Wisconsin Cheese Talk » Thanksgiving

Entertaining: Thanksgiving Cheese Board with Figs

aciesielczyk — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:33:24 +0000

Here’s a little secret about fall spices like nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon: they pair beautifully with cheese. It makes sense when you think about topping pumpkin pie with whipped cream, or grating nutmeg over a snifter of eggnog.

On a Thanksgiving cheese plate, it’s hard to go wrong with a variety of Cheddars, Alpines, and Blues. Add “Drunk Figs” slow-cooked in brandy, and you may have the whole clan sleeping over in the den.

Here are a few special Wisconsin cheeses that work well before or after a holiday meal. They’re versatile and interesting without alienating tender palates. Best of all, they provide a variety of textures and tastes that you will be hard pressed to find in cheeses from any other state.

Creamy and Mellow

Port Salue has a soft, creamy texture without much bite, making it a great entry point. Also try Les Frères or Petit Frère.

Sweet and Spiced

Aged Gouda with Cloves and Cumin tastes like a clove-studded caramel. It’s wonderful with slow-cooked figs and glazed pecans. Gouda with Cumin or Plain Gouda will also work well.

Sharp and Tangy

Virgin Pine Native Blue tastes a lot like sharp Cheddar, but it’s actually a Blue without any veining – perfect for strong cheese lovers who fear mold. Dunbarton Blue is a fine substitute.

Bracing and Buttery
Tilston Point (pictured) is a Stilton-ish selection that will leave you mewling. Figs are its best friend. If you prefer something milder, try Ader Kase Reserve or Buttermilk Blue.

Complete your cheese board with Madame Fromage’s Maple Balsamic Pecans with Sea Salt. Recipe available at EatWisconsinCheese.com.

Drunk Figs

by Tenaya of Madame Fromage

Serves 8-10

1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup honey
2, 8-ounce bags of dried Black Mission figs, halved
2 tablespoons orange zest, julienned
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup brandy
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cloves

These are easiest to prepare in a slow cooker – they take 4 hours on high and make the house smell amazing. If you prepare them on the stove top, use a lidded saucepan and cook them for 3-4 hours at a low simmer.

In a slow cooker or sauce pan, combine boiling water and honey, stirring until blended. Then add halved figs, orange zest, orange juice, brandy and spices. The figs will plump up as they cook and are best stored overnight in their juices before serving.

Wisconsin Beer Cheese-Cheddar Soup with Pretzels

aciesielczyk — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:20:36 +0000

by Denise of Wasabi Prime

With autumn comes the change of leaves, a chill in the air, and the rowdy roar of football fans. I was talking with my mother, who regularly hosts football gatherings, and I asked her what she serves. It’s hard to come up with something new and it’s inevitably the same combination of savory snacks, a pot of stew or soup, and the beverage of choice: beer. People stick to their favorites for game-day foods, so how about combining all the best-loved foods into something new? Football fans, meet the new MVP: a creamy cheese and beer soup, topped with salty pretzels!

It’s a little like a fondue you eat with a spoon, but not nearly as rich. A bottle of light ale or lager is the perfect amount of bitterness and crispness to cut through the two types of Wisconsin Cheddar used in this soup.

A younger Cheddar, still creamy in texture and having a mild sweetness, mixed with an aged Cheddar like a two year-old premium white Cheddar, give this soup a more pronounced sharpness and complex flavor.

Wisconsin Cheddar is one of the more familiar and popular types of cheese available, and it’s probably one whose complexity people don’t fully appreciate.

This soup puts Cheddar’s flavor in the spotlight. Typically savory and nutty, Cheddar has a creamy texture in younger varieties, and becomes more sharp and crumbly as it ages.

The aged Cheddar is the secret ingredient in this soup, adding notes of savory bitterness to balance the range of flavors.

The soup’s creaminess is helped along by a sweet potato, cut into cubes and sautéed with a chopped onion – these both provide sweetness, and the starch of the potato helps thicken the soup. An immersion blender or standing blender is a must for this soup, as it helps emulsify the melted cheese with the stock, along with breaking down the cooked potatoes and onions to a velvety consistency.

There’s no need to add cream or milk to the soup, as the use of two different Cheddars gives the soup plenty of richness, as well as a distinctive flavor.

