tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31150837628198463162024-03-05T05:23:15.634-08:00Madame FromageA cheese blog by Tenaya DarlingtonMadame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.comBlogger350125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-31868966255764676352012-05-15T16:58:00.000-07:002012-05-19T09:48:35.455-07:00I've Moved to WordpressHello Darling,<br />
I've moved to a new site, <a href="http://www.madamefromageblog.com/">www.madamefromageblog.com</a>. If you haven't meandered over for a peek or changed your RSS feed, please do. I'd love for us to keep our cheesy heads together.<br />
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For the record, my site here on Blogger now functions as an archive of my posts from spring 2009 through spring 2012. I elected not to migrate my old posts over to the new Wordpress site, so you can always come here for old time's sake.<br />
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Shimmy shimmy,<br />
Madame FromageMadame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-16031974106700914392012-02-26T20:51:00.001-08:002012-02-26T21:00:08.127-08:00The Unveiling of a New Blog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Come on, let's take a peak. </b>My new blog at <a href="http://www.madamefromageblog.com/">www.madamefromageblog.com</a> is all ready for you. I hope you like it. Keep in mind, it's still new, barely out of the cave.<br />
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Note: All of the content on this site will remain here as an archive. Madame Fromage has now jumped blogospheres. See you on the other side. Cheers, dahhlink. And never fear, there is lots more cheese where we are going. xoxo</div>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-23522752377746485132012-02-24T06:22:00.000-08:002012-02-24T06:22:05.160-08:00Parting Words<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #313032;"><b>Dear reader, it’s really happening. </b>My cheese valise is packed, and I’m off
like a gypsy to a new blog on Wordpress. On Monday, I hope you’ll join me for a tour. If I’ve seemed absent lately, that’s because I’ve been playing with font sizes, learning a smidge of html, and preparing the virtual finger food for our next rendez-vous. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">It’s been almost three years
since I began writing on Blogger, and it does feel a little bittersweet to take
down the curtains. This site will remain in place as an archive while I start
fresh on the new blog. I like clean sheets, clean slates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">I’ve learned an awful lot <a href="http://madamefromage.blogspot.com/2009/04/blue-cheese-party.html" target="_blank">since all this started</a> in 2009. I never imagined I’d be this deep into dairy and so
far from fiction (my original love, my advanced degree), but I find that when
doors mysteriously open it’s best to pop through them, even if the hallway
beyond looks dark, strange.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">Blogging has led to so many good
things. A place to commune online. Cheesemonger friends. Adventures in the
wild. Many of the people I meet in the artisan cheese world are escapees like
me, people who left ordinary lives for a risk, a whim. Some buy goats, I guess I buy
urls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">I don’t think of what I do here
as a job, but it’s created work for me. Good work. Freelance opportunities. A
chance to teach classes on cheese and on blogging. Even a book is afoot. Yes,
yes, it’s been a lovely surprise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">Lately, I meet a lot of new
bloggers and blog-upon-a-star wishers who ask advice. Here is a speck of
insight in parting: don’t worry about generating traffic or revenue. Figure out what your
purpose is first.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">When I started as a blogger, I
pictured this site as a pillowbook where I would record tasting notes for
myself. Over time it grew into a small universe, like a second home – more than
a chronicle of eats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">A blog is an education. As you
write, you discover. As you discover, you teach. As you teach, you meet other
teachers. It’s like microbes gathering on a rind to break down a bloomy Brie.
Mmm, yes, I’m hungry already.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">For all these things, I am
grateful to you. Yes, you out there in the ether. People say our culture is
dying from lack of connection, and yet I feel more connected than ever. <i>Merci beaucoup.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-2165767248265484512012-02-22T11:47:00.000-08:002012-02-22T11:47:00.325-08:00Eggs Tarentaise in Butternut Squash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV60z4qfK1iQTDhI563lLUEz1y7YDIhueNAI_1SEekLbedB4gti0WN2PrznUj3REBgQg3kQs0xLokdeapSFTyOQVsZRACYwwciruF8QJbC23uCD6POUMzCCxB9N8AnnlzceHMHE39iJks/s1600/Tarentais+Eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV60z4qfK1iQTDhI563lLUEz1y7YDIhueNAI_1SEekLbedB4gti0WN2PrznUj3REBgQg3kQs0xLokdeapSFTyOQVsZRACYwwciruF8QJbC23uCD6POUMzCCxB9N8AnnlzceHMHE39iJks/s640/Tarentais+Eggs.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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I'm crazy about soft-boiled eggs. I eat one just about every morning, which is how I got the idea to bake an egg inside the cavity of a butternut squash with a little bit of Tarentaise. Tarentaise is a sweet, nutty cheese from <a href="http://www.sbfcheese.com/About/aboutourcheese.html" target="_blank">Spring Brook Hill Farm</a> in Vermont, made by the same folks who produce <a href="http://madamefromageblog.com/2012/reading-raclette/" target="_blank">Redding Raclette</a>. </div>
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Today on the <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/blog/2012/02/22/eggs-tarentaise/" target="_blank">Di Bruno Bros. blog</a>, I write about this cheese and offer a recipe for Eggs Tarentaise. It involves a few steps, but it's a fairly easy and very eye-catching dish. Here are a few photos of the process. To see the recipe, click <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/blog/2012/02/22/eggs-tarentaise/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2qLS1WB-oHHwu1f_nA_7lb4dxebxhyphenhyphenCPuYCpugNcMVc3FER1VYbNL88PdGVt3OHZ87bRqor0KxO6aH-i2uRYJdjBADjb9d_YwJVpdBkH5pNGbf90YD3KmrL-LgW81En_DqrsG4V7sTM/s1600/Baked+Squash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2qLS1WB-oHHwu1f_nA_7lb4dxebxhyphenhyphenCPuYCpugNcMVc3FER1VYbNL88PdGVt3OHZ87bRqor0KxO6aH-i2uRYJdjBADjb9d_YwJVpdBkH5pNGbf90YD3KmrL-LgW81En_DqrsG4V7sTM/s640/Baked+Squash.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aVwgV14ljNar8RDU_2ck_l6KPF_8UbVrRIpTNIqj8xCdfbxwKMwvSKanVdH5BRM8wJ-i8q_6vb9edYaGGX6EOVJ4PRdlFWdRhC1464qC70nDmUXXFxVLUucbcFKAeXcjfYhVs69yNdI/s1600/Squash+in+Process.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aVwgV14ljNar8RDU_2ck_l6KPF_8UbVrRIpTNIqj8xCdfbxwKMwvSKanVdH5BRM8wJ-i8q_6vb9edYaGGX6EOVJ4PRdlFWdRhC1464qC70nDmUXXFxVLUucbcFKAeXcjfYhVs69yNdI/s640/Squash+in+Process.jpg" width="640" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-67819941868703201622012-02-17T06:56:00.001-08:002012-02-17T07:11:41.775-08:00How To Get A Cheese Education<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTp4K1nXwDYz_uSd__FtNhlvvrcCzMqfbZ5UH2e_Ibx09zka69t8orN-0PZ4LH9eYowTGo26d6E2jkuUO7pR4LZyAHQv9OXaQ2_TL6RMS346QV2jNy9qr-OSHPhstOuExxaVS1PZ0l0o/s1600/Di+Bruno+Bros.+9th+St.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTp4K1nXwDYz_uSd__FtNhlvvrcCzMqfbZ5UH2e_Ibx09zka69t8orN-0PZ4LH9eYowTGo26d6E2jkuUO7pR4LZyAHQv9OXaQ2_TL6RMS346QV2jNy9qr-OSHPhstOuExxaVS1PZ0l0o/s640/Di+Bruno+Bros.+9th+St.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheesemonger Ezekial Ferguson working with a customer at Di Bruno Bros.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #313032;">This week, I’m thinking about a
question from a reader named Mia. She wants to live the golden dream -- to work in the cheese world as
either a maker or a monger. She wrote to me asking how to gain experience.
When I put the question out on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/mmefromage" target="_blank">Twitter</a> recently, several cheesemongers fired right back: "Tell her to get a job at a cheese counter!"</span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">For Mia and others who are sniffing along the dairy periphery, below are some useful resources. I should note that Mia has already explored some of these books and opportunities.
She’s clearly a woman ahead of her time. I hope to meet her soon -- hopefully, over a stack of wheels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #313032;">Essential
Readings<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #313032;"><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/17-9780894807626-4" target="_blank">The Cheese Primer </a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;"><a href="http://www.fairwaymarket.com/cheese-steven-jenkins/" target="_blank">Steven Jenkins</a>, the man who launched Dean &
DeLuca's cheese program, surveys European cheese and offers the expertise of an importer. His primer feels a little out of date now, but I still see dog-eared copies behind every cheese counter. His regional maps are essential to understanding terroir.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #313032;"><a href="http://www.artisanalcheese.com/prodinfo.asp?number=16058" target="_blank">Mastering Cheese </a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">Artisanal's Max McCalman approaches cheese
as a master taster. His book on the subject includes fascinating insights
into animal husbandry, chemistry, and pairing principles. Best of all, he assigns specific cheese boards as homework so you can learn about milk types and aging periods in a very hands-on way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #313032;"><a href="http://www.murrayscheese.com/cheese_chronicles.asp" target="_blank">The Cheese Chronicles</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">Liz Thorpe, of <a href="http://www.murrayscheese.com/" target="_blank">Murray’s</a>, taught
the staff at The French Laundry how to serve cheese. Her book focuses on the cheese renaissance in America and highlights pioneering cheesemakers from California to Maine. She offers keen personal insights, and her "Cheddar Lexicon" is brilliant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;"><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/wine/cheesecourse/archive/" target="_blank"><b>Janet Fletcher’s Column</b></a>
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<span style="color: #313032;">Fletcher writes about one cheese
per week in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The San Francisco Chronicle</i>. Each column offers a glimpse into a new import or recent release. Read her for a year and look for the cheeses she recommends; her discoveries and pairing suggestions are spot on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #313032;"><b><i>Worthwhile Pursuits</i></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #313032;">Make friends with a local cheesemonger.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">Find a mentor in your community.
