Past Newsletters - November 2009
We Give Thanks to You!
Thanksgiving is so much more than overindulging in foods galore. It's a day to appreciate and celebrate the bounty that the year has brought us. We at C&H Monthly Clubs are thankful for you. Whether you've been a member for some time or you're new to the club, we want to say how grateful we are and reiterate our pledge to always serve you well. We are blessed via the opportunity to share our hand-selected, sought-after, personal-favorite products with you, your family and friends. Your satisfaction is our passion. We wish you and those who are dear to you a Happy Thanksgiving and, again, thank you.
As far as we're concerned—and as our long time members will certainly attest—there's no better example of a culinary cornucopia than our Cheese of the Month Club. If you're a new member and have received this month's shipment as a gift, show your appreciation to the giver by sending them a membership in one or more of our six monthly clubs. From gourmet chocolates to boutique wines, to microbrewed domestic and international beers, to premium hand-rolled cigars or fresh-cut flowers, our clubs are a wonderful way to say you care. Thanksgiving is the beginning of the busy holiday season. CALL US and our customer service representatives will help you design the perfect gift to suit any taste—and pocketbook.
Traditional Cheeses to Enjoy This Holiday Season
English Cotswold: The Pub Cheese!
The cheese called Cotswold is named after a picturesque area of Britain – Gloucestershire County, on the northern edge of the southwest region. Covering over 1,025 square miles, it’s known for its natural beauty and boasts the agricultural industries of farming, forestry and horticulture. With a total population of about 570,000, Gloucestershire County consists of three geographic areas, the Cotswolds, the Royal Forest of Dean and the Severn Vale. English Cotswold cheese, a variation of "Double Glouster", was originally made from the rich milk of the black cattle of Glouster and traditionally made in the Cotswolds. English Cotswold is a mix of chopped chives and onion, coupled with a quality Double Gloucester cheese. This smooth, cheddary delight is a modern rendition of an old British favorite which lacked the vegetable component. It is similar to cheddar but this cheese is aged for just three to four months so it’s milder, less sharp and less firm than a well-aged cheddar. As does cheddar, it melts well and is often served melted on slices of bread. It is golden yellow to orange in color.
These days, Double Glouster and Cotswold are made in both pasteurized and unpasteurized varieties. Like most hard cheeses, this cheese can be stored for at least a month in the refrigerator so you needn't be in a hurry to finish it off, though we suspect you just might after you taste it. In Britain, Cotswold is known as "Pub Cheese," so fetch your beer mugs and have them at the ready! Your Cotswold comes from the Clawson dairy and is a long-standing member of the Clawson product line. You can find a recipe for Cotswold Wraps at http://www.clawson.co.uk/recipes/cotswold-wraps/.
Tasting Notes: The harmonious blend of mellow cheese and powerful vegetables makes Cotswold a terrific complement to the softer, milder flavors on your cheese board. A simple preparation called "the ploughman's lunch" is easily the most universal of British pub snacks. It consists of a cut of a hard cheese, a home-baked bread roll, pickled onions and a pint of beer. The classic ploughman's is served with a generous slice of farmhouse Cheddar, but different pubs offer different cheeses to round out the meal. We encourage you to try making your own ploughman's lunch by pairing your cheese with hard-crusted bread and strong dark ale.
Danish Havarti
A rare luxury in the United States, Havarti is an interior-ripened cheese with a very creamy texture and, not surprisingly, a creamy, buttery flavor. It has a smooth surface with no rind and a springy, elastic, semi-firm texture which makes it ideal for slicing. The flesh is usually cream-colored to pale yellow, and heavily pocked with holes—small, irregular openings called "eyes.” If eaten young, the cheese is often considered to be somewhat lacking in flavor but if allowed to age, the cheese attains a subtle, slightly acidic flavor which is delightful. Stronger varieties can be somewhat sharp, slightly resembling Swiss cheese. Typically, Havarti is aged about three months. When the cheese is older it becomes more salty and has a slight hazelnut flavor. At room temperature the cheese will soften quickly.
