Host Your Own Cheese Night

The Night of Cheese wrap-up is complete! In case you missed a course, here is the rundown:

Decor and Overview

First Course

Second Course

Third Course

Fourth Course

Fifth Course

Sixth Course

Maybe you are completely tired of cheese at this point (shame on you!), or maybe this series has inspired you to throw your own cheese tasting. If you are looking for any easy place to start, you can refer to the ideas and tips in the posts above, or you can check out this post I wrote for From Scratch Club about De-Mystifying the Cheese Plate. Learn about how many cheeses you should put on a cheese plate (three or five), what type of milk to choose, mixing textures, appropriate serving sizes, how to arrange the plate, adding accouterments, and much more! If you have any more questions about cheese (how to use it, how to buy it, what to do with it), email me or leave me a comment!

A Night of Cheese - Sixth Course

The final course for the Night of Cheese was the simplest course to assemble. A play on a classic dessert offering, Seaver Brook Blue (from Bonnieview Farm, South Albany VT) was plated next to a dollop of buckwheat honey. Traditionally, chestnut honey would accompany this style of cheese, but chestnut honey can be tough to come by here in the States. Buckwheat honey is a comparable alternative and is just as tasty.  It's gentle earthiness and rich flavor help to balance the pungency of the blue cheese. The sweetness of the honey compliments the sweetness in the cheese.

The Churchill's 10 Year Tawny Port was paired alongside the Seaver Brook Blue. The port's rich and complex taste is typical of a tawny port, but it's unique brightness balanced the other heavy textures of the cheese and honey.

No recipe here. It was all about simple, delicious ingredients and easy assembly.

A very special thank you to Eric Paul, The Cheese Traveler, for his expertise. Without him, this night would not have happened! Be sure to follow him on Facebook. Bonnieview Farm cheese can be purchased through The Cheese Traveler, online, or at regional farmers markets.

A Night of Cheese - Fifth Course

The fifth Night of Cheese course was a slam-dunk favorite. Everyone loved it! And how could one not? Cheese, chocolate, and delicious booze all in one course? Sign me up.

This course consisted of Rupert from Consider Bardwell Farm (West Pawlett, VT), Cornelius Applejack from Harvest Spirits (Valatie, NY), and homemade chocolate Chantilly cream (which might be the easiest chocolate dessert ever, besides eating a straight-up chocolate bar). The cheese has subtle notes of butterscotch and custard. It is aged a minimum of six months and has a thin rind, indicative of even turning and rotating of the wheels of cheese on a frequent, regular basis. It certainly has a sweetness with the characteristics of an Alpine-style cheese.

Applejack and chocolate Chantilly were natural choices to feature with the Rupert. Both have a similar depth and roundness of flavor, but were perhaps surprising at the same time: Chocolate is typically paired with a blue cheese at dessert, and hard alcohol with cheese is not a common accompaniment. Altogether, though, it was a fantastic combination. One warning about the chocolate Chantilly: It's addictive. You'll be making it often and eating it all. By yourself. Just be sure to use a very good quality chocolate since it's really the only ingredient in this recipe.

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Chocolate Chantilly
Adapted from this recipe via Cafe Fernando
Makes approximately two cups

9 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup water
4 tablespoons sugar, optional

1. In a double boiler (or, just a small pot with 1 inch of water with a larger bowl on top of it), heat together the water, sugar and chocolate. Whisk together until melted.

2. Place bowl with chocolate mixture in a second larger bowl filled 1/3 to 1/2-way full of ice water. With a whisk or electric mixer, whip the chocolate mixture until it thickens (about five minutes). Do not over whip or it will become grainy. Serve immediately, or let set up (covered) in the refrigerator - it's great straight-up or as a filling to cakes and cookie sandwiches.

A very special thank you to Eric Paul, The Cheese Traveler, for his expertise. Without him, this night would not have happened! Be sure to follow him on Facebook. Consider Bardwell cheese can be purchased through The Cheese Traveler or online.

A Night of Cheese - Fourth Course

Sorry for the bad picture here... I had to snap it just before someone ate it! I always forget to take pictures :)

The fourth course for the Night of Cheese was probably the most savory of the offerings, even though it was still on the sweet side. Featured was the Battenkill Brebis cheese from 3-Corner Field Farm (Shushan, NY), paired with a 2008 Syrah from the Magnificent Wine Company (Columbia Valley, Washington) and fresh pears with balsamic-steeped cherries.