Visit a local cheese shop regularly and ask to taste the cheeses that
you read about. People who work in cheese generally love to share knowledge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #313032;">Go to bootcamp.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">Check out the courses offered by <a href="http://www.murrayscheese.com/edu_main.asp" target="_blank">Murray's</a> and <a href="http://www.artisanalcheese.com/cheese_classes/" target="_blank">Artisanal</a> next time you're in New York. These come highly recommended, and they’re the
equivalent of an SAT prep class on the subject of cheese. In Philadelphia, <a href="http://www.triacafe.com/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=1" target="_blank">Tria's Fermentation School</a> leads the way in cheese education for enthusiasts. If you want a hardcore class for mongers, check out <a href="http://www.cheeseschoolsf.com/cheesemonger-programs/" target="_blank">The Cheese School of San Francisco</a>. If you want a class for makers, visit <a href="http://nutrition.uvm.edu/viac/" target="_blank">The Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese </a>(VIAC).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #313032;">Get to know your local cheesemakers.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">Visit farmers’ markets and ask cheesemakers about volunteer opportunities if you’re interested. Many makers
hire interns, assistants, and market helpers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #313032;">Vacation in cheese states.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">Wisconsin, California, and
Vermont are the biggest cheese producers in the U.S. Make a pilgrimage along
<a href="http://www.vtcheese.com/cheesetrail.htm" target="_blank">Vermont’s Cheese Trail</a> or follow <a href="http://www.eatwisconsincheese.com/wisconsin/travelers_guide.aspx" target="_blank">Wisconsin’s Cheese Map</a>. All three states host
annual cheese festivals. You can also go on a <a href="http://vocationvacations.com/DreamJobHolidays/steves-cheese.php" target="_blank">Vocation Vacation</a> with a cheesemonger named Steve in Portland. Curious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #313032;">Attend the American Cheese Society (ACS) Conference<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">This is the equivalent of the
Cheese Oscars, a show that everyone in the scene attends -- from cheesemakers
to cheese retailers. Go! You’ll eat mountains of cheese and meet makers from
all over the world. You can volunteer to offset the expense of the <a href="http://www.cheesesociety.org/conference/overview/" target="_blank">ACS Conference</a>. The ACS recently developed a <a href="http://www.cheesesociety.org/events-education/certification-2/" target="_blank">Cheesemonger Certification Exam</a>, but you need documentable cheese experience to take it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #313032;">Apply for a job at a cheese counter<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;">As long as you’re curious and
willing to learn, you have the basic credentials to work at a cheese counter.
Apply for a position and see where it takes you. <a href="http://goodfoodjobs.com/search.html" target="_blank">Good Food Jobs</a> is a useful resource for anyone searching for openings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032;"><i>For more on this subject, listen to Anne Saxelby's radio program on <a href="http://www.heritageradionetwork.com/episodes/2215-Cutting-the-Curd-Episode-86-Cheese-Education" target="_blank">Cheese Education</a> and visit the ACS homepage for a list of <a href="http://www.cheesesociety.org/events-education/list-of-educators/" target="_blank">cheese educators</a>. </i></span></div>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-63847900407602286862012-02-10T14:01:00.000-08:002012-02-10T14:01:59.817-08:00Parsley Creswell Returns (with a Giveaway)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9MyvaMzWtWgMa99w2pGkfSBTTWGx5fa6f_AwgB4UyuhaZVwaS7PpVXkzuVBE5AGupvTClsnh_8VEnlaSAulss1Soe3vgPqeKezMtfsPfg0gPoTor61p7xGkwWECotwnh16OnO720Lb0/s1600/IMG_2268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9MyvaMzWtWgMa99w2pGkfSBTTWGx5fa6f_AwgB4UyuhaZVwaS7PpVXkzuVBE5AGupvTClsnh_8VEnlaSAulss1Soe3vgPqeKezMtfsPfg0gPoTor61p7xGkwWECotwnh16OnO720Lb0/s640/IMG_2268.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Parsley Creswell's "Virtuous Salad," Photo by Linda Olle</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #313032; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #313032; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">On the Upper East Side, in a breezy apartment,
<a href="http://uppereastsidecookbook.blogspot.com/">Parsley Creswell</a> lives a cheese-inspired life. She has a parrot named Goug</span><span style="color: #313032; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">è</span><span style="color: #313032; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">re, and she dates men with names like Mario
Provolone (a renowned tenor). Of course, I’m making this up, or, well, <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/people/linda-olle/">Linda Olle</a> is. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #313032; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Linda Olle, a regular reader of this blog, pens faux
gastro-memoirs – a genre she may have invented. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Upper-East-Side-Cookbook-Setting/dp/1439240582">The Upper East Side Cookbook: Main Course</a> </i>is the second book in a
trilogy that she’s writing, a series that combines rich prose and even richer
recipes: <b>Haggis Meat Loaf</b>, chocolate nib smoothies, <b>Chartreuse </b></span><span style="color: #313032; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b>à</b></span><span style="color: #313032; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b> la Thomas Jefferson</b>, and something called <b>Virtuous
Salad</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #313032; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the spirit of <a href="http://www.ruthreichl.com/words.html">Ruth Reichl</a>, Parsley Creswell eats
her way around New York, but not as a writerly gastronome – no, Parsley is an
eccentric ex-fashionista who wears corsets and collects exotic recipes. She’s
Gretta Garbo with a splash of Ru Paul.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #313032; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here’s an excerpt:</span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #313032; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>With an expensive pair of birding binoculars around
her neck, a gift from a swain, Parsely foraged in Central Park for mushrooms
sprouting high up on a tree trunk….She placed her treasure in tissue paper and
a recycled orange-and-white Zabars bag, then dined alone... </i></span></span></blockquote>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #313032; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If there were a <a href="http://www.greygardens.com/" target="_blank">Grey Gardens</a> cookbook, this would be
it. Linda Olle has once again revived her enchanting heroine, Parsley Creswell,
and this time we follow her through dumpsters, across Riker’s Island, and to
Japan. With each episode, she becomes more complex, more tragic, and more
quintessentially New York.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #313032; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I relate to her upbringing: “…Parsley
grew up in the Midwest and believed that she experienced a form of hypoglycemia
if she didn’t get a constant infusion of calcium in the form of milk, cheese,
or ice cream, especially in the winter.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313032; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Giveaway:</b> So that you can enjoy this curious odyssey -- and perhaps try your hand at Onion Pie or Angels on Horseback -- </span></span><span style="color: #313032;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’m giving
away one copy of </span></span><span style="color: #313032; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>The Upper East Side Cookbook: Main Course</i>. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To enter, simply name the richest dish you’ve
ever eaten. Get your comment in by Feb. 14, 2012. I’ll draw a winner the next
morning.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-71738309282797761092012-02-09T05:57:00.000-08:002012-02-09T05:57:41.729-08:00Soup Cheese<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bmshtDDQ8Cig1De211Hhj9KVXGXtGc-VrxyUFamt-w_GVrscQK088nQNMeTxu3_V0q_T3IiujqiKHOsv_X2LmUpp75di9LDcHfj3E2glues_iMQJRsniXXXlx2RDSVlqDCnN5Bit4Gc/s1600/Soup+Cheese.db.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bmshtDDQ8Cig1De211Hhj9KVXGXtGc-VrxyUFamt-w_GVrscQK088nQNMeTxu3_V0q_T3IiujqiKHOsv_X2LmUpp75di9LDcHfj3E2glues_iMQJRsniXXXlx2RDSVlqDCnN5Bit4Gc/s640/Soup+Cheese.db.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I never grew up eating Pecorino, but this winter it’s become
my go-to cheese to serve with winter soups. The nutty flavor of this
quintessential Italian specialty comes from sheep’s milk, and because it’s a
rich, fatty cheese, a few curls shaved onto a broth adds beautiful dimension.</div>
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<!--EndFragment--><div class="MsoNormal">
This week on the<a href="http://www.dibruno.com/blog/2012/02/08/soup-cheese/"> Di Bruno Bros. blog</a>, I touch on several different Pecs and offer a recipe for <b>Swiss Chard Soup</b>. <i>Full disclosure: Twice a month, I freelance for Di Bruno Bros., one of my fave cheese shops in Philadelphia. I pick out a cheese to feature on their blog, and I run a wee teaser here. The money I earn from this venture supports my dairy habit.</i></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-7996110033920675742012-02-04T13:48:00.000-08:002012-02-05T10:22:21.714-08:00Valentine’s Cheese Advice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBl63iL_Bw0DoYirk6yq9jHt8-EqRYG9oagFhal0vgRagfRzsi1Br-yc5avBVqvwsVQgIcl-9u07zvHN2ZUcg0ve-TijogNDpTzCCiauBfRF3dHnm8Hi_90gHdL2lSuSvSeZB454eTHIw/s1600/Goat+cheese+hearts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBl63iL_Bw0DoYirk6yq9jHt8-EqRYG9oagFhal0vgRagfRzsi1Br-yc5avBVqvwsVQgIcl-9u07zvHN2ZUcg0ve-TijogNDpTzCCiauBfRF3dHnm8Hi_90gHdL2lSuSvSeZB454eTHIw/s640/Goat+cheese+hearts.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With the economy in the toilette, it’s an awfully good year
to be a loving spendthrift. Instead of bedazzling a sweater and going out on
the town, I suggest you bedazzle some goat cheese and stay in with some Steely
Dan.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s as easy as picking up these chevre hearts—available at
the <a href="http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/merchants/view/15">Fair Food Farmstand</a> in Reading Terminal—or making your own. Come on, you
can find some fresh goat cheese and figure out how to press it between sheets
of waxed paper for some easy molding. Pete Demchur of <a href="http://www.shellbarkhollow.com/blog/">Shellbark Hollow</a> rolls
his cuties in fresh lavender buds and pink peppercorns, but you could roll
yours in some paprika, craisins, or <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/07/spice-hunting-what-is-zaatar-how-to-use.html">za'atar</a>. <i>That a grrrl, Martha.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Below, I've listed all the scrumptious sides you could ever
want for a lover’s cheese board. Pick up some <b>goat cheese</b>, <b>a weepy Brie</b>, and <b>a
sweet hunk of Valdeon</b>, then lock the door. Turn off all the lights, scramble
for a candle, and feed your naughty cherub these tender morsels:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cherry preserves</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spiced pecans</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dark chocolate</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Honey</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dates</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Baguette</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Champagne</span></li>
</ul>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Don’t forget to relax the cheese! What I mean is: while you’re
taking a warm bath, leave the cheeses on the counter. You'll want to serve them at
room temperature. Otherwise this whole exercise is pointless.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cheese &
Champagne Class:</b> Bone up on the finer points of serving
bubbly and Brie at a Cheese & Champagne Class at <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/rittenhouse-square">Di Bruno Bros.</a>, 1730
Chestnut St., on Friday, Feb. 10, at 6:30 p.m. The swarthy <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/blog/2010/10/06/richard-luis-morillo-cheese-specialist/">Richard-Luis Morillo</a> will demo
and discuss. Tickets: $20. For more info, call 215-665-1659 and ask for "Catering."</span></div>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-72064388428056167442012-02-03T07:42:00.000-08:002012-02-03T07:42:13.664-08:00Cheese Portraits at Wedge and Fig<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Just a heads up about Mike Geno's stunning cheese portraits. They'll be up at Philadelphia's <a href="http://wedgeandfig.com/">Wedge & Fig </a>through March, 2012. The opening is tonight. Here's the postcard. Love it up!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABs7i42GJiLWuW0JwmQmRW3o2BljRSfrCi9W_03FDtD6LsECN5pALpRZiL2pwyMVZ2uISVsVBmHr_ZB7qzsn99UInFQeX2SCBqlVqGW6PywGw32z5N1lhVDyfBp4zxlnoCp3DHjyUglg/s1600/Geno+show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABs7i42GJiLWuW0JwmQmRW3o2BljRSfrCi9W_03FDtD6LsECN5pALpRZiL2pwyMVZ2uISVsVBmHr_ZB7qzsn99UInFQeX2SCBqlVqGW6PywGw32z5N1lhVDyfBp4zxlnoCp3DHjyUglg/s640/Geno+show.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-88762938358848787522012-01-28T12:18:00.000-08:002012-01-28T12:18:25.138-08:00Haunted by Handkäse<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoRPLVSA1AAkZLI1jVSZlyKyHkyNbw-O1_8kwcFs8HkuH5sICeAXCJF9hhZDXbLdG_TNVL-OwjJe_RxZj-7UIqdolubw4DspWre1KX6U4XqnF85g9VuxBtMpUbTsJHihIsF1Q7YwOvaY/s1600/Handkase+Packed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoRPLVSA1AAkZLI1jVSZlyKyHkyNbw-O1_8kwcFs8HkuH5sICeAXCJF9hhZDXbLdG_TNVL-OwjJe_RxZj-7UIqdolubw4DspWre1KX6U4XqnF85g9VuxBtMpUbTsJHihIsF1Q7YwOvaY/s640/Handkase+Packed.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Readers, you know</b> how I feel about stinky cheese. I
always welcome it into my home. That is why there is a funeral-sized incense
burner in my living room. Alas, my last Stinky Cheese Mission went awry, and I
am still puzzling over it. Did I eat a bad piece of cheese, or is <a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handk%C3%A4se">Handkäse</a> really and
truly intolerable?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The tip came from a reader who heard about Handkäse
during a German conversation class in New Jersey. She asked if I knew of it,
then sent me instructions on how to find it. “My German teacher calls it <a href="http://www.germanfoodguide.com/recipes.cfm?recipe_number=39">Handkase mit musik</a>,” she wrote. “The musik comes afterward.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Okay. I like a fart joke. I’ll eat a farty cheese. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So off I went to <a href="http://www.riekersmeats.com/">Rieker’s Prime Meats</a>, a German
specialty foods store in the neighborhood of Fox Chase, Pa. I pictured a meaty
fright wig of a cheese with a devilish rind, something akin to Limburger. I did
not expect Handkäse to look umbilical, like a glassy Tootsie Roll. But, there
it was in the cooler: slightly cloudy, tubular.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let it be known that I loved Rieker’s Prime Meats.
