Cheese of the week: Moody Blue

Name: Moody Blue

Brand: Roth Kase USA

Place of Purchase: HyVee Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: Wisconsin

Price in Iowa: $9.99/pound

Milk: pasteurized cow buttermilk 

Processing: 60 days to 120 days of aging, the cheese is smoked over fruit-wood for flavor

Texture: Semi-soft

Color: Straw yellow with bleu veining

Rind: Natural

Aroma: Smoky and mild dairy

Taste: Smokey, piquant bleu, tart and fruity notes

Mouth feel: A moist, crumbly paste
 
Notes:It seems like every bleu cheese that I try is stronger than the next.  This buttermilk bleu is enhanced by smoking the cheese over fruit wood smoke.  This intensifies the bite of the bleu, as well as adds fruity and smoke flavors to the cheese.  The flavor profile is complex and intense.  I think that this cheese would be best employed in a salad, or as a melt for a burger or sandwich.  On its own it is way too powerful for most palates.

Libation of the Week: Mausambi Juice

Name: Mausambi Juice

 

Brand: Deep

Place of Purchase: Pamell Grocery in Ames, IA

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Country/Region of Origin: India

Tasting Conditions: Chilled

Price in Iowa: $2.69

Description: a pulpy, citrus huice

Flavors: Sweet orange, sour orange, lime background

Mouth-feel:Heavy and pulpy

Aroma: Lemon and orange

Notes: I've had plenty of citrus in my life, but this fruit seems to be a combination of all of them.  A mix of orange, lemon and lime, this fruit provides the sweetness of orange, the tartness of lemon, and the complex flavor of the lime.  It would be a great morning starter, wonderful for baking, or a great cocktail mixer.

Cheese of the week: Cheddar with Carmalized Onion Marmalade

Name: Cheddar with Carmalized Onion Marmalade

Brand: Somerdale

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

Country/Region of Origin: Taunton, Somerset, UK

Price in Iowa: $14.10/pound

Milk: pasteurized cow

Processing: cheddar processing with the addition of carmelized onion marmalade and other spices.

Texture: firm

Color: ochre

Rind: none on piece

Aroma: sweet cream, fruity, mild dairy

Taste: smoky, fried onion, sharp dairy, tart and piquant backnotes

Mouth feel: A nice, firm cheddar.
 
Notes: I love this cheese!  I love this cheese!  I love this cheese!  With the number of cheeses that I eat every month, I rarely go back to the store for seconds.  I would buy this cheese every week, if I could.  BUT, I can't.  It's a seasonal selection, released in the Fall season, and is only available through Christmas.  I actually bought my local organic co-op out of this cheese (but I don't care, because it's that good).  Hopefully, it's still early enough to get some more.


The onion marmalade does not add a sweetness to the cheddar.  The sweetness is coming from the cheese itself.  The marmalade does add wonderful smoky and spice flavors that are unexpected and fantastic.  I have eaten this cheese plain, shredded over salad, melted over fish, melted inside a burger (a la a Jucy Lucy).  If I find more, I'm going to try it over chili and then make a variant of French Onion soup.




www.somerdale.co.uk

Cheese of the week: Casa de Mendevil Velho

Name: Casa de Mendevil Velho

Brand: none listed

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

Country/Region of Origin: Portugal in the Vila Nova de Famalicão

Price in Iowa: $22.50/pound

Milk: pasteurized cow

Processing: 60 days of aging, rind rubbed with paprika

Texture: firm

Color: Straw yellow to caramel-colored

Rind: Washed (rubbed with paprika and olive oil)

Aroma: Spice, smoke and dairy

Taste: Smoky, meaty, gamey, dairy, woody

Mouth feel: Chewy and squeaky paste
 
Notes: This is a neat cheese.  The older it gets, the more the smoky spice of the paprika invades the paste.  This reduces the stronger dairy flavors of this farm cheese.  I must have gotten a particular well-aged cheese, because the entire paste was perfused with smoky, woody flavors.  If you can find this cheese, you have to try it.  It is delicious and unique.

