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Thanksgiving cheese 2010

cheese in Burlington, part 1
cheese in Burlington, part 2

We took several cheeses to Burlington for Thanksgiving this year.  I made cheese plates of all of them, which seemed to go over well.

Claudel Camembert, another camembert we found at La Fromagerie in Alexandria.

A cheese we got at Magruder’s in Chevy Chase.

Marisa, a very nice sheep’s milk cheese that we got at La Fromagerie.

Pecorino wrapped in walnut leaves, from Cheesetique, very nice. ($21.99 a lb).

Thomasville Tomme, from Sweet Grass Dairy, in Georgia.  Crumbly, but very good.  (Cheesetique, $24.99 lb.)

Buttermilk Blue, from Roth Kase, Wisconsin, very good. (La Fromagerie).

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Yammer on Nuked Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes 3

Yamblings: It was way too expensive, but I can never pass up on gadgety things, so I bought a microwave sweet potato in the Silver Spring Safeway.  The “Micro Yam” (though it was really a sweet potato and not a yam) is a triple-washed sweet potato in plastic wrap.

Instructions: Do no puncture or remove flavor seal wrap; Place in microwave. Cook on high about 6-8 minutes (mine was mush at 6 minutes). Sweet potato will be hot, so carefully remove.

I don’t think the variety of sweet potato used was the most flavorful, so I will go back to cooking in a damp paper towel in the microwave (after you’ve punched a few holes into it) and then finishing up in the broiler to get the skin crispy.

The newest Prevention magazine says you should eat sweet potatoes instead carrots to get more antioxidants, but it’s hard to beat a carrot for ease (no cooking required).

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Lucuma Gelato is a hit

Lucuma fruit

I headed early to the Van Ness Market and almost got hit by a baby deer on Connecticut Ave, but I recovered to buy lucuma gelato.  I had no idea what a lucuma was, but I found it was a fruit, mostly found in Peru, with a dry and starchy orange-yellow flesh. The web says, “The bulk of the production is used in dehydrated form with only a small percentage reaching the local markets to be consumed fresh. Once dehydrated, the lucuma powder (or flour) is mainly sold as flavoring to be used in ice creams and other dairy products….Some may say it tastes like caramel custard and others a bit like pumpkin….In Peru, it is a favorite. Some say lucuma ice cream’s popularity surpasses even the common vanilla and chocolate flavors! ”

The kids at the market (college kids whose Mom is Peruvian and sends it here) had pudding, cookies and gelato. They also had big bags of the dried stuff you could buy. The cookies were nice, big and chewy. My nephew was telling me lucuma ice cream is his favorite flavor, and I may have to go back next week and buy the bag of powder.

Another bonus: it is somewhat good for you, and it may be used as a sweetener. “Lucuma is an excellent source of carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals including plentiful concentrations of beta-carotene, which makes it a powerful immune system booster. It is rich in iron, B2 and B1. It`s also high in niacin, which makes it a cholesterol and triglyceride balancer.”

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Chocolate Cupcakes for All

We had a BBQ picnic at lunch, and I wanted to make something that one of my dairy free co-workers could eat (no cow products or cinnamon for here either). I was up for the challenge, but I wanted to make something that everyone else would like, too.

I’d read about “Chocolate Cupcakes for Almost Everybody” in the Best Food Writing 2009.

I used vanilla soy milk (the recipe calls for soy or rice milk, but a vegan friends says the rice milk doesn’t rise as well.) I also had Dutch Processed cocoa powder, which is a bit darker than regular cocoa powder.

The recipe says it will make 12 cupcakes, but it made 18 for me — it leaves more room for the glaze on top. That did reduce my cooking time from 20 minutes to about 15 minutes. I added orange/Halloween sprinkles to make them more festive.

And they were a hit. The chocolate cupcakes were moist and with a very rich, chocolate flavor. I really liked the 3-ingredient  icing / glaze — easy to make and spread. All the ingredients are ones I have on hand, and the recipe is very easy to make. You could use buttermilk if you aren’t a soy milk person, but the texture was just right – not my different than my black bottom cupcakes.