I loved the cuckoo clocks, the German cookies, the fresh spaetzle and <a href="http://www.bavariankitchen.com/meats/rouladen.aspx">rouladen</a>
in the dairy case. I bought bags of fresh pretzels, wursts, mustard in a toothpaste
tube – all the family favorites. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZf4Ht60aYCYVzaf0jPhnuZpOazsh7zHUazDB_BLVieDepR9LcFgTUSGzQk2LRxErbR6WEFofjYbIqdNpvLtaHx-y4VjT_dX93sbgUgLIzKbv1nb8Mr1rGCzYeLol45ngtQuxPZBqSDw/s1600/Riekers+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZf4Ht60aYCYVzaf0jPhnuZpOazsh7zHUazDB_BLVieDepR9LcFgTUSGzQk2LRxErbR6WEFofjYbIqdNpvLtaHx-y4VjT_dX93sbgUgLIzKbv1nb8Mr1rGCzYeLol45ngtQuxPZBqSDw/s640/Riekers+sign.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWK-yoMcEVZnJ5d1C7Ajb4hXqSQaCpugQNmUmBK8q4HqBSZFzRSnfNxkZrPqbY8tCYmyW92VR1rzVt1wp3jDqOvp8UF4oUAtngiR1x5bd2WdR9FvXhuguoKEYF1v1GU9UYGiy3wRbX3Y/s1600/Bologna+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWK-yoMcEVZnJ5d1C7Ajb4hXqSQaCpugQNmUmBK8q4HqBSZFzRSnfNxkZrPqbY8tCYmyW92VR1rzVt1wp3jDqOvp8UF4oUAtngiR1x5bd2WdR9FvXhuguoKEYF1v1GU9UYGiy3wRbX3Y/s640/Bologna+sign.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The only item I didn’t love when I got home?
Handkäse. And it wasn’t the musik.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Handkäse is a specialty of Hesse, Germany, where it
was originally rolled by hand, hence the name. According to <a href="http://www.cookipedia.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Hessischer_Handk%C3%A4se_cheese">Cookipedia</a>, it’s a
“smeared acid curd” cheese made from sour milk that is ripened for several days
in a “sweating room.” New terms for this cheese geek. Acid curd? Sweating room?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You get the picture. Handkäse did taste sweaty and acidic – like sour cream mixed with rubber cement. My first bite stuck to
my front teeth like a fetid gummi bear. Terrible. I tried melting it, added
onions – as others on the internet suggested – but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">oy vey</i>, that only made Handkäse turn slimy. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVE2-DV16J79JMY_-kWDbvxJoj5VPrI3kYN1B2htebphzZvWs7zi-ntO1_AY5zo1EVN1S9pt03cXyt1WOkuf_Td8rrE8BiJdd_qP61sdqxcz_HZhKXiogz45lPeA0s_wxAfrTryzV-p4/s1600/Handkase+cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVE2-DV16J79JMY_-kWDbvxJoj5VPrI3kYN1B2htebphzZvWs7zi-ntO1_AY5zo1EVN1S9pt03cXyt1WOkuf_Td8rrE8BiJdd_qP61sdqxcz_HZhKXiogz45lPeA0s_wxAfrTryzV-p4/s640/Handkase+cut.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If Tolkein’s
<a href="http://www.serkis.com/lord-of-the-rings-movie.htm">Golem</a> character had tried ripening a cheese in his cave, it might have looked
like melted Handkäse. Look at it. Tell me you don't think of <i><a href="http://www.tolkiensociety.org/">Lord of the Rings</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’m headed back for some Limburger. I think I like
cheese that smells like feet better than cheese that looks like a severed
finger. But, readers, set me straight. Is there something I’m missing? Are
there magical nuggets of Handkäse out there, or am I stinktarded?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-17854614951670689682012-01-25T10:13:00.000-08:002012-01-25T10:13:00.166-08:00Ubriaco To Chase Away Doldrums<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Now that the holiday parties</b> are over and more sleet is in
store, a person can easily turn gloomy. If you find yourself prone to despair,
I suggest a nice wedge of Ubriaco as a cure-all. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.dibruno.com/ubriaco.html">Ubriaco</a>, which means “drunken,” is a cheese that understands
darkness. It spends months in a wine barrel before it comes to market.
Originally, Italian cheesemakers hid wheels from tax collectors this way in
order to avoid their fees. Eventually, these drunken cheeses became popular.
Lucky for us! <i>To read on, please <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/blog/2012/01/25/ubriaco-the-doldrums-chaser/">click here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></i></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">Full disclosure: I freelance for <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">Di Bruno Bros</a>. Twice a month, I pick a wedge of my dreams and develop a post for their blog. This is how I cover the cost of my dairy habit.</span></i></i></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-46513558475815360932012-01-22T11:42:00.000-08:002012-01-22T12:14:13.097-08:00How to Make a Downton Abbey Cheese Plate<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nDEcCGUw3Azm0LA3heDgEK8ulT8dWSrRnczX1095RFmme0ZSGvXYTuBOb6uvgi1RO9h_etBUjpHkKGrv3FzBuoZ0GhbPY3BrkjIq_wfPP7ZlGLfOI5ctbX0Iz925ydb-90ZD_8eGXLs/s1600/Downton+Abbey+Cheese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nDEcCGUw3Azm0LA3heDgEK8ulT8dWSrRnczX1095RFmme0ZSGvXYTuBOb6uvgi1RO9h_etBUjpHkKGrv3FzBuoZ0GhbPY3BrkjIq_wfPP7ZlGLfOI5ctbX0Iz925ydb-90ZD_8eGXLs/s640/Downton+Abbey+Cheese.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>I can’t</b> <b>seem to</b> get enough of the PBS series,
<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/">Downton Abbey</a>, and neither can you. This became clear at the <a href="http://www.triacafe.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=404">Cheddar class</a> I
taught on Friday night at <a href="http://www.triacafe.com/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=1">Tria’s Fermentation School</a>. It was a Masterpiece
Theater-loving crowd (lots of beards and one waistcoat); Lady Grantham would
have fit right in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">By the end of the night, we’d eaten seven Cheddars,
and there was hardly a crumb on the tables. After everyone left, I couldn’t
help but imagine them settling in on their settees at home with a spot of port
and an episode of <a href="http://www2.netflix.com/Movie/Masterpiece-Classic-Downton-Abbey-Season-1/70155164">Downton Abbey</a> cued up for a nightcap. Since today is Sunday,
and you’ll surely be watching, let me offer you a few crumbs of wisdom about
building a Downton worthy cheese plate.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pSPLkhOnQr8hugltEfqh_Ms_mlwcr5yA71iBrCBSjjDHSYb7oszcp1qTsaz_eBR_Fy1mTTN7UIRDno6Wi4J4cHdQhgwmS0fcoxlH-boZqgUAMk2ECSD2XFCKYhz09FKeKTDhamRaLho/s1600/797px-Highclere_Castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pSPLkhOnQr8hugltEfqh_Ms_mlwcr5yA71iBrCBSjjDHSYb7oszcp1qTsaz_eBR_Fy1mTTN7UIRDno6Wi4J4cHdQhgwmS0fcoxlH-boZqgUAMk2ECSD2XFCKYhz09FKeKTDhamRaLho/s640/797px-Highclere_Castle.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18608497@N00/1241726071">JBUK_Planet</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">First off, Downton Abbey is shot in <a href="http://www.farmhousecheesemakers.com/">Cheddar country</a>, in Hampshire, just one county over from Somerset. <a href="http://www.highclerecastle.co.uk/uploads/news/TheIrishTimes.pdf">Highclere
Castle</a> (above) is the actual name of the palatial estate, and it’s just a jaunt from
London, home to one of Europe’s best affineurs, <a href="http://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk/shops_borough.html">Neal’s Yard Dairy</a>. Should you
decide to holiday in Hampshire, make sure you pop into Neal’s Yard for a whiff
and a nibble. Lord Grantham would insist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Secondly, you’ll want to serve some traditional
farmhouse <a href="http://www.farmhousecheesemakers.com/">West Country Cheddars</a>, which would have been fairly easy to come by
in 1912, before the advent of Britain’s agricultural depression in the 1920s
and ‘30s. Before World War II, Britain developed a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_Marketing_Board">Milk Marketing Board</a> that streamlined industrial cheese production, decimating small cottage
industries. Many great cheese recipes were lost, but a few have been revived.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Lady and Lord Grantham lived during a veritable
Cheddar heyday, you might say. For a taste of some of these extraordinary
cheeses, scout out the following wedges for your next Downton Abbey viewing
party:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Mrs.
