Batty Bacon Balls - American Cheese Month 2011

For October 28th of American Cheese Month, I present a Halloween recipe perfect for any spooky gathering or party: Bacon Batty Balls! ...or Batty Bacon Balls, I couldn't figure out what to call them in my sleepy video.

Goat cheese Bat Colony

Ingredients:
1 lb of cream cheese, softened
1 lb of fresh goat cheese, softened (I used Pure Luck Dairy chevre)
1/4 c chopped chives
1 lb of bacon
cracked black pepper
~5oz of poppy seeds
black or blue corn tortilla chips (you can find the black and orange tortilla chips near Halloween)
can of diced tomatoes or pimentos

While bacon is frying, fold cream cheese and goat cheese together until blended well.
Pat the excess grease from the bacon with a paper towel and mix with chives in a food processor.
Add bacon mixture to cheese mixture and stir until bacon is distributed well. Stir in black pepper.

Form 1-1.5 inch diameter balls and place in fridge, covered for at least an hour.

Once firm, take cheese balls out and roll each in poppy seeds, until coated completely. Break tortilla chips into oblong, jagged shapes and insert as wings. Using a toothpick, add tomatoes or pimentos for evil bat eyes.  Keep covered and cold until served.

I would also recommend serving with additional chips as apparently non-Queso Queens don't just pop the entire bat into their mouths. I think that kept me from not getting first place in TopSpot's Halloween contest! That, and my competition was quite fierce. Happy Halloween!

Paragon, American Cheese Month 2011

Greetings from the future! Before I went to a costume party last night dressed as Turanga Leela, I recorded my latest video featuring Paragon. Paragon comes from an experimental recipe from the Veldhuizen Farm in Dublin, Texas. It resembles a cheddar, but has a unique creamy taste with a sharp finish. Paragon is cheese plate pleaser; everyone likes this cheese.  Pick some up at the Houston Dairymaids, anytime!

Nancy's Hudson Valley Camembert - American Cheese Month 2011

Last night, I dyed 800 cotton balls black. My kitchen is currently covered in newspaper and magazines, awaiting for the cotton balls to dry.  I am NOT the crafty type, but Halloween is my favorite day of the year and I'm helping friends make sheep costumes.  During this adventure, I looked down at the clock on my stove and noticed it was past midnight. Ack! Cheese video!  I had been working over the stove since 7pm in an ex-boyfriend's old t-shirt (it's ok to get dye on that, amirite) and I'm visibly exhausted in this video. Proof that I'm seriously committed to the daily vid. 

After finding a safe path to my fridge similar to that scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, I pulled out Nancy's Hudson Valley Camembert to go along with the theme of the night. This Camembert is made from a cow and sheep milk blend and is from the Old Chatham Sheepherding Company (ha, www.blacksheepcheese.com!) in Old Chatham, NY.  This particular Cam is packaged in small wrapped squares, perfect for a picnic, snack, or party.

Before American Cheese Month began, I had the opportunity to experience their all sheep's milk cheese Kinderhook Creek Camembert it is hands down one of the best Camemberts I've ever had in my life. And, uh, I try a lot of cheeses.

Here's to Black Sheep everywhere!

Granbury Gold, American Cheese Month 2011

Granbury Gold is a raw cow's milk cheese made like a Gouda. It's a young cheese, made with milk from Brown Swiss dairy cows, hand-crafted at the Eagle Mountain Farmhouse in Granbury, TX.  This is really great cheese for one of those giant sandwiches you always see fat men on television eating.  That's how I'm recommending eating it, anyhow.
I ate it for dinner, recorded this video, and was a guest on the AboutFoursquare podcast all at the same time. I rule at the internets.

Buttermilk Blue - American Cheese Month, 2011

Sunday night I visited my brother Justin's brand new apartment with a great housewarming gift. Cheese. Buttermilk Blue from Roth Käse in Monroe, Wisconsin to be exact. See, we were having steaks and I figured the creamy, rich flavor of Buttermilk Blue would go perfectly as a blue cheese butter. As usual, I was right.  Buttermilk Blue has an intricate lace pattern of Penicillium Roqueforti, giving a strong (but not overpowering) flavor throughout.  Buttermilk Blue could be spread, crumbled, or just eaten as is.  My brother and his girlfriend Jenny adored it and asked where they could buy some. At the Houston Dairymaids, of course! It's one of our favorite blues internally, we often go home with some after a warehouse day.

