A Date With Flavor » cheese

Morimoto Soba Ale: Beer vs. Cheese

Ali — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:40:00 +0000

Rogue started with Morimoto’s Soba Ale and with the popularity and demand they created an amazing cheddar with it. The soba ale is to die for. It is so light and creamy with an intriguing flavor of roasted soba that keeps you drinking. Pairing the ale with the cheddar is an obvious match. The cheedar helps the ale pop and the ale calms the down the cheese.

At first Rogue beers were hard to come across, now the 22oz bottles are in every liquor store around. What makes Rogue Ales different from the rest of the Northwest craft brewers is their wine-like approach with their recommended food pairings, tasting notes and homegrown ingredients. Crazy flavor combinations like the Chipotle and Juniper Berry Ales put Rogue on a whole other level.

If you are in Central Point, Oregon, definitely stop in at the creamery to try as many cheeses as you can and have an unlimited selection of their infamous ales.

Rogue Creamery Rogue Public House & Brewery

311 North Front Street                                    673 Union Street
Central Point, OR 97502                                San Francisco, CA 94133
(541) 665-1155                                                  (415) 362-7880

Truffle Honey

Ali — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 02:08:21 +0000

When eating cheese or putting together a mixed plate I usually have quince paste or honey comb. Sometimes the cheese is so special that you need a little something extra. Truffle honey goes great with almost all salty meats and cheeses. I happen to prefer semi-hard to hard cheeses, but it did complement Crater Lake’s Blue, spread on a toasted baguette. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it works with everything!

Fiore Sardo: sheep's milk. Sardinia, Italy

Traditional Coop’s, Fiore Sardo was the winner. This semi-hard cheese is so rich in flavor and grainy but the finish is so smooth. Barely Buzzed is a cow’s milk, cheddar like cheese. The rind is made up of ground coffee and espresso, and a touch of lavender. This intense rind seeps into the cheese creating an earthy flavor and drives your palate crazy. Aika seemed to think that it was fine on its own, but in my opinion, the honey is a must to cut the bitter grinds and match it’s earthiness.

Barely Buzzed: cow's milk, Utah

This honey is truly delicious and can add endless opportunities to a cheese plate. I buy my honey at Far West Fungi and my cheese at Cowgirl Creamery, both in the Ferry Building.

FB Farmer’s Market Salad

Ali — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:11:44 +0000

After spending some quality time at Cowgirl Creamery in the Ferry Building this past Tuesday, I fell in love with Rogue Creamery’s, Crater Lake Blue. The second I tasted this intense and complex cow’s milk blue, in my mind I immediately paired it with my favorite Creme di Balsamico. Walking through the vendors out front, I noticed my favorite green, Chinese mustard lettuce. This is so different from your typical mustard green. The Chinese lettuce gives a burst of robust mustard as you chew. Then I thought, salad. I bought the greens and perfectly ripe strawberries, then threw this together.

It is almost impossible to ignore the aromas and not stop at Acme Bread when you are in the Ferry Building. On that note, I got a fresh baguette to toast up for crostini. I put a little salad on top, drizzled the balsamic reduction and viola!

Caramelized Onions and Brie

Ali — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:02:16 +0000

Ingredients:

4 medium yellow onions
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp light olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
Salt
1/4 Tsp cracked black pepper
Small wheel of brie cheese

Steps:

Peel skin of each onion, then chop in half from root to bottom.
Slice about 1/4 inch slices then peel apart onions and keep to the side. (pictured below)
In large saute pan over medium heat, add butter and oil.
After the butter melts into the oil add slices of onions. *Note: the batch of onions will shrink to about half size.
Add a few pinches of salt and cracked black pepper.
With tongs rotate onions from bottom to top every few minutes.
When the onions start to shrink down (15 minutes) add brown sugar.
After 35-40 minutes of rotating onions, they will have a medium/light brown caramelization, be very soft to touch and ready to eat!

Brie:

With about 10 minutes left on the onions, add the wheel of brie on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a preheated oven of 350 degrees.
Take out of oven and place on dish, add the caramelized onions over the baked brie.
Serve with crackers or toasted bread.

This is by far the best way to start a dinner or cocktail party. It’s always a hit at my house and goes great with almost any wine and many beers. It also gets your palate thinking and ready for a flavorful dinner ahead.

Honeycomb

Ali — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:36:18 +0000

Honeycomb is basically condensed honey. The combs are made of hexagon cells made by honeybees to hold both their honey and pollen. Honeycomb is amazing on toasted bread, and perfect for a cheese plate drizzled with a balsamic reduction. If you want a salty, creamy texture, blue cheese would compliment the honey wonderfully. I prefer a nutty, aged cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano with either toasted walnuts or sliced Prosciutto di Parma. Other cheeses that would pair nicely due to personal preference could be Goat, Ricotta, or Feta cheeses.