craft that's gone into the making of cheese."

We asked Aimee to share how best to prepare an awesome cheese flight and she made the following suggestions:

1. "It's important to handle cheese correctly - you need to treat it properly," she confides.  To this end, it is imperative to serve cheese at the right temperature, i.e. it needs to rest for about an hour out of the fridge so that the fats in the cheese have time relax - only then can the full flavor come through.

2. "Consider the visual aspect," Aimee advises.  We enjoy food through all our senses, not just our taste buds.  Smell and taste are important but we also enjoy food visually - so think about how the food appears on the plate; you're looking for contrasting textures and colors. 

3. "Include a wide selection of interesting and varied cheeses," says Aimee. You want to arrange a cheese plate starting with the lightest, softest cheese ending with the most intense or pungent so your palate isn't overwhelmed.  Also consider textures, she recommends, include soft squidgy, crumbly, moist, firm, hard cheeses and maybe for variety include cheeses with nuts or fruits added.

4. Turn cheese into an experience and encourage people to linger of their cheese course.  According to Aimee: "Cheese is a great talking point."  At Talula's they suggest diners graze on a cheese plate even before the appetizers.  This is all part of Aimee's food philosophy, namely that great food deserves to be enjoyed slowly and savored. 

Armed with these pointers from Aimee, we ran along to Reading Terminal Market to catch up with Downtown Cheese and Salumeria to assemble our own perfect cheese flight for a weekend at the Jersey shore...