Socca and Churro bask in the warm glow of our remodeled kitchen.

References to my spouse as “Wonderful Husband Charles” might prompt some readers to wonder, “What’s so great about that guy?”  Well, for one thing, he is a skillful handyman with an eye for detail.  In the past year, he’s crafted several handmade wooden boats before turning his attention to updating the kitchen in our 1959 ranch.  I’ll take credit for some of the planning, but the execution was all Charles.  Wonderful Husband Charles!

We’ll be putting in the finishing touches over the next week or so, but I’m already enjoying the open expanses of countertop and efficient workspace in my cooking.  Even doing the dishes is more pleasant– check out that sink (or is it a bathtub?)!

In related news, I have an announcement that may surprise some readers: I’m no longer consuming meat or dairy products.  Yes, that includes cheese.  No more cheese for me.  In an effort to be kinder to animals, to the earth, and to my own body, I’ve changed my diet and my hobbies.  Essentially, I’m learning to cook all over again, and it’s really exciting!  My first attempt at vegan baking was a flop, but I just pulled a batch of peanut butter cookies of the oven that I’d be proud to serve any of you.

My support of small farms remains; I believe that industrial animal agriculture is a major cause of animal cruelty, human health problems, environmental damage, and questionable government policies.  Removing them from my life at this time is a choice about which I feel peaceful and satisfied.

Thank you for reading Savor Culture, please stay in touch!

My contribution to the November edition of La Fête du Fromage comes from Bonnie Blue Farm in Waynesboro, TN.  Nubian and Saanen dairy goats are raised on the farm, which is owned by Jim and Gayle Tanner.  Jim was in attendance at the Franklin Farmer’s Market on a recent, chilly Saturday morning, hawking his farmstead cheese in easygoing, farmerly fashion.

With his guidance, I selected a wedge of Tanasi Tomme, an aged, raw goat’s milk cheese that was recently distinguished as “Best in Show” in the 2009 cheese competition of the American Dairy Goats Association.

Tanasi Tomme is neutral in flavor, with a firm texture under its thin, natural mold rind.  The flavor of the goat’s milk is distinct, but mild, resulting in a cheese that’s non-threatening to goat neophytes.  Bonnie Blue Farm also produces fresh chèvre in natural and herb flavors; plain and smoked feta; soft-ripened Cave Spring; and an aged Gouda-style cheese called Parker.

First-hand experiences at Bonnie Blue Farm can be gained on farm tours and also through an agritourismo-style farm stay.  I intend to visit the farm to see their newly-constructed aging cave, an impressive undertaking that promises a bounty of aged cheeses in the future!

La Fête du Fromage is a monthly blogging event hosted by Loulou.  All cheese lovers are welcome to participate!  Check out the November round-up!

Nashville chocolatier featured on Love & Olive Oil! Photo courtesy of Lindsay Landis.

What hooked me on visiting the vibrant food blog, Love & Olive Oil, was its photo gallery of delightful cupcakes. Having endured several years of cupcake overexposure, it’s refreshing to see a tribute to cupcakes that are whimsical and approachable. And many of them are vegan to boot (so that you can eat more of them, according to blogger Lindsay)!

Of course, there are other topics to be explored on the blog, encompassing the whole herbivore-omnivore spectrum.  And to further entice you to visit Love & Olive Oil, you are invited to comment on this post about Nashville chocolatier Olive & Sinclair, for a chance to win artisan chocolate!  Be sure to click your way over there soon, as the contest closes at 11:59 PM (you know, midnight) on Monday, Nov. 2.

The Wonderful Husband and I have been settling into our new house.  With more projects than time, we decided to hold off on major landscaping and garden plans until next year.  Excepting the Roma tomato plant (a gift from our neighbor) and motley patches of mint and basil, I’m leaving the veggie production to the professionals this season.  Of course, to get my business they should use organic, and preferably biodynamic,  farming methods.

My early-season cravings for regional, hand-raised produce were satisfied by the supply of Amish-grown vegetables sold by our favorite local nursery.  (They sell baked goods, too– the fried pies are divine.)  The warm, wet spring brought early offerings of lettuces, greens, and radishes.  Before long, asparagus were available (and before long, they were gone).  Strawberries are making their appearance, having sweetened since their entrance four weeks ago.

Monday marked the first pick-up day of our CSA, Long Hungry Creek Farm.  Buying the share was a process that actually began last November, when I added my name to the waiting list.  Such is the local enthusiasm for the Barefoot Farmer, Jeff Poppen, who farms biodynamically.  

