Three Superb Imported Cheeses

This past Sunday, I run into Brent Delman (TheCheeseGuy.com) at a kosher foodie bloggers meetup, having met him before, having interviewed him on my radio show and having him sponsor our Shavuos contest for this year, it was natural we would get into a conversation. Of course, it centered on… you guessed it… cheese! We spoke about his latest cholov Yisroel offerings: Scamorza, Aged Havarti and Bastardo del Grappa.

The Scamorza is a new product and the one I had wasn’t even been labeled yet, it also did not make it to the photo above, because (I shamefacedly confess!) it did not last long enough for me to remember to take the picture for this post. It was originally made only from buffalo milk, though today it’s made from from whole cow’s milk (sometimes mixed with small amounts of sheep or goat’s milk). It’s basically a slightly salty type of mozarella, though smoked (in a smoker with cherry wood chips), unlike other smoked cheeses the smoke is not overwhelming. Rather, it’s balanced perfectly with the natural flavors. Creamy and with a somewhat nutty taste.

Aged Havarti (pictured above) is a cow’s milk cheese with a supple, elastic texture, with a sharp, intense tangy flavor tempered with creamy butter notes.

Bastardo del Grappa (also pictured above), used to be made with sheep, goat and cow milk mixed together, hence the name “Bastardo.” Today, it is produced by mixing cow’s milk from the previous evening and letting it settle during the night, with the milk from the morning. It’s got a strong flavor, with sweet notes and is slightly aromatic.

My favorite is the Scamorza and I can’t wait until I find it  in a store near me, meanwhile, I’m more than satisfied with the other two pictured above.

CS

A Conversation with Brent Delman, The Cheese Guy

This evening at 8:00 pm (Eastern Time), we will be talking with Brent Delman, from The Cheese Guy.com. Brent graduated from George Washington University about two decades ago with a degree on International business, but in recent and in recent years he branched off to focus primarily on cheese.

Brent Delman, pressing cheeses curds in Ohio...

As he puts it, his cheeses are “a blend of creativity and flavor – a colorful fusion of my Eastern European Jewish heritage, the ethnic Italian neighborhood that I grew up in and my proximity to Amish farm territory. In collaboration with farmers and artisan cheese makers, I produce small batches of handcrafted cheeses based on my own recipes and formulas – I make sure to taste every batch.

…While most of my cheeses are produced domestically at family owned dairy farms, I do produce some cheeses abroad in Italy – made in the finest Italian tradition in small dairies that dot the countryside. Make sure to try our Pecorino Romano cheese aged over 18 months – it’s the best of the best!”

Fresh mozzarella being made at the creamery outside Rome, Italy.

He just returned from a trip abroad where he found new exciting cheeses, and new creameries to produce them.

Meanwhile, in case you missed it, please listen to last week’s show A Conversation with Ari White, from Gemstone Catering. Don’t forget to tune us in this evening at 8:00pm (Easterm Time) at BlogTalkRadio.com. Having met Brent at a wine tasting a couple of weeks ago, I can assure you this will be a interesting and informative show.

CS

Chopped Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Garlic Dressing

David Lebovitz, is one of my favorite food bloggers. the San Francisco Chronicle named him one of the Five Top Pastry Chefs in the Bay Area, he’s been featured in every major food publication and most of the big newspapers. In 1999 he left the US and moved to Paris to write books (he’s written six, so far) and enjoy great food. I quoted his blog before about something I grew up with in Uruguay, something which if one of my South American cousins wouldn’t have sent me from time to time (until I found the recipe!) would have turned me into a desperate junkie in search of a fix. Yes, gentle reader, I confess I am a hopeless Dulce de Leche addict.

Today as I scoured David Lebovitz‘ blog, which I do periodically, I found a great salad recipe (which I made some slight changes to so as to make it kosher):

Photo by: David Lebovitz

Two servings

I guess I’m more French than I thought because I’m not a fan of very hard vegetables raw, like broccoli, cauliflower, or green beans. So if I use them, I blanch or steam the vegetables lightly, to make them a bit more palatable.

