Cheese Monday: Andante "Trio"

Shock seized my chicken-fried soul, when I realized I've never done a post about my love affair with Andante Dairy!1  Saturday Ferry Building Farmers Market,  I scurried over to their lil' cheese stand and tried to decide on an extra delicious cheese to review.  Usually,  I avoid their big cuts of Triple Cream Cheeses,  since I can only eat so much Triple Cream in a day and they spoil fast.2    But I made an exception since I wanted to do this post, and a picnic was planned for the following day where I could share.  As I oogled the cheeses one more time, I chose a young piece of "Trio" and scurried back to my car a la this dude at 01:45. 

"Trio" is a glorious triple creamy combination of goat's and cow's milk with crème fraîche.   I've said it before, and I'll continue to exclaim it, that I'm always a sucker for fresh cheese in the center of a gooey  shell.  The richness of cow cheese with the slight tartness of goat cheese makes for a dreamy spread on a good crust of bread.  I found it especially delicious paired with some of my homemade pear & fig jam4 or a nice summer salad.  

I first became enamored with Andante cheeses, when I saw their delicate  Figaro.  A young cow and goat milk cheese wrapped in a fig leaf. 5   We loved it, and became even more excited when we found out the cheese maker was an Asian lady by the name of Soyoung Scanlan.  My dear Mr.Phi always felt like the only Asian around that liked cheese, and felt elated to find a leading Asian cheese maker existed!  Later, I found out the cheeses were served at the holy grail of The French Laundry, so my joke has always been eating their cheese is akin to eating at the French Laundry, minus the other 14 courses.   So I said that if I ever go to French Laundry2, I would skip the cheese course.  BUT, then I paused at this impossible statement leaking from my mouth and immediately said "oooh noooo, I would NOT skip it."  Once again my stomach took control of the situation and set the world right.  

My main go-to Andante cheese is their "Tomme Dolce," an aged goat cheese rubbed with June Taylor’s plum conserve and brandy.  Really?! Does life get much better than that description.  Always a picnic "must-have" for  trips to Napa or Sonoma.   And if you arrive to the Andante booth early, sometimes you can get a small piece of their famously rare butter.  Usually, The French Laundry buys it all up, but every great once in a while, it will be available only at the Saturday Ferry Farmers Market.  An unbelievable yellow color, exceptionally creamy taste, and highly sought after for memorable Sunday brunches.  Make sure to arrive before 9am if you're hoping to get some!  The below event happened to me one of the few times I've seen it... 

So if you happen to be in San Francisco, definitely visit the Saturday Ferry Building Farmers Market, because that is where you'll get to see the biggest selection of Andante cheeses(And if lucky, BUTTER.)  Otherwise, you can find a select few of their cheeses at upscale restaurants or specialty stores.   Good Luck and welcome to Andante Addiction!


1  Love affair would be incorrect, because many are in love with Andante.  I would say it's more likely some kind of dairy orgy I'm part of, but orgies never bring up romantic imagery.  So I'll stick with love affair for now...
2  Feels a bit sacrilegious to say I have a limit on Triple Creams...
3  Mr.Phi and I always say we'll go eat there for our last meal living in California.  We have plans to vacate one day.
4  Would anything taste bad with homemade pear & fig jam? just saying....  
5  Read about how Andante wraps the cheese in Fig Leaves here.  Amazing!

Bohemian Creamery Bodacious

So I visited Cheese Plus1 today and picked up some cheeses for Memorial Day weekend.  Was super excited to see that they carried Bohemian Creamery's "Bodacious" cheese.  haha I love how clever this name is, because it makes it sound like you are already praising the cheese.  Plus, you get warm, fuzzy memories of Bill &Ted or TMNT from just saying "Bodacious."