I bought a single share, which entitles us to a quarter-bushel of fresh produce each week, for six months.  Because interest in CSA’s is growing, and because I want to support the viability of small farms in our country, I will post about our CSA share through the season.  In addition to describing the produce we receive, I’ll also report on how it was eaten.  This may involve some recipes, but no promises; head over to Epicurious to supplement, if you wish!

The first basket, shown above, contains the following:

• Romaine lettuce (1 head) and loose-leaf lettuce (1 handful).  Used for salads and sandwiches for several days.
• Swiss chard, 1/4 pound.  Immediately sautéed in EVOO with local kale and seasoned with garlic, red pepper flakes, and pine nuts.
• Green onions, 3.  Chopped for using in salads and in shrimp and sausage gumbo later this week.
• Rhubarb, 3 stalks.  Chopped and stewed with water, sugar, and honey  to make a compote.  Also tossed in dried apricots, prunes, and pears from the cupboard.  Will use to make a crumble on Friday (and on yogurt in the meantime).
• French breakfast radishes, 5 (10 were offered).  To be consumed with salted butter (duh).
• Garlic scapes, 6 oz.  Will attempt to make pesto with EVOO, walnuts, and Parmigiano without a food processor.  Planned implements: blender, mortar and pestle, and a sharp chef’s knife.
• Pecans, thyme, and sage.  Use as needed.

I think that happy CSA participants are the ones who realize that bringing home local produce is not like buying it the grocery store.  At this time of year, I can’t just open my Mediterranean cookbook and expect to make a random recipe using local ingredients.  I never claimed to be a locavore.  Instead, my cooking will be influenced by the land that surrounds us, all summer and into the fall.  The weekly pick-up schedule will make this kind of sourcing and preparation into a routine, and hopefully, a long-term habit.  Focusing on the gifts in the CSA basket will also help me simplify my cooking and utilize more whole ingredients.

To those participating in Melinda’s growing and seed-saving challenges: enjoy the fruits of your labor… and save some heirloom seeds for me!

Green Thumb Nursery
4010 Hillsboro Pk
Nashville, TN 37215
615.269.6374

Long Hungry Creek Farm
Red Boiling Springs, TN

http://www.barefootfarmer.com

Spring has swept into Tennessee, bringing generous rainfall and an explosion of flowers and foliage (and allergies).  For this Fête, I want to celebrate some goodies that come from the Southeast.

One of the most prominent producers of artisan cheese in the Southeast is Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville, Georgia.  Founding owners Al and Desiree Wehner were already successful dairy farmers when they purchased Green Hill Dairy and a herd of Jerseys in 1993.  Their efforts to farm more sustainably led them to adopt New Zealand rotational grazing.  In 1995, the Wehners bought Sweet Hill Dairy and began keeping dairy goats.  All the while, Desiree was experimenting with cheesemaking, and the dairy’s 2000 entry into the world of artisan cheese received a lot of attention (and ACS recognition).  The couple’s daughter and her husband, Jessica and Jeremy Little, took over the cheesemaking business in 2003.

Sevenwood, a raw cow’s milk cheese, is washed in balsamic vinegar and aged for four to six months.  It carries the fragrance of hay and pasture and has a dry texture, crumbling gently between the teeth with the occasional crunch of grana.  To me, Sevenwood exhibits the quintessential flavor profile of American artisan, farmstead cow’s milk cheese: a little spicy, a little sweet, buttery, with a base note that lasts ’til next week.  Its fruity flavor releases sensations of white peppercorn and cumin, with hay and butterscotch lingering on the tongue. 

What, you may ask, would you dream up to drink with that?  I left it to the folks at Abita Brewing, and they came up with Strawberry Harvest Lager.  Made with Louisiana-grown strawberries, the seasonal lager is delicately perfumed and lively on the palate.  The pairing of cheese and beer was inspired by their special ingredients:  the combination of strawberries and balsamic vinegar, which makes a luscious dessert.  In this savory application, both cheese and beer seemed vibrant, creating a playful match that suits the springtime.

La Fête du Fromage is a monthly blogging event hosted by Loulou. All cheese lovers are encouraged to participate!

This lovely hunk of goodness is a bloomy-rind, goat’s milk cheese called Gabriel.  Actually, it’s a goat-cow blend, as indicated by the yellow hue of its paste; pure goat’s milk cheese, lacking the carotene present in cow’s milk,  is snowy-white in color.  Gabriel is enriched with enough cow’s cream to bump it up to triple-cream status, meaning that more than 75% of its dry weight is butterfat.