In an interview with The New York Times: “Eggs are the big lie in baking.” On the Web site, Post Punk Kitchen, Isa Chandra Moskowitz concedes that eggs give baked goods structure and leavening. “However,” she writes, “like a bad boyfriend, they can be replaced, and with pleasing results.”

Of course these won’t work for my gluten-free friends because of the flour . I’ll have to try that challenge the next time.

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Grated Raw Beet Salad

Beet Salad

I love this because it’s so simple — too simple for most restaurants. I usually don’t add any green, but add zest instead — keeps longer in the fridge.  Good topped on a salad, plus some blue cheese on top of that. The beets are easy to peel, and it’s nice not having to cook them.

Grated Raw Beet Salad
Serving Size  : 4     Preparation Time :0:00

Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
1/2         pound  beets
3        tablespoons  orange juice
1         tablespoon  lemon juice
1         tablespoon  extra virgin olive oil
2        tablespoons  mint — chives or parsley (or a combination); minced
Salt — (to taste)
Leaves of 1 romaine heart
zest to taste

Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler, and grate in a food processor fitted with the shredding blade.

Combine the orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss with the beets and herbs. Season to taste with salt. Line a salad bowl or platter with romaine lettuce leaves, top with the grated beets and serve.

Advance preparation: The grated beets can be dressed and kept in the refrigerator, covered well, for a couple of days. They become more tender but don’t lose their texture, and the mixture becomes even sweeter as the beet juices mingle with the citrus. Toss again before serving.

Source: “New York Times”
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 54 Calories; 3g Fat (55.8% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 31mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat.

NOTES : People who swear they hate beets love this salad. It’s a North African-inspired mixture of grated, uncooked beets dressed with orange and lemon juices and a small amount of olive oil. It makes a great starter when you’re serving something robust as a main course, like a couscous.

Nutritional information per serving: 58 calories; 3 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 32 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during cooking); 1 gram protein

Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.

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Cheese at Flight Jacket Night Takes Off

3 American Cheeses
3 American Cheeses

We went to the National Air and Space Museum for the annual Flight Jacket Night. Richard C. Kirkland, pilot, author and artist was the speaker. He flew 103 combat missions in P-38 and P-47 fighters with the famed “Flying Knight” squadron in the southwest Pacific during World War II. He and his wife had nine children — and of course now have multiple grandkids and great grandkids.

We are members of the Air & Space Society, and the staff, including Elizabeth, Rachel and Christina did an excellent job of the program and the reception beforehand. The food and drinks were excellent, and the setting couldn’t have been better — right in the middle of the new exhibit,  Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight.

Highlight for us: the cheese. All surprisingly delicious – not like the cubes you get at many receptions:

1. (Alpine) Pleasant Ridge Reserve Cheese. Artisanal American cheeses reminiscent of French Gruyere style cheeses. It was awarded Best of Show at the 2010 American Cheese Society conference, an accolade it won in 2001 and 2005 as well. Pleasant Ridge Reserve was named U.S. Champion at the 2003 U.S Championship cheese contest. It’s the only cheese ever to win both national competitions. Pleasant Ridge Reserve is made from the non-pasteurized milk of a single herd of Wisconsin cows fed & managed using natural, “old world” practices. Dodgeville, WI, Uplands Dairy.

2.  Cheddar with Carmelized Onions. MODESTO, CALIFORNIA Fiscalini Farms. This cheese has a firm, crumbly straw colored flesh; a nutty, slightly smoky, earthy taste; and a more round finish than most aged cheddars. It looks like it might have been Bandage Wrapped Cheddar, but it was hard to tell at the reception. It hand-turned daily for the first two months of its life, and it is aged for 18 months. We skipped the onions, but they say it is delicious with many types of fruit and even red / white wines.

3. Amablu® “St. Pete’s Select” blue cheese with a fig chutney. Cave aged a minimum of 100+ days in Faribault, MN at the Faribault Dairy Company. Our first cheese aged in genuine sandstone caves; Hand-made from unpasteurized cows milk from local farmers.