For the dressing:

2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated or minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup (60ml) olive or grape seed oil, or another favorite oil

For the salad:

6 cups (700g) mixed chopped vegetables and other additions, such as:

-Crumbled Morningstar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips or Bacos, (both products are kosher certified by the OU)
-Diced avocado
-Batons of baked tofu
-Crumbled feta, goat, or blue cheese
-Shredded romaine, radicchio, or gem lettuce
-Sliced or quartered radishes
-Grated or julienne-cut carrots
-Shredded red cabbage
-Minced parsley or chives
_Lightly steamed or blanched broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, or asparagus
-Diced hard-cooked eggs
-Pumpkin seeds
-Quartered cherry tomatoes

1. In a large salad bowl, mix together the garlic, lemon juice, salt, and mustard with a fork

2. Add the olive oil and stir with the fork until the dressing is well mixed. (I don’t emulsify the dressing as I feel it gets too heavy and thick.)

3. Add the salad ingredients and toss well.

I fully realize that after the Nine Days a nice meat recipe, rather than a dairy one, would have been far more welcome, but this one is simple to make, healthy and delicious!

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

Shavuos Recipes

The Shavuos Recipe Contest, which we announced on May 12th, has so far netted only 11 entries. Come now, gentle readers, we know there are some great cooks out there, please send us your favorite dairy recipes for a chance to win a nice selection of cholov Yisroel cheeses.

Meanwhile, having attended Lévana’s delicious Shavuos themed Dinner and a Show this past Monday, she graciously agreed to share two recipes:

Photo by: levanacooks.com

Cold Watercress Soup Recipe

Cold soups would always be a thrill if only they were made with full-bodied and full-flavored veggies, as they are here. No stock or broth whatsoever! Bouillon cubes? Let’s not even go there!

There are several variations you might enjoy on this theme, keeping as always a short and sweet ingredient selection: Broccoli, spinach, kale, asparagus instead of the watercress and zucchini; potatoes, turnips, parsnips, cauliflower instead of the celery root. Play with all the possibilities!

The immersion blender is a wonderfully nifty tool, inexpensive and portable (it will fit in a drawer), that allows you to blend your soup directly and in one shot right in your pot. No transferring, no mess. Just make sure there are no bones in the soup, or you will break your blade.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 large leeks, sliced
• 1 large celery knob, diced
• 2 large zucchini, cut in large chunks
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 quarts (8 cups) water
• 2 cups dry white wine
• Salt to taste
• 4 bunches watercress, stems and leaves
• Good pinch nutmeg
• 4 cups cold milk or non-dairy milk
• Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot. Add the leeks and sauté until translucent.
2. Add the celery, zucchini, turmeric, water, wine and salt, and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, 30 minutes.
4. Stir in the watercress and cook only a few seconds, until wilted. Turn off the flame.
5. The remaining ingredients and cream the soup with an immersion blender. Adjust the texture and seasonings.
6. Chill the soup.

As a kid growing up in Montevideo, Uruguay, I had to contend with two major handicaps:

• The first neighborhood we lived in was mostly Italian and we were the only Jews in our building, the lone Jewboy was a natural target…
• I was extremely overweight and couldn’t run too well, that much better for the nabe’s bullies.

My saintly mother (aleha Hasholom!) decided she’d become the best Italian cook in the neighborhood. Why? So that everyone would want to be invited over for a meal and thus, out of pure self interest, stop beating up the very fat Jewish kid… One of the favorites was polenta, here’s Lévana’s own version:

Polenta Casserole au Gratin Recipe

Please ignore those insipid cooked polenta rolls you find in the supermarket: Making the polenta base takes minutes, and is the bulk of the work for this delicious dish, which will serve a good dozen guests! Au Gratin just means it is topped with a crust: Yum!

This is only one of the wonderful polenta possiblities: You will love to explore them, as it is not only delicious but very nutritious, and gluten-free to boot. You can:

• Eat the polenta as is, hot and un-assembled (in other words, only the first step of the recipe) as the grain for a main course.
• Thin it with a little water, garlic and minced basil, maybe a couple diced tomatoes for a great soup
• Cut the cooled polenta in cubes or triangles and put it right under your broiler flame
• Make other fillings: Roasted diced vegetables (mushrooms, eggplant, red pepper, fennel, artichoke hearts, etc…..
• Make it dairy-free. Cook it in water or dairy-free milk, and/or substitute some white wine for some of the water or milk.

