Donor request: it's a wine and cheese party!

This one is going out to Eric Kent and Tiffini Electra X, who recently made a generous donation to DFT and requested a post on wine and cheese pairings.  You, too, can request a blog post if you donate here.  Thanks a million, Eric and Tiffini!

Cheese + sauce + bread = happiness
     + booze = perfection
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Sharp cheeses (white cheddar, Irish cheddar) + spicy/sweet chutney (call me tacky, but I love cheap old Crosse and Blackwell's Major Grey's Chutney which is distributed by Smucker's in the States) + water crackers
     Best with: lagers, crisp white wines, gin cocktails

Nutty cheeses (sharp cheddar, Parmesan, Asiago) + tangy mustard (preferrably whole grain with some heat) + pumpernickel or rye toasts
     Best with: German beer!  Maybe some cut up flavorful sausage and little dill pickles, too!

Salty, milky cheeses (queso fresco thinly sliced) + tamarind paste (also thinly sliced) + [cracker optional]
     Best with: semi-sweet white wines, good rum or tequila on the rocks (This also works for dessert)

Stinky cheese (bleu, gorgonzola) + pear conserve  or marinated grapes + rye or fennel crackers
     Best with: Chardonnay, champagne

Creamy cheeses (brie, manchego, chevre) + balsamic fig spread + fluffy baguette slices
     Best with: a chilled glass of rose or a smoky Scotch on the rocks

Fresh mozarella + tomato slices + basil leaves + crusty bread (= deconstructed Caprese)
     Best with: Lambrusco or a fruity Merlot

I like to offer one of each--a sweet and a more pungent offering--and also put out a neutral nut like Tamari roasted almonds to act as a palate cleanser.  You can try to get away with offering one drink that works with both plates, but why be stingy?

Another homage to Brazil

The last night I was in Brazil, I was entreated to a night at the local Samba bar, which I was assured was a "very Brazilian experience".  The band was very loud and people were boisterous, not so different from a good bar at home.  But Samba music is for carnival, which would be sort of like partying in New Orleans, and interestingly, although the dance floor was a reasonable size, many people chose to merely stand up behind their chairs and dance, thereby maintaining conversation with their table mates. I can't universalize this experience since it was the only Samba bar I visited, but I describe it to you because it effected the atmosphere; dancing was not cordoned off to an appropriate place, it was everywhere!  And therefore the dance floor sort of came to us, whether we were standing or sitting.

Buckets of that weak, weak beer were kept full at all times throughout the bar, and at some point a large sizzling platter (think fajitas) arrived on the table filled with meat, veggies, and cheese, with a little crusty garlic bread on the side.  Everyone took nibbles between sweat-inducing dances and still felt full of energy at 2am when we left! I tried out this recreation on my meat-loving family when they visited last week and it was a hit.  We probably could have stood some exercise afterward, though...

Brazilian Sizzling Plate

Serves 6

For the meat:
2.5-3 lb. flank steak or similar cut
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon mustard
2 shallots, finely minced
other ingredients:
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 small butternut squash, peeled, cubed, and boiled until al dente
4 white potatoes, peeled, cubed, and boiled until al dente
3 bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch strips
4 oz. white mushrooms, sliced
salt to taste
8 oz. shredded or thinly sliced cheese of your choice (I used Irish cheddar), optional

Grill the meat outside: The night before you make this, combine steak and all marinade ingredients thoroughly in a gallon zip-top bag.  Refrigerate overnight and turn occasionally.  Grill over hot coals 3-4 inches from the heat; cook 4 minutes on each side for mid-rare or longer if you want the meat more done (it will cook a little more on the grill pan). Cover in foil to keep warm while you...

Toss the veggies with a little bit of olive oil and salt.  On a well-oiled grill pan inside, cook everything until it chars (if you have to do it in shifts, just keep what's been cooked on a baking sheet in the oven at 250 F so it stays warm).  Slice the grilled meat into thin strips and toss with all of the veggies on the grill pan (add anything that's been sitting in the oven).  Sprinkle cheese on top and cover with a large heat-proof bowl; cook just until cheese is melted.