The finishing touch of crushed pretzels is a creative take on the typical saltines or oyster crackers, and it makes watching the big game a little more interesting.

Wisconsin Beer-Cheddar Soup with Pretzels

By Denise of Wasabi Prime

Serves 6

1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups sweet potato, cubed (about 1 small sweet potato)
1 cup diced onions
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1, 12-oz bottle of lager or pale ale, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups shredded Wisconsin Aged Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Wisconsin Medium Cheddar cheese
1 quart water or chicken stock
Salt to taste (may not need it, as cheese has salt)

For garnish: crushed pretzels
Special tools: immersion or standing blender to finish soup

Place a soup pot on the stove and heat to medium. Add the butter and melt before adding the sweet potatoes and onion. Let the potatoes and onion cook until lightly browned and the potatoes are fork-tender. Add the garlic, thyme, and pepper.

Take the room-temperature beer and pour small increments to deglaze the pan and slowly integrate the liquid so the foam doesn’t boil over.

Once the beer is added to the potato, onions, and garlic mixture, turn the heat up to medium-high, until the mixture starts to lightly boil. Start to add in handfuls of the shredded cheese and mix constantly.

Add in the water or chicken stock in small amounts to keep the soup’s consistency loose as you stir to help melt the cheese. Check for flavor, adding salt if desired.

When the cheese is mostly melted, turn the heat to low. Use an immersion blender or carefully ladle the soup into a blender to liquefy all the parts of the soup until it’s smooth and creamy. Keep the soup on the stove on low heat to keep warm.

To serve, ladle into a bowl and add a sprinkle of crushed pretzels as a garnish.

Giveaway: The Great Big Cheese Cookbook & Cheese Planes

aciesielczyk — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:00:33 +0000

by Wisconsin Cheese

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

We’re so thankful for all the love and support for Wisconsin Cheese across the country! So to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, we have another holiday giveaway, five of The Great Big Cheese Cookbooks along with five cheese planes – the perfect holiday present for your favorite “foodie.” Happy Thanksgiving!

How to Enter:

Watch Favorite Foods with Chef Michael Symon and leave a comment on this blog post answering the question – What is your favorite recipe to make with Wisconsin Cheese during the holidays?

Five entries will be chosen at random.
Contest ends Friday, November 26 at 5 p.m. EST.
Winners will be notified by email.
One entry per household. US only.

Cheese Cupid Pairing: 2006 Daniel et Martine Barraud Pouilly-Fuissé

aciesielczyk — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:15:03 +0000

by Cheese Cupid

It’s mid-November. Beloved Oktoberfest celebrations have come and gone. There’s a crisp breeze felt throughout, at least half of, the country. This can only mean one thing. America’s full-bellied, warm-hearted, turkey-loving holiday is almost here. Thanksgiving.

The season of giving has begun. In spirit of the season, why not share a bright chardonnay and Wisconsin Cheese pairing with family and friends?

The first Wisconsin Cheese Cupid “Pairing of the Week” is a 2006 Pouilly-Fuissé from Daniel et Martine Barraud in Burgundy, France. This chardonnay is 100 percent organic, from grapes harvested by hand and bottled without filtration. This vintage is bright yellow, with a full body and firm acidity. It has notes of pear, tangerine and lemon. Pair it with soft cheeses known for their mild flavor and high moisture content, or semi-soft cheeses known for their melt-in-your-mouth texture. Try this wine with BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella, Roth Käse MezzaLuna Fontina or Edelweiss Creamery Butterkäse.

BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella is a soft cheese, with a delicate flavor and texture. It is made from cow’s milk by kneading and stretching the curds. This cheese is not cured or aged, and is kept fresh by being submerged in water. It goes well with bread, in salads and in baked dishes.

Roth Käse MezzaLuna Fontina is a semi-soft, Italian Alpine-style cheese, ideal for melting and blending. It has a meaty flavor with a hint of mushroom. It is delicious with poultry, pastas, seafood and mushroom dishes.

Butterkäse is a semi-soft cheese of German origin, literally meaning “butter cheese.” Edelweiss Creamery Butterkäse is pale yellow, mild, creamy and delicate. Try it with cured meats, fruit and bread.