"Bodacious" is a fresh goat's milk cheese encased in a candidum mold to keep that creamy inside all tangy and soft. Nothing gets my heart thumping more than seeing a core of fresh goat cheese surrounded by a runny shell!!  Seriously, its like my two favorite worlds of cheese are combined.  Gooey and crumbly!  I ate, as they suggested, with a thick slice of the cheese spread on some fresh bread with a small salad on the side.  Life was heaven for those 10 minutes I munched on it, especially with my feet in the afternoon sun.     This cheese is available March through October and I totally suggest trying to get a wedge of it on your next Napa/Sonoma trip!  Look forward to trying more cheeses from Bohemian!

In other news, I went to my husband's company party this week and totally did this....

When macarons are free, watch out! I am on the prowl!! Unfortunately, macarons do not keep their shape in your purse when you start busting moves on the dance floor.....

Hope all of you have a great holiday weekend!!

PS  I love the letter that Wendy McNaughton wrote to Nabisco below and feel very simpatico with her on this matter.  "Cookie" is a holy name that should not be abused...

1The visit to Cheese Plus started out a little hilarious with the guy helping me not knowing that gorgonzola is a blue cheese and trying to find it among the fresh/hard cheeses.  But, then a lady took over and all was well.  Good Selection and lots of specialty items.  

Houston Dairymaids

 On my last visit to Houston, I was very excited to discover that a new Cheese Shop had been opened in the last few years called Houston Dairymaids.  So of course, I made my parents leave their North Houston, suburb, safe-house and visit the cheese shop, so I could get my dairy fix!

Houston Dairymaids is located in an up and coming area of Houston.  I loved their lil shop and how they had a Huge Fig Tree growing in the back lot.  After seeing the tree, I felt like it should be a requirement for any Cheese Shop and I'm curious to know if they make their own fig preserves?  

As I entered, the lady cheesemonger was very excited to see us and greeted us warmly.1  She proceeded to grab many cheeses out for us to sample.  I informed her I was visiting from California and very interested in trying Texas Cheeses.  So she introduced me to a wide variety and discussed where each was from, plus flavor profile.   As I gobbled each cheese up, I tried to listen to her, but this is very tough when you are floating on a cloud made of gouda.  All the cheeses there are kept in perfect condition, temperature...there is just no way to get a bad cut of cheese from them.

Additionally, they carried other items like fresh Bread 2, Texas honeys, locally made dry pastas and a variety of other items.  Plus a beautiful beer/wine selection, including one of my faves, 512 Pecan Porter.  You can definitely make all your Friday evening dreams come true her y'all!  

If I was staying another week in Houston, I'm positive I would of bought a few pounds of cheeses.  BUT, sadly I was headed to Austin then Dallas, and I've learned many lessons about not traveling with cheeses... especially on a particular warm fall weekend in France. 

So the few cheeses I did choose were Redneck Cheddar,  and Pure Luck Dairy plain Chevre.  (I would of chosen a basket molded Chevre, but was leaving the rest of it for my Mother and she prefers plain....le sigh)  The other items I bought were Lucky Layla butter and yogurt drinks; which I have had before in Dallas and well aware of their greatness! That yellow on the butter...cmonnnnnnnnnnn

The cheese that made me teary eyed not to buy was Sainte Maure, especially since the cheese maker Pure Luck Dairy does not sell out of Texas.(pretty please, start!)  At least I got to taste the goat cheese and enjoy its shroomy gooey goodness for a few sacred momentos!  

I will definitely be going again our next visit to Houston and hope to attend either their Friday or Saturday tastings.  My other plans are to stop by Davis Meat Market for their cheddar & jalapeno summer sausage AND Revival Market for their Charcuterie as well. Another note to self is to try Texas Cheese House in Lorena,TX!3  So happy to see Texans are still & always will be producing amazing foods.

PS Simon Walker knows the sadness every Texan feels on leaving our home for another few months....

1.  Sometimes Cheesemongers can be cranky, boisterous jerks....maybe too much savory?

2.  Adore Slow Dough Bread's Brioche.

3.  Always seems to drive to Dallas late at night but this is never a bad thing since Czech Stop Kolaches are always involved.  

