My favorite recipes
Blythedale Farms Camembert Vermont A US-made Camembert style cheese we got at Safeway. Cow’s milk; very good.
Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper very good. Actually make in Holland for the Cypress Grove Chevre creamery. But it really was sheep’s milk.
I don’t remember which blue we had that evening, it looks like it might have been the Point Reyes.
Maryland now has a sheep dairy! Shepherd’s Manor Creamery is now producing a very nice tome style sheep’s milk cheese. They also have a sheep yogurt, which is very nice.
We stopped at Bardeos on the way to the National Zoo on Friday night. They have specials on their wine and beer, though it’s still not a inexpensive happy hour spot (7 Days a Week, from 5pm-7pm All wine is discounted) . But it’s a pretty bar, and the bartender couldn’t be nicer. Even though it is the most expensive way to get cheese, we couldn’t resist the cheese plate. We ordered PECORINO FORMAGGIO DI FOSSA / Italy & CONSTANT BLISS / Vermont. It came with a big basket of bread and homemade crackers with fennel. (The crackers were great on their own, but took away from the flavor of the cheese).
And the National Zoo is open until 8:00 p.m. — the buildings aren’t open, but it’s a pretty place to walk — and there aren’t many people in the evening.
Everona Dairy had a booth at the Silver Spring farmer’s market – which goes to 1:00 each Saturday. We bought some dairy and some herbs to plant, and next visit we will think about the bison.
Muffaletta
milk: Virginia sheep
We usually don’t get ‘cheese with stuff in it’, this had bits of olive and ‘muffaletta’, whatever that is.
Stony Man
milk: Virginia sheep
Very nice, like Piedmont but aged more.
We also got some cow “yogurt cheese” — yogurt that has been drained from the Blue Ridge Dairy Company. They call it ” Greek-style Yo Lite made with skim milk. Didn’t have extra whey that many Greek yogurts have on top, but has a much more tarty taste than FAGE.
Lunch: Thai Derm in Silver Spring. Missed coupon on their site since we didn’t plan on going. Disappointing: out of mango with sticky rice, but noodle dishes good.
The rest of the dinner created by WWT had a carrot theme (Chicken and Carrot Fricassee, Carrot Cranberry Salad, Bacony Carrots and Green Beans, Pickled Carrots, Carrot Pudding), but the cheese course was cheesy with side carrots. All from Whole Foods:
Cupid’s Choice Camembert, Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, Old Chatham New York. Tasty, and we couldn’t resist the heart-shape of this one. Pasteurized cow’s and sheep’s milk. Our sparkling our New Mexico Gruet was a good match for this.
Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper, Cypress Grove Chevre, California. We agreed: “This sheep milk cheese is buttery in color and flavor with a long, complex finish.”
Blue Castello. Denmark. “This brie-like blue cheese from Denmark is made by Tholstrup, the same company that makes Saga Blue at its factory in the United States. Blue Castello is richer than Saga Blue and is made only in Denmark. Castello is a distant derivative of Italian Gorgonzola but has a higher fat content and a milder flavor. It is a perfect blue for those who like a little blue flavor without being blown away.”
The complete menu included Chicken & Carrot Fricasse, Carrot Cranberry salad, and of course, the annual carrot pudding.
Fun addition for the party: The Cheese Tasting Party Kit: Everything You Need to Host Your Own Cheese-Tasting Party.
Brunch in Lost City, West Virginia. Baked eggs with Sheep Gouda from Valley Shepherd Creamery in NJ with MT, TT, WT, AT. Eggs fresh from the chickens in the backyard hen house.
Valley Shepherd Creamery – Watch the Video. America’s Heartland PBS episode 415 Dec 10, 2008. New Jersey is home to a different kind of farming operation. The Valley Shepherd Creamery makes a wide variety of cheeses from sheep’s milk. (6:12 minutes)
AT & MS started out at the Chinatown Farmer’s Market, but walked past the convention center to Historic Morrison Clark Inn (1015 L St. NW). From the NBC4 Blog: Enjoy the hotel’s happy hour by relaxing on the veranda, sipping Big Easy-themed cocktails, and snacking on southern specialties. 5:30-7:30 p.m.; $8 cocktails. After a Mint Julep and a Steel Magnolia, Wendell made his way over with Cheese from Whole Foods at Tenley. Wendell ordered a basket of bread, and we tried to discretely sample the cheese. It was a sheep night, and all was good. The staff were all so nice, but MS idea: A blog on how to best get served at local restaurants / bars — Do you wait at the table? Look for the host? Belly up to the bar?
Pastore (14.99 a lb). Raw sheep milk: Pastore Sini is a semi-hard sheep’s milk cheese with a firm texture and a nutty finish. Pastore is covered in a brown wax, which is indicative of the tradition to preserve cheese by rubbing mud on its exterior. This cheese has been produced by Sini Fulvi for more than twenty years in the Village of Nepi, Province in Lazio, Italy. 4 Stars WWT.
Fiore Sardo: Raw Sheep milk: Siore Sardo is banded by a hard, black, natural rind. This semi-hard cheese is sharp and savory and the slightest shavings of it brings simple, olive oil-dressed pasta alive.
Persille Du Malzieu (from Hever Mons). Origin: Lozère, France. Raw sheep’s milk, the other Roquefort, months spent in the caves of Peyrades produces a salty edge, wild mushroom flavor.