These positions will be available immediately. The process includes an interview, background check and drug test.

If you are interested in working for the World’s Best Cheese Shop now expanding in the Pacific Northwest, please send your resume and letter of interest to:

dawn.baker(@)qfci.com

Don’t delay; there are sure to be lots of qualified foodies – and we’re looking for the best!!!

Rogue Creamery

I am honored to be among the first to review two more cheeses from Rogue Creamery: Mount Mazama and Pistol Point.

In addition to receiving these two cheeses, I was also sent a third wedge: Echo Mountain, which The Lady brought home from the creamery last summer and I reviewed at that time.

First on our board was the new Mount Mazama, a mixed milk cheese that blends goat milk with cow milk in a mild, creamy paste with just a hint of goat tang. There is no gaminess to this cheese named after the volcanic mountain that became Crater Lake “back in the day”… The Lady plans to mix this with a cheddar in her next mac n cheese.

I give Mount. Mazama 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).

Serving Suggestions: Naked on a cracker; top it with a bit of Litehouse Pear Jam or cook with it. The possibilities are limitless.

Wine Pairing: I’d suggest a lighter, red blend… but what the heck do I know… The Lady won’t let me drink alcohol…

Beer Pairing: An IPA should be a nice pair, per The Man. I consulted Mike Wright, Beer Enthusiast, and he suggested Bud Light… now that’s a surprise…

The second cheese is Pistol Point, a full cream, hand-milled cheese, that packs a punch. This cheddar is marbled with chipolte to bring on a full-flavored finish. It starts out mild and then BAM!!! the spice kicks in and wow, you’ve got yourself a lingering heat. The Lady was quite taken with this cheese… The Man, being a spice wuse… not so much.

But here’s the thing… Rogue has another winner on their cheese board.

I give Pistol Point 3 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).

Serving Suggestions: Let’s face it; you can have a lot of fun with this cheese from quesadillas to nachos to just plain snacking.

Wine Pairing: Rioja

Beer Pairing: A German Pilsener

Both Mt. Mazama and Pistol Point are made with pasteurized and gluten-free. These cheeses will be available this summer.

The last cheese on the board is the Echo Mountain, another 4 Paw Winner made from goat and cow milk. Mr review can be read here.

Echo Mountain is made from Raw Milk. All three of these cheeses are Vegetarian-Suitable.

I’d like to thank all my friends at Rogue Creamery for including me in the group of early tasters of their new cheeses.

Ahhh, cheese… glorious cheese!!!

The Man sampled Jarlsberg Dip at the Hawthorne Fred Meyer on Thursday and after he stopped swooning, he insisted The Lady bring some home, which she did… and I gotta tell you… this stuff is DA BOMB…

Currently you can buy the Original Recipe at Fred Meyer and… well… that’s all you need… until more flavors are available…

Here’s what people are saying about Jarlsberg Dip:

From food.com: DoryJean54: “A delicious cheese dip to spread on crackers!”

Another food.com contribtor: Kathy228: “Nutty and flavorful, this dip will go in a minute.”

From CopyKat.com: “So the last few times I have been to my cheese counter at my local Kroger store, they have had this fabulous Jarlsberg Dip there, and I have purchased it several times.”

From the Piggly-Wiggly blog (not associated with the grocery chain): “Seriously, this cheese dip is so addicting! It was love at first taste, I’m telling you. I first tried this dip at one of the sample stands at my local Kroger. Usually, the samples are well, eh- OK tasting. But when I had this dip, I actually went back and got another bite. (And *maybe* I went back for the 3rd time too…) I finally picked up the actual dip and ate the entire tub in one sitting. “

I give Jarlsberg Dip 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).

So there you have it folks, run, don’t walk to your local Fred Meyer Cheese Kiosk and buy some Jarlsberg Dip… you’ll thank me…

The Lady with Mary Quicke in Bra, Italy

The Lady met Mary Quicke in Italy at the Slow Food Bra Cheese Festival last September and rated it one of her Top Ten Cheese Days… or as the case might be… Top Ten Cheese Nights (they met late in the evening after a great day at “Cheese”)…

After returning to the Pacific Northwest, The Lady has made an effort to bring as many of Mary Quicke’s cheeses to The Manse for The Man and especially moi, your favorite Feline Foodie, to taste… which also means I get to write reviews of wonderful cheeses… the first of several to come…

Mrs. Quicke’s Oak-Smoked Cheddar: Smoked cheeses are not always favorites around The Manse but this one is one of those exceptions… Cold-Smoked  over Oak chips and sawdust for more than three hours, this is the real stuff; naturally smoked… not infused… what you end up with is some righteously good smoked cheddar cheese… crumbly… smokey… nutty… when you start with Mary Quicke’s cheddar that is aged more than a year… how can you go wrong. Aged in truckles and then cut into three pound wedges for smoking, to ensure the flavor infuses throughout the cheese… when God made cheddar, he named it Quicke…

I give Mary Quicke’s Oak-Smoked Cheddar 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).

Serving Suggestions: On a cheese board, put this one at about 7pm. You can also add this to mac n cheese and never look back…

Wine Pairing: A lighter blended red.

Beer Pairing: IPA

Source: Cow Milk from the Quicke Farm at Newton St. Cyres of South West England

According to The Lady’s friend Natasha, Divisional Cheese Specialist for King Soopers, “Quinoa (pronounced “ki nwa”) is a grain-like crop grown in Ecuador, Bolivia, Columbia and Peru for its edible seeds. Quinoa held great nutritional value for Pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, second only to maize. Quinoa contains 12 to 18% protein value, has great dietary fiber, is gluten-free, high in phosphorous, iron and considered easy to digest. Due to these nutritional attributes, NASA is currently considering Quinoa for long-duration human occupied space flight.”