Plop the grill pan on the table, serve with crusty white bread, hot sauces, and forks.  Plates optional.

If it doesn't squeak, is it still a cheese curd? Taking in the sights in Wisconsin's capitol city...

I recently had the good fortune of travelling to Wisconsin's capital city for some concerts in May, and I did indeed eat my proverbial heart out.  Non-Midwesterners may scoff at the idea of looking for fun and good food in Madison, but those from the Great Lakes region know it's a great college town with fresh produce stands all over in the summer, not to mention the locally made artisan cheeses and ice creams.  It's worth the drive if you're already in the Chicago or Milwaukee areas, and if you're in those areas to visit family this summer, it's a great short-term escape from Grandma's guilt trips and casseroles.

The view from Lake Mendota on UW-Madison's campus. 

Travel:
The cheapest way to get there is to fly in to Chicago at O'Hare or Midway (O'Hare is slightly closer to the Wisconsin border) and take the shuttle up to Madison.  Coach USA runs a bus with stops at both airports and the Amtrack terminal (union Station) in the heart of downtown Chicago, dropping you near two stations with multiple "L"  and Metra lines, if you decide to go that route.  They run an on-time (or early) ship and it's $58 round-trip/ $29 one-way.

[By the way, I'm not going to waste a lot of time saying nasty things about airlines in this post; I've done enough of that already.  But I would just like to warn you, in case you didn't know, that Spirit Airlines charges $35 per carry-on.  I did not know this when I booked my tickets through Priceline, and if I had, I wouldn't have thought they were the cheapest deal.  So don't forget to check baggage fee policies with the company before booking through an aggregate sight, kiddies!]

Activities:
Mostly I practiced and performed, but I can give you a few tips.  Frank Lloyd Wright spent many years in the area, so if  you're into that sort of thing, check out his handiwork near campus at the First Unitarian Church, which he built in 1951.  Monona Terrace Convention Center was not built while FLW was alive, but he did draw up the plans, and it's also where they record Michael Feldman's NPR show, Whad'Ya Know?, every Saturday.  There is a fee to be in the audience, but the free coffee and doughnuts are pretty tasty.

Monona Terrace

Olbrich Botanical Gardens are free to the public from dawn until dusk and contain the only Thai Pavilion in North America.  It is beautiful, and the gardens are really stunning (plus they're a fun way to learn what grows in this part of the country).

Did you know that University of Wisconsin has a big, honkin' LAKE right on campus?  For a reasonable fee, you can rent a sail boat from the boat house on campus and act all fancy.  Or you can just wander along the mostly wooded trail that rings the lake and enjoy the many Gothic-inspired buildings on the heart of campus for free.  If I had attended this school, I don't think I would have done much homework.

This is the student union building at UW-Madison!
There's a good ice cream shop in here, too. 

Eating:
This is the most important activity when visiting a town, isn't it?  It tells you so much about whether or not that town deserves to exist (the town where I reside, for instance, probably does not).

The Dane County Farmer's Market is the largest producer-only farmer's market in the US.  Wander around the charming downtown area every Wednesday and Saturday in the summer and eat your weight in fresh cheese curds and other artisanal cheeses, homemade salsas, samples of locally raised meat, and so much more.  There are food stands, too, so you can get a more balanced diet if you want.  This is actually a great place to go for lunch.

If you don't make it to a farmer's market, Brennan's Market is your next best choice. These sort of overgrown roadside stands are all over town, and they carry loads of local produce, wine, beer, and some groceries, along with a deli counter and another lifetime's worth of Wisconsin cheese (and yes, you can eat your weight in free samples here, too).  Local cheese, locally made wine, and a big loaf of crusty bread can all be purchased here and brought to any one of the several lakes in town for a perfect picnic lunch.

Lao Laan-Xang at 2098 Atwood Ave. offers beautiful Laotian food in a slightly gentrified Capitol-area neighborhood and a reasonable price.  There's a little outdoor seating, but it goes fast during Madison's short summer.

Across the street, get your dessert at Monty's Blue Plate Diner (that is seriously what we did).  They actually have a terrific-looking menu, with tons of egg dishes and healthier, often vegetarian versions of diner classics, reminiscent of Sweet Melissa's in Laramie or the Chicago Diner.  But I only went for the homemade pie, which was glorious in every way.