Cheese of the week: Fair Oaks Sweet Swiss

Name: Fair Oaks Sweet Swiss

Brand: Fair Oaks

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

Country/Region of Origin: Indiana

Price in Iowa: $8.45/pound

Milk: cow milk and cream

Processing: milk and cream heated, mixed with rennet and cream cheese cultures

Texture: semi-firm

Color:  Golden

Rind: Natural basket-weave

Aroma: Cream and beefy undertones

Taste: sharp, nutty, piquant, smooth dairy

Mouth feel: warm, creamy, melts in your mouth
 
Notes: More buttery and creamy than sweet, but still a nice warm cheese.  It lacks the bite of a strong swiss cheese, which might be a positive note for some cheese lovers.  Still, this wonderful cheese has a complex flavor profile and the paste has a creamy, rich texture.

Libation of the Week: Jamun nectar

Name: Jamun Nectar

 

Brand: Deep

Place of Purchase: Pamell Grocery in Ames, IA

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Country/Region of Origin: India

Tasting Conditions: Chilled

Price in Iowa: $2.69

Description: a thick, mauve nectar

Flavors:Sweet, flowery, perfume, astringent, rich

Mouth-feel: Clean and fresh

Aroma: Incredibly complex.  There are floral notes, but there is also a spiciness to it that is unique.  It immediately reminded my of certain Indian sauces and desserts.

Notes: The jamun or jambul or jaam tree is native to the Indian subcontinent.  There are tons of legends and traditions associated with this fruit.  The most famous legend is that these fruits are what Lord Rama subsisted on during his exile to the wilderness.  Aside from the wonderful aroma and flavor of this juice, it supposedly has a million health benefits.  I think what I want to do is cook with it.  Perhaps in a marinade?

Libation of the Week: Inca Kola

Name: Inca Kola "the Golden Kola"

 

Brand: Coca Cola Co.

Place of Purchase: Pamell Grocery in Ames, IA

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Country/Region of Origin: Peru

Tasting Conditions: Chilled and bottled

Price in Iowa: $1.69

Description: a frothy, golden brew

Flavors: Cream, vanilla, mediciney undertones

Mouth-feel: Bubbly

Aroma: Vanilla and fruity

Notes: I was trying the falafel gyro at the Pamell Grocery when I spotted this drink in the cooler.  There were plenty of new fruit juices from India to try, but this attractive cola drink caught my eye.  I took my first sip before I started eating my sandwich (which was delicious, but very, very garlicy).  The first hit was cream soda: light, frothy and cream-flavored.  My second sip revealed some of the more astringent and medicinal tones.  I found out later that the cola was flavored with Lemon Verbena, which probably created this flavor profile.  I enjoyed it with my meal, but to me it was just a unique cream soda.  In Peru and other parts of South America, it is the number one soft drink, pushing out Coke and Pepsi.  So, if you get the chance, try an Inca Golden Kola.

Cheese of the week: Morbier cheese

Name: Morbier Cheese

Brand: none listed

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

Country/Region of Origin: France

Price in Iowa: $11.50/pound

Milk: raw cow

Processing: 60 days of aging, egg added to the cheese

Texture: soft

Color: Straw yellow with a thin line of ash through the center of the cheese.

Rind: Natural basket-weave

Aroma: pungent, strong dairy, brie

Taste: creamy with mild brie flavors

Mouth feel: custard-like and lucious
 
Notes: This cheese is very, very stinky.  It will get on your hands and get in your breath.  I'd already suggest pairing this cheese with fruit, perhaps even citrus, or a fruity white wine.  The flavor, on the other hand, is mild and buttery.  There is still the pungency, but it is milder than the aroma.  The paste has the consistency of firm custard, which yields itself as it is warmed by your mouth.  A key feature of this cheese is the line of ash running through the center of the cheese.  This is an artisan feature now, but before it represented a stopping point in the cheese pouring.  When the cheesemaker was stopping for the evening, he would use a thin layer of vegetable ash to preserve the fresh cheese.  Then, he would pour again the next day to finish off the round.  This left a thin line of ash, which is now added to maintain tradition. 

