Cheeses of the week: Cooleeney and Le Roule

**I went to a cheese-tasting last week at Wheatsfield Co-op. I jotted down some tasting notes for two cheeses, BUT I didn't think it was appropriate to snap a few pictures with my camera phone. So, sorry for the lack of graphics. Happy New Year!

Name: Cooleeney

Place of Purchase: Wheatsfield Co-op

Country of Origin: Ireland

Price in Iowa: $8.29/7 oz.

Milk: cow's milk

Processing: camembert style, available from pasteurized and raw milk.

Texture: soft

Color: golden

Rind: surface-ripened

Aroma: mild dairy

Taste: like a very mild brie with a nutty flavor

Mouth feel: creamy & smooth, like a cream cheese

Notes: This cheese was a pleasant surprise. It combined the decadent mouth-feel and complex flavor of a brie or Camembert, with a burnt/nutty flavor. The golden color of the cheese and the smooth consistency makes this selection a wonderful addition to a cheese plate, or a nice combination with toast and sliced apples.

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Name: Le Roule

Place of Purchase: Wheatsfield Co-op

Country of Origin: France

Price in Iowa: $13.20/lb

Milk: cow

Processing: a processed cheese that is typically combined into flavored rolls (like a jelly roll)

Texture: soft

Color: white

Rind: natural

Aroma: clean

Taste: similar to a nice goat chevre; available in herb/garlic as well

Mouth feel: melt in your mouth creamy

Notes: This cheese had a nice mouth feel, but in flavor and application I believe that it would perform similar to chevre. The roll appearance might make it an attractive addition to your New Years party, but it didn't strike me as anything spectacular.

Fruit of the Week: Goji Berries

Name: Goji Berries

Brand: Tierra Farm Organic

Place of Purchase: Wheatsfield Co-op in Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: Valatie, NY

Price in Iowa: $4.79 for 4 oz.

Description: Crimson-colored, almond-shaped raisins

Flavor: Tart (from the dried berry).

Aroma: A slight flowery scent, but the dried berries aren't very aromatic.

Texture/Mouth-feel: Drier than a raisin, but pleasantly chewy.

Notes: Yet another dried fruit. I saw these goji berries at the local organic food co-op and I decided to pick them up. Supposedly, they're a new superfruit. I know that you're not supposed to to pop these in your mouth. You can, but they're not very flavorful. You can put them into cereal, or granola bars, or rice dishes as a tonic. The reason for eating these sour little nuggets is their antioxidant potential, not their taste. When your body makes energy from the food that you eat, the process creates oxidizing compounds called free radicals. When you're young, your body can clean up these toxic by-products. However, as you get older your body loses its ability to take out the trash. So, certain vitamins (like Vitamin E and Vitamin C/Ascorbic Acid) can act as antioxidants to help with the removal of thesefree radicals and you you looking young. Goji berries are chock-full of antioxidants. And even though they taste like sour lint, they're good for you. So, give them a try and keep the wrinkles and the aches away for another year.

Cheese of the week: Sap Sago

Name: Sap Sago aka Swiss Schabziger

Place of Purchase: Ulrich's Meat Market in Pella, Iowa

Country of Origin: Switzerland

Price in Iowa: $6.99 for 3.17 ounces

Milk: pasteurized skimmed cows milk

Processing: Skim cow's milk is boiled, then mixed with blue fenugreek (a special kind of clover) and pressed into cones. The cheese is then dried for several months.

Texture: Hard

Color: Pale green

Rind: Natural

Aroma: Strong dairy, like a very-aged Parmesan

Taste: Sharp, dairy, slight herbal afternotes.

Mouth feel: Very dry. Because it was grated fine, and because of the low fat content.

Notes: At over $35 a pound, this has got to be the most expensive cheese I have tried yet. Granted, a little Schabziger goes a long way. I would bet that even if I used this stuff every day, it would still last me a few months. Because of the low fat content, most of the applications require the addition of some fat (usually butter). I tried some of the finely powdered cheese without any accoutrement, and it was so dry it was almost astringent. The dried cheese is mostly protein, and is probably very hygroscopic. The flavor wasn't as strong when I ate the raw cheese, either. With the addition of the butterfat, the flavor of the cheese bloomed. This included the herbal notes from the blue fenugreek. Chances are, I'll probably use the remainder of my Sap Sago to make a pesto. For seven-bucks, this was a interesting cheese.

Cheese of the week: Port Salut

Name: Port Salut

Place of Purchase: Ulrich's Meat Market in Pella, Iowa

Country of Origin: France!

Price in Iowa: $13.69/lb

Milk: pasteurized cows milk

Processing: aged one month then rind is washed with color and brine

Texture: Soft

Color: pale cream with an orange rind

Rind: Washed

Aroma: very little, perhaps a very mild dairy

Taste: a very mild flavor, only the slightest hint of dairy

Mouth feel: like butter

Notes: This was an ok cheese with a great mouth feel. The Port Salut didn't have much flavor for me. It felt nice and creamy in my mouth, but that will only get you so far. Now my wife had a different experience with this cheese than I did. I don't know why, exactly, but she had had brother try it too and he had the same experience. They both detected a bitter aftertaste that I could not find, no matter how long I kept the cheese in my mouth. Now, the rind is washed with added annatto, but she's never told me that cheddar or colby was bitter, and they have tons of annatto.

All-in-all, this was a nice creamy cheese, but nothing special.

Fruit of the Week: Sorghum

Name: Sorghum

Brand: Maasdam Sorghum Mills

Place of Purchase: HyVee Foods in Pella, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: Lynnville, Iowa

Price in Iowa: $3.99

Description: Sparkling, molten copper syrup

Flavor: Sweet, an almost electric tartness, nutty and grassy afternotes. A very complex flavor.