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Amorini Panini

Panini Logo

Amorini Panini — I loved the name. I walked by it after jury duty last week, and they had only been open a a few days.  The staff could not have been nicer. I had the Caprese — Mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil pesto & balsamic vinaigrette spread. They looked all over to find the right bread, and the pesto sauce is specially ordered. I asked how they can keep the sandwiches on the menu after tomato season, and I’m not sure they quite understood my question. It was decent, but I had them add the offered hot peppers, and it didn’t quite work with the Caprese — maybe I should have gotten on the side.  I’d go back again because of the location and the enthusiastic staff.  And they will soon have homemade soup. And there is always the Breakfastinis.

I went to the Ford’s Theatre (Museum afterwards, but it’s too bad the renovation did not keep the original charm or artifacts.  Amorini Panini: 906 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004 • [P] 202-347-4575 Near the International Spy Museum, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Ford’s Theatre, Madame Tussaud’s & just one block West of the Verizon Center.)

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Veteran’s Day Cheeses

Veteran's Day Cheese
Veteran's Day Cheese

We both worked on Veteran’s Day, but we did take an evening break to celebrate with cheese. We went to the Chevy Chase Magruders — I sure miss having one right at Cleveland Park. And the deli there closes at 7:00, so our cheese options were limited to the case.

french rambol fume. Smoked, so BBQ Boy particularly liked. Had a recipe on the site for using it in Mac & Cheese. (Cow’s Milk, Semi-Soft). Forest Fume, formerly known as Smoked Rambol, is a processed Gruyere style cheese that is slowly cured over natural hickory. It’s rich, yet delicate flavor and creamy smooth texture are benchmarks for exquisite fondue cheese.

French raw milk Morbier (vegetarian ash). The ash is curious to me — gives the cheese an arty look, but since ash is well-known as an insect repellent, it’s a bit odd.

Stagnolia Blu (italian for blue foil) was from Trader Joes. It keep pretty well in a glass jar in the fridge.

Sidebar: Fun french cheese map at Ile de France Cheese.  You can see where the cheese is made, see recipes and more.

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Cucumber Agua Fresca

Refreshing Drink

Cucumber Agua Fresca

Pretty green color even without skin; recipe says “A splash of rum or vodka makes this a great before-dinner drink”  for a Cuke Cocktail. Don’t be scared for the sugar / cuke combo — fresh taste. Good way to get your veggies, or rescue a cucumber a bit past its prime.

Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
1             medium  cucumber — sliced into 1/2-inch slices; peeled / seeded optional; about 1 cup
1/4           cup  water
pinch  salt
4              whole  ice cubes
2        tablespoons  fresh mint — or basil to taste
1              whole  lime — juiced or more to taste
1         tablespoon  sugar — Agave nectar or sugar syrup*  To taste
Cucumber spears — (optional)

In a blender container combine cucumber, water and salt. Cover and puree until smooth. If you want it perfectly smooth, sieve mixture, but this is not essential. Add ice cubes and mint; blend until slushy. Stir in lime juice and sweeten with agave nectar to taste. to serve, add a cucumber spear to each glass. Makes 6 servings.

Sugar Syrup: In a small saucepan combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar; heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Cool. Pour into a jar and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Made changes to recipe in:  Better Homes & Gardens.
Start to Finish Time: 0:15
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 64 Calories; 1g Fat (6.6% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 15mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit.

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international evening

Amadeus: A new cow’s milk cheese from Austria.  Like gouda, very nice.  A white wax rind.  Named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Cheshire: England’s oldest cheese, listed in the Doomsday Book (dated 1085).  Very crumbly; it isn’t spreadable, so use a spoon.

Blue Cashel: developed in 1984, it is Ireland’s original artisinal blue, and is the creation of Jane and Louis Grubb, a husband and wife team.  Steve Jenkins says “To my mind, what Cashel Blue most resembles is the world’s finest Gorgonzola.  I’m rarely out of it.”  We thought it was very good.