Kirkham’s Tasty Lancashire<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A gentle, citrus-bright clothbound cheese made from
milling the curds of three days’ milking. The texture has earned it the
nickname “floofy monstah.” You’ll understand why. <i><a href="http://downtonabbey.wikia.com/wiki/Mrs_Patmore">Character: Mrs. Patmore</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Ticklemore<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This wickedly creamy goat’s milk cheese has a layer of
beautiful surface mold and a decadent, fudgy center. It’s a bit naughty and a
tiny bit two-faced. <i><a href="http://downtonabbey.wikia.com/wiki/Mary">Character: Lady Mary</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Montgomery’s
Cheddar<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">One of the best loved traditional West Country
Cheddars, this is one of three recognized by Slow Food. It’s made by hand by
Jamie Montgomery at his farm in Somerset. It’s a cult cheese for anglo-loving Cheddarphiles. <i><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lord-Grantham-Hugh-Bonneville-Downton-Abbey/219955834724231">Character: Lord Grantham</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMuWfZ54aoe4JlU2pcByIkwHcbTtUnvVhsKvyGPAhBHHHST2n3dszVGy_tRpl_AUSyxRn-jA-tpHFjs7TLgCk0uH2JVMC3G4VEbTV3WdhCBI96hyphenhyphenMCeg3mvgxUtKAcfuCRFV5-IQHKUI/s1600/Montgomery%2527s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMuWfZ54aoe4JlU2pcByIkwHcbTtUnvVhsKvyGPAhBHHHST2n3dszVGy_tRpl_AUSyxRn-jA-tpHFjs7TLgCk0uH2JVMC3G4VEbTV3WdhCBI96hyphenhyphenMCeg3mvgxUtKAcfuCRFV5-IQHKUI/s640/Montgomery%2527s.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Keen’s
Cheddar<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">To rival Montgomery’s, a traditional Cheddar that’s
earthier and more aggressive. This clothbound beauty is made by George Keen, a
legend in cheesemaking. <i><a href="http://downtonabbey.wikia.com/wiki/Carson">Character: Mr. Carson</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Lincolnshire
Poacher<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This smoldering character is named after a 17<sup>th</sup>
century ballad. It has Cheddarish traits, but there’s a bit of Gruyere lurking
in the background, making it a bit of a split personality. So of course, you can
guess which character it best represents. <i><a href="http://downtonabbey.wikia.com/wiki/Thomas">Character: Thomas the Footman</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Stichelton<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This piquant, ultra traditional version of Stilton
is made with raw milk, unlike other Stiltons on the market. It’s very feisty
and worth every penny for its craggy, churlish nature. <i><a href="http://downtonabbey.wikia.com/wiki/Violet">Character: Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>For more ideas, pick up a copy of </i><a href="http://www.jennylinford.co.uk/great-british-cheeses.html">Great British Cheeses</a><i> , by Jenny Linford (DK, 2008). Downton Abbey, Season 1 is available for streaming on Netflix. Season 2 streams on PBS.</i></span></div>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-72679133230637608972012-01-16T07:46:00.000-08:002012-01-16T08:28:23.773-08:00Scenes From The Cheese Ball<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"> Yours Truly with Sue Miller of Birchrun Hills Farm</td></tr>
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<b>You may</b> have heard. On Saturday, I held a <a href="http://madamefromage.blogspot.com/2012/01/invitation-to-cheese-ball.html">Cheese Ball</a> in Philadelphia. It was everything I hoped it would be. And more. There were cheeses from Holland, London, and New York. We had guests from Spain, France, Norway, and Green Bay. Admission? A wedge of cheese. By the end of the night, I counted over 100 cheese tags left on the table. Amazing. Here is a glimpse into our wonderful feast.<br />
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THE CHEESE BOARD</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cheese Board at 8 p.m.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKELM-nqcWY-Sr4ske_TBvTmx8_d8bZKehAsMo8Cr3UvNPSm24Fc773DT8CnAA6UlcXNOg-pTjT_Vv4_Q9bQ5XYvd8wR_xpbY0AejiUjW0FBMQRFzltmYuSpZ7Zlz4nqXzRrtlKycaXI/s1600/Cheese+Board+at+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKELM-nqcWY-Sr4ske_TBvTmx8_d8bZKehAsMo8Cr3UvNPSm24Fc773DT8CnAA6UlcXNOg-pTjT_Vv4_Q9bQ5XYvd8wR_xpbY0AejiUjW0FBMQRFzltmYuSpZ7Zlz4nqXzRrtlKycaXI/s640/Cheese+Board+at+9.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cheese Board at 9 p.m.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrteogs6Iu6FenOYRf5hqcPAb7P7vMqwR1kfCZXZCqVUwNAPU7G23OHbW8w-_VAB4HtCN6THURfbGDTeeNiTFTOtBqJEM68cTuOIp3hit_tzGqbLbMz2BJKUuOZ61HTv8MT_fIsUtW6ac/s1600/Cheese+Board+at+Midnight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrteogs6Iu6FenOYRf5hqcPAb7P7vMqwR1kfCZXZCqVUwNAPU7G23OHbW8w-_VAB4HtCN6THURfbGDTeeNiTFTOtBqJEM68cTuOIp3hit_tzGqbLbMz2BJKUuOZ61HTv8MT_fIsUtW6ac/s640/Cheese+Board+at+Midnight.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cheese Board at Midnight</td></tr>
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THE GUESTS</div>
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<b>There were friends.</b> And there were strangers. Cheesemongers brought dates and wedges. Couples came in gowns and tuxes. A king and queen were crowned at the end of the night. Here are a few outtakes. There are lots more on<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/madame_fromage/sets/72157628881162365/"> flickr</a>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZ9bFOVtkn1S-5KrW6GUX63blqf-AjA71ZxMb8WPJJf1750MfP0wThFOegxiTQOZNnyNmzxGrQsjPKxIk797NxOBePXAEfMbQ7RqXLn4qScSjeFV2KNg0_YvtovJzAqWyq9j5LrU7DDI/s1600/Adam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZ9bFOVtkn1S-5KrW6GUX63blqf-AjA71ZxMb8WPJJf1750MfP0wThFOegxiTQOZNnyNmzxGrQsjPKxIk797NxOBePXAEfMbQ7RqXLn4qScSjeFV2KNg0_YvtovJzAqWyq9j5LrU7DDI/s640/Adam.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Beautiful Pair from Di Bruno Bros.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfILRNTLtNW3eWw720FCCCQY6HshpAReRHEPNLLQr_xNhbbuIjqpXVDDdby3V8HCUEnGL-m6UvyV9oW-GFhwFpHyBzlU08nTcwfsg2NH0qEvmFoVsS4he1xlVnbcUBKUJ8zNPL8BVrrA/s1600/Cheese+Board+Dan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfILRNTLtNW3eWw720FCCCQY6HshpAReRHEPNLLQr_xNhbbuIjqpXVDDdby3V8HCUEnGL-m6UvyV9oW-GFhwFpHyBzlU08nTcwfsg2NH0qEvmFoVsS4he1xlVnbcUBKUJ8zNPL8BVrrA/s640/Cheese+Board+Dan.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Jesuit Digs In</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHzWrh6luEF99Mg4ywuAAN6ePh2FBoyizlLj_pb2isBCQt7d9CWEJgrkgYM6MBluqcVzGjqbpHhjn60jzVrlCZ6QBu_UmKffRnhZwfVVlNGMjV7kBGmrpzoZVETOiDTSaN3kvczIrFDWo/s1600/NYC+couple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHzWrh6luEF99Mg4ywuAAN6ePh2FBoyizlLj_pb2isBCQt7d9CWEJgrkgYM6MBluqcVzGjqbpHhjn60jzVrlCZ6QBu_UmKffRnhZwfVVlNGMjV7kBGmrpzoZVETOiDTSaN3kvczIrFDWo/s640/NYC+couple.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blog Readers from New York City (Columbia Students)</td></tr>
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THE CHEESE DELUGE</div>
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<b>The night was truly</b> an <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> of Cheese. Everyone brought beautiful wheels and wedges. Not a single block of Velveeta. Many thanks to the following cheeses houses for donating wheels and for sending emissaries: <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/">Di Bruno Bros.</a>, <a href="http://www.quincefinefoods.com/">Quince</a>, <a href="http://www.fairfoodphilly.org/">Fair Food</a>, <a href="http://wedgeandfig.com/">Wedge and Fig</a>, <a href="http://www.greensgrow.org/farm/index.php">Greensgrow</a>, and <a href="http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/merchants/view/13">Downtown Cheese</a>. And many thanks to all of you who contributed so much!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOc8_ckoquLEx_h5na7wsIBxGw3in6ALlB6OTFIpBbRpdJmL0lig1TaNGRsLzonhS_duFHzXB0UozSt-B3zi7Wcv5PyWfe8H9ljSdWl6luMErS3BckCcXdxNbEkouv5-ONjkWo3JXpax0/s1600/Keen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOc8_ckoquLEx_h5na7wsIBxGw3in6ALlB6OTFIpBbRpdJmL0lig1TaNGRsLzonhS_duFHzXB0UozSt-B3zi7Wcv5PyWfe8H9ljSdWl6luMErS3BckCcXdxNbEkouv5-ONjkWo3JXpax0/s640/Keen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjvLMHVaVVmtKdCHHGIJ-5jOdS_Pq1V1q-JRJJanMjdc_ML63jD_iP6kmh4bWhajESiRGPSWKPe5j7xLSGL7ONU0xZXeHcMszXPdxsfGRKH5qcAPqekvXgHuLQ6H5yaPfNmR8d81kLj4/s1600/Carr+Valley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjvLMHVaVVmtKdCHHGIJ-5jOdS_Pq1V1q-JRJJanMjdc_ML63jD_iP6kmh4bWhajESiRGPSWKPe5j7xLSGL7ONU0xZXeHcMszXPdxsfGRKH5qcAPqekvXgHuLQ6H5yaPfNmR8d81kLj4/s640/Carr+Valley.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNg6LO_V4VUOpmekuNGRYiNj0xVWynRCv20S5mrDg0Upgzz45oDnvAS-yqHIWTEHt9bAciwcSLEYmL6G6L3CE6Iw1LkDf3C8w7H33kg67D7SMukxO1HTb5y2nPNEBRlUMPamolpqDnZc/s1600/Montgomerys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNg6LO_V4VUOpmekuNGRYiNj0xVWynRCv20S5mrDg0Upgzz45oDnvAS-yqHIWTEHt9bAciwcSLEYmL6G6L3CE6Iw1LkDf3C8w7H33kg67D7SMukxO1HTb5y2nPNEBRlUMPamolpqDnZc/s640/Montgomerys.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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THE VENUE</div>