Reading Raclette, American Cheese Month 2011

Reading Raclette is a nutty, washed rind cheese from Spring Brook Farm in Reading, VT.  This is the same farm that makes the #7 cheese Tarentaise. This Alpine-style cheese is a great example of a traditional French/Swiss cheese made in the US. Reading Raclette is best melted, especially if you have a raclette apparatus. If you don't have plans to visit the Alps or have one of these bad boys at your disposal, don't fret! You too can experience a traditional raclette service at the Houston Dairymaids. On Thursday, October 27, we are conducting our first Alpine cheese class. Not only will you experience the Alpine-style cheeses we carry and learn about their history and production, we will serve Reading Raclette and potatoes! Secure your seat to our Alpine class now!

p.s. thanks to Charlotte for filming this video!

Humboldt Fog, American Cheese Month 2011

October 21st, everyone's favorite ripened goat cheese, Humboldt Fog. Cypress Grove, cheesemakers I have already highlighted, make enough amazing chevre to get a second American Cheese Month feature. However, this video is full of failure.  I shot a quick video from my internet marketing agency's breakroom (ha, desperate backlink). First, I said the date as October 20th and then I called the cheese Humboldt Farm (both edited out). Geez! I definitely know this cheese's name, what was I thinking? Maybe I was smoking some of the other products Humboldt is known for.  I get distracted when my coworker walks in wondering what the eff I'm doing and I try to not bust out giggling.  The cheese itself is extremely ripe, but that doesn't stop me from inhaling it.  I love goat cheese - and this tall, lovely specimen is some of the best of the best.

Barely Buzzed, American Cheese Month 2011

Barely Buzzed from Beehive Cheese Co. in Uintah, Utah, is a cheese I've written about before and I think I would be remiss if I didn't include it in this American Cheese Month project.

I do love this cheese. Perhaps it's because I'm a coffee fan, perhaps it's because I'm a floral fan - these flavors blend so well together. It doesn't make sense, but it makes a beautiful cheese.

Any cheesemonger will tell you that it's a mess to cut and wrap! Coffee grounds and fingerprints everywhere! I forgive you, Barely Buzzed.

Petit Frère - American Cheese Month 2011

October 19th brought us Petit Frère from the Crave Brothers of Waterloo, Wisconsin. It is a small, washed-rind cheese with an earthy, fruity flavor. Not sure why I didn't eat this on my little brother's birthday...

The truth of washed-rinds is that people do not like them. They are stinky, they are a funny color, they generally aren't served to the masses. But honestly, just like blues, chevres, etc - you shouldn't judge a whole category of cheese just by experiencing one.  I see changed minds every week. This cheese, Petit Frère, is a perfect washed-rind to slowly begin to expand your tastes.

Also, I entered a Whole Foods facebook cheese contest! Please vote for me here: http://apps.facebook.com/smileforcamembert/contests/156717/voteable_entries/32440759

California Crottin, American Cheese Month 2011

California Crottin is cheese of the day for October 18th! This goat cheese made in the French crottin style is a cute button of badassery. It's funny how such strong flavor can come from such a small cheese. Redwood Farm in Sebastopol, California seems like an extraordinarily pleasant place, focusing on humane, organic, sustainable farming long before it was lifestyle trend. This cheese has won Best Farmstead Goat Cheese by the American Cheese Society twice and deserves all the praise. Try it sometime! It's hard not to keep it all for yourself.

Green Hill, American Cheese Month 2011

Green Hill from Sweet Grass Dairy is featured as the seventeenth cheese of American Cheese Month. Sweet Grass Dairy is made in Thomasville, GA on a family farm with very happy grass-fed Jersey cows. You can taste the quality of the milk in this cheese, no doubt. This cheese is highly decorated and has a wonderful flavor. Would definitely recommend for any cheese plate.

