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| July 2007 | Volume 04 Issue 7 |
 Happy 4th of July! Who Cut The Cheese will be closed on the 4th of July celebrating Independence, but it's not too late for you to come in or call today for a platter order. You'll be so prepared for the holiday, you can just sit back and relax with a chilled glass of wine or an ice cold beer. We're here to make you look good! Or drop by to get all of your picnic provisions! Check out our great Ascot picnic bags and backpacks, and one lucky person can even borrow our gorgeous rustic picnic basket after it's stocked up with picnic supplies. You can have the works from cheese, bagettes, salami, gourmet goodies, brews by Maui Brewing Co, chilled wine, and more!! We even have a great cheese to use in a red, white, and blue dessert below... so read on and have fun celebrating!  Missed the last tasting? Fret not! Here's a recap of a few crowd pleasers from the Maui Brewing Co. (www.mauibrewingco.com) tasting... Maui Brewing Co.'s Big Swell IPA accompanied by three adorable and tasty mini-burgers - one topped with Hereford Hop cheese and Rick's Pick's GT 1000s curried green tomatoes, another burger oozing with Cotswold cheese (what we refer to as the twice baked potato cheese), and the last burger blanketed in melted Blue Stilton. The mini-burgers sat atop our mini-toasts. This combo was a big favorite. It would also be perfect for a 4th of July appetizer! For dessert, we served Maui Brewing Co.'s CocoNut Porter brew (beer with dessert?... you betcha!) with Mascarpone cheese blended with Duck Walk Blueberry Port on top of Blueberry/Pansy/Johnnyjump shortbread and sprinkled with blueberries. Mascarpone is made from a generally low-fat (25%) fresh cream. The unique taste is described as "fresh and delicious". Traditionally it's used in regional dishes of Lombardy, where it is a specialty. It's also great in Tiramasu or served with chocolate. For a version of this dessert suited to 4th of July, try... Mascarpone triple-creme dessert cheese sweetened with sugar, on top of the Blueberry Shortbread encircled by fresh strawberries or cherries and sprinkled with blueberries for a very patriotic treat! - Sunday, July 22nd from 3-5 pm - Monthly Tasting at Tip-Ups Tavern hosted by Who Cut the Cheese. This month: Rosés are hip and not to be skipped! Delicious chilled on a hot summer day! We'll be tasting 5 Rosé wines paired with 5 cheeses. Also, this month we're excited to be joined by guest host sommelier, Brian Clancey. 5 cheeses, 5 wines, 3-5pm. *Please note, tastings are now on the last Sunday of the month, except for this month when the tasting will be on Sunday, July 22nd. Call us for reservations as it fills up quickly! 5 Cheese 5 Wines 3-5 pm Tasting Calendar July 22nd - Rosés are hip and not to be skipped! August 26th - Sauvignon Blancs for the hot days of summer! September 30th - Rhone Ranger Review October 28th - Caly-Italy November 25th - Old World and New World Meritage Wines (Bordeaux Blends) December 30th - New Year's Preview - Champagnes and Sparklers Ph. 808.874.3930
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Featured Rosé Wines of the Month
 ' ' ' ' ' ' ' What's in a Rosé? There are many varietals that are used to make Rosé wine, including, Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese (Italy), Tempranillo (Spain), Barbera (Italy), Malbec (Bordeaux, France), and Cabernet Sauvignon (Bordeaux, France). The first three grapes are Rhone varietals originating in the East to Southeast region of France, and are typically blended. The rest are newer to the Rosé scene and we love that they've come along! Why is the juice from these red grapes pink? Remember White Zinfandel the infamous Sutter Home and Beringer? These wines are made from red Zinfandel grapes where the skin contact with the juice is a minimal few hours, thus only the pink comes across rather than the deep purple you find in Zinfandels. These famous white zins are also incredibly sweet, so why aren't Rosés? The type of grapes used in Rosés tend to have more spice and the skins aren't as thick. Blush wines made from Merlot and Cabernet tend to be on the fruitier or sweeter side. Some characteristics found in Rosés will be watermelon, rose petals, raspberry, various spices, and a whole gamit of light fruit flavors. The Big