50 States of Cheese
iGourmet is selling 50 cheeses to represent the 50 states.
I’m from California. So what cheese have they picked for my home state? The Vella Special Select Dry Monterey Jack. The website says that Jack cheese was first made in Monterey by David Jacks, a Scotsman. Interesting!
Rotini with Three-Cheese Sauce and Parmesan
I made a bowl of rotini, topped with three-cheese sauce. Then I ate some of the rotini.
Unfortunately, I could hardly taste the cheeses in the three-cheese sauce. Fortunately, I had some grated parmesan in the fridge.
I topped the bowl with lots of grated parmesan. Then I mixed the pasta, sauce, and cheese. Finally, I ate it. I am such a cheese basket!
Artisanal Cheese Center
Cheese excellence at its best:
http://www.artisanalcheese.com/
They have a “Cheese of the Month” club, cheese tastings, classes on cheese, and even cheese internships.
The Artisanal Cheese Center was featured in the New York Times. Here are a couple of great cheesy quotes from the article:
In the last decade women in particular have been dropping their day jobs to devote their lives to cheese.
As the variety and quality of American cheeses have blossomed in recent years, the passion of American cheese lovers has intensified.
And, in the context of people who smuggle cheeses:
The Food and Drug Administration bans the sale or import of cheese aged less than 60 days because government scientists say it takes that long for cheese to develop acids and salts that prevent pathogens.
Brie and Triscuits
Triscuits are not the most appealing crackers to eat with brie. They are quite salty, and the salt distracts from the natural goodness of the brie.
Nevertheless, last night I ate many Triscuits with brie.
I’ve almost used up the large wedge of brie that I bought last week. It is sad because soon I will have no more cheese. Well, I do have some cheeses in the freezer that I can melt, at least.