Galbani Mozzerella, kinda American Cheese Month, 2011

It's October 16th, I'm on a layover in the Phoenix airport, and I need to find a cheese to post about.  I type "cheese" into the foursquare explore function and lo and behold there is a bar which serves many cheese dishes.  The Barfly Genuine Food and Drink just happens to be near my gate. Kismet. 

I, somewhat embarrassingly, explain to my server my ACM project and ask if she knows where the mozzarella on the bruschetta is from. She comes back to tell me it's Galbani Mozzarella and it's made in the US. I order and quickly confirm on my phone. Sipping my Kiltlifter, I see that it's a large Italian cheese company that now also produces in the US. Satisfied with this information, I eagerly await my last carby meal for the next few weeks.

Now that I've looked into it - Galbani is part of one of the largest dairy conglomerates worldwide - Lactalis. Not exactly what I wanted to focus on during my American Cheese Month posts, but my food was good. Of course because Lactalis has cheese factories everywhere I wasn't actually able to pinpoint where my mozzarella came from.  This would be something you can find in the grocery store as well as in many restaurants serving mozz dishes.  I try to support local, but I guess I did my best given the situation. Hey, I was drinking a Tempe beer. 

Coach Farms Goat Cheese - American Cheese Month, 2011

Ok, so I cheated a little bit. I filmed my fifteenth cheese on October 14th.  I was on vacation, give me a break! Suzanne and I had a great time at Otto Pizzeria. She ordered the Friday special, a carbonara pizza with eggs and guanciale - and I ordered the pancetta and goat cheese pizza. The goat cheese on the pizza was from Coach Farms in Pines Plain, NY. Coach Farms has been placing in the American Cheese Society for over 20 years. They definitely deserve all the praise.

Our service at Otto Pizzeria was awesome. We even got a free glass of Prosecco for checking in on foursquare!

Siri Says: Avoid Fat

I found a reason why Siri and I would never get along.  When you ask her what the meaning of life is, she asks you to avoid fat.  Avoid cheese.  What does a phone know about life anyway?

Ms. Natural Chevre, American Cheese Month, 2011

On October 14, I was dining at Otto Pizzeria in The Venetian Casino in Las Vegas with my friend Suzanne. We ordered a cheese plate, including the fresh chevre from Cypress Grove - Ms. Natural.  Our cheese plate came adorned with black truffle honey, brandied cherries, and dried apricots. We loved our fresh chevre, it tasted so different than what I've been eating back home. Different terroir, different tang. That's what makes American cheeses so great - the versatility!

Cypress Grove is a very well known cheese maker; you can often find them in your grocery store deli. I hadn't had their plain fresh chevre - it was wonderful with the cheese plate accoutrements! Suzanne's favorite of the three. 

Bonne Bouche - American Cheese Month, 2011

Goat cheese begets goat cheese, so I've been craving some chevre all day. Came home and found a little Bonne Bouche in my fridge. Bonne Bouche is more than a good mouthful. There is something amazing about this cheese.  On Saturday, fellow Dairymaid Elizabeth pulled me aside and said, "You have got to try this cheese!" and whoa. It is a straight up decadent ash-ripened goat cheese. The 20-something farms that are involved at The Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery in Websterville, VT do something extra special to produce this loveliness. It tastes rich and fresh and comes in it's own cute "micro-cave." I really hope we start carrying it at the Dairymaids - I want to share this cheese with Houston!

White Buck - American Cheese Month, 2011

Ripened goat cheese is a beautiful thing and it's best shared amongst friends. Tonight I celebrated a birthday with coworkers and friends at Liberty Station. We had White Buck*, a chevre made by Westfield Farm in Hubbardston, MA. Not too tangy, yet creamy, and sweet - this cheese just oozes flavor (literally, in our case). Joe, the birthday boy, hams it up for the viewers at home. Enjoy!

*the SEO in me is impressed that the Westfield Farm's url is www.chevre.com!