Cheese of the week: Humboldt Fog

Name: Humboldt Fog

Brand: Cypress Grove

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

Country/Region of Origin: 

Price in Iowa: $22.57/pound

Milk: pasteurized goat

Processing: a ripened goat cheese with a vegetable ash rind

Texture: soft

Color: Bone-white to gray

Rind: Natural with a layer of edible vegetable ash

Aroma: strong dairy

Taste: tangy with strong brie flavors

Mouth feel: soft and lucious
 
Notes: I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this ash covered cheese.  But it was delicious, with a long lasting tang and a dense creaminess that a bovine cheese could never accomplish.

Cheese of the week: Blue Marble Jack

Name: Blue Marble Jack

Brand: Nasonville Dairy

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

Country/Region of Origin: Marshfield,WI

Price in Iowa: $6.80/lb.

Milk: cow

Processing: A Wisconsin jack cheese with a fine bleu marbling.

Texture: semi firm

Color: Bone-white with bleu veins

Rind: none

Aroma: Mild dairy and plenty of Bleu

Taste: Tangy bleu notes and a hint of sage.

Mouth feel: Firm with the tang of the bleu.
 
Notes: The flavor is a bit strong for a snacking cheese, but I took my leftovers and melted it over a burger.


Holy mole!  I think I'm in Heaven.

http://www.nasonvilledairy.com/onlineshopping/proddetail.asp?prod=111716

Cheese of the week: Young Gouda

Name: Frisian Farms Young Gouda

Brand: Frisian Farms

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

Country/Region of Origin: Oskaloosa, Iowa

Price in Iowa: $16.67/pound

Milk: pasteurized cow

Processing: small batch Gouda in the Dutch tradition, aged 2 to 4 months

Texture: semi-firm

Color: straw yellow

Rind: natural

Aroma: clean dairy

Taste: warm and creamy with rich dairy tones

Mouth feel: firm and unyielding
 
Notes: I bought this local cheese because I love Iowa farmers.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Frisian Farms is a small dairy specializing in a few hand-made, artisan Gouda cheeses.  The Bandstra family uses a small batch process, organic milk from their own herd, and produce only a few types of Gouda.  It's close enough that I'm thinking about taking a tour next week.

http://www.frisianfarms.com/frisian-farmstead-young-gouda_p_1701_13835_1.cfm#

Cheese of the week: Capriko

Name: Capriko

Brand: Nordic Creamery

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

Country/Region of Origin: Westby, WI

Price in Iowa: $13.30/lb.

Milk: cow and goat

Processing: Blend of cow and goat milks to create this handcrafted, unique cheese

Texture: semi-firm

Color: Straw yellow

Rind: Natural

Aroma: Mild dairy; sharp, nutty notes;  spicy undertones

Taste: Sharp dairy, nutty

Mouth feel: firm and spongy
 
Notes: This cheese is a creamy sharp cheddar with nutty/spicy undertones.  I think I need more than the small block that I bought to enjoy this cheese, but the flavors linger long after I've finished.

Neat cheese.      

"Cheese" of the week: Duo Salmon-Cheese Torte

Name: Duo Salmon-Cheese Torte

Brand: Beyerland

Place of Purchase: European Flavors in Des Moines, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: North Holland, Nederlands

Price in Iowa: $12.99 for a 12 oz. wedge

Milk: cow

Processing: Layers of rich cream cheese and salmon mousse

Texture: soft

Color: Alternating white and salmon

Rind: none

Aroma: clean dairy

Taste: Creamy, salty, smoky, delicious

Mouth feel: war and creamy
 
Notes: I had run out of cheeses in Ames.  So, instead of heading up to Wisconsin with a cooler, I looked south to Des Moines.  I found a European market run by a nice fellow from Belarus.  So, look for new Eastern European cheeses and fruits!