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen's "Craft Beer & Grilled Cheese" Dinners

         

        This is a small painting I did of Heidi Gibson and Nate Pollack, the cheesiest couple I know.  Both are co-owners of The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, one of our favorite restaurants, especially since my dear Mr.Phi is a grilled cheese fanatic. Lucky us have been blessed not once, not twice, but THREE times with their Craft Beer and Grilled Cheese Dinners. So you're saying... wellllll why have you not posted about them before. And its totally cause I'm selfish and worried tickets will become even harder to get. I already buy them 2 months in advance! Buttttttt, I finally decided I just have to write about one of these dinners! They are just too amazing not to share with others.

 

  

The First one we went to was for SF Beer Week in 2011 featuring a Firestone Walker and Grilled Cheese Pairing. Death nearly happened that dinner, because we could not pace ourselves. We tried to eat every grilled cheese, Mr.Phi attempted to drink his weight in beer....so many rookie mistakes! I actually don't have the menu for that one, because they wanted to keep it for my sketches. The second dinner was in Fall of 2011 with Shmaltz Brewing Company and we brought good friends H&J to share the glory.(You can view that menu here)  The most shocking part the second time around was it was just as good, if not better! All the sandwiches that night seemed to be odes to different breakfast flavors and I got to try Wise Sons Pastrami for the first time. Countless swoons happened during that dinner!.  Sooooo of course we went to their Firestone Walker Part2 Dinner this past February for the 2012 SF Beer Week!(see menu above) Our friends H&J joined us again and we were all giddy with expectation!1

 

For the first time they served an appetizer for a welcome round. A "Herbed Chevre Fondue with Pink Lady Apples" The Fondue was not as warm as I would of liked, but that doesn't mean we didn't keep it with us to dip our crusts in for later courses after the apple slices ran out. Heady House was a surprise beer guest just like in 2011 and paired their Saison with the tasty Fondue app. I was sad there were no Beer Cocktails like 2011, but that may of been because of how many people went stumbling out that night hah.

  

Our mouths were watering with anticipation as the first Grilled Cheese appeared among us. "Bellwether Farms Carmody, Fiscalini San Joaquin Gold, and Redwood Hills Goat Cheddar on Acme Pain De Mie." Squeeallll, I always find myself falling in love with the first sandwich of the night, because it's just a simple grilled cheese. I'm a big fan of simplicity in food and just letting the ingredients shine. So of course, this was my fave of the night, especially with such an amazing combo of California cheeses.2 I could not help but eat all of it IMMEDIATELY, and was happy to wash it down with a Pale 31, the first Firestone Walker of the night!

 

At this point in the dinner everyone is certainly cheery. The anticipation of the first course is gone and everyone has settled in for a great meal. The second grilled cheese to arrive was a "Jasper Hill Cabot Cheddar Clothbound Cheddar, Golden Gates Meats Roast Beef, roasted Yukon Golds, Garlic-chive butter and Horseradish cream on Pinkie's Bakery Levain." Holy Moly, shi8t just got real. Potatoes on a Sandwich, that is definitely going after a Texan gal's heart. I love the commitment here to using local butchers and bakeries. I never knew of Golden Gate or Pinkie, until these dinners and now I love to visit each. Mr.Phi experienced a slight wave of jealousy as I proclaimed "This sandwich is my boyfriend." I guess it was too manly with all that savoridelishiness! Paired with FireStone Walkers DBA and after taking a few sips of that beer, Mr.Phi forgot all about my 5 minute epic love affair.

 Usually the third course for me can be a lil disappointing for me...BECAUSE, I realize we're in the middle and the end is looming around the corner. Wah!  But American Grilled Cheese has fixed this by serving a mini-biscuit. I'm a complete sucker for biscuits, so I feel like they belong to a whole other elite category for me.3  And I have to proclaim that The American produces some of the most prolific biscuits EVER!  These were called "Breakfast in Bed" mini biscuits-"Beehive Cheese Co's Barely Buzzed and Tumalo Farms Fenacho topped with a fried quail egg"....can I get a hallehujiah ehhhhhh! Nate Pollak was really kind and made it rain biscuits at our table. Giving us a few to take home as well as he noticed my tears of joy as I shoved them with glee in my mouth. Paired with FireStoneWalker's Reserve Robust Porter..... life got too good to bare for a few minutes.