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<b>Many thanks</b> to the staff at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/RUBA/31535419031">RUBA</a>, the Russian Social Club of Northern Liberties, for hosting us. The bartenders were quick'n dirty. The taxidermy was perfect. The kitsch behind the bar was spot on. I can't think of a better place to host a cheese ball in 2013!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3SN2SM0xU0hGdXFORrh5qdfSepf2qXJwILq5qY6ucduSr_ePrM0S8-y_3lq55QKhStz2gRIU-gANiqSyx8Al62VgvVb5GBEYKxzZIfVp8uZt5fSdYenXbdodyJy585rb9Mxc4DJGfzY/s1600/The+Bar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-fTCsfs2X86njkuBC6ANWpnpTn7_vbGex56tr1fynNNQQUqgfiZ7go2f6sTNdlY1eq-meWTzGd0qb5VJ5-Hc1m6rEuxpIg5Gm8g4OicPsI8krYxcthVRPnSvvcPBM9VyzQB3RazqOwY/s1600/Cheese+Ball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-fTCsfs2X86njkuBC6ANWpnpTn7_vbGex56tr1fynNNQQUqgfiZ7go2f6sTNdlY1eq-meWTzGd0qb5VJ5-Hc1m6rEuxpIg5Gm8g4OicPsI8krYxcthVRPnSvvcPBM9VyzQB3RazqOwY/s640/Cheese+Ball.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3SN2SM0xU0hGdXFORrh5qdfSepf2qXJwILq5qY6ucduSr_ePrM0S8-y_3lq55QKhStz2gRIU-gANiqSyx8Al62VgvVb5GBEYKxzZIfVp8uZt5fSdYenXbdodyJy585rb9Mxc4DJGfzY/s1600/The+Bar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3SN2SM0xU0hGdXFORrh5qdfSepf2qXJwILq5qY6ucduSr_ePrM0S8-y_3lq55QKhStz2gRIU-gANiqSyx8Al62VgvVb5GBEYKxzZIfVp8uZt5fSdYenXbdodyJy585rb9Mxc4DJGfzY/s640/The+Bar.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyDB4t3KlhSxFC3m8-uTt4I7z4kXm3SR002CM4U8Owaes2OuQY-aOxxDJbtVOaQqJqODq9RxVb_qe0pXzUcNZlOXyJvJ6ZHrxwxjvbG6RcOK3Z1-M-Y16rnr8fBeThxaJ6U60qw8A2Qw/s1600/Taxidermy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyDB4t3KlhSxFC3m8-uTt4I7z4kXm3SR002CM4U8Owaes2OuQY-aOxxDJbtVOaQqJqODq9RxVb_qe0pXzUcNZlOXyJvJ6ZHrxwxjvbG6RcOK3Z1-M-Y16rnr8fBeThxaJ6U60qw8A2Qw/s640/Taxidermy.jpg" width="640" /></a>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-4427727026216851852012-01-12T08:14:00.000-08:002012-01-12T08:17:20.906-08:00Reading Raclette<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulx8rR4u7os0oFLGQXCCvKYI9aJXaEjNb2HPbIq1sI3JAvysBTTg3tsp2aLXP893xdpPIjxaHtsXAnCG-88cZn79EH8S9EQJmwptCl7TmwMQ-dzonvBM-h5u5bcPARbjK1HOaYYTRUz8/s1600/Reading+Raclette+Rounds.DB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulx8rR4u7os0oFLGQXCCvKYI9aJXaEjNb2HPbIq1sI3JAvysBTTg3tsp2aLXP893xdpPIjxaHtsXAnCG-88cZn79EH8S9EQJmwptCl7TmwMQ-dzonvBM-h5u5bcPARbjK1HOaYYTRUz8/s640/Reading+Raclette+Rounds.DB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>So many</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>award-winning cheeses </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">are made in Vermont these days
that it’s easy to feel Green State envy. One Vermont cheese that’s got cheesemongers
buzzing this winter is Reading Raclette. Now, the Swiss make Raclette and so do
the French, but until </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.sbfcheese.com/About/aboutourcheese.html">Spring Brook Farm</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
introduced its artisanal version from Reading, no American cheesemaker had come
forward with a melt-away Alpine stinker this good.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Reading Raclette has
another thing going for it. All of the proceeds go to a Vermont nonprofit
called </span><a href="http://www.farmsforcitykids.org/">Farms for City Kids</a> that
offers urban school children a chance to explore farming and cheese making. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>To continue reading, please visit the </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.dibruno.com/blog/2012/01/11/righteous-raclette-from-reading-vt/">Di Bruno Blog</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>. </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">Full disclosure: I am a freelancer for <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">Di Bruno Bros</a>. Twice a month, I select a cheese and develop a post for their blog. This is how I cover the cost of my dairy habit.</span></i></i></span>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-63678492135625310792012-01-08T11:26:00.000-08:002012-01-08T12:22:03.674-08:00Blog Redesign with Stef Patrizio<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aGjSDZVPxerlnmVVXUksfWGfI48ixkdZTgfvSsmdAu5Od70kTxjwnUymP3R61bb8efwuQ6EWldhPAVLwmZIotKa99pxoGft8SpSgfxuSfmQhAUU8Busg7nVyg8MDhdiqB0pUTX84qiA/s1600/IMG_9627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aGjSDZVPxerlnmVVXUksfWGfI48ixkdZTgfvSsmdAu5Od70kTxjwnUymP3R61bb8efwuQ6EWldhPAVLwmZIotKa99pxoGft8SpSgfxuSfmQhAUU8Busg7nVyg8MDhdiqB0pUTX84qiA/s640/IMG_9627.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Designer Stef Patrizio works on a Mood Board at Madame's kitchen table.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Behind the scenes</b> here at Madame Fromage, there has been a lot more than cheese on the table. Over the past few months, I have been working with <a href="http://www.stefaniapatrizio.com/">Stefania Patrizio</a> on a site redesign. Come spring, this blog will get her wings. Even a new url. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To start, Stef created a new logo, which appears on the <a href="http://madamefromage.blogspot.com/2012/01/invitation-to-cheese-ball.html">Cheese Ball invitation</a> (see last post) I put up last week. Yes, that invite was all her idea. She is a dream. She's also taught me a lot about how to think visually, set a mood, and re-envision this site. Here's how we got started:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Building A Better Blog: PART I</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Step 1: Gather Ideas</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stef asked me to collect all of the things I own that gush Fromage -- from cheese graters to business cards. Upstairs in the <a href="http://madamefromage.blogspot.com/2011/10/from-desk-of-madame-fromage.html">Cheese Command Center</a>, where I do most of my writing, I got started with a bulletin board. <a href="http://www.maxmccalman.com/">Max McCalman</a>'s business card, a personal treasure, was one of the first things I pinned to the board.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvpzN9mwpT0BYuBhi4X6_tMY7QtEYUE3pG0rDSeEEBMGN3nGHJg6Q_IJ7uFNhh2h9daQrkWKa-oDfWPREdD4VugFakqG26j5HAnzzsxSzeYFLhecmUh8PEmYGcnUlDGjk87No-rFcvAA/s1600/IMG_9977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvpzN9mwpT0BYuBhi4X6_tMY7QtEYUE3pG0rDSeEEBMGN3nGHJg6Q_IJ7uFNhh2h9daQrkWKa-oDfWPREdD4VugFakqG26j5HAnzzsxSzeYFLhecmUh8PEmYGcnUlDGjk87No-rFcvAA/s640/IMG_9977.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Step 2: Build a Mood Board</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stef and I spent an afternoon creating a "<a href="http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2008/12/why-mood-boards-matter/">mood board</a>" -- a process of brainstorming the aesthetic look and feel of the new site. She collected a bunch of images and put together a slide show so we could brainstorm color and tone; the images ranged from black-and-white mug shots of women from the 1920s to vases of flowers. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I gave a thumbs up to the mug shots, a thumbs down to the flowers. The process was much like going to the eye doctor and trying on lenses. The fun part was conceiving of a new look for the blog by exploring -- not text -- but photos and drawings. Of course, we had a cheese board to go with it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhPgMwlUvO8my47V7v06pSlRa8CIqfxVA-OVHKtXlnUqiNdBVLNrW4MhtIgT9XZ4_EZcSgvgTU1Dyrs9uRM3pC4OB044Ox_FN1sIMlgER9nmobi8EjL8dUO_T5iJ3zNK97W5C8rGw8Bw/s1600/IMG_9596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhPgMwlUvO8my47V7v06pSlRa8CIqfxVA-OVHKtXlnUqiNdBVLNrW4MhtIgT9XZ4_EZcSgvgTU1Dyrs9uRM3pC4OB044Ox_FN1sIMlgER9nmobi8EjL8dUO_T5iJ3zNK97W5C8rGw8Bw/s640/IMG_9596.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Step 3: Design a Logo</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stef developed four new logo designs. Each one had a different look and feel. The unveiling, which took place at her apartment over breakfast, was exciting. I was so curious to know what she had come up with. After all, she had snapped oodles of photos at my house, and we had looked at dozens of food blogs together. I knew I wanted a logo with personality and a new site with some theatrics -- after all, what is a cheese board if not a stage?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Step 4: Create Images For a New Site </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stef and I made a cheese trek. She wanted to snap some pictures and shop for cheese. So, off we went to <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/italian-market">Di Bruno Bros.</a>, a Polaroid in tow. We snapped some photos of the mongers who are so essential to this project, then came home to plate our wares and shoot a still life or two. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stef turned into a DSLR ninja. You can't see it here, but at one point the tripod was propped on a piano bench and Stef was hanging by a toe from the ceiling. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjVcfOPEPNLroXZ5bWMJWjGnOxQ2uZXNrOj1WiRfqfERsLHfHaEPH07ArP5CPSVuPqr1xYxZKku49pqFpSOjPcd5G9mghFkUnGmiR1KWUuttgCUYxg6zZ7VWgse1b4Yzj5xzmD56lCzo/s1600/IMG_8209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjVcfOPEPNLroXZ5bWMJWjGnOxQ2uZXNrOj1WiRfqfERsLHfHaEPH07ArP5CPSVuPqr1xYxZKku49pqFpSOjPcd5G9mghFkUnGmiR1KWUuttgCUYxg6zZ7VWgse1b4Yzj5xzmD56lCzo/s640/IMG_8209.