 This stuff is pretty simple, but very well done.  The salmon is the star, but it shares the stage with the luxurious cream cheese.  Very good stuff.

Cheese of the week: Midnight Moon

Name: Midnight Moon

Brand: Cyprus Grove Chevre

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

Country/Region of Origin: Arcata, CA

Price in Iowa: $22.40/lb.

Milk: goat

Processing: Aged six months

Texture: firm

Color: Straw yellow

Rind: Wax

Aroma: Nutty and mild dairy

Taste: Sweet, nutty, fruity undernotes

Mouth feel: firm
 
Notes:This is one of Cyprus Grove's Creamline cheeses and it is amazing.  It has a complex flavor profile that runs from nutty warmth to fruity sweetness.  Unfortunately, I only bought a small wedge of this cheese.  Now, I need to go buy more.

Cheese of the week: Maytag Blue

Name: Maytag Blue Cheese

Brand: Maytag

Place of Purchase: Fairway Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: Newton, IA

Price in Iowa: $2.99/oz

Milk: sweet Holstein cow's milk

Processing: made in small batches using the purest Penicillium strain

Texture: soft

Color: White to angry green

Rind: Natural

Aroma: Strong dairy/bleu

Taste: Smack your momma bleu

Mouth feel: Soft and creamy

Notes: Maytag blue cheese is the gold standard for American bleu.  Made in small batches from sweet Holstein milk from a dedicated herd.  It is uniform, creamy and strong.  Even though I live in central Iowa, I've never had Maytag Blue.  You can get it everywhere, and it was great.  The perfect strength of bleu flavor.  But, that's all there is to it.  There's nothing else to the cheese besides creamy texture.


Still, it doesn't get better than this pure bleu cheese.

Libation of the Week: Peace Tree Root Beer

Name: Peace Tree Root Beer

 

Brand: Peace Tree Brewing Co.

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

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Country/Region of Origin: Knoxville, IA

Tasting Conditions: Chilled and bottled

Price in Iowa: $1.99

Description: a frothy, amber brew

Flavors: Caramel, vanilla, possibly sorghum, metallic undertones

Mouth-feel: Bubbly and heady

Aroma: Vanilla and caramel

Notes:I picked this root beer up one day when I was meat and bakery shopping in Pella.  It initially had a nice rich flavor, but the metallic flavors began to overpower everything.  I'm not sure if it is brewed in metal kegs or if something else is adding the flavor, but I didn't like it about half-way through the bottle.

Cheese of the week: Cave-aged Roquefort

Name: Cave-aged Roquefort

Brand: Societe des Caves

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

Country/Region of Origin: France

Price in Iowa: $29.07/lb.

Milk: sheep's milk

Processing: Sheep's milk and roquefort cultures, with cave-aging for at least 6 months

Texture: soft

Color: bone white and forest green

Rind: natural

Aroma: strong bleu and dairy

Taste: Sharp bleu flavors followed by cool creamy notes.

Mouth feel: SUPER creamy
 
Notes:This cheese was so good that I forgot to take a picture.  Now, I love bleu cheeses.  If I had one type of cheese to eat for the rest of my life, it would be bleu.  This Roquefort is the best bleu cheese I have ever had.  Find it.  Buy it.  Share it if you have to, but even my wife didn't get any of mine.

Cheese of the week: Pleasant Ridge Reserve Farmstead Cheese

Name: Pleasant Ridge Reserve Farmstead Cheese

Brand: Uplands Cheese Company

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

Country/Region of Origin: Dodgeville, WI

Price in Iowa: $22.50/lb.