Aroma: Burnt caramel, woody and grassy undertones

Texture/Mouth-feel: It's lighter than corn syrup, but thicker than maple

Notes: We're spending the holiday in Pella, Iowa. So, my fruit choices are super limited. I decided to do something a little different and pick a local crop that most people wouldn't be familiar with. Sorghum is not technical a fruit, it's a cereal crop like corn, wheat and barley. But the closest to something new I could find was some heirloom tomatoes, and that didn't seem genuine enough ("These tomatoes are more tomatoey than regular tomatoes"). So, I went with sorghum syrup. I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting molasses, which to me just has a burnt, caramelized taste. Sourghum is more complex than that. You can taste the rougher flavors from the grain, as well as a few barely-detectable metallic flavors from the various compounds concentrated from the extraction process. I wouldn't say that sorghum is for everyone. It certainly smacks you in the face with a distinctive flavor. But I would suggest that everyone try it. If you like it, you can use it whenever you would use honey, molasses, or maple syrup. I don't know if it can be used to replace corn syrup, but it could be used to replace cane syrup. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my pound and change of syrup. But I might just start making gingerbread cookies and spice cakes to use it up.

Sorry no cheese last week. My wife was stuck in the hospital and I needed to take care of her. I'll make it up this week.

Fruit of the Week: Ataulfo Mango

Name: Ataulfo Mango

Brand: Pilot Organic

Place of Purchase: Wheatsfield Co-op in Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: Ecuador

Price in Iowa: $1.29 each

Description: A fist-sized, yellow ovoid.

Flavor: Sour and starchy. Aside from the tartness, the flavor was kind of bland.

Aroma: Starch and latex.

Texture/Mouth-feel: Smooth, firm and moist. Not stringy at all. Kind of astringent.

Notes:I love mango. Mostly as a juice; but I'll eat mango in salad, mix mango into smoothies, put mangoes on ice cream, cook mangos into stuffing, baste my poultry with mangoes. You get the idea. So, imagine my delight when I come across a different variety of mango at the Wheatsfield Co-op in the organic produce aisle. I bought the little morsel and took it home for immediate inspection. My wife inquired "What the heck is that?" I told her that it was "a different variety of mango." The Ataulfo is also called the Manilla or Champagne Mango. It's marketed for its smooth, buttery flesh and was originally cultivated in Mexico. It is also hard to find as an organic product. So, with that sales pitch she was excited too. We peeled off the skin and sliced all of the flesh away from the thin pit (the Tai Dam way of slicing a mango is creating a bunch of thin slices, rather than the traditional Indian hedgehog). The flesh was buttery smooth and devoid of fibers. The fruit itself was a smack in the face of sour, followed by a starchy blah. There was none of the flowery complexity found in the Florida or Hawaii-grown varieties that I've had before. Part of that could easily come from the fact that unripe mangoes are chosen for shipment, and they always lack the flavor of a fresh, tree-ripened fruit. It could also be that, yet again, I should have let my fruit ripen for a day or two before digging into it. Patience is a virtual, and the product of patience is apparently sweeter produce.

Libation of the Month: Jeremiah Weed Bourbon Liqueur

Name: Bourbon Liqueur

Brand: Jeremiah Weed

Place of Purchase: HyVee Liquors West, Ames, Iowa

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Country/Region of Origin: Kentucky, USA

Tasting Conditions: Straight up in a shot glass.

Price in Iowa: $17.99

Description: A slightly viscous golden, like a light schnapps.

Flavor: Sweet, woody, but this stuff is 100 proof. It has a medicinal finish.

Mouth-feel: Smooth, with a bite from the alcohol.

Aroma: It's definitely bourbon.

Notes: Supposedly, at least according to Wikipedia and the Jeremiah Weed website, this is the favored drink of air force pilots, submarine sailors, horseback riders and fishermen. So, I had to try it. The first shot had a flash of sweet, followed by the burn of rotgut whiskey. According to legend, Jeremiah Weed is made from the dregs of whiskey barrels. I believe that myth. After my first shot, I moved onto mixers. I just used 7-Up for starters. It gave the drink a really foamy head, like Sloe Gin or Southern Comfort. Which was nice. Mixers smoothed out the bite significantly. I also tried Tonic Water and Pepsi. 7-Up and Tonic mixes both had the foam, Pepsi did not. I'm not a big fan of schnapps. I like some liqueurs (Irish Cream & Chambord, for example), but I usually avoid the sweet stuff. I might buy this stuff again. Especially if I'm going to be doing some jet fighting or horseback riding.

Cheese of the week: Sweet Vanilla Cardona

Name: Carr Valley's Sweet Vanilla Cardona

Place of Purchase: Carr Valley Cheese in Fennimore, Wisconsin

Country of Origin: USA/Wisconsin

Price in Wisconsin: $16.10/lb.