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Step 5: Keep Collaborating</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The best part of this whole process has been sharing ideas with Stef. I met her at a cheese tasting, so I knew she valued some of the same things I did: handcrafted food, cheesemakers, exploration, stories. It's been great to find someone who is as passionate about images as I am about writing. Stef has given me ideas for posts, suggestions for blog features, and an understanding of how to build this site as a stage for sharing, educating, exploring, and entertaining. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the meantime, I've introduced her to a few new cheeses. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4N_TWTNkU2Y2XiRqLCp6ipK_6NaGVM-YCFqGAsB17F_HA9iKHPHg226tVo5X6nR3QgD6jmuokYiuDvCHXm69RxPpW1-KwEsNoFANnpG632T_dmmkJHIJX_UrCurfow1XZErHnFEsCyrw/s1600/IMG_9609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4N_TWTNkU2Y2XiRqLCp6ipK_6NaGVM-YCFqGAsB17F_HA9iKHPHg226tVo5X6nR3QgD6jmuokYiuDvCHXm69RxPpW1-KwEsNoFANnpG632T_dmmkJHIJX_UrCurfow1XZErHnFEsCyrw/s640/IMG_9609.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><a href="http://www.stefaniapatrizio.com/">Stefania Patrizio</a> (stefaniapatrizio@gmail.com) is a freelance designer in Philadelphia. She specializes in logos and branding for restaurants, food bloggers, and food producers. </i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-50342696896115381342012-01-02T17:51:00.000-08:002012-01-02T17:51:39.112-08:00An Invitation To A Cheese Ball<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gM_iHG3hWOJ6sPicdBw9q6-74Ocnbk6oFUuwIMXmHIxsf0yj6gt5BBAc8xNlNZMoEmdkP84bNZCNIM25R3YSBumJ__srpjmLeLX7hVqbdq9bmdh5dYYhyJajkstoKt1_zhV7XGtSr9k/s1600/Cheese+Ball+Invite%252C+Jan.+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gM_iHG3hWOJ6sPicdBw9q6-74Ocnbk6oFUuwIMXmHIxsf0yj6gt5BBAc8xNlNZMoEmdkP84bNZCNIM25R3YSBumJ__srpjmLeLX7hVqbdq9bmdh5dYYhyJajkstoKt1_zhV7XGtSr9k/s640/Cheese+Ball+Invite%252C+Jan.+14.jpg" width="444" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b>That’s right, cheese lovers,</b> I’m ringing in 2012 with a CHEESE BALL. I hope you’ll bring a wedge for the giant cheese board I plan to create.
And I hope you’ll put on a cheesy outfit, but it’s not required.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Why a Cheese Ball? Well, I just feel we should meet
face to face. After all, I’ve been blogging for three years, and a grrl gets
tired of tapping keys. I want to tap my foot to a beat. I want to go cheese Gaga.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Here’s the line-up for the night at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/rubaclub">RUBA</a>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">8
p.m.</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"> <i>Doors Open</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">We dance cheek to cheek to some live jazz, we
feast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">10
p.m.</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>Raffle
Winners Announced</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Uh, that’s right. I’ve got a Mike Geno <a href="http://mikegeno.com/cheese_portraits_prints_menu.html">cheese print</a> to
give away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">11:00</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">
<b>p.m.</b> <i>The Coronation</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Will you be crowned King or Queen of the Cheese
Ball? Perhaps. If so, we must disco. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">DJ Raclette will be making a special
appearance from Wisconsin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Midnight:</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">
The private party officially opens to RUBA Social Hall members. RUBA is open
until 3 a.m. You can stay and meet handsome Russians or head home to recuperate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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must love cheese to attend. </span><div>
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<i>Note: The invitation above is courtesy of the daringly awesome</i> <a href="http://www.stefaniapatrizio.com/">Stefania Patrizio Design</a>. </div>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-41349463589755440242011-12-31T06:33:00.000-08:002011-12-31T06:33:28.587-08:00Highlights of the Year In Cheese<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rSOJ77WLmsWL5cJbCtf352-k5HxBxaLRaETmFeNDn4xM9s4MA9MPWLhS14K1aQPVg-2VcE9uiacXXJmMAqXFWd__ZQC6nHxBmYxCxfz-vGy6Wg7qR4a_02M_VkmVMlz1knxmo6hKAxs/s1600/IMG_0481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rSOJ77WLmsWL5cJbCtf352-k5HxBxaLRaETmFeNDn4xM9s4MA9MPWLhS14K1aQPVg-2VcE9uiacXXJmMAqXFWd__ZQC6nHxBmYxCxfz-vGy6Wg7qR4a_02M_VkmVMlz1knxmo6hKAxs/s640/IMG_0481.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coolea, one of the most delicious cheeses of the year.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b>It was the year of Goudas. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Every time I turned around, I was nibbling a
glorious Dutch treat. My favorites: <a href="http://www.cooleacheese.com/">Coolea</a>, a Gouda from Ireland, and <a href="http://www.saxoncreamery.com/online/our_cheeses/evalon/">Evalon</a>, a
goat Gouda from Wisconsin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b>It was the year of Twitter.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Making the <a href="http://www.zagat.com/buzz/who-to-follow-on-twitter-140-restaurants-and-foodies">Zagat list</a> of foodies to follow was fun,
but it was great to discover other cheese geeks like @curdwise, @CheeseboardUK,
@cheesechick1, @kasekaiserina, @cheeseandpoetry, @ItsBrieBlog,
@Timthecheeseman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b>It was the year of the Cheesemonger.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Wherever I looked, the world of the professional
cheese handler was getting props. I missed the second annual <a href="http://www.cheesemongerinvitational.com/">Cheesemonger Invitational</a>, but I was happy to be at my first American Cheese Society
conference, which launched the first ever <a href="http://www.cheesesociety.org/events-education/certification-2/">Cheesemonger Certification </a>Program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b>It was the year of babies named after cheese.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Just ask <a href="http://www.facebook.com/hunter.fike">Hunter Fike</a> of Di Bruno Bros. (9<sup>th</sup>
Street) about his son Jamie Montgomery as you nibble a hunk of <a href="http://www.farmhousecheesemakers.com/cheesemakers/montgomery_s_cheddar/">Montgomery’s Cheddar</a>. Hunter, might I suggest Strathdon Blue for a potential baby #2?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b>It was the year of cheese apps.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Pairing apps abound, but I am still looking for the
perfect iphone app that allows me to snap a photo of cheese and record notes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b>It was the year of aspiring young chesemakers.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">When will <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
New Yorker </i>run its "30 Cheesemakers Under 30" story? <a href="http://cheeseunderground.blogspot.com/2011/03/evalon-wins-us-cheese-contest.html">Katie Hedrich</a> of LaClare
Farms in Chilton, WI made big news when she won the U.S. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Championship Cheese title at the green
age of 25. I've got my eye on <a href="http://indianapolis.metromix.com/restaurants/article/a-life-of-cheese/2661963/content">Lindsay Klaunig</a>, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><i><b>What's in store for 2012?</b></i> Well, a newly designed site for Madame Fromage, plus a big bash that you're invited to on Jan. 14. Keep your eyes posted for the invite to my Cheese Ball! I'm ready to celebrate three years of blogging in the land of Milk and Brotherly Love. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Dear readers, what are your highlights, cheese or otherwise?</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-10829614462613957872011-12-30T12:01:00.000-08:002011-12-30T12:01:29.311-08:00Rogue River Smokey Blue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZK6CnQIIT5lpa1psQlmM_bXg7U1NBmO8ID4mds-FDZvtb4NrEDsrosRyy7zzliC8I6adMAOVwwF0m2zpyPlQ4VJAKpfyjkhP63BAuohf4qGR3I4CEq5Ubz1i60t1RLRKg0MHvhd8yoA/s1600/Rogue+River+Smokey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZK6CnQIIT5lpa1psQlmM_bXg7U1NBmO8ID4mds-FDZvtb4NrEDsrosRyy7zzliC8I6adMAOVwwF0m2zpyPlQ4VJAKpfyjkhP63BAuohf4qGR3I4CEq5Ubz1i60t1RLRKg0MHvhd8yoA/s640/Rogue+River+Smokey.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>Lately,</b> people have been asking me about smoked cheeses, so this week on the <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/blog/">Di Bruno blog</a>, I devoted my column to Rogue River Smokey Blue from Oregon state. It's one of the best smoked cheeses on the market -- not that competition is stiff. Most "smoked" cheeses are loaded with Liquid Smoke, a chemical additive. For the 411 on why Rogue River Smokey Blue stands out, please check out <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/blog/2011/12/28/smokey-blue-for-breakfast-yes-maam/">my column</a>.