Ingredients

• 9 cups milk, low-fat OK
• A few drops olive oil
• Salt to taste (remember the cheese is salty, so very little please)
• 3 cups coarse cornmeal
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan or other strong cheese
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 cup basil leaves, packed
• 1 large red onion
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 5 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• Good pinch dried pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Topping

• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs, gluten-free OK
• 3 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Boil water, oil, and salt in a large pot. Add the cornmeal and stir until thick. This should take about ten minutes.
2. Stir in the cheese.
3. Pour the mixture into a greased cookie sheet, in a layer no more than half an inch thick. You might fill one and a half cookie sheets. Let the polenta cool.
4. Preheat oven to 425°F.
5. While the polenta is cooling, make the sauce: in a food processor, coarsely grind the garlic, basil and onion. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the remaining sauce ingredients.
6. Grease an 11-by-14-inch lasagna pan. Make one layer polenta, making sure you leave no blank spaces. Add half the sauce.
7. Repeat: one layer polenta, one layer sauce. Bake the casserole for about 45 minutes, or until the dish looks bubbly and hot.
8. Mix the bread crumbs with the butter, and sprinkle over the dish. Bake another 10 minutes.
9. Let cool slightly before cutting into squares. Makes a dozen servings.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy AND don’t forget to send us your favorite Shavuos recipes (there is a nice selection of cholov Yisroel cheeses as the prize for the best!) to:

kosherscene@gmail.com

Meanwhile, check out Lévana’s pages for more Shavuos delicacies.

CS

RELATED POSTS

shavuos recipes – part 2 

————–

shavuos recipes – part 2

shavuos recipes – part 1

and for prize winning cheese cake recipes: and the winner is…

Popbar

Located in the West Village, in an area full of restaurants (none of which are kosher, unfortunately), Popbar (5 Carmine Street – at 6th Avenue – New York, NY 10014; Tel: 212.255.4874) is a refreshing oasis for the kosher palate. When I say refreshing I mean it literally, especially, now that summer is almost here. They sell popGelato and popSorbetto… Unlike other gelati, their product comes on bars. Unlike other bars, theirs are made with all natural, healthy ingredients… not quite what you get at your friendly supermarket, is it?

An assortment of flavors and your choice of poppings (toppings) and dippings...

The popSorbetto flavors (strawberry, peach, mixed berry, blood orange, lemon, mandarin, pineapple, melon, grapefruit) are made with 70-80% real fruit, with no syrup, no milk and natural fructose, intead of sugar. As a result, not only are they healthier, but they do not taste overly sweet like so many other brands do.

The choice of popGelato flavors is a little larger (chocolate, vanilla, coffee, mint, coconut, hazelnut, giandula, pistachio, almond, banana). They use more milk than cream, as a result these bars have fewer calories and are lighter than regular ice cream.

They also just started producing a new popular item, yogurt strawberry.

All their ingredients are imported from Italy, and when you taste these bars you immediately notice the difference. I tasted a popGelato coffee which they customized for me by dipping it in hazelnuts and dark chocolate…

Decadently delicious!

Decadent, creamy but light, not overly sweet… a feast for the eyes and palate! Then I had a mixed berry popSorbetto. It is made from real strawberry, real raspberry and real blueberry. Not only is this just different from other sorbet bars, it’s faaar better tasting, certainly healthier.

Their poppings (toppings) include: almond, hazelnut, coconut, pistachio and chocolate sprinkles. Their dippings include: dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate.

Before leaving, I picked three flavors to take home: lemon and strawberry (half of it covered in dark chocolate) from the popSorbetto selections and Hazelnut (covered in milk chocolate and hazelnuts), a popGelato selection.

As you can see, I could not resist taking a bite out of the strawberry on the side dipped in chocolate, while CS was setting up to take a photo, and... I'M NOT ASHAMED OF IT!

CS – who loves lemon flavored anything – thought this bar was the best he ever had, while I found the strawberry tasty, juicy, delicious with a true strawberry taste, the dark chocolate dipping was just the right touch. I cut the hazelnut popGelato in half (weeeell, not exactly half), gave one piece to CS (guess which one!), we both thought it was superb, creamy, flavorful and just sweet enough. I guess Popbar will be seeing us a lot.

SYR

Zislick… Woooow!!!

Through the middle of the night and on through the morning, the Zislick Oompa Loompas – at 13th Avenue between 49th and 50th (in Brooklyn’s Boro Park section) – are hard at work, creating the most outrageously splendiforous designer daily- fresh gelatos and sorbets imaginable.

My late morning visit to Zislick, (before the madding crowd of Zislickthusiasts arrived) was like a private invite to a real life Willy Wonka’s Fantasmagorium Ice Cream Emporium. I savoringly sampled every single flavor (sample teaser spoons were awesomely sweet- torturously too small) of each rippling wavy creamy mass, each lick surpassing its predecessor.