Milk: pasteurized goat milk with added vanilla & sugar

Processing: Original Spanish-style goat cheese, vanilla and sugar added, aged eight months

Texture: Semi-Firm

Color: pale cream

Rind: Natural

Aroma: Sharp dairy

Taste: warm dairy, floral notes, sweet caramel, umami finish

Mouth feel: firm and creamy

Notes: I was up in Wisconsin doing some cave camping at Eagle Cave with the Scouts, and we passed Carr Valley Cheese on our way home. Well, I just had to stop. Their selection was modest, but unique. Sure, you could find Cheddars and Colbys, squeaky cheese curds and Goudas. But there was a whole cooler full of unique, artisan cheeses made from cow, goat or sheep milk. I eventually decided on one of the cardona cheeses, a family of "spanish-style" semi-firm goat cheeses unique to Carr Valley. I couldn't find out much about the processing, but my choices were between Cocoa and Sweet Vanilla Cardona. I thought the cocoa was a bit over the top. I've been seeing cheese fudges slowly edging into the cheese coolers, so I'm gunshy about buying a treat instead of a cheese. The Sweet Vanilla Cardona is probably a dessert cheese. It would go well with dessert wine or fresh fruits. However, the added sugar wasn't overpowering, and the vanilla just added warm flowery flavors. It was complex and robust enough to hold its own on any cheese tray. I think my next step with Carr Valley Cheeses is to get one of their Champion Cheese Selections by mail order. It's pricey, but you get a lot of unique cheeses for your money.

Fruit of the Week: Gooseberry

Name: Gooseberry

Brand: Hartley's

Place of Purchase: Ames British Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin:

Price in Iowa: $3.95 per tin

Description: Reddish-beige orbs in light syrup (with a few pedicles floating in the juice)

Flavor: Tart, mixed with sulfurous compounds. Mone says that they were probably packaged unripe, which is why they are so sour.

Aroma: Since the berries were in a can of syrup, all I smelled was sweet.

Texture/Mouth-feel: Because of the can, I was expecting firm moist berries. "Mushy" is too kind a description.

Notes: I love going to Ames British Foods and World Market. MOSTLY, I'm picking up sweets and cheeses. Perhaps I'll pick up the occasional odd condiment, like the spicy apricot chutney I bought last week. However, with Christmas around the corner, Ames British Foods has a larger selection of foods for folks from the UK and Ireland. This includes dozens of cans of things that I have never seen before. The canned gooseberries jumped out at me. I know that they grow here in North America, but I've never had them before. At this point, I wish I hadn't. Squishy, brown, sour and a flavor reminscent of gym socks. I'll have to try these again fresh, but this experience wasn't great.

Queso de la semana: Queso Chihuahua

Name: Queso Chihuahua

Place of Purchase: Fareway Grocery in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: From Shullsburg Creamery in Wisconsin, USA

Price in Iowa: $9.99/lb.

Milk: cow

Processing: fresh milk is cultured and curdled, whey is drained and the curd pressed into (basket) molds; cheese is served fresh (less than 10 days of resting/aging) or aged for a sharper flavor.

Texture: semi-soft

Color: cream

Rind: natural

Aroma: not very aromatic at all; fresh with the mildest hint of dairy.

Taste: mild as the mildest cheddar; clean with a slight diary finish; reminded me of plain derby.

Mouth feel: chewy and rich

Notes: This is the cheese that quesadillas should be made with. It melts perfectly. It isn't to salty. The melted cheese doesn't get oily. But every quesadilla you have ever had has probably been made with mild cheddar or Monterrey jack. Fresh, this cheese is nothing special. It's chewy and bland. But melted, the richness of the 50% milkfat content blends with whatever is added. I added sauteed onions and mushrooms, and salsa and I could detect a new complexity in the dairy flavor of the cheese; plus it amplified the earthiness of the mushrooms and the sweetness of the tomatoes and onions. Plus, it melts so evenly (and quickly) that it only took 2 minutes in the toaster oven to coat one tortilla completely. Fantastic cheese!

Fruit of the week: Starfruit

Name: Starfruit

Brand: Fresh from Flordia

Place of Purchase: HyVee Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: USA

Price in Iowa: 99-cents each

Description: A long, five-lobed tube that looks like a star when sliced. Green to yellow with brown when ripe.

Flavor: Sour with a hint of sweet. The flowery aroma is barely detectable in the flavor.

Aroma: Citrus and flowers. I detected papaya and pomelo. Distinctive and lovely.

Texture/Mouth-feel: Sort of like an orange or grapefruit, with a crunchy skin on the outside.

Notes: I should have waited longer. It looked ripe to me, but the longer you let starfruit ripen, the sweeter and more flavorful it will get. I only waited three days after I got this baby home. You can smell the starfuit all through my kitchen, and it was driving me batty. It tasted okay. It could have tasted better: sweeter and more intense. Maybe I can pick up some more this week?

Cheese of the week: Kasseri

Name: BelGioioso Kasseri

Place of Purchase: HyVee Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: USA

Price in Iowa: $10.29/lb.

Milk: whole cow's milk

Processing: Cultured milk, enzymes and salt are mixed together, formed into a wheel, and aged for 4 months

Texture: Semi-soft

Color: pale yellow

Rind: Hard

Aroma: pungent and dairy

Taste: a mixture of Parmesan and Limburger

Mouth feel: firm, chewy

Notes: Greek kasseri, which I've had a few times at Cafe Northwest, is made from sheep's milk. I'm not sure if the cow's milk shift makes a difference, since I've only had the greek cheese warmed in a pastry. The fresh cheese is stinky! That pungent aroma carries over into the flavor. The firm, moist, chewy mouth-feel is very pleasurable. The photo at the top is a slice of the cheese that I've sauteed in olive oil with garlic and basil. The cooking brings out new flavors, with is probably why they melt it in flaming ouzo at the Cafe. I think that I'm going to take my leftovers and melt them across some Tayberry tarts.

Fruit of the Week: Tayberry

Name: Tayberry

Brand: The Summer Kitchen in Highland, WI (sounds pretty Scottish)

Place of Purchase: Carr Valley Cheese in Fennimore, WI

Country/Region of Origin: USA but originally cultivated in Scotland

Price in Wisconsin: $7.50 for a big jar of jam.