MT TAM - October 11th, American Cheese Month, 2011

On the eleventh day of October, I let my love for arcades and cheese intertwine and got a high score with MT TAM.  MT TAM is a triple-creme brie from the Cowgirl Creamery in Petaluma, California. It is eyes-rolling-in-the-back-of-your-head, buttery goodness. A tall 10 oz round gets just about the right oozy texture as it loses its refrigerator chill, has a mushroomy taste, with a rind that is not at all bitter. This year it won 2nd place in the American Cheese Society's category of Original Recipe / Open Category made from cow's milk.

It's so cute with Pinky the ghost!

Dunbarton Blue - October 10th, American Cheese Month 2011

Dunbarton Blue - a strange cheese indeed! It is a cheddar that has the veins of a bleu. Dunbarton is the surprise flagship cheese from the Roelli farm in Schullsburg, Wisconsin. This dense, dry cheese curiously gets better and better the more that you have it - very dangerous!

I chop it up and add to a salad of lettuce, apples and chicken apple sausage.  I added some Greek yogurt and dinner was served. Blue Monday was never so cheddary.  You can get this cheese from time to time at the Houston Dairymaids - we recently started carrying it.

Cracked Black Pepper Chevre - October 9th, American Cheese Month, 2011

Yawn. It's Football Sunday, and I'm making myself breakfast. I love goat cheese omelettes and today I'm using the Pure Luck Dairy's cracked black pepper chevre.  I love this chevre and use it in almost anything I make:  salads, quiche, steak, etc.  Pure Luck Dairy, from Dripping Springs, TX, produces all kinds of amazing goat cheeses. It's obviously the first and only video I've ever made pre-caffeine. Gotta go, the Texans are behind in the 4th quarter.

Hoja Santa - October 8th, American Cheese Month, 2011

After another rough day (this time more emotionally than physically), I went outside in front of my apartment and treated myself to Hoja Santa. Hoja Santa is a cheese I've blogged about before an it's something on the rain or shine list at the Houston Dairymaids. I adore the taste of the Hoja Santa leaf which pairs so well with the chevre.  It's from the Mozzarella Co. in Dallas - by the best in the business, artisan cheesemaker pioneer Paula Lambert (she commented on that post)! That is sure to put a smile on my face.

Tarentaise - October 7th, American Cheese Month 2011

mmm! Tarentaise! Tarentaise is an Alpine-style cheese from the Spring Brook Farm (in cooperation with the Thistle Hill Farm) in Premont, Vermont. Thistle Hill is an organic, family-owned farm with grass-fed cows - and they make one amazing cheese.

This cheese is modeled after Beaufort cheese made in the French Alps. It nutty with a smooth texture. It is great melted... which is what I do here. 

Do you want to sign up for the Houston Dairymaids Cheese 101 classes? Read more.

Grayson - October 6th, American Cheese Month, 2011

On October 6th, I had the equivalent of a one night stand with Grayson.

Thursday night, before I could record a cheese video, I was whisked away to Houston's Original Greek Festival, where I partook in souvlaki and shared bottles of Greek wine with friends. We took the party to a bar and I had a vodka tonic. I'm quite the drinker and know my school night limits well - so I ducked out early and caught a ride home. I should also mention at this juncture that I'm currently on a low-carb diet and haven't had anything but meat and veggies in my stomach all day. 

I come home, sufficiently buzzed - but the good buzz that guarantees that I likely won't wake up with (much of) a headache. I pull Grayson out of the fridge.

Grayson is a washed-rind cheese from the Meadow Creek Dairy in Galax, Virgina.  The cheese is very rich and has a pungent smell.  A beefy, stinky cheese that isn't for everyone.  For those turophiles that love washed rinds, Grayson is great.  I have no problem with stinky cheeses, so I brought Grayson home with me (from the Dairymaids, natch). 

I filmed this video, looking quite the hot mess.  It was late and I was exhausted, as is evident. After filming, I guess the drunk munchies took over and I ate that whole, stinky wedge. Satisfied, I drifted off to sleep, the taste of Grayson still in my mouth.