<!--EndFragment--><div>
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<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">Full disclosure: I am a freelancer for <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">Di Bruno Bros</a>. Twice a month, I select a cheese and develop a post for their blog. This is how I cover the cost of my dairy habit.</span></i></i></span></div>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-18987655050258307612011-12-28T06:09:00.000-08:002011-12-28T06:09:01.682-08:00Creme Brulee in a Glass<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0vctuj4G2uqNghBaFLDHtt9mNmCttC9mvs0olml1JNujLfMjtELyvIKOScZ-gwc0TuBcDUva4xiwW-Yqhjdg_tnk63aPB142-OY1SHOeNALsuzTx_D_u7Qra0KhoEa_C4ltTq3NGOdY/s1600/IMG_1138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0vctuj4G2uqNghBaFLDHtt9mNmCttC9mvs0olml1JNujLfMjtELyvIKOScZ-gwc0TuBcDUva4xiwW-Yqhjdg_tnk63aPB142-OY1SHOeNALsuzTx_D_u7Qra0KhoEa_C4ltTq3NGOdY/s640/IMG_1138.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Blue Cheese Goddess with her signature cocktail<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b>My friend Tracy,</b> a.ka. the Blue Cheese Goddess
makes a holiday drink that has become legendary in dairy circles. It begins
with a martini glass (don’t stop reading now!) dipped in lemon juice and brown
sugar, then filled with a boozy Crème Anglaise concoction. Yes, it really does
taste like Madame’s favorite scorched dessert, Crème Brulée.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">If you're looking for a naughty New Years Eve
libation, may I recommend this extraordinary composition? The BCG inherited the
recipe from her mother Elaine, who claims the recipe comes from the <a href="http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Philadelphia/Default.htm?utm_campaign=09052&src=ps">Ritz Carlton</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">On Christmas Eve, this drink overshadowed my cheese
plate. I didn’t complain. It’s everything a person could want from the dairy
case mixed with the liquor cabinet. Prepare to shiver.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<u style="text-underline: #1A1A1A;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Tracy and Elaine’s
Crème Brul</span></u><u><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">é<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">e Martini<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">1 lemon wedge<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">A saucer of brown sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">1 1/2 oz Grey Goose vodka<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Splash of Frangelico<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Splash of triple sec or other orange
liqueur<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">2 1/2 oz crème anglaise (5
tablespoons, recipe below)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Ice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Rub the lemon wedge along rim of a
martini glass, then roll the rim in brown sugar. Chill the glass. Pour vodka,
Frangelico, orange liqueur, and crème
anglaise into a shaker half filled with ice. Shake and strain into a glass. Serve with a smooch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<u style="text-underline: #1A1A1A;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Crème
Anglaise<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">2 cups milk, scalded<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">5 tablespoons sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">4 egg yolks, lightly beaten<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Pinch of salt</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Heat milk, sugar, and salt in top of a
double boiler, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Stir a little milk mixture
into the egg yolks, then add the eggs to the milk mixture. Set the mixture in
the pan over barely simmering water. Cook, stirring until thickened, 3-4
minutes or until the mixture coats the spoon. Mix in the vanilla. Cool quickly
by setting the pan in ice water and stirring briskly. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia;">Refrigerate until ready to use.</span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-33670121132674345152011-12-21T12:09:00.000-08:002011-12-21T12:17:20.775-08:00Entertaining Tips From A Swiss Hostess<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mother Fromage </td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>Everything I know </b>about hostessing comes from my
mother who was born in Geneva. To most, she was known as “The Frau” – she was a
strict-as-nails German teacher in our midwestern hometown. To my brother and I,
she was <a href="http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/">Julia Child</a> crossed with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRkovnss7sg">Nancy Sinatra</a>. She loved high boots, and she
was always cooking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">My brother André and I were her sous chefs. In the
‘70s, we whipped cream for her gourmet club <a href="http://www.mangiabenepasta.com/tortoni.html">tortonis</a>; in the ‘80s, our mother
discovered the <i><a href="http://www.molliekatzen.com/">Moosewood Cookbook</a> </i>and we became her renegade vegetable peelers.
When our mother entertained, the house had to be spotless, the lighting
perfect. André and I cued the right records, served drinks (usually in
costume), and made sure all the teak furniture legs were feather dusted.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Now that André and I are grown, we laugh at the
hostessing traits we have inherited. Our mother taught us something beyond
Swiss fastidiousness; she taught us how to stage domestic bliss, with all the
right candles and details. <o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Mother Fromage arrives tomorrow. You can imagine what I am doing right now. That’s right, putting a chocolate on her pillow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Ten Tips From A Swiss Hostess</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Always
keep a Ziploc bag of <b>cigarettes</b> in the door of your freezer. Defrost one as
necessary, before or after guests arrive. (This is <o:p></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">André's flourish.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Candles
on the table always. Fresh flowers, too. <b>Carnations</b> are economical; they will
last a month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Leave
<b>chocolates</b> on pillows, sparkling water by guest beds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Never
eat anything under bright lighting. <b>Dimmers</b>, people, dimmers!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Cook
in the dark, or near darkness. It feels more <b>sensual</b> that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">6.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Plan
surprise<b> readings</b> over dinner – poems by Emily Dickinson are fun to say,
especially after a few glasses of wine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">7.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Avoid the hair-pulling task of making <b>pie crusts</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">8.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>Swearing</b>
in the kitchen only, please.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">9.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Serve
<b>hot drinks</b> in the afternoon when people get cranky. Make <b>paper hats</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">10.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">A <b>cheese board</b> for lunch means
you don’t have to cook two big meals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">My mother lives in Wisconsin where she is close to the dairy epicenter. My brother blogs at <a href="http://Andredarlington.com/">Andredarlington.com</a>. As you can see, he inherited the Swiss upper lip and the widow's peak.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptlRz4M25dLpjsfR5Qbir5JCgiBMUscEkhlPJ3prvbYwxVUGTITaCMkxvPkilyyeXpUz2IZoFKpNrMuqZiSwVV8IgvBerzamWYB7HUZcGwlWON9WfjA3Tsdy2-3YywQFQT8amszajQN8/s1600/IMG_1831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptlRz4M25dLpjsfR5Qbir5JCgiBMUscEkhlPJ3prvbYwxVUGTITaCMkxvPkilyyeXpUz2IZoFKpNrMuqZiSwVV8IgvBerzamWYB7HUZcGwlWON9WfjA3Tsdy2-3YywQFQT8amszajQN8/s640/IMG_1831.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we all are, two winters ago. Note the flowers, the lighting. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-6515545908316300002011-12-19T21:10:00.000-08:002011-12-19T21:26:44.262-08:00Can the Cheese Ball Be Rebranded?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>In the dairy world,</b> a cheese ball has about as
much class as a Mr. Softee cone rolled in colored jimmies. And yet, who doesn’t
salivate at thought? If the cupcake can make a comeback, why shouldn’t
the cheese ball rise again?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Over at <a href="http://cheeseandchampagne.com/2011/12/01/announcing-the-2011-cheese-ball-invitational/">Cheese and Champagne</a>, my digital
compatriots have thrown down a tauntlet. It’s called the <a href="http://cheeseandchampagne.com/2011/12/01/announcing-the-2011-cheese-ball-invitational/">Cheese Ball Invitational</a>, and anyone with a blog can dip this challenge in peanuts and set the globe spinning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Let’s do it. Let’s make cheese balls. But let’s do
it with intention. Let’s make cheese balls of integrity! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This demands forethought. Before you resurrect a cheese ball, consider your audience – pick a worthy recipient, someone
who has an appreciation for clashing boundaries. Then, embark on your mission. Make a serious face in the mirror and start inventing. Why not a cheese trapezoid? A fromage rhombus?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">For my minor opus, I present…the <b>Point Reyes Pine Cone</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Oh, yes, this is a cheese ball, but as you can see by its teardrop shape, this <a href="http://www.clusterflock.org/2008/12/rethinking-the-cheese-ball.html">"gobbet of gunk"</a> has arisen. Note how crushed gingersnaps in this recipe replace the salted-nut dermis.
There’s room for interpretation here, too – as with all high art. Is it a pine cone,
you might ask, or is it a forest creation by <a href="http://www.ucblueash.edu/artcomm/web/w2005_2006/maria_Goldsworthy/works.html">Andy Goldsworthy</a>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">To raise the cheese ball out of its puddle, I felt
I needed to lob it at a person of quality. My friend the <a href="http://madamefromage.blogspot.com/2011/03/day-3-how-to-serve-saint-agur.html">Blue Cheese Brit</a>
seemed like an ideal recipient for my re-branding campaign. As you can see,
he’s wearing an ascot. This is not your average cheese ball consumer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYazRWy5B77q1MBYIaSlhDSyjb2yJcJ17I131-0NfTj4iq2w1-jmOQ4aYzpuWgVBX5OoqDdirpNMAWhDXcK6tg2gO7m5IqVSsMUaBbhueGrQhPX5MGqg8J_DKPNQR3Rc08jaNtJEbovY/s1600/IMG_1045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYazRWy5B77q1MBYIaSlhDSyjb2yJcJ17I131-0NfTj4iq2w1-jmOQ4aYzpuWgVBX5OoqDdirpNMAWhDXcK6tg2gO7m5IqVSsMUaBbhueGrQhPX5MGqg8J_DKPNQR3Rc08jaNtJEbovY/s640/IMG_1045.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Serve your guests some gin’n tonics, and the Point
Reyes Pine Cone turns a stale party into beautiful havoc. Watch as guests
bypass your beautiful cheese board to grab a crumb, a twig. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The Point Reyes Pine Cone is the next generation
cheese ball, friends. If we can’t save the planet, we can at least save the whipped
dairy appetizer. Join me. Do it now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>The Point Reyes Pine Cone</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">¼ cup purple onion, minced<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 cup crumbled <a href="http://pointreyescheese.com/">Point Reyes Blue Cheese </a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2 tablespoons fig jam<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">½ cup toasted walnuts, loosely broken<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Freshly ground pepper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 box <a href="http://www.annasthins.ca/">Anna’s Ginger Thins</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1. Mix cream cheese, onion, blue cheese, fig, jam, toasted
walnuts, and ground pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Stir until well-mixed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2. Pour the cheese mixture onto a large square of
plastic wrap and form the glob into a ball. Refrigerate this little asteroid
for an hour or more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3. Use half of the ginger thins to make crumbs. You
can use a food processor, or go old school: drop the cookies into a large
Zip-loc and then use a wine bottle like a rolling pin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">4. When the naked cheese ball is cold, unwrap it and
roll it in the gingernsnap crumbs. Use your hands to delicately mold the ball
into a pinecone shap. Use the scalloped edges of the ginger thins to create <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conifer_cone">bract scales</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Serve with crackers and thinly sliced pumpernickel bread.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>Note: If you can't find Point Reyes, pick up a wedge of Maytag. It's a raw-milk cheese from Iowa, in the style of Roquefort. Point Reyes, from California, is ideal because of its sharp, salty kick, thanks to the seaside air that imbues the milk with a pleasant salinity.</i></span></div>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-43013818772740487782011-12-18T11:49:00.000-08:002011-12-19T08:58:22.415-08:00Ugly Rinds Last-Minute Gift Guide<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Am7HvdeAfNFnRGuA90SbIAQnPp73zAurNWKbfqx2nSmEhP22s0aumv05v7YYKnaSC1rLQL7ghqql2xdsA9TAc-3HknqjIoWC_1ndFKWq80T3AJseaccBrFuY0LXIHmsE5IbloVOwkco/s1600/IMG_0795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Am7HvdeAfNFnRGuA90SbIAQnPp73zAurNWKbfqx2nSmEhP22s0aumv05v7YYKnaSC1rLQL7ghqql2xdsA9TAc-3HknqjIoWC_1ndFKWq80T3AJseaccBrFuY0LXIHmsE5IbloVOwkco/s640/IMG_0795.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Maybe it’s</b> Occupy Wall Street. Maybe it’s the
number of people I know out of jobs. Or maybe I’m just developing a thick rind,
but I can’t seem to force the holiday cheer this year. Do I need more egg nog?