Description: The jam looks like jam. The fruit looks like a big red blackberry.

Flavor: Tangy, tangy, tangy. My wife said that it was sour, but I could still detect the sweetness of the blackberries. It favored the raspberry side of the hybrid for flavors, lacking the complexity of the blackberry.

Aroma: Like raspberries and sugars.

Texture/Mouth-feel: The drupelets were larger, like the aggregate-accessory fruit of the blackberry. This gives the jam a fuller, meatier mouth-feel. It's pretty seedy, though.

Notes: Another jam. Sorry guys. The tayberry is hard to get a hold of because it isn't grown in many places. I was lucky to get some in Wisconsin, where they grow and harvest them in late summer. Tayberries also produce a delicate fruit, so they have to picked by hand and don't transport well. I liked the flavor. I love raspberries, especially in pie. I'm thinking of turning some of this jam into tarts tomorrow. That's something to be thankful for...

Cheese of the week: Graskaas

Name: Beemster Graskaas (which apparently means "grass cheese" in Dutch)

Place of Purchase: HyVee Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: The lush wintry spring hills of Holland

Price in Iowa: $9.99/lb.

Milk: pasteurized cow's milk from the first spring milkings

Processing: Gouda-style preparation, then aged one month

Texture: Semi-firm

Color: cream

Rind: Natural

Aroma: very, very dairy

Taste: cream, dairy, warm savory afternotes, a very mild tart bite

Mouth feel: creamy creamy creamy

Notes: When I was first researching this cheese, it sounded like some kind of magical supercheese: produced from the mystical first milkings of Spring, aged but a month because of the ravenous throngs of Dutchmen waiting for this special Kaas outside of Beemster's gates. Only 1000 wheels ever make it into the United States every year, which makes the cheese extra fancy and extra expensive. Actually, for a gourmet cheese the price was pretty reasonable. The flavor wasn't anything that special. It was a young gouda with a slight tang. But the real draw is the creaminess of this cheese. I've had some processed cheese that had this sort of mouth feel, but eating this cheese is like eating butter. It's rich and satiny. I put some of this cheese on a piece of warm apple pie, and that was just heavenly. I would pair this cheese with something more flavorful, like melon or citrus.

Fruit of the week: Pomelo

Name: Pomelo

Brand: Sunkist

Place of Purchase: HyVee Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: USA

Price in Iowa: $1.59 each

Description: A gigantic green grapefruit. The rind is pretty thick, as are the membranes.

Flavor: sweet and tart, like a grapefruit but more sugary

Aroma: citrus

Texture/Mouth-feel: fresh and juicy

Notes: Fresh fruit! I got a fresh fruit this week. Not a dried/canned/jammed fruit! I wanted to try one of these ever since I found out what a two plants make a tangelo. Man! This thing is juicy. I bit into a section and sprayed my unsuspecting corgi. Luckily, it was sweet enough so she didn't mind. I would suggest buying these, when available, over grapefruits. But they do require a bit more effort to remove all of the membranes. They certainly would be superior for juicing.

Cheese of the week: Gran Queso

Name: Sole Gran Queso

Place of Purchase: HyVee Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: USA/Wisconsin (another delicious cheese from Roth Kase)

Price in Iowa: $10.99/lb.

Milk: pasteurized cow

Processing: Washed rind, aged six months

Texture: Firm

Color: creamy-gold

Rind: Natural, basket-weave

Aroma: Sweet dairy and caramel

Taste: warm umami, great sweet finish

Mouth feel: firm and buttery

Notes: Holy criminey, this is good cheese. I'm a big fan of manchego. I usually combine it with something fruity, like a tomato-based sauce/salsa or, well, fruit. This Sole Gran Queso has the rich flavor profile of manchego, but it also has a sweetness to it. The washed rind also adds different spice notes that manchego is lacking. Plus, Sole Gran Queso is firmer than manchego, it isn't as dry or crumbly, and it has a more creamy mouth feel. If you can find this cheese, and it is produced in limited batches, buy it. Shave it to add to pasta or enchiladas. Serve it over toast with tomato and basil. Or, slice it thicker and serve it with melon and grapes. No matter what, you won't be disappointed.

Unless you eat the rind. Don't do that. THAT was an error in judgement on my part.

Fruit of the Week: Jackfruit

Name: Jackfruit

Brand: Asian Taste

Place of Purchase: Ames Asian Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: Thailand

Price in Iowa: $1.50 a can.

Description: A large fruit with a spiked skin and sweet, yellow flesh.

Flavor: Sweet citrus and flowery. The afternotes are long-lasting, sweet and complex.

Aroma: Unique, fragrant and flowery.

Texture/Mouth-feel: Supple, but firm. Like a roasted pepper.

Notes: I had to try this fruit canned and dried. I could have gotten fresh jackfruit back in August, but not in November. The dried jackfruit loses a lot of the subtler flowery flavors, and is just sweet and chewy. I'm not sure what the fresh fruit would be like, but the canned fruit just explodes with flavors. There is the initial release of sweetness and citrus, but that is followed by a gentle, long-lasting flowery aftertaste. Jackfruit can be used to add sweetness to a dish, typically as a sauce/curry/compote/chutney, or because it can be so starchy it can be added to thicken/add body to a dish.

I'm thinking of using my leftovers to make some jackfruit salsa.

Cheese of the week: Port Derby

Name: Port Derby

Place of Purchase: Wheatsfield Co-Op in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: England imported by Binco LLC in Chicago.

Price in Iowa: $14.60/lb.

Milk: cow

Processing: Rennet is added to form tiny curds, and then the curd is slowly heated. Flavor and color can be added later to enhance the cheese.