Cheese's favorite fruit to identify is Thimbleberry (found far North in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan), which is experienced in the Rosé, Crios by Susan Balbo, a beautiful Argentinian Rosé made from Malbec. This is a light to medium bodied wine with lovely fresh picked berry qualities... a must try! Another Rosé we are featuring this month is the Tinroof Rosé by Murphy Goode. Why Tinroof? They are playing on the easily opened screw cap you find when you open this fun 100% Pinot Noir Rosé. Definitely chalked up with juicy watermelon flavors yet it is still dry. Perfect for the 4th of July! Goat cheeses tend to love these playful wines as do some of the mountainous Tomme de Savoie or Reblochon from the Alps region of Savoie, France. These are tasty wrapped in Prosciutto and served with pickled asparagus. Cheesemaker, Neal's Yard Dairy
We have been working hard and it's been a long process, but thanks to the "Big Cheese" we're soon going to be receiving Neal's Yard Dairy cheeses! About Neal's Yard Dairy Neal’s Yard Dairy first opened on July 4th 1979. At first, the Dairy only sold products they had made on the premises. In Randolph 's words: "We didn't really know what we were doing and so we gave the customers a taste of everything and asked them what they thought". After a year, the Dairy started to buy matured cheeses too. Randolph made visits to other parts of England, met more cheesemakers and started to sell more types of cheese. He learned about variation between batches and how important it was to select those with the flavors he liked best. And it was important to ask the customers what they thought, which has proved to be very valuable feedback. In the mid 1980s, there was no longer enough space to make cheeses and mature cheeses in the same building. The cheesemaking side became a separate company and eventually moved to Dorstone Hill in Herefordshire where Charlie Westhead runs it today. Following that, the Dairy itself moved out of Neal's Yard, round the corner onto Shorts Gardens in 1992. Four years later, Neal's Yard Dairy set up a warehouse in a venerable red brick building in Borough Market. Borough Market had been the site of a food market since the Roman times and with the input of Randolph and a couple of other wholesalers in the area, the Borough Food Market was set up. The market is held every Friday and Saturday and has become known as the best destination for food shopping in London. Neal's Yard Dairy cheeses coming soon! Colston Bassett Stilton (pasteurized cow's milk cheese) are one of the smallest Stilton Dairies in England. They buy milk from 5 farms surrounding the dairy. They have been buying from the same farms since the 1920s. Since 1920, there have only been 3 head cheesemakers at Colston Bassett: Tom Coy, Ernie Wagstaff and now Richard Rowlett. Their Stilton is more traditional than any other. The curd is hand-ladled before draining. This treats the curd more gently and preserves its structure which results in a luscious, creamy texture when the cheeses are mature. With Colston Bassett Stilton, the texture is more full-bodied when made with animal rennet and the flavour is deeper, more complex and longer lasting than that of cheeses made with vegetable rennet. Montgomery's Aged Cheddar (Unpasteurised cow's milk), is one of the three truly traditional cheddars still to be made in England today. James Montgomery is ever attentive to the nuances of flavour as this cheese is the fruit of farming initiatives that may have taken years to implement. Jamie thoroughly researches the herd’s feed in order to get the right levels of fat and protein in the milk. It’s a careful balance between grass or solid food like silage or hay and starches or sugar. Rich, long-lasting fruity, meaty flavours and quite a dry texture which can develop crystals when the cheese is aged over 14 months. Kudos to Rick's Picks
Congratulations to Rick's Picks for achieving the recognition of *Outstanding Appetizer* for their Phat Beets as a NASFT 2007 Finalist! We agree, they are Dill-licious! cheesetoid by gordie: True or False? Annato is a seed from Central America that is commonly found in cheddar or mimolette. Answer: True Annato, also called Roucan, is a seed that is used as a spice for many foods and is sometimes used as a coloring agent for cheeses. |