 

 Now for the bittersweet part of dinner, the final grilled cheese....le sigh. But, this is the one Mr.Phi always waits in giddy expectation for because it is S-P-I-C-E-Y!!  The secret to the extreme spiciness at The American is they use raw jalapenos and I must agree, it is amazing. A "Pondhopper Cheese, Laura Chenel Chevre, Zoe's bacon and freshly cut jalapenos on Artisan Sourdough" This is the one that makes Mr.Phi cry, not for its hawtness, but because the last bite signifies the end until the next grilled cheese dinner. Luckily it was paired with FireStone Walker's Union Jack, so we had an amazing beer to drown all our sorrows.

 Of course, the sorrow is fleeting when Heidi's Stout Chocolate Cake is laid in front of us.4  This is no-joke, one of my top 5 chocolate cakes ever, maybe even #1. Our friend J commented that every time he took a bite he could hear Barry White singing. Seriously, the cake is so rich, moist,deleshious....ooooh baby!   There is just so much love packed in the cake, it just knocks all the wah out of you.  Heidi uses the Firestone Walker Velvet Merkin to make the cake, so of course it pairs unbelievably when you have a glass of the beer with it.

 So that was the night in February and it was unbelievable as usual. On a small side note, Heidi Gibson was a super trooper and came in even though her leg was in cast. Not to diss the kitchen at all, because the food was amazing... BUT, I could tell having eaten at the previous 2 dinners that there was something missing from the food with her not being present in the kitchen. Does she sprinkle magic cheese dust or something, because the food is epic when she's in charge?! I guess that's why she was a Grilled Cheese Champion for so long!
 To close up, what I love about these dinners, besides the amazing food and beer, is the camaraderie of the evening.  From everyone in the kitchen, to the brew masters who give great talks, to the waitstaff who put so much effort into making sure you have a grand evening... you can just tell this is a big labor of love.  Hope to continue our lucky streak of attending these amazingly cheesy dinners and wish to share one with you in the future!

Notes:
1. The space is small at The American, so I would say party of four at most.
2.  California Cheeses are always unbelievable.  What is up with this and why am I so lucky to live here?!
3.  If there is a biscuit involved with any meal I have, it is always my favorite part! No matter what is served with is...fancy meats, intricate dishes.. its all about the biscuit! Texan 4Life...
4. I still need that recipe, Heidi! ;D

Queso Fountain

So I've been away in New Zealand and hopefully I can give you a small food report from there in a few weeks.  But at the moment, I'm getting ready to go to SXSW for the premiere of my animation short film "Chocolate Milk" and still have a bunch of tasks to do to prepare for that.  So I'm pretty "ack" currently, especially since this is my first big film festival.  So used to hiding in my animation studio hole, its been a pretty intense few weeks of press interviews and self-promotion.  

So I decided to do a small post for this week about the popularity of Cheese Fountains at parties and weddings.  This is something I joked about having back at my wedding.  I mean, who wants a chocolate fountain when you can have one bubbling with gooey yellow cheese.    This is so American, I LOVE it.  Why have a piece of fresh fruit to dip in chocolate when you can have a fried tortilla chip to dip in processed cheese.  People have even tried to build a 6 cheese fountain ever since they talked about one in "Talladega Nights".

You can behold one here in all it's glorious cheesiness!  Bow down to a constant stream of hot queso waiting to leap onto your tortilla chips.   But, don't check out the fountains that do a chile con queso waterfall.  That just seems really wrong....

Oh! And here is a few awesome cheese events happening around the Bay area this coming week.  I really WANT to attend this Cheese tasting Bike ride but my schedule is too hectic this weekend!  And of course, I'll already be out of town on Thursday for this pop-up grilled cheese night!  Ah well, can I really complain when Texas BBQ is headed my way.  Hopefully, I can give you a good queso report when I get back from Austin!  Oh sweet queso, you'll get me through SXSW...oh yes...you will.