Amazing colors, amazing shapes, amaaazing flavors!!! A partial view of the Parve showcase

The sorbets were bursting with flavor; perfect balance of sweet to tangy with a marvelous consistency. I loved all the berry flavors, apple and Parve crusted Napoleon and Belgian Ferrero Rocher– well that is until I tasted the milchig (dairy versions) of the same. Wow!! All you chocolate lovers beware!! It’s insanely addictive and suddenly the crazy frenzied traffic, “Oh where will I find a parking spot on 13th Avenue” will be well worth the agita. I wouldn’t be surprised if they resort to valet parking during peak times.

The diet conscience need not despair, a 4 ounce cup of the Diet Chocolate and Diet Ferrero Rocher is well worth the 80 calories. You’ve just got to try the Cheesecake, the Oreo Cookie, Pistachio, Dolce de Latte, Chocolate Whiskey and so many more. Among the Parve flavors, CS and I loved the Orange, Green Apple,  Lemon Vodka, Mixed Berries, Pineapple and more.

Within the space of a week, we had no choice but to go back twice… just to make sure the flavors were really as good as we first thought. Frankly, after we went back a second time we realized how terribly wrong we were. The flavors tasted even better than we first thought!!!

The first time we went we shared a dish of Belgian Waffles…

Belgian Waffles

…it came topped with fresh whipped cream and, on the side, a scoop each of Strawberry and Mixed Berries sorbet with caramel and chocolate syrup. Heavenly, is a gross understatement!

When we went back again we had a plate of Dutch Pancakes…

Dutch Pancakes

…they were served with caramel, confectioner’s sugar and crunchy nuts, chocolate and strawberry sauce and a double scoop of Strawberry Creme Gelato. We followed it up with their Puffies…

Puffies

…covered in Dolce di Latte, with fresh whipped cream, scoops of Oreo Cookies and Coffee gelati and strawberry sauce. All we could say was… wooooow!

“We are the music makers… and we are the dreamers of dreams.” – says Willy Wonka

Well… Zislick has certainly proven to be the supreme frozen dessert maker of anyone’s dreamiest dreams.

SYR

Les Petites Fermières – Goat Cheese Medallions

Chèvre or goat cheese is white colored and somewhat tart in flavor. The West has popularized cow’s milk whereas in the rest of the world goat’s milk is preferred. As a rule, because it is usually manufactured in areas with little refrigeration, it is preserved with salt. As a result, most people believe that goat cheese is naturally far saltier than cow cheese. Perhaps the best known goat cheese in the US is Feta, which is qite salty as a result of being brined, having tasted the latest offerings from Les Petites Fermières, I can assure you that goat cheese also comes with more subtle flavors. The higher proportion of fatty acids such as capric acid present in goat’s milk, gives it that characteristic tartness.

I tasted all three of their available flavors: Goat Cheese Medallions with Fine Herbs and Garlic, Goat Medallions with Cranberry and Maple Syrup, Goat Cheese Medallions. My favorite was the last one, though I thoroughly enjoyed the other two as well.

I came up with the following easy recipe to go with these type of cheese:

Herb and Garlic Goat Cheese and Onion Dip

Ingredients

• 2 packages Les Petites Fermières Goat Cheese Medallions with Fine Herbs and Garlic
• ⅔ cup low fat sour cream
• 3 onions, chopped

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender.
2. Pulse 1–2 minutes until well combined but not completely pureed.
3. Refrigerate several hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.
4. Adjust salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Makes about 1¼ cups.

I also crumbled some of these cheeses into a salad and enjoyed it with a Baron Herzog Sauvignon Blanc 2008. When CS had the cholov Yisroel Chèvre from N&K, he paired them with a Chilean Alfasi Malbec-Syrah 2009, a perfect and inexpensive choice for someone who grew up on the Northern shore of the Rio de La Plata (River Plate, for us gringos).

SYR

Some New Cheeses from Natural & Kosher

N&K's newest selections

I may be a carnivore to the core, but I’m also a cheese lover. Thus, over the last seven days I’ve been trying some of Natural and Kosher‘s latest selections. These included: Horseradish Cheddar, Olive Cheddar, Part Skim Mozzarella, Goat Kashkaval, Sharp Goat Cheddar, Goat Mozzarella with Red Peppers, Goat Mozzarella with Fine Herbs, Cranberry Pecan Chèvre Goat Cheese, Fine Herbs Chèvre, 2 types of American Slices, Cheddar Cubes, Mexican Blend (Shredded blend of Monterrey Jack, Cheddar and Asadero) and a superb Fitucci Grated Parmesan Cheese. I found them all to be delicious choices. Feeling adventurous I decided to do a white omelette. SYR had been telling me about an omelette without yolks, made with only the egg whites. What’s the point you ask? A drastic reduction in calories and the elimination of almost all the cholesterol with no sacrifice of taste!