I can't lie - this course took a little fanagaling to get it just right. The cheese is a superstar and most definitely deserved a spot on the menu, but getting the right combination of accompaniments and accouterments was somewhat challenging (for me, certainly, more than Eric). Battenkill Brebis is an aged raw sheep milk cheese that has a firm texture (like Parmesan, but smooth like an aged cheddar). It is nutty and has a particularly gritty texture towards the rind. The richness of the cheese called for a bold yet smooth wine.

Enter the Syrah. It was peppery with notes of cherry. Slightly oakey, it coated the entire palate highlighted the earthy qualities of the cheese. We took a cue from these existing flavor profiles and steeped some dried cherries in balsamic vinegar and coupled that next to pears from the Silly Goose Farm orchard that were cellared over the winter (the cherries highlighted the flavors of the wine and cheese, while the pear helped cut the richness of it all and brightened the plate). Keep some of these cherries on hand to add as a quick topping to lots of different cheeses or pureed up and added to salad dressing.

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Balsamic-Steeped Cherries

Makes approximately 3/4 cup of cherries and balsamic syrup

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/3 cup good balsamic vinegar (I used a little bit of fig balsamic, as well)

1 tablespoon honey

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the balsamic vinegar and honey. Once it just boils, reduce heat to medium/medium-low and add cherries

2. Cook for about five minutes (until cherries appear to soften slightly). Remove from heat at allow to steep for 10 minutes

3. Serve immediately or allow to sit in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a month

A very special thank you to Eric Paul, The Cheese Traveler, for his expertise. Without him, this night would not have happened! Be sure to follow him on Facebook. 3-Corner Field Farm cheese can be purchased through The Cheese Traveler or online.

A Night of Cheese - Second Course

The second course for our cheese workshop featured a really fun cheese called Eclipse. Crafted by R&G Cheesemakers in Cohoes, NY, Eclipse is a goat's milk cheese that is soft ripened and features a coating of vegetable ash. A bloomy rind develops over the ash (which is all edible), and the cheese itself is slightly sweet.

The cheese was paired with orange marmalade and toasted pistachios. Both are traditional pairings for cheese: The acidic citrus rind in the marmalade balances the chalky characteristics of the vegetable ash; the pistachio is a nice contrast to the creaminess of the cheese's paste.

The beverage pairing in the second course was a 2010 Domaine Des Vieux Sancerre. A quick note about Sancerre - it's not an actual type of wine or grape, but rather, a region in which the wine is made (in the Loire Valley in France). The grape variety it is produced from is Sauvignon Blanc, and the wine gets its mineral qualities from the soil in which the grapevine is grown (that's why you can have wines produced from the same varietal of grape but with different flavor notes). The style of the cheese is typically of the Loire Valley, so pairing the Eclipse with the Sancerre was a nod to the traditions of wine and cheese.

I made the marmalade for this course. Marmalade is a different beast from some of the other jams or jellies that I've made in the past. It involves a few more steps and can take a few weeks to set; with that said, marmalade is still an easy recipe and is a great to keep in one's repertoire. Note that I kept the traditional peel in the marmalade to a fine zest. I think for the purpose of pairing with cheese, it helped to balance the bitter/sweet ratio of the marmalade as to not overpower the cheese. Feel free to make the peel/zest as fine or thick as you would like!

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Orange Marmalade
Makes about three pints
Based on the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

5 medium oranges
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
5 cups sugar
1/2 of a 6-ounce package of liquid fruit pectin (or 3 ounces of homemade liquid pectin)

1. Zest the rind of the oranges, being sure to avoid the white pith. Bring the zest, 1 1/2 cups of water and the baking soda to a boil. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Do not drain.

2. With a sharp knife, cut the pith off the oranges, then cut out the segments of the oranges, being sure to cut between the segment membranes and avoid seeds. Discard pith, seeds and membranes. Squeeze the segments to extract juice into a bowl, then add the juice and the fruit to the boiled zest mixture. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Measure three cups.

3. In an 8- to 10-quart heavy pot combine the three cups of fruit mixture and the sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in the pectin and return to a full boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon.

4. Ladle marmalade into hot, sterilized jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims clean and screw-on lids. Place in the fridge (for up to three months) or hot-water bath can for 10 minutes.


A very special thanks to Eric Paul, The Cheese Traveler, for his expertise. Without him, this night would not have happened! Be sure to follow him on Facebook. R&G Cheese can be purchased through The Cheese Traveler.

A Night of Cheese: First Course

The first course in A Night of Cheese featured one of my favorite cheeses - Fresh Goat's Milk Cheese from Coach Farm (Pine Plains, NY). The cheese was smooth and creamy with a little bit of tang on the finish. Its most notable feature was probably the creaminess, which coated the entire palate, but a close second would be the grassy notes that proved how fresh the cheese really was. Each diner received half of a two ounce cheese "button" alongside a candied orchid. The hardened sugar on the orchid provided a nice crunch to contrast with the cheese, while the floral qualities highlighted the "grassiness." Diners simply plucked off the petals to enjoy with each bite of cheese.