Cheese Monday: Sir Francis Drake

Ahhh, Valentine's Day, when a girl's thoughts turn to love and stanky, gooey cheeses....

So of course I have to post about one of my favorite cheeses to spread on crispy baguette!1   SIR FRANCIS  DRAKE!    A triple cream Cow cheese that some say has a lil taste of the Pacific ocean, which makes me think it is a love letter to the actual sea captain Sir Francis Drake.2

In any case , it's buttery, nutty and  exceptionally spreadable.  All my favorite things in a gooey cheese!!  Sir Francis Drake is made by the famous Cowgirl Creamery and they source their milk from my always favorite Straus Family Dairy.

As usual, this is very hard to find beyond the Bay area, but can sometimes be founds in a Whole Foods in California.  But, the best place to check is the Cowgirl Creamery Cheese Counter .   Seriously though,  people go crazy for this cheese, camping out at their local cheese shops March-April waiting for it's surprise appearance!3

The reason it is so rare is that the cheese happens by complete accident!  Basically, all of this occurs  during the aging process when Cowgirl's famous Mt. Tam cheese gets a bloomy rind thats a lil slimey, instead of it's usual silky texture.  So they wash those slimey cheeses in Beaume de Venise (French Dessert Wine) and sprinkle some yummy dried currents on top!  TA-dah! A deliciously addictive cheese emerges and you have a beautiful bloomy number to enjoy on your platter!

Definitely, let Sir Francis Drake ripen, so you can get the full effect of spreadable cheese!  I sit mine on the counter for a good hour, even though it stinks up the joint.  But, hey, thats what scented candles are for!

And here's a lil valentine for you to enjoy today.  

1  That sound a lil tooo like sexual innuendo...hah enjoy the day!
2 Or it could just be that their Point Reyes location is on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard....  
3 Well mayyybbeeee, not that intense.  I always think of the "Blossom" episode where she camped out for C&C Music Factory tickets when I daydream of intense waiting......

            If I was Ginger Rogers, I would totally have a piece of cheese in my pocket to snack on between twirls.  But, I'd probably be way too heavy for Fred Astaire to lift in the air then....
Anyway the whole story behind this comic is about when I worked at a cheeseshop and the owner told me I needed to pronounce gouda the correct way, which is  ɣʌuda (How-da).   So I started doing this but then realized no one knew what cheese I was talking about and I sounded like a BIG pretentious A-hole, so I stopped.  I mean, everyone knows Gouda as Goooo-daa and thats how it is.  When I go to the Netherlands though, I'll be sure to pronounce correctly.

            So in keeping with the pretentious A-hole theme, my cheese review of the week is Beemster XO Gouda!  If you love an aged gouda, like many of my friends do, then you'll be in heaven with this one!  Beemster has been producing cheeses for over a century, so they got the cheese knowledge to make your mouth go BOOM with Happiness.  XO is Aged for over 2 years in old warehouses at a co-op in the Netherlands to get that yummy butterscotchy taste! 

This cheese is unique in the way it manages to be creamy, yet still have that crystallization I know many of you crave. 

Their gouda is made with pasteurized cow milk that comes from a sustainable program called Caring Dairy, so you can feel good about buying Beemster products!  Also, they use the same dairy cows that provide the milk for Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.  So if you like ice cream, you'll definitely love this cheese hah!.  

So if you're craving a nice Dutch Cheese or something everyone at your party will enjoy,  definitely look up Beemster XO Gouda as it can be found at many grocery stores throughout the country!  

Also, if you're interested in cheesemaking, here's a great recent article about it.  I've only experimented with making ricotta or shaping mozzarella out of curd.  I hope to one day make some sheep and goat cheeses, when I can finally actually own one!! A girl can dream, ehhhh

Never have truer words been uttered, eh?

Actually, the above was said by my brother-in-law to my sister one night when they were about to head to their fave Tex-Mex joint....   And THAT inspired me to do a few Texan Valentines this year!  So keep your eyes peeled for a few more before the big day.   Do any of you have plans for  Vday?  