SYR‘s Hearty White Omelette

Delicious and filling!

Yield: 2 servings

Directions

• olive oil
• 1/2 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1/3 green pepper, chopped
• 1/3 red pepper, chopped
• 1/3 yellow pepper, chopped
• 3 Baby Portobello mushrooms, chopped
• 6 egg whites
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 slice N&K Horseradish Cheddar
• 1 slice N&K Olive Cheddar
• Fitucci Grated Parmesan
• 1 medium tomato
• Parsley flakes

Directions

1. Saute onion and peppers in a sprayed or lightly greased coated pan till light brown.
2. Add in chopped mushrooms. and saute for another few minutes till onions are golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Toss egg whites into pan on low-medium flame till lightly golden add salt and pepper to taste- flip
4. Add in suated onions, pepper ch0pped parsley mushrooms and cheese.
5. When cheese melts, fold in half and slide onto plate.
6. Garnish with tomato slices and sprinkle the whole with parsley flakes and grated Parmesan cheese.

What did we do with the yolks?!? With Purim coming up in a few days they were used for baking, of course.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Chai That Is!

Chai means tea, it’s pronounced tchai and rhymes with pie. I recently found a kosher certified brand which I tried.

Good to last drop and... it's not coffee!!!

What is chai? It’s an aromatic spiced tea that originated in India, where chatwallahs (chai vendors) tend street stalls selling masala chai (spiced tea). For a long time these have been popular gathering places. Chai is a blend of whole leaf tea and spices, served with milk. The spices typically consist of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and pepper, in this particular case it also includes vanilla and honey, all organic.

In the morning I had a hot cup of it and a short while ago I had it cold. I liked it both ways! This particular brand comes in liquid form -which you prepare by pouring a cup until half full and fill the rest with milk – or you can get it in packets of powder where all you add is water, unless you prefer it a bit creamier in which case you can also add a bit of milk.

Originally served almost exclusively in Indian restaurants, it is becoming an increasingly popular item in coffee shops or dairy restaurants. It can be found in many forms these days, from chai ices to chai chocolate, from non-fat low-cal sweeteners to decaf and more. Frankly, there is something to suit every preference.

As for the mug, it says: “Genuine Antique Person – 100% Vintage Parts;” one of my granddaughter’s brought it, she said that as soon as she saw it she immediately thought of me… I’m not quite sure how to take it…

CS

Last Week’s Broadcast and This Week’s Upcoming One

Last Thursday we had literally a last minute postponement by our scheduled guest. Rather than panic (mere minutes before taping!!) I had as guest the famed restaurateur (formerly of Lévana’s, in Manhattan; currently a partner at NoBo in Teaneck, NJ), kosher tour operator (partner at Presidential Tours),  Israel wine expert and all around nice guy, Sol Kirschenbaum. In spite of the fact I gave him no time to prepare, we had an interesting and fun show which you can listen to here.

Elizabeth Bland, Ph.D

This week we will be back to our to our regular spot on Wednesday at 8:00pm. Our guest will be Elizabeth Bland, who will discuss kosher cheeses from around the world. Who is Elizabeth Bland, whence her interest on cheese? As she explains on her own website:

 

My passion for cheese started in France where I first tasted raw millk. I continued my language studies and travels to Europe, and tried many cheeses along the way. I earned a Ph.D. in Romance Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin and speak French, Italian, and German.

I abandoned academia and worked in the cheese department at Central Market in Austin, Texas, and taught cheese classes at UT Informal Classes. Along the way, I became enamored with wine as well, and incorporated the “fruit of the vine” into my tastings. For years I catered cheese/wine parties and led tastings for groups.

She has written extensively on the subject of cheese for such publications as Cheese Connoisseur, Deli Business, MY FOODSERVICE NEWS, Metropolitan Restaurant Times and others.

Ms. Bland is informative, she presents her subject with passion and wit. Please, listen in on Wednesday at 8:00pm on Jewish Radio Network. Click on the red “here” under the white “Radio,” then wait about 90 to 180 seconds for the application to start streaming.

CS