Texture: semi-firm

Color: magenta and creamy-gold

Rind: Natural

Aroma: Fruity notes from the brandy and winey notes from the port

Taste: sweet, warm brandy, umami, dairy

Mouth feel: creamy, with a slight tingle from the port/brandy

Notes: Derby is a low-acid, bland, pale cheese. It is typically flavored and colored during processing to make it more appealing. This Port Derby was flavored with port and brandy and man is it good! I'm had port wine cold pack cheese before, usually at Christmas. Because that is a processed cheese, the flavor is much saltier and "portier." With this Derby, you can still taste the savory dairy of the cheese in the parts with less pink color. In the pink areas, the port and brandy flavors swirl together, overpowering the cheese, but creating a luscious, creamy sweetness that must be experienced.

Good cheese!

Update: Melissa from foodista.com has requested that I embed this link to her Food Encyclopedia with my Port Derby entry. While this website isn't as informative at Steve Jenkins "Cheese Primer" (my favorite cheese resource, available at amazon.com and fine booksellers everywhere), it is a good starting point for resources about culinary delights. So, enjoy...

Fruit of the Week: Persimmon

Name: Persimmon

Brand: Twin Girls Farms Organic

Place of Purchase: Wheatsfield Co-Op in Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: My wife tells me that this is a Japanese Hachiya variety, but it was grown in California by Nachoand Casamira Sanchez and their daughters.

Price in Iowa: $9.99 a pound, but they're organic. At Cub Foods they were $3.99 a pound for the ones that come with wax and pesticides.

Description: A firm, orange, acorn-shaped tomato.

Flavor: Very sweet, slightly bitter afternotes.

Aroma: Fresh tomato-like.

Texture/Mouth-feel: Wonderfully silky flesh. It was almost like a piece of fillet Mignon, but cool and juicy.

Notes: I let my persimmon ripen over the weekend. I had bought it firm and you're supposed to let them soften up a bit. I sliced off the skin and quartered the flesh. Then I sliced it more thinly and ate it. The flesh closer to the skin had a stronger astringent aftertaste, but the flesh near the center was spicy and very sweet. Persimmons have been considered the food of the gods in the Old World and Asia for millennia, and it was very good. But, next time I might try a persimmon pudding or dried fruits. Or, I could get a less astringent fuyu variety.

Sorry no cheese post last week. I had the Mexican Pig Flu. I'm better now, but I wasn't in the mood for sipping water, let alone pungent fromage.

Fruit of the Week: The apple-pear

Name: Apple-pear or Asian pear

Brand: I don't think that "Crunchy and Sweet" is a brand name, but that's what the sticker said.

Place of Purchase: Dahl's in Ankeny, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: I believe that the cultivar I bought was a Shinko, which was first cultivated in Japan.

Price in Iowa: $1.39 each

Description: A gigantic golden apple.

Flavor: Sweet and crisp, woody, Apple-y.

Aroma: Fresh, flowery and woody.

Texture/Mouth-feel: Firm and slightly grainy, like a pear, but with a very small stone.

Notes: Honestly, the best "apple" I've ever had. It was crisp, it had a great flavor and strong, but not overpowering sweetness. I've had better pears, though. The flavor profile isn't as complex as a European pear. It was gigantic, though (about 7-inches in diameter).

I'm not sure where this pear came from. They do grow them in the Northwest, but it could have easily come from Japan or Korea. It seems that they are always shipped in little Styrofoam dresses, too. Probably to keep them looking pretty.

Cheese of the week: 1000 Day Gouda

Name: Tagen Dagan Gouda

Place of Purchase: Cub Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: Holland imported by DCI Cheese Inc.

Price in Iowa: $19.99/lb.

Milk: cow

Processing: It's a Gouda, so the whey is boiled away, the curd is washed, and the soaked in brine. Then it's aged for 1000 days.

Texture: firm

Color: caramel

Rind: Wax

Aroma: mild dairy and nutty

Taste: Dry, very sharp and savory flavor. Warm, umami aftertaste.

Mouth feel: Full-bodied and very dry. Protein crystals formed by the aging process give the cheese a bit of a crunch.

Notes: I'm pretty sure that this is my most decadent cheese yet. Not only was it fairly pricey, it's processing took almost 3 years. It was worth it. Very view of the cheeses I've eaten so far have a recognizable aftertaste. This 1000 day gouda has two distinct flavor profiles, one up front, and one about 10 seconds after you put it in your mouth. The protein crystals might have something to do with that, as the very dry protein would take a few moments to become soluble in your mouth. This cheese is very dry and crumbly, so I suggest using a proper cheese cutter if you plan on presenting it on a cheese tray. Also, make the pieces fairly small, as this aged cheese packs a lot of flavor.

Fruit of the Week: Prickly pear

Name: Prickly pear aka opuntia

Brand: Not sure, but it's from a local grower. Either hothouse or a winter-hardy variety

Place of Purchase: Dahl's in Ankeny, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: US

Price in Iowa: Two dollah

Description: A blood red hand grenade, with a think skin and blood red flesh.

Flavor: There's sweet and starchy flavors in the fruit, but that's about it. Even the pleasant aroma doesn't come through in the flavor.

Aroma: Melon and banana (amyl). It's a nice, fresh scent.

Texture/Mouth-feel: grainy, meaty, full of 1-2cm diameter seeds.

Notes: Not my favorite. The strong red color and sweetness makes this fruit a good additition to syrups, jellies and juices, but alone it's kind of dull. Considering how ubiquitous these plants are, it might be worthwhile to learn to enjoy them. There are also three libations made from the prickly pear: Colonche, Bajtra Liqueur, and Tungi Spirits. Maybe I can get my mitts on those, too?