Gabriel is among the excellent aged cheeses produced by Bittersweet Plantation in Gonzales, Louisiana.  Though I have purchased several of these cheeses in that neck of the woods, my first experience with Gabriel and the cow’s milk Fleur-de-Lis was during my fromagière days in Chicago.  I had never had such a luxurious goat’s milk cheese as this, as contrasting to chèvre as a rich vinaigrette is to straight vinegar.  It exhibits the caprine scents of chalk and hay, the characteristic tang and powdery texture of goat’s milk, but also has an earthy base note from the cow’s milk.  

This particular wheel of Gabriel had probably aged at least seven weeks (at any rate, its “expiration” date passed last week), causing its “goaty” characteristics to become more discernible.  In the past, I’ve enjoyed this cheese at five to six weeks, when its interior is soft and its flavor is pleasantly mild.  Gabriel’s ability to age gracefully is due to its dusting of vegetable ash under its rind; Evangeline, the ash-less version of this cheese, ripens at three to four weeks.  There are corresponding variations in cow’s milk, as well: Fleur-de-Teche (ashed) and Fleur-de-Lis (unashed, and sublime!).

As enjoyable as the cheese is on its own, my appreciation for it increased upon learning more about Bittersweet Plantation Dairy.  The cheesemaking operation is a part of the empire of  Chef John Folse, a man who is actively involved in Louisiana’s cuisine and culture.  He seems to have a finger in every pot this side of the bayou, from a culinary school and his own production facility to television and radio shows and of course, cookbooks (a copy of Folse’s Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine is among my own cookbook collection).  

In this interview, Chef Folse discusses his reasons for opening Bittersweet Plantation Dairy in 2002: to revive and expand the tradition of small-scale cheesemaking in the Bayou State.  Their fresh products, such as Creole Cream Cheese and Bulgarian-style yogurts, evoke the traditional cheese that would have been produced in Louisiana’s warm climate; their portfolio of aged cheeses reflects the tremendous growth of the American artisan cheese movement.  Chef Folse’s commitment to keeping our culinary traditions vibrant and relevant is inspiring, and I look forward to visiting Bittersweet Plantation on a future visit to Louisiana.

To spare you Evangeline’s lifelong search for Gabriel, check Bittersweet Plantation’s website for a list of retailers and online ordering.  In addition to the aged cheeses, seek out the dairy’s yogurt; the Sugar & Vanilla flavor is outstanding, with the fine texture and balanced sweetness of a delicate dessert sauce.  Yum!

La Fête du Fromage is a monthly, international blogging event hosted by Chez Loulou.  Join us by writing about cheese and sending your link to Loulou by the 13th of the month.  Visit Chez Loulou for the roundup on the 15th of every month.

I changed my selection for January’s Fête du Fromage based on the preference of my dad for Dutch Double-Cream Gouda.  I figured, if it’s good enough for The Dad, it’s good enough for us!

While many of us are familiar with double- and triple-cream varieties of soft-ripened cheeses, it is more unusual to find examples in other styles of cheese. Perhaps we associate the oozing character of a double-cream brie with its butterfat content (over 60%); in fact, that loose texture has is due to the high proportion of water in the cheese, not cream or butterfat. For this reason, butterfat content is expressed as a percentage of fat in dry matter (matière grasse), disregarding the proportion of water in the cheese.

Okay, let’s drop the books and experience the cheese!  What does the extra cream do for us?  In this Gouda, it imparts a luxurious, supple texture that melts beautifully and pairs well with a variety of assertive flavors.  Because the cheese is aged for only six months, its flavor is mellow, with only a hint of tanginess.  

Like most young’uns, this cheese seems timid and inexpressive when it’s cold and alone.  However, warmed up and given a playmate like fruit preserves, olive tapenade, or sun-dried tomatoes, Double-Cream Gouda is ready to charm.  Imagine piling thin slices of this cheese on thick rye bread, popping it under the broiler for a few minutes, and slapping it down next to a steaming bowl of tomato bisque.  Sensational!

Double-Cream Gouda is available at Trader Joe’s stores, and can also be found at cheese purveyors (just ask for Roomkaas).

La Fête du Fromage is a monthly blogging event hosted by Loulou. All cheese lovers are encouraged to participate!

This darling pouch is a handmade gift from my friend, Maeg of Ranunculae.

The most touching greeting I’ve heard for 2009 came from, of all people, an economist.  Robert Reich refrained from bidding us a prosperous New Year; instead, he wished for “a good and generous and peaceful” one.  

To that I’d like to add, “with opportunities for adventure and enriching relationships.”  Such blessings as those have kept me occupied for the past couple of months.  There’s been cheese, as well, and I intend to write about it!  Look for new descriptions of cheeses, serving tips, and accounts of making and aging cheese in the coming months on Savor Culture.

