Happy Hop-Hoppity IPA Day!

Here ye, here ye!

Calling all hopheads!!!

IPA Day is back ladies and gents, for one day only!

I tell no lies.

atlantabuzz.com

Are you ready to enjoy a chilled pint of the goodstuff?

The IPA goodstuff that is.

The beer with attitude.

 Photo by David Jensen

Yes, this gives you free reign to enjoy the wide range of the IPA's, the IIPA's:

The citrusy, the malty, the bitter, and the much enjoyed flavors of fresh lawn clippings.

 craftbeerculture.com

Make certain to enjoy a chilled India Pale Ale today to pay your respects to the original brew exporters, those nice fellers who busted their chops to get their fine product across the pond to India.

It would be a shame to dishonor them, so toast your mates and drink up the hopstuff my friends!

You damn well deserve it!

Cheese tip:

You'll need a strong, meaty cheese to stand up to the bite of a hopped IPA.

cheese.france.com

Try a strong, washed rind such as Epoisses, a milk-creamy, bacon bomb.

waellechaes.ch

or a real stinker, like a Swiss, washed rind, cow's milk, Scharfe Maxx (Maxx for Maximum, Scharfe for Sharp),

dallasobserver.com

or the highly decorated Rogue River Blue, a champion cheese, and a little slice of blue heaven, wrapped in brandy-soaked, Chestnut leaves.

Beer and cheese are sure to please.

You just can't go wrong,

the two are all sorts of awesome.

So raise your glass to celebrate all that is craft beer today.

Is there nothing hoppier, nor happier?

 craftbeer.com

Happy Hoppy!

x

        

A grilled cheese meltdown!

Whew! Think I've finally come to after succumbing to a heavily-induced, grilled cheese coma from last week's sandwich castle in the air affair.

The highly anticipated April Cheeseup for my cheese club, Queso Diego, went off without a hitch!

Paying homage to our beloved fromage, we paid a proper tribute honoring National Grilled Cheese Month by stacking tried and true favorites for the mother of all grilled cheese roundups at City Farmer's Nursery. 

cityfarmersnursery.com

It was a grilled cheese off that knew no boundaries.

Armed with an arsenal of tools fit for a sandwich match like no other, we took to slating and plating like bosses.

Using everything from stovetop grill pans to George Foreman grills, our mighty team came up with a vast and impressive array of cheese sandwiches across the sweet and savory spectrum of delectability.

Of course, no Queso Diego meeting is complete without a generous supply of beverages to meet the hydration needs of our thirsty compatriots.

The brew crew brought in some homemade meads, ales reared their much welcome heads, a lovely port made a special appearance, and wine as always, was abound.

We were delighted to have Kathy Strahs of Panini Happy come out to help us celebrate one of our most perfect foods. Make certain to stop by her lovely blogspace that's stuffed with a grilled sandwich bliss of another kind. 

paninihappy.com

You could say it was a sandwich heaven of sorts with excellent company, fine drink, and imaginative, little, tasty, concoctions across the board.

My own contribution was a blue cheese, grilled cheese.

Using cheeses of smokey blue, a Morbier, and a Gruyere, topped with Moscato-marinated, grilled pears, candied pecan bits, and raw Tupelo honey. It was a delicious, grilled to perfection, beautiful mess.

If you look closely, there's even a praline pecan and honeyed chevre dessert sandwich lurking beyond.

One of our members even fashioned an ornamental, grilled cheese truck, cloche atop her head for the evening. 

Perfectly themed attire for our cheesy theme, I say!

I believe it's fair to say that no one left hungry, and our melty-grilled, sandwichtide was quite possibly the best thing that's happened since sliced bread.

simplystatedralsimple.com

Everyone went home with some epic Toastabags, compliments of a generous donation from Boska Holland. 

I'm happy to report that it's left my toaster crumb-free, with no cheese remnants, while properly equipping my son to take on the frightful task of feeding himself when he's away at college.

Some of us even got our 'Benny & Joon' on, taking full advantage of all that these fine Toastabags have to offer.

rottentomatoes.com

"Some cultures are defined by their relationship to cheese."

cheesemaking.com

I'm delighted to announce that Queso Diego was featured in the New England Cheesemaking Company's 'Moosletter' which can be found here:

 Oooey, gooey, cheestasticness is on the move, and us cheesers are delighted to be a part of all of it.

I have to admit, I'm slightly saddened now knowing that only eight days remain in the cheesiest month of the year.

