Cheese and Spirit Tasting with 45th Parallel Distillery December 18th 2025

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As promised, use code FORAGETOFROMAGE at checkout on cheesegrotto.com for 10% off your purchase!

Also included in this post are some of the recipes used, and a review form.

CHEERS!

The list of cheeses you tasted and links to their websites are listed here

1. Barrel Aged Gin with Glacier Blue Spruce Smoked Blue Cheese and Fritos. And Alpha Tolman from Jasper Hill

2. Davis Manhattan with Imperial Buck from Deer Creek

3. Orangecello with Ski Queen Gjetost and Happy Little Saltines

Recipes:

Served Today

Happy Little Saltines (Baconchoconines)

Melt in a double boiler:

·         1 cup milk chocolate chips

·         1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Dip saltines in melted chocolate and place on cooling rack placed that is placed on a waxed paper lined baking sheet to cool

Cut bacon into 1” pieces and cook as desired.

Place one or two pieces of cooked bacon on each chocolate covered saltine.

Cool, store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

Recipes I though were fun

Spruce tip shortbread Cookies

·         1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh conifer needles and/or tips – can use fir, Douglas fir, pine, spruce, hemlock, or substitute rosemary

·         1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

·         1/2 cup granulated sugar

·         2 teaspoons orange zest or top with candied orange peel

·         Pinch of salt

·         2 cups all-purpose flour

Finely chop the evergreen needles/tips using a food processor, grinder, or high-powered blender. Remove any large fibers or whole needles.

· Combine the needles/tips, butter, sugar, orange zest, and salt in a large bowl and mix until creamy.

· Gradually add flour, mixing thoroughly to form a dough. Mix with a wooden spoon, fingers, or both.

· Divide the dough onto 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll into 1.5-inch diameter logs, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 15 minutes.

· Preheat oven to 350°F.

· Unwrap the dough and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Remove or smooth any fibers for prettier cookies.

· Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Candied Orange Peel

4 navel oranges (about 3 pounds/ 1.35kg)

4 cups granulated sugar divided (800g)

1. Wash the oranges thoroughly and cut ½-inch off the top and bottom. Make 4 to 6 lengthwise cuts through the skin and pith, then peel. Trim excess pith to ⅛-inch if needed.

2. Cut the peels crosswise into ¼-inch pieces.

3. Place peels in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse. Repeat once more.

4. In the same pot, combine 3 cups sugar with 2 cups water. Boil to dissolve sugar, add peels, and simmer for 40-45 minutes until glossy.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place a wire rack on top.

6. Use a slotted spoon to transfer peels from syrup to the rack. Let dry for about 30 minutes.

7. Place 1 cup of sugar in a bowl. Coat the peels in sugar, then return to the rack. Repeat until all peels are coated.

Old Fashioned Syrup (bonus recipe, we used this at our last event at 45th on Harbison)

1/2 cup each maple syrup and Bourbon

Couple of slices candied orange

Optional: dried cherries

Over low heat, simmer all until Bourbon is nearly evaporated, let cool.

How was your experience with today's event?

• Not too bad (5 out 0f 5)
• Pretty good (4 out of 5)
• That's interesting (3 out of 5)
• Could be worse (2 out of 5)

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