I woke up at 5AM sick to my stomach. Perhaps it was the wine on a carb-free stomach, perhaps it was consuming a whole wedge of cheese right before bed... but Mr. Grayson did not stay down. And let me warn you - as much as you may like washed rinds - you do not want to throw them up. That pungent smell would not leave my tongue or nostrils and kept making me gag even more. I continued throwing up well into 9 o'clock. I left work early and slept off my sour stomach.  I do not leave work early - no matter how hungover I may be or crappy I feel. The last time I called in sick was December of 2005; I lost my voice and worked in a call center, so I was unable to do my job.  This was a serious morning after, folks. I didn't even have a headache! 

That all being said, I like Grayson. And you may too. Just don't bring him out when you're buzzed on a school night. In the video I actually holla at him: "Grayson, haaay!" Foolish girl and her one night stand!

SarVecchio Parmesan - October 5th, American Cheese Month 2011

SarVecchio Parmesan is the fifth cheese I've chosen to highlight for American Cheese Month. It is hands down the best parmesan made in the US. It hails out of Plymouth, Wisconsin and it is by Sartori.  It is known for its many awards. Aged about two years, you taste sharp sweetness as you crunch through the age crystals. It's one of my few "staple" cheeses I keep in the fridge (outside a regular rotating assortment of other cheese, bien sur).  This parm is not just for cooking - it is perfect for pairing and a badass on any cheese plate. 

Texas Gold Cheddar - October 4th, American Cheese Month 2011

October 4th is National Taco Day! Tacos mean Texas, so today's cheese is from the Veldhuizen Farm in Dublin, TX.  One of the many cheese rockstars of Veldhuizen is Texas Gold Cheddar.  I find Texas Gold a true, solid cheddar.  It's has a smooth texture and slightly sharp finish. It's great on a sandwich, burger, and of course, tacos. On the rain-or-shine list at the Houston Dairymaids; we always have it in stock! Since it's a Texas cheese, you're sure to find it at our farmer's markets locations : we're at the Houston Farmer's Market at Rice University on Tuesdays and the Grogan's Mill Village Farmer's Market in The Woodlands.

Old Kentucky Tomme - October 3rd, American Cheese Month

Our third cheese comes from the Indiana/Kentucky border: Capriole Farm's Old Kentucky Tomme. Old Kentucky Tomme is a goat cheese aged about 6 months, with a natural rind and a semi-firm, creamy center.  This cheese's subtle mushroom notes make it a great cheese for eating for dinner. Which is what I'm doing tonight:

Bon appetit! 

Pt Reyes Blue - October 2nd, American Cheese Month 2011

After an afternoon of watching football, I asked my friend Jaime if he was interested in making a cheese video.  I went through the plethora of cheeses hanging out in my cheese drawer and asked if there was something in particular he wanted to try.  He admitted that he had recently had blue cheese for the first time ever and liked it, so he'd like to try some more.  My choice was easy: Pt. Reyes Original Blue, offered by Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese. Point Reyes is along the shore in Northern California, where the cow pasture overlooks the ocean. These cows, who I imagine breathe in foggy, salty air all day, produce some beautiful, award winning cheeses. The cheese that Point Reyes is most known for is their Original Blue - a milky blue which melts in your mouth and leaves a bright, fruity finish. This cheese looks great on a cheese plate, as it is incredibly inviting.  It's a must-try for blue lovers.

Big ups to the Houston Dairymaids for supplying me with some Pt. Reyes Blue!

Hopelessly Bleu - October 1st, American Cheese Month 2011

Happy American Cheese Month!  For the very first American Cheese Month, I've decided to highlight 31 American cheeses, showcasing some of the best cheeses the US has to offer.  This cheese adventure is being sponsored by The Houston Dairymaids.

For October 1st, I've chosen Hopelessly Bleu, a cheese which I've blogged about before.  Hopelessly Bleu is a blue goat's milk cheese offered by Pure Luck Dairy in Dripping Springs, TX (Had to start the month in Texas, right?)

Hopelessly Bleu took home 2nd place in the category "Blue-veined made from goat's milk with a rind or external coating" at the American Cheese Society conference in 2011.

Presenting: Hopelessly Bleu.  Sorry for the quality - I'll remember to de-smudge the lens next time!