If you've yet to celebrate this classic food, I invite you to do so now, while the smell of grilled cheese is still well in the air.

thedailymeal.com

For scrumptious sandwich recipes

have a looksie here:

x
        

Queso Diego: A Night of Cheese and Beverage Mix Matching

Egads! I've neglected to update the cheese-up from November past. 

 I do hope you can forgive my untimely post!

Yet again, the Queso Diegans set their sails for a scrumptious eve. 

This go around? 

A furious bout of pairing cheeses with beverages. 

We had great success with pairing scotch with aged cheeses, mead with a honey chevre, coffee porter with a vintage gouda, berry kombucha with lemony quark, and as it turns out, homemade bacon jam goes with everything. 

So many happy marriages in one little eve!

Membermade French country artisan breads were on site to accompany the mix-matched, flights of fancy.

I prepared two plates just for the occasion.

A vintage Gouda alongside a spiced, creamy, spoonable blue,

and a homewhipped lemony quark, served up with slivers of perfectly-ripened pear.

It's a young bit of fresh cheese made better with Meyer lemon zest.

If you've never heard of, nor tried kombucha before, it's a bit of a fermented science project. Our Treasurer Larry, is a champ at concocting the fizzy magic. Generally, it tastes of vinegary, tart apple cider. This particular batch yielded notes of sweet, berried refinement. 

Standard staples were on deck, such as this fine Manchego.

We sailed a savory sea of beverages for pairing pleasures.

And even enjoyed this exotic beer treat. 

Brian, our award-winning brewmaster created a porter for the occasion. It was aptly named Insomniac Taddy Bear Porter, as the delightful beer was infused with notes of coffee. 

It went swimmingly with the vintage Gouda, as though the two were perfect bedfellows.

A homemade hefeweisen and commercial brews were included in the vast selection.

The Johnny black disapoofed almost immediately. I hear it went really, rather well with a few of the cave-aged varieties.

More homemade cheeses infused with fruit, herbs, and layered as such.

and of course it's never a party, until someone brings a sampling from the "Mysterious Mead Co." 

This version berried for the masses.

With all these scrumpschulescent bits, it's no wonder us curd nerds are making some serious cheesy headway at the moment.

It's true, and I've just the publication to show for it. Yes, I have some fantastical news to report my lovelies!

I'm officially an international author! My article on how to start a sustainable cheese club is now in global publication, and was highlighted as a featured piece on cover of the Winter issue of Culture Magazine - The Word on Cheese and can be seen here.

Big ups for cheese ups!

Now onto the plotting and planning of the 2012 holiday party. You should know that I'm just seething with "cheesy" sweater contest inspiration now.

Cheese, cheers, and holiday happies to all.

x

        

The cheese plates of thanks and giving

The weekend whatnots gave rise to many bouts of diversion with the playmates. With the giving of thanks came much consumption in general, and feeding squadrons of the cheese hungry masses.

First a lovely dinner fete prepared by the culinary flair of Chef Cameron. The evening bore a name finely suited as Gobble Gobble Craft Beer +Tapas Night.

The evening's cheese board included bits of a well-aged, English Cheddar, a lavender and wild fennel pollen infused chevre with a fitting rockstar designation (Purple Haze), a four year aged Dutch Gouda, and the ever present goaty, Midnight Moon. Its slightly aged and nutty morselbits yielding notes of salted caramel could leave anyone to weep.

A sinful baked brie with tart apples and jalapeno jelly followed suit shortly after dinner.

Chef Cameron is in furious preparation at the moment, for his first closed door restaurant event this Friday, November 30th, which I am patiently awaiting with great anticipation.

Details for his inaugural event, NOSH, can be found here.

Think I'll be toting yet another lovely cheese board suited for effervescent wines come Friday.

With Thanksgiving day came daylight, and a formal cheese spread, for an assorted flock of lovely folks.

Thursday's serving included the extra touches of a tightly woven, blue marbled Jack, and a real treatbit of a double creamed, fromager d'affinois, the perfect substitute for butter. 

Our festive hosts were kind enough to give stars to all the cheeses which went smashingly with the day's holiday offerings.

The final cheese assembly went to a very special group of cheese-loving pals, for a proper pairing.

This plate was adorned with a Vintage Gouda, and the much welcomed, spicy and spoonable, St. Agur, a blue cheese, buttercream-dream of melt in your mouth proportions, both of which paired extraordinarily well with the selected sweet dessert wine.

Oh, how I do love the feasting and festing that this time of year calls for.

 Here's to snuggling by toasty fireplaces with cozy company, comforting food, and drinking from warm cups filled with things as lovely as drinkable kittens.

x