Hanne Nielsen is the enterprising cheesemaker credited with inventing Havarti in the mid 1800s. The wife of a New Zealand farmer, Nielsen became interested in the art of cheesemaking and so she traveled throughout Europe to learn techniques and trade secrets. Upon her return to Denmark, Nielsen experimented with her newly acquired knowledge, producing many cheeses. Her finest creation was an original washed curd cheese she named "Havarthi," after her farm. The Havarti you’re receiving is a direct descendent of Nielsen's creation—produced and aged to perfection based on the original recipe.
Havarti is often used in place of stronger cheeses like Gouda and Emmentaler, when the taste of a cheese is desired without a strong flavor. The cheese comes in low fat versions as well as an enriched full cream type, which tends to melt in the mouth. Enriched Havarti can sometimes be intensely cloying, with the heavy creamy texture, and should be used sparingly or in a strong dish which is capable of handling the heavy flavor. As with most semi-soft cheeses, Havarti will keep for at least two weeks stored in the least cold section of the refrigerator (usually the vegetable drawer). Once opened, carefully re-wrap Havarti with aluminum foil, plastic wrap or better yet, parchment paper.
Tasting Notes: Havarti has a mild flavor similar to a Monterey Jack. Slightly acidic, the taste is buttery and ranges from somewhat sweet to very sweet. It often appears on sandwiches, in fondue and on salads. Its piquant flavor makes it a wonderful table cheese that is appreciated by the youngest of children and cheese connoisseurs alike. Havarti is often served with fruit and crackers and it pairs well with many wines. It’s an extremely versatile cheese. Use it cubed in salads, melted in sauces, on potatoes or on hamburgers. And, it has the added value of marrying perfectly with a clean, crisp Danish pilsner! Consider the following for your Thanksgiving Day.
Havarti Cheese Ball Recipe
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shredded Havarti cheese
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon dry white wine or milk
3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (1/4 tsp dry)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 medium green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell peppers
crackers for serving
Beat cheeses, wine, oregano and green onion in medium bowl with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl frequently, until fluffy. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm enough to shape. Then shape cheese mixture into a ball; roll in parsley and bell pepper. Serve with crackers. Makes 1 3/4 cups.
Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, you can freeze your cheese ball for up to two months so consider doubling the recipe and you will have a delicious appetizer for the upcoming December holidays. To serve from freezer, unwrap cheese ball and let stand at room temp to thaw, or thaw loosely wrapped in refrigerator at least 8 hours. Refrigerate, tightly covered, up to one week.
Saga Gorgonzola Blue
No, this saga is not a prose narrative written in Iceland between 1120 and 1400 dealing with the families that first settled Iceland and their descendants. Nor is it a history of the kings of Norway or the myths and legends of early Germanic gods and heroes. Our saga is a wonderful culinary delight you’ll be proud to share this holiday season. It’s smoother, creamier and milder than a typical blue so even folks who think they don’t like blue cheeses because they’re “too strong” may find themselves craving more. The cheese we bring you is produced by a blue-cheese only manufacturer in Mindoro, Wisconsin that was specifically selected and then trained by Danes to make a product the way generations of their ancestors have.
Tasting Notes: Saga Blue has a delicate blue cheese flavor and a softer—almost spreadable—texture than a typical Danish style blue cheese. The cheese is great in salads and as a snack cheese. As mentioned earlier, Saga Blue can be a great transition cheese for lovers of milder cheeses who have yet to learn to appreciate the stronger blue cheeses. It is an excellent cheese in salads; consider blending it into a vinaigrette salad dressing. Serve it with crackers as an appetizer. It’s also an excellent dessert cheese that should be served with fruit or even bubbly—after all, it is the holiday season. Here’s to yours!
Culture Corner |
||
Cheese |
Pronunciation |
Recommended Wine/Beer |
Cotswold |
cot'swold |
Dark ales such as a Porter or a stiff chocolaty Imperial Stout, or an oaky Chardonnay |
Havarti |
ha-vär'te |
Danish Pilsner, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or White Zinfandel |
Saga |
sä'ga |
A light-bodied Pinot Noir, a Red Zinfandel, a dry Champagne or Prosecco. |