Cheese of the week: Raclette

Name: Grand Cru Raclette

Place of Purchase: HyVee Foods West in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: From Roth Kase in Wisconsin

Price in Iowa: $12.99/lb.

Milk: cow

Processing: Curdled and salted, aged for at least 3 months

Texture: semi-firm

Color: golden

Rind: Salt-washed

Aroma: Strong dairy

Taste: Mildly sharp, strong dairy flavor (mostly from the aroma)

Mouth feel: Velvety, melts in your mouth

Notes: Now, I knew the Raclette was one of those specialty Swiss cheeses that had a rich tradition associated with it. I remember reading Craig Thompson's "Carnet de Voyage" and having him described a Raclette grill, where the cheese is warmed to melting, and then poured and scraped onto the plate. However, lacking a campfire, gril or fondue pot, I just warmed the cheese to room temperature and ate over melba toast. This cheese is very pungent, and the flavor is provocative. But the mouth-feel of this uber-creamy cheese is the draw. Plus, the milk-fat content is so high, that a plate of new potatoes covered with this cheese is said to satisfy the biggest appetites. Next time, I'll do a proper Raclette party, which is how I suggest everyone enjoy this cheese.

Fruit of the Week: Tangelo

Name: Tangelo

Brand: Minneola (I'm pretty sure that's the variety)

Place of Purchase: Hy Vee Foods, Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: Peru

Price in Iowa: This one cost me 59 cents

Description: A juicy orange with a nipple.

Flavor: A slightly sour orange.

Aroma: citrus, tangerine

Texture/Mouth-feel: super juicy citrus

Notes: I decided to search REALLY hard for a fruit this week. I don't want week after week to be filled with preserves. So, I opted for the tangelo. I'd never had one before, but I had seen them in the produce aisle. Minneola tangelos are hybrids of tangerines and grapefruits. Tangelos are intentionally (or accidentally) bred for their mild flavor and high juice production. Imagine a grapefruit that isn't super sour. These fruits are BIG and juicy. I might pick up a few more and pull the unitasker juicer out of storage...

Cheese of the week: Parrano Originale

Name: Parrano Originale

Place of Purchase: HyVee Foods West in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: Holland imported by Best Cheese Corporation

Price in Iowa: $12.99/lb.

Milk: cow (pasteurized)

Processing: It's a Gouda, so the whey is boiled away, the curd is washed, and the soaked in brine.

Texture: semi-firm

Color: golden

Rind: Wax

Aroma: woody and nutty

Taste: Salty, sweet and very savory (umami). 1/3 Gouda and 2/3 Parmesan

Mouth feel: Full-bodied and somewhat dry

Notes:This cheese choice made up for the Gejtost last week. Everyone loved this cheese. It's savory, nutty flavor made it a big hit. It's not as sweet as gouda, but it makes up for that with a nutty, meaty/umami flavor. We just ate it as is, but I could see this adding a new twist to a number of Italian dishes; chicken parrano, perhaps?

Fruit of the Week: Quince

Name: Quince

Brand: Hero

Place of Purchase: Ames British Foods, Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: Switzerland

Price in Iowa: $6.50 for a tin of jam

Description: A yellow pomme, something in between a pear and an apple.

Flavor: Fruit: even after a frost, the fruit that I took from Iowa State campus was way too tart and astringent to enjoy. Plus, I think that it was a decorative cultivar. Jam: Flowery, tart, mildly astringent. The addition of sugar made the fruit much more palatable.

Aroma: woody, apple and pear, slightly flowery

Texture/Mouth-feel: grainy, like a pear

Notes: I was able to find a quince fruit on a tree, and it was the perfect time to harvest (right after a frost), but I quickly discovered why the first marmalade was made from these fruits. Once you add a ton of sugar, quince is pretty palatable as jam. The flowery and woody notes come through, along with the pear-apple fusion flavors. If you like pear butter or apple butter, then quince preserves will be a nice treat. The interesting thing is that humans have been eating this fruit since the beginning of civilization. So, take a bite of history and try some quince jam.

Cheese of the week: Gjetost

Name: Gjetost or Brunost

Place of Purchase: Wheatsfield Co-Op at 413 Douglas in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: Norway (another Tine Brand cheese)

Price in Iowa: $5.99 for an 8oz. block

Milk: cow and goat

Processing: Boiled a lot. Goat's and cow's milk is boiled to remove most of the whey, caramelizing the milk sugars. Then, in the brand I bought, cream is added back to enhance the creaminess. This is the cheese equivalent of "fudge."

Texture: soft

Color: nutty brown, close to peanut butter

Rind: rindless

Aroma: very mild dairy (cream) and caramel

Taste: Cream cheese and chevre cheese, with sweet and slightly nutty notes

Mouth feel: Creamy, dense, smooth as cream cheese

Notes: I loved this cheese. I'd call it a dessert cheese, but I could imagine it would be great for breakfast as well. It's not very spreadable, but if you slice it thinly and put it on warm, buttered toast you won't be sorry. It did scare off a few people, though. I don't know if it was the color or the dairy smell (which isn't that strong), two of my friends tried it and left the rest for the rest of us.

Have you've ever been to the State Fair and bought a half a pound of fudge? You want to finish it, but you can't. You try sharing it with your siblings, but even then you barely finish the dense treat. Gjetost is denser than fudge. It's nowhere near as sweet, but I shared it with a room of 5 and we didn't finish it all. Just remember, slice it thin, and serve it with crisp crackers or crisp apples. Man, we paired it with butter crackers and gala apples, and THAT was amazing. But, at the end of the night, I still went home with some cheese.

