Sunday, December 6, 2009

Purple Haze


Cheese or bath bomb? You decide.

I, for one, am having a love affair with this goaty disk, dredged in fennel pollen and lavender. It’s a good cure-all for a gray-weather hangover, and I’ve been enjoying it for breakfast. It goes nicely with Rose Earl Grey and thin toast. You don’t want to overpower the herbiness of the fennel pollen, which lends a hint of licorice.

Licorice and goat cheese? Oh, don’t be irritable.

Purple Haze is made by some of the best dairy dreamers in the business, Cypress Grove – makers of the legendary Humboldt Fog. One of their most recent creations, Truffle Tremor, was featured on this blog when it won top honors at this year’s Fancy Food Show in New York.

The folks at Cypress Grove don’t mess around. Founded by Mary Keehn (a goat hobbyist turned breeder), this California cheese company is recognized as the premier artisanal goat-cheese maker in the country. If you’re on a quest to learn about artisanal cheese in America, Cypress Grove is a good place to start.

In fact, this month Cypress Grove is running a holiday special, where you can have three of their award-winning cheeses over-nighted in a tote bag for just under $50. Pretty cute. A good gift for the tough-to-please foodie on your list. The special includes a wedge of Truffle Tremor, a wheel of Fog Lights (a mold-ripened cheese, covered in ash), and an herbed chevre.

Tonight, I’m going to try a recipe off the web site: Purple Haze-stuffed figs, served warm, with honey. Meow. It’ll be perfect to serve to a few food nerds who are coming over for a game of Agricola – my other recent obsession. Think wooden animals. Think Euro games.

Hey, if I can’t have my own goat farm, at least I can pretend. Plus, the game pieces look kind of like cheese cubes.

4 comments:

  1. In the summers I work at a small under ground restaurant. I'm sure that you have heard of the type that I speak of. It is an invitation only affair, not licensed by the state, BYOB, outdoor and only on the weekends. Over the summer we used this cheese in a roasted beet salad and it was a hit. Great Blog. I really love what you are doing here. Keep up the great work... Check out my blog. I'm new to the blogging community and I feel left out. http://sewnandheard.blogspot.com/

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  2. Purple Haze is a wonderful cheese to use in a Quiche.
    I've mixed it with asparagus and onions. It's also great
    as a pizza topping with roasted veggies.

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  3. Does it pair well with Moody Blue?

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  4. I'm glad you've discovered the cheesy glory that is Purple Haze.

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