A big thank-you goes out to my dear friend, Maeg, who made a hand-stamped, multi-paneled pouch for me.  You can see more of Maeg’s creations at her Etsy shop and follow the Adventures of Diesel on her blog.  And, in other dairy-related gift news, a very meaningful gift to Wonderful Husband Charles and me by his folks: in our honor, a family somewhere in the world received a pair of dairy goats.  Cheesemakers of the world, unite!

Wonderful Husband Charles and I have moved to my old stomping ground in Middle Tennessee. Among the personal and professional reasons was my desire to help in opening the new Nashville location of Trader Joe’s, where I am a crew member. In honor of our opening day this Friday, I would like to share some of my favorite products and tips to enhance your shopping at Trader Joe’s!

We’ll start in the cheese section, where you’ll find a variety of imported and domestic wedges at competitive prices.  The cheese that I purchase most often, and which makes tasters’ eyes roll back, is Emmi Cave Aged Gruyere from Switzerland.  TJ’s Cave Aged Blue, a domestic cow’s milk blue, compares favorably to Maytag Blue (particularly in price).  Traditional French Brie, though pasteurized, is aromatic and full-flavored.  Goudas are available in double-cream cow’s milk, 100% sheep’s milk, and 100% goat’s milk varieties. There are also plenty of fun cheeses for snacking or partying: try English Cheddar with Caramelized Onions, Seriously Seeded English Cheese, or White Stilton with Apricots and Dates.  You also can’t go wrong with three-year-old Vermont Cheddar, which is available in limited quantity.  

To accompany your cheese, I recommend a fresh, artisan-baked loaf of Peasant Bread. TJ’s Water Crackers with flax seeds are great with semi-firm cheeses, and Dare Vinta crackers are WH Charles’s choice for snacking. TJ’s French Toasts, though dry on their own, perfectly complement soft and blue cheeses.

The Dairy section has several products that turn my head, particularly the six-packs of creamy yogurts, available in strawberry/banana and vanilla/blueberry combinations.  Normally, I’m a yogurt purist, but those little cups are divine… better than a milkshake, for my money!  My favorite breakfast yogurt is Whole Milk European Style Yogurt, made with only organic milk and cultures.  I also indulge in Fage Greek Yogurt with Honey, which I’ve enjoyed guilt-free since realizing that it’s made in New York, not shipped from Greece.  Whew!

What goes with plain yogurt?  How about Trek Mix Granola?  Purple box or blue– both are delicious!  I also love trek mix sans granola– So Fruity, So Nutty and Oh My! Omega are my favorites (bonus points for fun punctuation).  Among the nuts, the 50% Less Salt varieties get my vote, especially the cashews and the new Dry Roasted Mixed Nuts.  I also like my nuts in spreadable form: TJ’s Raw Crunchy Almond Butter is indispensable.

In the world of munchies, it doesn’t get much better than TJ’s Organic Unsalted Tortilla Chips with Salsa Autentica.  Unless, of course, you picked up a Guacamole Kit from the produce section and added Hatch Valley Green Chiles from New Mexico.  

Of course, sometimes we cook actual meals, for which we keep such staples as California Estate EVOO, Jasmine and Basmati Rice, Sesame Oil, Gold Label Balsamic Vinegar, cans of Organic Garbanzo Beans, and cartons of Vegetable Broth.  Withdrawal symptoms are setting in for the fresh-cut Southern Greens Blend, which I like to stew with canned Cannellini Beans.  TJ’s Harvest Grains Blend makes a versatile side dish, especially with fall vegetables.  TJ’s Cuban Black Beans are ready to pair with fajitas or fill Handmade Whole Wheat Tortillas with other burrito goodies.  And we always have a jar of Rustico pasta sauce, just waiting for the night when we can’t be bothered to cook anything else.  

My sweet tooth loves this time of year, when the crew get to taste the new holiday items! Look for the drool-worthy Dark Chocolate Caramels with Sea Salt– and buy five boxes, as they’ll disappear by January. Make friends at work by bringing in a box of Peppermint Joe Joe’s. But be careful giving limited-time gifts like Dark Chocolate Almond Bark, lest the recipient crave it ten months a year when it isn’t available (right, Mom?).

I could go on, but I’d miss the Friday morning ribbon-cutting for the new store.  I’ll be waiting in line at some point tomorrow, with a cart full of the goodies listed above and more!  Come on down for a visit if you’re in the Nashville area.

Trader Joe’s #664
3909 Hillsboro Pike
Nashville, TN 37215
615.297.6560