Quinoa Salad With Crumbled Feta

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

1 hothouse cucumber, diced

2 scallions, diced

½ cup red pepper, yellow pepper, diced

½ cup grape tomatoes, sliced

½ cup garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

¼ cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

Dressing:

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

4 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

2 Tablespoons minced Garlic

1 Tablespoon Honey

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation: 

Put quinoa in a dry small saucepan and toast the seeds for 3-5 minutes. Combine quinoa and broth in small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover. Cook 10-15 minutes until liquid has been absorbed and let cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled quinoa with remaining ingredients, toss to mix thoroughly.

In a small bowl, combine ingredients for dressing and mix well. Pour dressing over salad to coat and then chill in refrigerator until cold. Can also be served at room temperature. Enjoy!!

My thanks to Jami for sharing this recipe… rumor has it, The Lady will be serving this tonight at The Manse…

The auction is running on EBay and will be running until January 20, 2012 at 930am. (As of this writing, there were 4 bids and the auction is at $290.00).

Here’s the link to the EBay bid:

Beecher’s Cheesemaker for a Day!!!!!

This is for a great cause… as all of you know Beecher’s No Woman holds a special place in my heart and I hope that you will begin bidding for this great opportunity. It is for 2 Adults and includes lunch. You can be a Cheesemaker for a Day at Pike’s Place Market location if you are on the Left Coast or at the new Manhattan location if you are on the East Coast.

NOW GET OUT THERE AND BID!!!

Shush… don’t tell anyone…  while there she visited the Whole Foods on Houston and checked out their cheese counter (think: spied upon them…) and was delighted to find a new goat cheese to bring home for The Man and moi, your dedicated-to-the-cheese-cause Feline Foodie to taste.

This particular WF had a large local section and the one that caught the eye of The Lady was Riley’s Coat from Blue Ledge Farm in Salisbury, Vermont.

The Lady and I became aware of Greg and Hannah, the owners of Blue Ledge, in 2009, when they were part of a Martha Stewart Show focusing on American Artisan Cheeses. The two met in Italy and in 2000 bought a rundown cow dairy in Vermont and began the work of converting it into a working goat farm. In 2002 they produced their first cheese and a short six years later Wine Spectator Magazine named one of their cheeses to their top 100 Best Cheeses of 2008.

In 2004 they sold the “development rights” to their land to the Vermont Land Trust, protecting the land from future commercial exploitation. They practice sustainable agriculture and allow their goats to “free-roam” the land most of the year. Like Wisconsin’s Crave Brothers, they use a bio-mass furnace to produce electricity to light and heat their farm… which proves, as said here before, you actually can turn S**t into Shinola…

Riley’s Coat is made from raw goat milk and aged for about three months. Much to our delight, while it is tangy, there is none of that off-putting goaty taste that turns off The Lady and me. Riley’s Coat is sweet, nutty and creamy. It is hard enough to grate and use in mac n cheese or on a pizza for a different twist.

And because goat milk cheese is naturally lower in fat than that of sheep and cow, it’s “Gall Bladder Friendly”…. a definite plus around The Manse these days…

We give Blue Ledge Farm’s Riley’s Coat 3 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).

Serving Suggestions: Serve this baby on a cheese board in about the 6pm position and you’ll have folks swooning. As mentioned above, it would also go well in pasta dishes and on top of your favorite pizza.

Wine Pairing: I would suggest a lighter blended red… however… what do I know… The LAdy refuses to let wine touch these feline lips… but I’m not bitter…

Beer Pairing: A dark, malty beer should really hit the spot.

Source: Raw Goat Milk

Awards: 2006 American Cheese Society – First in its Class

Calling all volunteers!

A multi-day, multi-faceted event like The Great Canadian Cheese Festival relies on volunteers to make it all happen. We need a large, enthusiastic group of worker bees and a handful of take-charge people to lead teams of volunteers. Volunteering with The Great Canadian Cheese Festival is a fun and rewarding experience where you get to work alongside experienced event co-ordinators and famous Canadian chefs—and don’t forget the delicious cheese! Culinary students and interns, community members, foodies and everyone with a passion for Canadian cheese are encouraged to join the effort.

We need a wide range of skills and experience:

• ·        Registration staff and admission ticket takers
• ·        Parking attendants
• ·        Tasting ticket sellers
• ·        Servers
• ·        Hosts/greeters
• ·        Tour guides
• ·        Cheese-prep teams for the tutored tastings
• ·        Culinary teams to work with chefs
• ·        Set-up and tear-down crews
• ·        Team leaders.

Volunteers will receive:

• ·        A colourful Cheese Festival T-shirt
• ·        Tasting tickets or a lunch (depending on shifts worked)
• ·        Admission to the Artisan Cheese & Fine Food Fair
• ·        Opportunity to taste more than 100 Canadian artisan and farmstead cheeses
• ·        Opportunity to sample artisan food, and, for volunteers 19+, fine wine, and craft beer.

To volunteer, please complete the online registration for  General Volunteers or Culinary Students & Interns.

Questions? Contact Us

Volunteers are the backbone of the Cheese Festival. We couldn’t do it without you!

This is Avery’s recipe for Italian Meatballs…

Italian Meatballs