Mr. Phi and I are going to our usual grilled cheese tasting dinner.   Wooooooo  I'll try to actually post a review this year.  I know, I know.... big talker!

Also, I still owe you a cheese review this week.  Took longer than I expected! eeks  Well here's a Cheese Valentine done by Murray's Cheese to tide you over until tomorrow....  

Cheese Monday - LambChopper

Been quite busy dealing with Festival Applications for my Film Chocolate Milk. Hopefully I'll have some good news on that front soon! So this Cheese Monday is a day late, so hope you haven't been waiting in delirious anticipation at your local cheese counter since yesterday!

Last week, I talked about a cheese that is very hard to find, so I decided I would talk about one is easily more attainable. 1 "Lamb Chopper"! A aged sheep milk cheese by Cypress Grove that is delightfully buttery in taste and appearance. The texture is not hard but definitely not brie-ey, unless you are chewing it. The rind is a natural wax so DO NOT eat it. (Even if its the last piece, believeeee meeee.) Also, the rennet is vegetarian and the milk is pasteurized for those of your with your fancy diets.

I always picture Lambs riding in a helicopter for the name, but as you can see they prefer lambs riding motorcycles....2

In any case, THIS is definitely a crowd pleaser cheese and makes everyone come back for seconds. Every time I serve this cheese I have to write down the name for someone who's gotta get it to eat glutinously in the privacy of their closet. Enjoy!!

1 Last week's cheese means getting on a CSA mailing list and hoping that it will become available. If it does, then all you have to do is drive up to the Bay area. So easyyyy eh?!

2 I definitely never pictured me arguing about lambs favorite way of transportation....

Cheesy Monday - Monarch

So my resolution of posting more is about to burst into effect with "Cheesy Mondays." Every Monday I will talk about one of my favorite cheeses! Because damnit, it's Monday and if any day of the week you really need a mouth stuffed with cheese, its Monday!

This week's favorite cheese comes from one my favorite cheesemakers, Rebecca King of Garden Variety Cheese and it is drumroll please.......Monarch! A cheese made from Claravale Farm Jersey cow's milk and washed with Dread Brown Ale from Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing. It is a raw milk, Trappist-style cheese. Buttery flavor with a semi-soft texture. Great for snacking or enjoying with your home wine with a cat in your lap. I always say my favorite is sheep cheeses, but I've really been loving this cheese. A friend compared it to "actually" delicious swiss cheese hah!

Unfortunately, you will not be able to find it easily, as it is in very limited supply. This is a cheese Rebecca makes during sheep vacation! So if you happen across it, grab immediately! Also, she offers a great cheese CSA through her Adopt-a-Ewe program, which I highly recommend as well.

Also, one of my favorite artists Gemma Correll did a great cheese illustrations today, too!Jinx!!

I definitely do prefer aged cheddars. The more crystallization, the more I sigh.....le sighhhhh

Cheese n' Jam

This past year, I basically put my life on hold to finish my Thesis Film for my Animation MFA at UCLA. (Graduated in June woot! (still working on kinks in film booooo)) So a big fat NO time for updates to food blog. I definitely didn't stop eating, but posting photos and writing meant precious time away from "filmmakingprettypictures."

But, now that I have a smidgen more time....the food blog started gnawng at me.... And lately, I really started questioning what I would like to do for a living. Drawing and talking about food emerged at the top of my list of dream jobs.

So I'm going to give it a shot with this blog. Maybe I can get some kind of food illustration jobs from this....mayyybeeee not. But its worth a shot and if anything it will just improve my art skillz yo!

In honor of this new endeavor, I changed the name of the blog to "Cheese n' Jam" in homage to two of my most favorite foods. (I made 186 jars of jam for my wedding favors and dude, I joined a Cheese CSA ) Originally I tried some other food names but they are all taken by jerks who haven't updated their blogs since 2004 from it's original uno post...

My goal is to write twice a week until the end of the year and we'll see where it goes from there. If you have anything you'd like to see or curious to have me draw, please feel free to msg me or comment. Yay for cheese n jam!