So, I bought some apples and finished it the next day.

Gjetost Cheese

Fruit of the Week: Saskatoon berry

Name: Saskatoon berry or serviceberry

Brand: Canada's

Place of Purchase: Dahl's, Ankeny, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: Canada

Price in Iowa: $5 for a tin of jam

Description: bright blue berries resembling blueberries

Flavor: Very sweet. A combination of grape and huckleberry, with interesting wine notes as an aftertaste.

Aroma: sweet grape

Texture/Mouth-feel: juicy, seedy like blueberry

Notes: This fruit is uniquely-flavored, but trends among the berries. Many of the flavors are starting to resemble each other. Perhaps it has something to do with the high levels of vitamin C and anthocyanins? Maybe I should see if there are similar flavors to be found in red cabbage? Anyhoo, saskatoon berries were super sweet, winey and close to huckleberry. Considering that it is a hardy plant, most people in the Great White North rely on the "serviceberry" to add a bit of sweetness to their lives. I'm actually thinking about taking a trip up to Saskatchewan next year during harvest time.

I had to get the jam to try this fruit. With Fall here I'm beginning to realize that finding fresh fruit is going to be a challenge. The down-side to this is that I'm stockpiling a lot of jams. So, I've decided to start making tarts. No reason for good preserves to go to waste.

Cheese of the week: Ridder

Name: Ridder

Place of Purchase: Wheatsfield Co-Op at 413 Douglas in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: Norway (Tine Brand)

Price in Iowa: $7.99/lb

Milk: cow

Processing: I couldn't find much on the processing, other than it has a washed, putty rind that.

Texture: semi-soft

Color: pale yellow, like butter

Rind: washed

Aroma: mild dairy, but not extremely aromatic

Taste: The flavor of ridder changes with time. From the time that the rind is broken by cutting, the flavor changes from mild nutty, to stronger nutty and tart, to a piquant/tart/dairy flavor. However, if you employ heat at all in your preparation, the flavor reverts to its original mild nuttiness.

Mouth feel: Creamy, heavy, similar to fresh mozzarella.

Notes: We served the ridder on a cheese plate at a picnic. About half of it was eaten, but its fresh flavor didn't wow anyone (especially when paired with stilton, appenzeller and gruyere). But, a few days later, I started to finish off the leftovers and I noticed the the flavor was different. I did a little research, and discovered that the flavor and aroma profile of ridder changes over time, but only after cutting. So, if you really want to experience this cheese, try it multiple times and pair it with fruit. We also tried a recipe using it in macaroni and cheese. The aroma lingered, but the aged flavors did not transfer well after heating. However, the creamy texture of the cheese turned a plebian treat into something much "fancier."

Fruit of the Week: Paw Paw

Name: Paw-Paw

Brand: wild, kind of

Place of Purchase: Iowa State University campus, Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: Paw Paw trees grow all over Zones 5&6 in the United States.

Price in Iowa: free

Description: elongated ovular fruit, thin-skinned, soft and yellow when ripe.

Flavor: Sweet, creamy, with banana and pineapple flavors.

Aroma: Intensely sweet, with hints of banana, citrus and mango.

Texture/Mouth-feel: Once the outer skin is removed, the fruit is sticky, creamy and dense. Imagine avocado covered in honey and cream. The flesh in the center is a bit stringy or grainy, depending on the ripeness of the fruit

Notes:

The paw paw lives up to its nickname "the prairie banana." The mouth feel reminded me of custard. The flavor was a mix of banana, pineapple and vanilla. I was amazed that a fruit this sweet could grow right here in Iowa. There is very little acid in these fruits, and so long as your patient enough to wait for them to completely ripen on the tree, you will be treated to a wonderful, wild, creamy, sweet, fruit experience. This past weekend was the Paw-Paw Festival in Athens, OH. I guess they have everything from paw paw on a stick, to paw paw ice cream and fried paw paw. These plants are easy to grow, easy to care for, and will produce a ton of fruit in a few years. Plus, they're pretty, shady trees.

Cheese of the week: Appenzeller

Name: Appenzeller "Classic" silver label

Place of Purchase: Wheatsfield Co-Op at 413 Douglas in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: Switzerland

Price in Iowa: $10.99/lb

Milk: Cow

Processing: cooked and pressed

Texture: semi-hard with small holes

Color: "straw" yellow

Rind: washed

Aroma: Diary (it is cheese) and musky floral scents.

Taste: Flavor depends on where you slice. Towards the center of the wheel, Appenzeller is a salty Swiss with a nutty aftertaste. But closer to the rind, floral notes enter the bouquet. Finally, you can taste the strong tang of white wine in cheese sliced right at the rind.
Mouth feel: firm at first, but yielding and creamy after a few moments on the tongue. Pieces taken closer to the rind offer a tingling sensation (probably from remnants of the brine wash)

Notes: Appenzeller is called "the King of Cheeses." Now, my forays into fruits have lead to an understanding that foods called "King" are not always the best or only regent of that cuisine. Still, Appenzeller is a very popular Swiss cheese worldwide. The secret of Appenzeller's popularity lies with its manufacturing process. Appenzeller is a typically Swiss cheese, made from scaled cow's milk. But after it has been pressed, it is soaked for months in a brine made from a secret mix of white wine and various herbs and spices.

Appenezller comes in three ages, Classic or Silver label, Gold Label and Extra or Black Label. Classic is only aged for three months, whileBlackLabel is aged for more than six. Gold Label falls somewhere in the middle. I had the Classic, and it was very flavorful. I can only imagine how much more flavor the cheese will pick up after a few more months absorbing the brine.