Have I become a morose middle-ager?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Luckily, I can still get excited about cheese,
cheese books, and cheese paraphernalia. Here are a few items I picked up in the
last year that I just can’t live without.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.formaticum.com/products/cheese-dome-marble-base">Marble Cheese Dome</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s the tea cosy for cheese lovers. The marble
base keeps a weepy Brie nice’n cool, and the glass dome keeps flies and fingers
away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.culturecheesemag.com/contact">Culture Magazine Subscription</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This seasonal dairy rag keeps getting better – but
I’m biased. Great recipes, cheesemaker profiles, and news for the budding
lactophile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/cutlery/cheese-specialty-knives/">Cheese Knives</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So much better than scrambling around for butter knives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.artisanalcheese.com/prodinfo.asp?number=16028">The Cheese Deck</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Max McCalman offers a casino-style approach to the wheeling cheese dealer. Each card features a lovely cheese photo with pairing
info on the back. Flash cards?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jun/27/flavour-thesaurus-niki-segnit-review"><i>The Flavor Thesaurus</i></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What a curious gem – I keep this on my nightstand
and peruse the wild pairing suggestions whenever I can’t get out of bed.
Inevitably, I’m cheered and refreshed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/book/167345/the-mozza-cookbook-by-nancy-silverton-matt-molina-and-carolynn-carreno"><i>Mozza</i></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nancy Silverton (of La Brea Bread) now kneads
mozzarella for a living. Well, sort of. This is a brilliant book full of enticing cheese photos– I dream of
making her squash blossom pizza. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/oct/16/ofm-awards-2011-best-cookbook"><i>Plenty</i></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hands down most-ogled book in our house. Think
Morrocan fusion vegetarian with lots of Greek yogurt drizzled on things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://francoischartier.ca/index.php/en/English/The-Book-of-Taste-Buds-and-Molecules.html"><i>Tastebuds & Molecules</i></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From the Canadian wine writer François Chartier, a
fascinating new approach to wine pairings based on his experiences with Ferran
Adrià of El Bulli.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://bittercube.com/">Artisan Bitters</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The perfect tonic après cheesing. Put a few drops
in sparkling water, and you’ll never need a soda again. Seriously good for digestion.</span></div>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-40151274675697631192011-12-16T05:54:00.000-08:002012-12-09T15:46:47.158-08:00Twelve Days of Cheesemas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzcSMglbo_JpkqioAOhvXVGcMl_asG1qlJ4acK-BW4VVwIuEqmF0Dfv0x4yzl3_3HQmaU158sSjnnyHD0tOWJAVIbYvCbXBxfOMMEN8mQOnD5_6DEx9MjS5lhNCr83NfwygNSgSQ7jbTY/s1600/Twelve+Days+of+Cheesemas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzcSMglbo_JpkqioAOhvXVGcMl_asG1qlJ4acK-BW4VVwIuEqmF0Dfv0x4yzl3_3HQmaU158sSjnnyHD0tOWJAVIbYvCbXBxfOMMEN8mQOnD5_6DEx9MjS5lhNCr83NfwygNSgSQ7jbTY/s640/Twelve+Days+of+Cheesemas.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Around the holidays, putting out a cheese or two in the
evenings is a festive way to unwind. For my <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/blog/2011/12/14/12-days-of-cheesemas/">Di Bruno Bros.</a> column this week, I put together twelve pairings for the season. Here is a selection. To read all 12, please visit the <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/blog/2011/12/14/12-days-of-cheesemas/" target="_blank">Di Bruno Blog</a>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Day 1: Pears and </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.dibruno.com/colston-bassett-stilton.html">Stilton</a> </b>i</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">nstead of a partidge in a pear tree.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Day 2:</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chutney and </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.dibruno.com/tarentaise.html">Tarentaise</a> </b>i</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">nstead of turtle doves.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Day 3: Nut brittle
and </b><a href="http://www.dibruno.com/cheese/french-comte-gruyere.html"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">French Comt</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">é
Gruyere</b></a> instead of French hens.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">Full disclosure: This is part of a freelance series I write for <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/" style="color: #990000; text-decoration: none;">Di Bruno Bros</a>. Twice a month, I select a cheese and develop a post for their blog. This is how I cover the cost of my dairy habit.</span></i></i></span></span></div>
Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-48269371085171200582011-12-13T07:14:00.000-08:002011-12-16T05:42:14.168-08:00What You Should Know About Rush Creek<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9uQJUGcwso_SJ8mn_5Me3HcFtezGqZLUWgW6pl_bBcZNrSFBZVwQE_h7KCzTjfflNFyPxQeBuIzidUyQkwv82muycyXJUdl_SKI9fzW4WRqVBGhR4Uq3W_tctlr-il91e_WmqWjiopQ/s1600/IMG_0791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9uQJUGcwso_SJ8mn_5Me3HcFtezGqZLUWgW6pl_bBcZNrSFBZVwQE_h7KCzTjfflNFyPxQeBuIzidUyQkwv82muycyXJUdl_SKI9fzW4WRqVBGhR4Uq3W_tctlr-il91e_WmqWjiopQ/s640/IMG_0791.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>I keep meaning</b> to do a winter gift guide, but all I
want to do is talk about Rush Creek. It is the meaning of Christmas, the star
of David, the liquid heart of Santa – yes, yes, it is all of these things
rolled into a cheese and bound with bark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here’s why:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Rush
Creek is made by <a href="http://www.uplandscheese.com/">Uplands Cheese</a> in Wisconsin, the same folks who make Pleasant
Ridge Reserve -- easily the most decorated cheese in America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Cheesemaker
<a href="http://wisconsincheesetalk.com/2010/06/18/next-generation-artisan-cheesemakers/">Andy Hatch</a> spent months perfecting this beauty. He uses unpasteurized milk so
he had to develop a slow maturation process in order to legally sell these
wheels (raw milk cheese must age 60 days or more). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">If
you’ve had <a href="http://madamefromage.blogspot.com/2011/12/vacherin-peignoir-cheese.html">Vacherin Mont d’Or</a>, this is the U.S. equivalent – it’s made by hand
using extraordinary milk from well-loved cows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Rush
Creek has the texture of unset pudding – its center is molten. You will want to
spoon it into your lover’s mouth. Check out the <i><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/dining/10cheese.html">New York Times</a> </i>photo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.culturecheesemag.com/culturetoc-winter2011">Culture Magazine</a></span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">’s
winter centerfold? Rush Creek.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you have a trusted cheesemonger, ask him or her to
order this cheese for you. Prepare to spend about 30 bones, and don’t blanch
at the thought. Andy Hatch has a baby, and he needs to earn a living.
Cheesemaking is hard work – it requires milking cows twice a day, tending the
land on which they graze, and then becoming trained in the art of hand-crafted cheese.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">When you eat Rush Creek, you are eating a little
bit of <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=van+gogh+paintings&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=DWvnTuWYKoHe0QHdyLXTCQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CDQQ_AUoAQ&biw=1440&bih=742">Van Gogh</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuauXJNJsA0vcPsbaDX2SKxObZ6_WjFEE5DtAXlhEIgXt0X9HbGZ8SctjlYh9pBZJXBRIf2FpXKeH-71hykzD9ALru8H7yhFEo7U_Dokkb_qclsqXem9RDny8g9pgQ_iWXGqnGu6yIQEE/s1600/IMG_0924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuauXJNJsA0vcPsbaDX2SKxObZ6_WjFEE5DtAXlhEIgXt0X9HbGZ8SctjlYh9pBZJXBRIf2FpXKeH-71hykzD9ALru8H7yhFEo7U_Dokkb_qclsqXem9RDny8g9pgQ_iWXGqnGu6yIQEE/s640/IMG_0924.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> For a perfect pairing, eat Rush Creek with a starry Riesling. ( Photo by Stefania Patrizio)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115083762819846316.post-64757785863176081472011-12-09T11:41:00.001-08:002011-12-09T12:02:57.412-08:00Culture Magazine Debut + Birchrun Dinner<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><b>Alas, it’s here</b>: the winter issue of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.culturecheesemag.com/culturetoc-winter2011">Culture Magazine</a></i>. It features my first
story for the magazine, and I’m so pleased that it brings attention to a
stellar blue-cheese maker from Pennsylvania, <a href="http://www.pasafarming.org/inside-pasa/board/susanmiller">Sue Miller</a> of <a href="http://birchrunhillsfarm.com/">Birchrun Hills Farm</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">I interviewed Sue this fall and spent a day
watching her make <a href="http://www.dibruno.com/birchrun-blue.html">Birchrun Blue</a>. Her attention to detail and her deep love of
all things Holstein showed me something important that goes into cheesemaking besides milk and rennet: devotion. Deep, deep devotion to animals, land, and the people Sue calls her "eaters".<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">This issue of <i>Culture</i> feels like an album of greatest hits for
me. The centerfold cheese is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/dining/10cheese.html">Rush Creek</a>, from <a href="http://www.uplandscheese.com/">Uplands Cheese</a> in my home state of Wisconsin. And
the spread right after my story on Sue showcases <a href="http://mikegeno.com/cheese_portraits_statement.html">Mike Geno</a>’s cheese <a href="http://mikegeno.com/cheese%20album/index.htm">portraits</a> (yup, that's one on the wall in the photo below).
Mike’s been featured on this site many times. In fact, he often accompanies me
on fromage junkets around the city.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>Birchrun Hills Farm Dinner:</b> Coincidentally, Philadelphia’s own <a href="http://www.southwarkrestaurant.com/">Southwark</a>
restaurant has planned to honor Sue Miller with a Birchrun Hills Farm tasting dinner on
Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. ($45). Chef Nick Macri has four incredible courses planned to feature Birchrun's cheese, whey-fed pork, and veal. Please join Mike Geno, Sue Miller, and me. Raw milk and cookies
for dessert!</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">To
reserve a spot at Southwark’s Birchrun Hills Dinner, call the restaurant at 215-238-1888.
</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Madame Fromagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10303441163329031923noreply@blogger.com7