There is a lot more to do in this diverse, education-rich, politically active town, I'm sure.  In the short time I spent there, I was overwhelmed by how much fun I had every single day.  Madison is a great place to hang for a weekend as a 20-something, 30-something, or as a whole family.  In mid-May, the weather was near-perfect every day, and there were plenty of places to go biking and running (in fact, you can rent bikes from the city for sight-seeing).  I highly recommend a visit.

I tasted Sargento cheese and lived to tell...

Actually, it is fine.  Sargento cheese is lovely.  I was recently invited to participate in Foodbuzz's Tastemakers program with Sargento Cheese , which involved my having to go out and purchase said brand of cheese.  Not having ever noticed the brand before in my local store, I scoured the deli area filled with blocks of exotic cheeses and found nothing.  I headed over to the more pedestrian “cheese and beer” aisle and there, in the grated and pre-sliced cheese area, was my target: Sargento, at least in my town, is only available packaged for the American Busy Moms looking for shortcuts in their baking and lunch-packing drudgery.

When I signed on to taste Sargento, I imagined getting some lovely little blocks of different cheeses, pairing them with some crackers, olives, and fruit, and breaking out the wine for an impromptu party on the back patio.  Now I was faced with plastic bags of (albeit real) cheese pieces and a mission to rethink how I would make best use of what I had before me.

The other aspect of the taste challenge was that I had to compare Sargento real cheeses to a processed cheese product, like  American cheese slices or some such garbage.  I couldn’t stomach more than some grilled cheese sandwiches with each kind of cheese, and I can truthfully report that the sandwich made with Sargento was not horrible, and the sandwich made with sliced “cheese product” was, in fact, absolutely horrible.  No flavor or aroma to speak of, except a vaguely waxy taste in the mouth, and a plastic-like texture made for a truly creepy sandwich.  I tried to dress it up (results below), but nothing helped.  The cheese and filling combinations listed here should be used with real cheese; Sargento fit the bill just fine.

Grilled Cheeses Deluxe:

Toast in the oven or fry in a pan; these additions just make that ubiquitous comfort food a little more special.

Bread Cheese Fillings Condiments

Rye    +     Sharp Cheddar     +  thinly sliced red onion and green apple   + grainy mustard
Sourdough   + pepper jack   + sliced dried apricots   + 1 tsp. plain yogurt mixed with 1 tsp. curry powder
Whole wheat + mozarella sliced fresh tomato     + prepared pesto

I know what you're thinking, but
I'm pretty sure that's the Mona Lisa.  

Now, back to the business at hand.  When I saw all those prepackaged cheese in the aisle, I couldn’t help but envision casseroles; you can take the Midwesterner out of the Midwest, but…well.  So I also used some handily pre-sliced provolone to make the simple, light yet rich casserole, below.  It’s a great way to use up all those overgrown zucchini and summer squash, and it can be cut into portions, wrapped in foil, and frozen for later use.   I have to say, the Sargento provolone melted beautifully and provided a rich, buttery taste and texture to the dish.



Late Summer Zucchini Bake

Serves 8-10

6 medium zucchini, summer squash, or combination of both, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced into half-rings
8 fresh tomatoes, cored and sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence, divided
Coarse ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 package (10 slices) Sargento provolone sliced cheese
Olive oil
½ baguette cut into cubes

Place the cubed bread in a medium bowl and add 1 tablespoon olive oil; mix thoroughly and set aside.

Coat the bottom of a large casserole dish with olive oil.  Lay down one layer of zucchini slices, followed by 1/3 of the onion slices.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of the herbes de Provence.   Top with a layer of tomato slices and half the cheese.  Repeat the process, then top the second layer with the remaining zucchini and onion slices, and season with salt and pepper Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 450°F (no need to preheat) on the bottom rack for 45 minutes or until onions and zucchini on top are soft.  Uncover and top with the cubed bread, then return to the oven to bake another 15-20 minutes uncovered, or until the bread begins to brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before cutting and serving.  Pairs well with a crisp Rosé or Vinho Verde.