I first tried this cheese at a tasting party, so I only ate a little piece. The white wine and floral flavors exploded in my mouth. Once those flavors began to subside, the nutty/umami aftertaste provided a mellow finishing note. I loved it so much, I went out and bought my own. I shared it with some friends as part of an appetizer course, and through some experimentation we learned about the variation in flavor based on proximatey to the rind. Personally, I enjoy the flavor profile from slices in the middle region. The flavor of the cheese right next to the rind is overpowering, while the middle cheese is nothing special. It's good, but it's a mild Swiss.

So, I highly suggest that you try this cheese for yourself, share it with some friends, and reserve the middle slices for those you like best.

Fruit of the Week: Tamarind

Name: Tamarind

Brand: Caravelle

Place of Purchase: Jung's Asian Market, Des Moines, IA

Country/Region of Origin: Thailand

Price in Iowa: $4.98/lb.

Description: It looks like a big, brown, woody pea pod. I could use another description, but it wouldn't be appetizing.

Flavor: Delicately sweet. Nutty. Woody. There is also a unique tang to the tamarind that makes it so desirable for many Asian and Latin American dishes. The variety I bought are the "sweet" tamarinds. There are sour varieties, as well, which are less ripe.

Aroma: wood and earth notes

Texture/Mouth-feel: Once you get the pod open and remove the vascular tissues, what is left is a thick pulp the consistency of fudge. You need to break off a piece of the pulp, pop it in your mouth, and work the seed(s) away from the pulp. Be sure to eat the delicate seed coat before you spit out the seeds. Where the pulp has a sweet-tangy-woody flavor, the seed coat is sweet and nutty.

Notes: I enjoy foods that kep your hands busy. Unshelled peanuts and pistachios can keep me happy for hours, and I'll eat a more modest portion than I would with the shelled variety. Tamarind falls into that category. First you need to remove the outer shell. Then you need to pull out the woody veins. After than, you need to work the seeds away from the pulp inside your mouth, and shave off the seed coat with your teeth. I ate two tamarinds in 20 minutes. Where I would have eaten the equivalent of 5-10 tamarinds if I was eating tamarind chutney or candy. They're a fun food, and very flavorful. In most of the civilzed world, tamarind is used in candy, beverage or sauce. Even here in the US, tamarind flavors are added to several condiments. Buy a box (they're cheap) and share them with family or friends. Just remember to lay down some napkins or paper towels to catch your shells and seeds.

Fruit of the Week: Pluot

Name: Pluot

Brand: Washington Organic (that's what's on the label)

Place of Purchase: Wheatsfield Coop Grocery in Ames, IA

Country/Region of Origin: Washington State, USA

Price in Iowa: 2.99/lb.

Description: It looks like a plum, but burgundy-colored and speckled with tiny orange stars. Also it is a lot firmer than a ripe plum. The meat inside is juicy and red red red.

Flavor: Super sweet. The skin still has the tang you would expect from a plum, but the sweetness washes it away fast.

Aroma: nothing strong, slightly flowery.

Texture/Mouth-feel: firm skin; the flesh inside is so tender, it may as well be jam.

Notes: I like the idea of hybrids. I enjoy the process of pollinating plants. The act of creation has never been so obvious and worthwhile. Bees and bats must live satisfying lives.

The pluot was first bred by Floyd Zaiger, founder of Zaiger's Genetics, as a cross between an apricot and a plum. When I first started putting my fruit list together, a number of fruits jumped out with a strange country of origin: Zaiger Genetics. Digging a bit deeper I discovered that Zaiger has bred apricots, nectarines, plums and peaches into a variety of new hybrids. Taking it once step further, his company continues to isolate new breeds of the original hybrids, selecting for color, flavor, sugar content, vitamin content and texture.

So, the pluot is my first Zaiger product. It knocked me out with sweetness, and it's red flesh was very appealing to the eye. The flavor was plum-like. I was expecting something more exotic, but there are over a dozen varieties of pluot (I got a Raspberry Jewel). Some of the others are bred for their fruitier flavor. I'll have to try those and see if they're any different.

A great, sweet fruit. Chilled in the summertime, I can't imagine a better treat.

Libation of the month: Guanabana nectar

Name: Guanabana (or Soursop) Nectar

Brand: Jumex

Place of Purchase: Pammel Grocery, Ames, Iowa

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Country/Region of Origin: Product of Mexico

Tasting Conditions: Cold and straight out of the can.

Price in Iowa: $1.59

Description: I resembles thick pineapple nectar, with fruit pulp added.

Flavor: Very sweet with a mild latex aftertaste. The pulp didn't add much to the flavor. A few minutes after I finished the can, I began to detect a soapy finish that lingered for a while.

Mouth-feel: Thick and creamy. The pulp didn't bring much to the mouth feel, either. Imagine adding flavorless coconut to a sweet nectar.

Aroma: faint hints of citrus: guava, mango and pineapple.

Notes: The guanabana or soursop fruit is very popular in Latin America and the Philippines. You can eat the fruit plain after it ripens, but it is usually used to make juice, aqua frescas, candies, ice cream/sorbet, and other goodies. Something interesting that I discovered is that it is the fruit of an evergreen. Granted, I also learned that most tropical rainforest trees are technically evergreens. It is also a relative of the paw-paw, or prairie banana (which comes into season next week).

I will admit that the latex aftertaste and the soapy finish did not impress me. Also, considering that the guanabana contains a chemical that is linked with brain lesions, I might pass on trying this nectar a second time.