The beverage pairing was a Non-Vintage Cuvee M from Mumm Napa (Rutherford, CA). This demi-sec sparkling wine featured particularly small bubbles and a long finish, which were excellent for cleansing the palate and cutting the creamy texture of the cheese. For more info on sparkling wine dryness, read this post.

I really loved this course. It was the perfect jumping off point for the rest of the evening. The candied orchids were an elegant touch that could not have been simpler to make. Try making a batch of candied edible flowers to decorate cakes and other baked goods! (Besides orchids, other edible flowers include herb and fruit blossoms, violets, johnny jump-ups, carnations, lilacs, nasturtiums, English daisies, marigolds, and hollyhocks, among others.)

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Candied Flowers

One egg white (or powdered egg whites - mix according to manufacturer's instructions)
Castor sugar or superfine sugar
Edible flowers

1. Select your flowers. Be sure to choose flowers that have been grown for culinary purposes without pesticides and that are blemish free (you want them to look pretty, after all!). Wash them gently or wipe with a wet sponge to remove any dirt. Allow to air dry.

2. Beat an egg white until slightly frothy. With a small clean paintbrush, lightly coat each flower (front and back) with the egg white (work in batches to avoid the egg white drying too fast on the flower).

3. Coat each flower thoroughly with the sugar. To make your own superfine sugar, pulse white granulated sugar in a food processor several times (be careful - don't turn it into powdered sugar!).

4. Allow each flower to dry for 12-24 hours on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. Candied flowers will last up to three months in a cool, dry environment. Avoid eating the white base of each flower, which tends to be bitter.

A very special thanks to Eric Paul, The Cheese Traveler, for his expertise. Without him, this night would not have happened! Be sure to follow him on Facebook. Coach Farm goats milk cheese can be purchased through The Cheese Traveler or at any of these establishments.

A Night of Cheese

I recently hosted a truly magical evening at Silly Goose Farm. With the help of my friend Eric Paul (aka The Cheese Traveler), I invited a group of fellow foodies to the farm for an intimate evening of cheese! The "Night of Cheese" was  a six-course cheese tasting (with full beverage pairings and accouterments) that went beyond the normal parameters of a "tasting" and broke into workshop territory. I think the attendees learned more about cheese than they ever thought possible! Eric explained how each cheese was made and the style and history of each offering, plus suggested other potential pairings and the best practices for assembling a cheese plate. Our tasting focused on the sweeter side of cheese and opened minds to the power of cheese for dessert!

I set the table simply - white linens, my collection of Bell Flower china and mismatched silver flatware, new and vintage stemware, and a recent acquisition of antique Anchor Hocking green glass tumblers. Menu cards were wrapped around each napkin, and I made itty-bitty notepads that I fastened to the inside of the menu cards so that guests could write down tidbits of information from the evening. White tulips in old salt and pepper shakers and lots of (unscented) candles finished the table.

The menu of the evening was as follows:

First Course: Fresh Goat's Milk Cheese (Coach Farms, Pine Plains, NY), Cuvee M (Non-Vintage, Mumm Napa, Rutherford, CA), Candied Orchids

Second Course: Eclipse (R&G Cheesemakers, Cohoes, NY), Sancerre (2010, Domaine Des Vieux Pruneirs, France), Orange Marmalade, Toasted Pistachio

Third Course: Manchester (Consider Bardwell Farm, West Pawlett, VT), Ommegang Witte (Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY), Walnut Praline

Intermezzo: Lemon Sorbet

Fourth Course: Battenkill Brebis (3-Corner Field Farm, Shushan, NY), Syrah (2008, Magnificent Wine Company, Columbia Valley, WA), Fresh Pear with Balsamic-Steeped Cherries

Fifth Course: Rupert (Consider Bardwell Farm, West Pawlett, VT), Cornelius Applejack (Harvest Spirits, Valatie, NY), Chocolate Chantilly

Sixth Course: Seaver Brook Blue (Bonnieview Farm, South Albany, VT), Tawny Port (10 Year, Churchill's Portugal), Buckwheat Honey

The night was really amazing! I had the best time planning and prepping with Eric, and based on the responses of the attendees, everyone had a phenomenal time! To learn more about what The Cheese Traveler is about, what he is up to, and where he is going, please be sure to visit him on Facebook!

I'll be posting about the details of each course (with recipes!) this week, so stay tuned for more cheesy goodness.