Milk: pasture-fed raw cow's milk

Processing: Curd formed with enzyme and cultures, cave-aged 4 months, washed with brine and cultures

Texture: Firm

Color: Straw yellow to tan

Rind: Washed/Natural

Aroma: Strong dairy

Taste: Sharp dairy, nutty, fruity

Mouth feel: firm and unyielding, but not chewy
 
Notes: I bough this cheese because it was the last slice of the wheel.  Apparently, I'm the last fromagophile to get to the store.  This cheese was tasty, but I left about 1/4-inch near the rind because it was too firm to enjoy.  This cheese has a tight paste, think Parmesan, but it holds together well.  The flavor profile is pretty complex, too.  I'm not sure what magic they're working up in Dodgeville, but they're making a really delicious cheese.

Name: Jarlsberg Special Reserve

Brand: none listed

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

Country/Region of Origin: Norway

Price in Iowa: $8.33/lb.

Milk: skim milk

Processing: Press the curd and age for at least one year.

Texture: Semi-Firm (with small to medium holes)

Color: Pale yellow

Rind: Wax

Aroma: Sharp and sweet.

Taste: Nutty, warm, sweet dairy

Mouth feel: Firm and unyielding
 
Notes: Yummy yummy yummy.  I want to make grilled cheese sandwiches with this.  I also enjoyed the slight squeak that the cheese made when you chew it.  That's the one thing that I love about fresh cheese curds, and now I can get my squeak on with Jarlsberg.

Fruit of the week: Ackee

Name: Jamaican Ackees

Brand: Nature Farms

Place of Purchase: Lucky Dragon (Ting's) Grocery in Des Moines, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: Jamaica

Price in Iowa: $9.95 for 540 grams

Description: Weird.  Imagine a can full of runny scrambled eggs.

Flavor: Salty with floral and asparagus notes, with an allium aftertaste.

Aroma: Asparagus and grass

Texture/Mouth-feel: Soft and runny in the brine.  The fruit pieces themselves were very yielding, like tofu.

Notes: I will admit that this fruit scared the crap out of me.  Not only does it look like scrambled eggs in a can, but improperly prepared ackee fruits are toxic.


So, I ate a little.  And it was good.  I think that you need to do something savory with this fruit, though.  For example, salt fish and ackees is the national dish of Jamaica.  So, tomorrow night I'm going to slice up some tomatoes, onions and peppers and mix them with ackees.  Then, I'm going to pour them over a nice piece of cod.


I expect good things.

Libations of the Week: Ski and Cheerwine

 Name: Ski

 

Brand: Double Cola Company

Place of Purchase: Some gas station in Joelton, TN

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Country/Region of Origin: Tennessee, USA

Tasting Conditions: Chilled

Price in Iowa: $1.59

Description: a neon green, sparkling drink

Flavors: Sweet orange and sour lemon

Mouth-feel: Bubbly and acidic.

Aroma: Lemons and oranges

Notes: I had never heard of Ski, but it's apparently popular all over the Southeast and in Southern Illinois.  This stuff is pretty potent.  The natural sweet orange essence and lemon flavors create a unique citrus flavor that is very good when chilled.  However, either due to these flavors or the high caffeine content, this soda is very acidic.  It started to make my cheeks tingle, so I stopped drinking the bottle halfway through.  Still, it wok me up and had a great flavor profile.

Name: Cheerwine

 

Brand: Carolina Beverage Company

Place of Purchase: Some gas station in Brunswick, GA

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Country/Region of Origin: USA

Tasting Conditions: Chilled

Price in Iowa: $2.50

Description: a bright red carbonated beverage

Flavors: Short-lived cherry flavor followed by metallic/mineral notes

Mouth-feel: Very bubbly

Aroma: Cherries and berries

Notes: I was pretty excited to get my hands on some Cheerwine.  This mystical Southern libation has achieved legendary status in my mind.  I was lucky to find the glass-bottled variety, which is sweetened with cane sugar.  Unfortunately, Cheerwine isn't that great.  The cherry flavors, while intense, only lasted a few moments.  Then I was left with a mouthful of red, carbonated, North Carolina-flavored water.  I think I prefer the mouth-burn of Ski.