The Joy of Cheese Presents Pasteur's Delight

It’s time to stop treating pasteurized cheeses as if they were uniformly dull.

Some of the best new cheeses are made from the Pasteurized milk as are some of the most reliable classics, and so are a few cheeses that we think are made from raw milk.

To pasteurize or not to pasteurize is an issue with both flavor and health consequences and we’ll discuss them in the next Joy of Cheese tasting. We’ll survey 12-14 cheeses not made from raw milk. In addition, to an alarming variety, you’ll be able to tell your expecting friends that there’s a whole lot more than aged gouda for them to eat.

But we’re going to have some amazing aged goudas too.

There will be dark chocolate, fruit and two mystery cheeses. I am happy to answer questions about these cheeses and about cheese in general.

The tastings are Tuesdays February 26^th and March 4^th as well as Thursday February 28^th

As always the tastings run from just after 7 until around 8:30 at 10 Degrees, the wonderful wine and high end spirits bar at 121 St. Marks Place in the East Village. Admission to the tasting is $30 and you pay for your drinks as you go (but it’s 2-4-1 Happy Hour till 8).

Reservations are a must. Contact me at thejoyofcheese@yahoo.com

The Joy of Cheese blog is up at http://thejoyofcheese.blogspot.com

Next tastings: March 25, 27 and April 1: The Local, great hand-crafted cheeses of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.

-MJ

The Winter season at 10 Degrees

Our winter events at 10 Degrees begins with It's Better to be Blue, a survey of excellent blue cheeses, January 22nd, 24th and 29th. See the preceeding post for more information.

The series continues, February 26, 28 and March 4 with Pasteur's Delight, a tasting focused on the very best cheeses NOT made from raw milk and a discussion of the Pasteurization laws.

Winter ends with The Local: the cheeses of NY, NJ, and Connecticut, March 25, 27, and April 1.

Details soon.

-MJ

The Joy of Cheese Presents It's Better to be Blue

The Joy of Cheese Presents It’s Better to be Blue

Blue cheeses are thought to be one thing: strong. Yet there are many different levels and degrees of strength and pepperiness (yes that’s a word I just made up) as well as a broad array of overtones to be enjoyed from blue cheeses.

In our second annual survey of blues, It’s Better to be Blue, the Joy of Cheese will explore many different blues, balanced by other cheeses that pair well with ports and sweet white wines. We’ll investigate at least 12 and probably more cheeses and I promise, your palette won’t be exhausted by 9:00.

There will be dark chocolate, fruit and two mystery cheeses. I am happy to answer questions about these cheeses and about cheese in general.

The tastings are Tuesdays January 22^nd and 29^th as well as Thursday January 24^th

As always the tastings run from just after 7 until around 8:30 at 10 Degrees, the wonderful wine and high end spirits bar at 121 St. Marks Place in the East Village. Admission to the tasting is $30 and you pay for your drinks as you go (but it’s 2-4-1 Happy Hour till 8).

Reservations are a must. Contact me at thejoyofcheese@yahoo.com

The Joy of Cheese blog is up at http://thejoyofcheese.blogspot.com

Next tastings: February 26, 28 and March 4: the Pasteur’s Delight, a tasting of cheeses that are NOT made from raw milk

-MJ

So what's next

Well, nothing for a few weeks while we let the holidays blow over.

It doesn't mean we're idle, however. I'll be busy setting up the menu and cheese program for a new wine bar owned by the folks who created Harlem Vintage. Our debut tasting will be in early January.

Meanwhile the next Joy of Cheese event at 10 Degrees in the East Village will be in late January. We'll do our second annual survey called Ports and Blues and Other News.

-MJ

A Man Called Rolf

The Joy of Cheese Presents A Man Called Rolf

Switzerland is one of the great cheesemaking nations of the world and Rolf Beeler is out to prove it. His Gruyere is so dense and wonderful that people have it and break out into song (well not just anybody, the singing man was a professional opera singer). His other cheeses make people who aren’t musicians hear music too.

There’s a lot more to the Switzerland tradition than Emmenthal and Gruyere and we’re going to explore them in the November tasting series at 10 Degrees. Expect cheeses like Forsterkase, Half Moon, Riesling X Sylvaner, Fricalin and maybe, just maybe…a very special seasonal cheese. Most of the cheeses will be by Rolf Beeler but not all; we will introduce cheeses by up-and-coming affineurs as well, and we will probably sneak an American into the mix for comparison.

Overall we will investigate 12-14 cheeses; there will be dark chocolate, fruit and two mystery cheeses. I am happy to answer questions about these cheeses and about cheese in general.

The tastings are Tuesdays November 6^th and 13^th as well as Thursday November 8^th

As always the tastings run from just after 7 until around 8:30 at 10 Degrees, the wonderful wine and high end spirits bar at 121 St. Marks Place in the East Village. Admission to the tasting is $30 and you pay for your drinks as you go.

Reservations are a must. Contact me at thejoyofcheese@yahoo.com

And The Joy of Cheese now has a column, The Joys of Cheese at moli.com

http://www.moli.com/p/moliview/6_197451/article

Next tastings: January dates tba, our second annual celebration of Ports and Blues

-MJ

Cheese that's rocking my world these days

Tarentaise: a wonderful Vermont interpretation of the French classic Tomme D'Abondance. Whereas its inspiration offers a gentle balance of nuttiness and earthiness, Tarentaise, especially when aged nine months or longer, is a big burst of roasted macadamia nuts. I love it melted.

Persielle Des Tignes. Speaking of mouthfuls, this cylinder of firm goat's milk cheese hails from the Rhone Valley and it's a big mouthful of dirt. In a good way. Show this to the next person who says you can't pair goat's milk cheeses with red wine. This baby screams for a Chateauneuf du Pape.

Bleu D'Auvergne Mons: Not just any ol' Bleu D'Auvergne, but the one from Herve Mons! Harvey's spin on the basic French blue is a sweet creamy and biting. You'd almost think it was a Roquefort.

The World needs more Cheesemongers!

Friday late afternoon, I was at Dean and DeLuca's Soho branch waiting behind a customer who was getting a nice spread of cheese. The customer looked at the wide variety of chevres available and wondered aloud where to begin. I pointed him to Gianni Cora's Caprino Castagna, a beautifully supple fresh goat's milk cheese from Tuscany wrapped in chestnut leaves. When his counterperson returned, the customer mentioned that he was interested in a chevre and that this Caprino Castagna looked interesting. The counterperson immediately brushed aside his interest and talked him into Humboldt Fog, a well known goat cheese from Northern California. Excitedly, the counterperson said"it's a goat cheese but it's not stong!" as if that was some sort of ringing endorsement.

Oh well. Great cheese counters should have competent staff, but that's probably asking too much these days.

-MJ