 | Join our Facebook Group. |
 | Check out event photos on flickr |
 | Follow our latest exploits on Twitter |
 | Subscribe to our feed |
Past events on flickr:
Masters of Gouda and California Reds
Beer and the Cheese that Loves it
Swiss Cheese and Alsatian Wines
Yes, that’s right, you heard me correctly.
The leading lady of all thing Entertaining is doing a whole show devoted to Cheese. And it is happening tomorrow, Thursday November 5.
There will be a cheese-plate how to, a guide to making your own fresh goat cheese, and much, much more!
How can you not tune in to watch this? I am setting up my DVR right now!
We’re hosting a down and dirty Cheesewhizzes tasting next Saturday, November 14th at Natalie’s house.
(Where we threw down for the most recent “Beer and the Cheese that Loves it” Cheesewhizzes event.)
This theme?
Play favorites.
Just bring your favorite cheese and favorite pairing beverage and go to town.
Well, don’t go to town, we’d love to have you stay at the party.
(Can’t wait to see you there.)
One of my favorite emails is the daily email I receive from Chow.
Today’s was so appropriate for our cheesy recipes, I could hardly help myself.
From the email itself: To complement the pleasant mustiness of Taleggio cheese, we paired it with grapes bathed in grappa. Delicious for lunch, this sandwich would be equally good cut into rectangles as a quick hors d’oeuvre.
What to buy: Grappa is a distilled grape liqueur from Italy; it can be found in high-end liquor stores and online. We liked the floral notes of Inga Grappa di Moscato, which doubles as a nice after-dinner drink.
Taleggio is a washed-rind, semisoft cheese from Italy’s Lombardy region.
This recipe was featured as part of our The Most Delicious Sandwiches photo gallery.
TIME/SERVINGS
Total Time: 35 mins
Active Time: 15 mins
Makes: 1 sandwich
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup halved red grapes
1 tablespoon grappa
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
2 (1/2-inch-thick, 4-by-5-inch-long) slices honey whole wheat bread
2 ounces thinly sliced Taleggio cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
Beverage pairing: Calera Central Coast Pinot Noir, California. Taleggio can be a strong, musky cheese, so it needs a wine of equal conviction, but with a taste of earthiness itself. That’s why Pinot is a good call, and this well-made wine from California’s Central Coast has all that’s needed to both match the cheese, but also resonate with the grapes.
See more recipes at: http://www.chow.com
Hey Cheesewhizzes,
Not like you haven’t noticed, but our site is under construction.
Thanks for your patience while we get it up to snuff for the big reveal.
Also!
If you’re local, we’d like to direct you to an event at the St. Helena Library.
They’re doing an event on pairing cheese with beer, an area in which we can claim a little experience.
From the Library:
Beer & Cheese Pairing
Wednesday, Oct 21st at 7pm
That’s right, we said beer, not wine! Join brewing expert and author of the book Grape vs. Grain, Charlie Bamforth, as he discusses the art and science of making and drinking good beer. With help from Santa Rosa cheesemaker Seana Doughty, Bamforth will pair five beers, including three local brews, with five fabulous cheeses. Come learn how enjoying a good glass of beer can be as enjoyable as drinking wine. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
I made this for tonight’s Cookbook Club. And what do you know, the girlies went wild over it!
Cauliflower with Cheddar Sauce and Rye Bread Crumbs
The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl
Ingredients
3 slices rye bread
3 C whole milk
1/2 stick, 4 T unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 T all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
2 C coarsely grated sharp Cheddar (about 6 oz)
1 1/2 medium heads cauliflower (3 pounds total), cored and cut into 2″ wide florets
1. Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Toast bread crumbs on a baking sheet with sides until golden, about 5 minutes. Cool on sheet on a rack.
3. Bring milk just to a boil; remove from heat. Melt 2T butter in heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, add onions, and cook, stirring until softened (about 5 minutes). Reduce heat to low and stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring for 3 minutes to make a roux. Add milk in a steady stream, whisking constantly, until sauce is smooth. Simmer, whisking occasionally for 20 minutes.
4. Add Cheddar and cook, stirring until just melted. Remove from heat, cover surface of sauce with was paper (to prevent a skin from forming), and let cool.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 2 1/2-quart baking dish.
6. Cook cauliflower in a 4 to 5-quart heavy pot of boiling well-salted water until tender (about 10 minutes). With a slotted spoon, transfer cauliflower to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop the cooking, the drain well and pat dry. Transfer to buttered baking dish.
7. Melt remaining 2 T butter and toss with bread crumbs. Pour Cheddar sauce over cauliflower and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake until sauce is bubbling, about 15 minutes.
The next Cheesewhizzes event is Masters of Gouda at the glorious St. Clement winery in St. Helena.
Bring your favorite Gouda, red wine and $5 to enjoy the last Cheesewhizzes event of 2009.
Details again?
Masters of Gouda
St. Clement Winery
7:00pm
October 3, 2009
Cheesewhizzes Beer.
This Saturday, August 22.
7:30 pm.
Join us at 6:30pm sharp for an exclusive beer tasting led by our own James Hearn and Paul Asikainen.
This Cheesewhizzes will be at Natalie and Paul’s house, 930 Mariposa in St. Helena, California.
We can’t wait to see you there.
Next Saturday, June 27th, we’re hosting another Napa Valley Cheesewhizzes.
Theme: Italian cheeses and wines
Location: Join our mailing list to find out!
Time: 7:00 – 9:30pm
This is an easy one!
Try to stump us with your rare and unusual Italian cheese and wine to pair.
Get out your calendars, we’ve scheduled the rest of the Cheesewhizzes events for 2009.
Saturday, June 26th
Saturday, August 22nd
Saturday, October 3
More details to come via the email newsletter.
(You are signed up, aren’t you?)
This next Cheesewhizzes is going to be delicious.
In honor of the changing seasons, we’re celebrating Cheesewhizzes Fresh at the gorgeous, new Conn Creek barrel room. Meet us Saturday, April 25th at seven pm with a cheese aged less than 6 months.
To pair, bring that lovely bottle of Rose that you bought in anticipation of warmer weather.
RSVP on our Facebook event page or via email to helenjaneATcheesewhizzesDOT org