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Thank you for following the QR trail! Glad to have you here! Second edition!! I can't believe they let me back on the show, how cool is this!! Well, after my last appearance, i saw the fruits on my labor. The Saturday after, we were at Redhead when a group walked in and said they were visiting because they saw me on The Jason Show! Mission accomplished!!!!!
Below is the information on the cheeses and cooking directions I presented. Some may not have made it into the segment (I tend to over do it!), but I wanted to give you all of the information on them regardless.
Enjoy!!
Let's go by producer:
Cady Cheese fresh Cheese Curds. Located in Wilson Wisconsin, this is the cheese factory of my youth. In the fall we would make a Sunday trip to Connell's Apple Orchard to pick our apples and buy fresh pressed cider. Perhaps enjoy a slice of pie at the social. Then we made a trip to Cady for fresh Colby and fresh curds, both made that morning. Enjoying our cheese and apples in a park, or more frequently out of the back of the van, that was Sunday lunch. Curds made fresh DAILY.
Redhead Creamery in Brooten MN, south of Sauk Center. Absolute must visit!! Alise started this "Redheads Dream" when she was quite young. she made her first cheeses in 2014. They are a fantastic farm family. Jer-Lindy Farm is run by Alise's parents, Jerry and Linda. The farm provides all of the milk for the Creamery and both are on the same site, which makes it a Farmstead Creamery. They are also in the process of producing clear spirits from the whey that is the by-product of the cheesemaking process. Onsite, they offer farm tours and there is a bistro where you can get delicious eats and local wine an beer and buy the cheeses. Soon they will have a tasting room for the whey spirits. AND....Saturday, June 17th is CHEESE CURD FEST!!
Little Lucy Brie. Cutest little personal sized (well, for me it is!) Brie cheese named after Alise's daughter, Lucy. We talked last time about grilling the little brie. Well, we are grilling, but with a twist. Little Lucy on Cedar Plank with Boozy cherries. Directions are below. Try with fruit forward wines, ciders and pale ales.
The Barbarian. Named after their youngest, Conan. They do have a great sense of humor! This is a small wheel that is perfect for the Girolle! Fun thing: once you make a flower, dip just the ruffled edges in different spices like paprika, or sumac. Or dip into olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar from Love That Olive! Pretty and tasty!!
AND BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND....well, really just 'cause I like the cheese :)
Marieke Gouda We can't say enough good things about this producer, their mission and the product. It all is simply glorious! Please read the link , you will be in love too. Marieke's facility in Thorp Wisconsin is a fantastic weekend destination. Much like Redhead, they have the farm with the cows on the same site as the creamery. The Creamery has viewing windows so you can watch the cheese being made and the aging rooms. Cafe' Dutchess is located within and serves up some lovely ice cream, grilled cheese sandwiches and other cheese-centric delights! Marieke Gouda is one of our top domestic and international award winners in the US, she is a force to be reckoned with!! Marieke is a licensed Cheesemaker, she is projected to become a Master Cheesemaker in 2025
Holy Trinity Gouda, one of the newest releases. Holy Trinity as in the trio of elements that are a cornerstone of Cajun cooking: Green Bell Peppers, Onions and Celery. As savory as it sounds!! Entirely munchable, but if you do manage to have some left, it is awesome on a burger for Father's Day!! Melts great!
Carr Valley Cheese Owned and operated by the Cook family, Carr Valley Cheese Company is over one-hundred years old. Nestled amongst the rolling hills and lush pastures of central Wisconsin, they are one of Wisconsin's traditional cheese plants, famous for making cheese the old-fashioned way! Sid Cook is a Master Cheesemaker
Carr Valley Bread Cheese.....welcome to your next best friend. Seriously addicting and curious little cheese! There is no relation to "bread" other than the fact that it kinda looks like bread when you brown it. Let me explain. It is called Juustoleipa in the old world (Finland). It does NOT MELT when heated, it just browns and softens and gets a bit closer to a fresh cheese curd. If you have ever had one in Wisconsin (fresh cheese curd) you know what I am talking about. They "back in the day way" to enjoy was to dip a strip into coffee until it warmed, eat for breakfast. Today, we throw it on the grill for funsies....it makes your guests wonder what the heck you are doing. It distracts them, and they forget to criticize how you are doing the burgers....very important! It can be served in a myriad of ways, it is such a mild cheese. Try fresh fruit and jams. I like to do chunks in a cast iron pan on the grill with olives and cherry tomatoes and folks can make their own little skewer! Today, I served it with Toasted Sesame Oil from Love That Olive
And last but not least, some really awesome Cheddar and cheddar/blue cheeses that go great with beer!
Imperial Buck from Deer Creek. Like the award-winning Fawn and Stag, Deer Creek’s The Imperial Buck is a handmade, bandaged-wrapped Cheddar. It is carefully aged for a longer period of time to allow for an even greater development of its rich nutty flavor and sweet butterscotch finish. Chris Gentine is a licensed Cheese Grader.
Roelli Red Rock Chris Roelli is a fourth generation cheesemaker from Roelli Cheese Haus located just East of Shullsburg in the Southwest corner of Wisconsin. His Great Grandfather emigrated from Switzerland and began making cheese in the early 1920’s, thereafter his Grandfather Walter and his father Dave continued in the tradition. After the closing of their commodity cheddar factory in 1991, Chris reopened the small artisan factory in 2006. Red Rock has a natural bloomy rind, a slight streak of blue veining in a body of richly colored cheddar. Chris is a Master Cheesemaker, it takes about 10 years of work and education to reach that status in Wisconsin.
And, if you read to the end of this post, you will be graced with a bit of knowledge that is NOT commonly held among folks:
Wisconsin is the only place outside of Switzerland that REQUIRES a license to make cheese.
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