The Hubby has been fortunate in his travels, both domestic and international, to discover and sample delectable cheeses. On occasion, he has been able to bring these newfound cheesy treasures back home to me. As those who have travelled with cheese know, this can come at great odoriferous expense to one’s fellow passengers. Such was the case after The Hubby’s first visit to Blackberry Farms in the heart of Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains a few years back. He surprised me with a wheel of Trefoil; a pasteurized sheep milk cheese with a funky, hand washed rind. Failing to mention he would be traveling by air, he packed his suitcase with the loosely wrapped, stinky cheese. His fellow travelers were not feeling so thanking him for the lovely gift even though I did. Remembering his malodorous experience from the past, The Hubby requested everything be wrapped up extra tight for the trip home this time. His luggage and I appreciated his gifts all the more for it.
Tag Archives: Artisanal Cheese
Quick Bites: Blackberry Farms Singing Brook and Little Ewe – and a Bonus Weekend Carbonara Recipe
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A Cheesy Confession
This has probably been the hardest post I have ever written since I began writing The House Mouse back in 2009. All the starts and stops, the interruptions and scrapped drafts, the frustrations and not knowing what to say have nearly driven me mad. I mean, I started this post back in May! I finally decided to just stop dancing around and come clean about why I’ve been so silent. This is really hard to say…
I, The House Mouse, am having a hard time eating cheese. Just writing the words makes me so sad and sick to my stomach both literally and figuratively! I have rebelled against my body for so long and it finally caught up with me in pretty dramatic form. Continue reading
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Chocolate and Cheese for Valentine’s Day? Yes and no
Is there any better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with two of the best flavors on earth? Cheese and chocolate sounds like the ideal taste of love for any fromagophile, so The Mouse decided give it a go and to shoot for the cheese cupid. Murray’s Cheese collaborated with Mast Brothers chocolates and Champlain Valley Triple Cream to create Love at Mast (top center). Was this a match made in heaven? Well….
As a major dark chocolate and Champlain Valley Triple Cream fan, The Mouse was really excited to get this cheesy love fest of goodness. The slight bitterness of the sea salt chocolate combined with the sweet cream of the cheese seemed like it would be a match made in dairy heaven. Unfortunately, the flavor left me somewhat underwhelmed. The sweetness of the cheese just completely overpowered the salty chocolate and the texture, while soft, lacked the usual lushness found in a triple cream. I will confess that The Mouse is a purist when it comes to cheese so I would still encourage those who are curious to give it a try.
(also pictured Coeur de Bray from Murray’s Cheese and Hudson Valley Camembert from Artisanal Cheese)
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Max McCalman explains why mysterious Blaui Geiss is worth the $78.00 price tag
As most cheese lovers know, fabulous fromage does not come cheap and with good reason. The care, effort and timing that go into a single wheel of cheese can make the difference between a splendid table cheese and a complete disaster. For the most part, the cost per pound of cheese reflects that quality and care, but sometimes a cheese is so pricey even the most enthusiastic turophile has to ask why. One such cheese is the rare Blaui Geiss ringing in at $78.00 per six-inch wheel. Continue reading
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It’s National Cheese Lovers Day! Where do you get your curds?
Happy National Cheese Lovers Day! Last year, The Mouse was pleasantly surprised to discover that there was a holiday just for fromagephiles to pay homage to the blessed curd. A full twenty-four hours to bask in the glow of some Basque or any cheese of choice. So, what’s a cheese lover to do when upon opening the refrigerator door on National Cheese Lovers Day and finds that the cheese safe is bare? Fear not, for The Mouse has a brief list of shops to help restock for the celebration. Continue reading
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