Chicago Foodies

1st Annual Pastoral Artisan Producer Festival @ French Market Saturday

On Saturday, April 30, between 11 and 3 at the French Market on Clinton Street (and under the Chicago & Northwestern railroad tracks by what is now called Ogilvie Station), there will be over thirty-five artisanal producers showcasing their wares, from preserves to honey, cheese, beer, and confectioneries.    Some of my favorites include Half Acre Beer Company from the North Center neighborhood; L. Mawby, which makes an excellent blanc de blanc sparkling wine from Michigan; Brunkow Cheese, maker of the lovely brun-uusto baked cheese; and Bennison's Bakery, baker of what is probably my favorite bread in the city (well, okay, if you include Evanston).

The event is organized by Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread, and Wine, where I go to buy probably eighty percent of my cheese.   Check out their video:  

 

Krotovina Cheese and Duck Rillettes mixed with Foie Gras

Every once and a while, I'll stop at Pastoral Artisan Cheese, my favorite cheese shop, and let the staff make any recommendations with regard to unusual cheeses.   This time I tried the Krotovina, a goat milk cheese from Prairie Fruits Farm,which also has delicious goat cheese mixed with herbs and a great   This unusual looking cheese is covered with a bloomy rind, meaning that the outside is covered in Penicillium Cadmium, a mold used to give that waxy outside seen in Brie and Camembert.    

Capriole Mont St. Francis cheese

Being from Wisconsin I have regional bias when it comes to cheese, and I really want to believe that Wisconsin products are inherently superior.   The state, though, has tough competition from neighboring states, and one of my favorites is Capriole from Greenville, Indiana, a producer specializing in goat cheese and around for over thirty years.   I've always been impressed with the O'Banon, wrapped in brandy-soaked chestnut leaves and capable of aging.   The brandy and chestnuts infuse the goat cheese, brining a strong complexity that is already a part of its goat cheeses.    Other favorites include ash-coated Wabash Cannonball, which is a surface-ripened creamy ball of young cheese (ripened through the growth of mold); and paprika-dusted Piper's Pyramid, a creamy mountain of goodness.

My latest favorite from them is the Mont St. Francis, a washed-rind semi-hard cheese named for a local monestary.  It has an earthiness and a deep character.  The batch of cheese I got didn't quite have the funk to which Capriole's web site had alluded, but it did have the depth of flavor expected in a washed rind cheese.

Capriole goat cheeses are available at the Green City Market, though they do tend to run out of their selections.  You can also find Capriole in Whole Foods and Pastoral.

Impulse Buy of St. Pat's Day – Irish Soda Bread

Yesterday afternoon, I was wandering around the Loop taking in the preternaturally warm weather, when it dawned on me that I wanted a loaf of Irish soda bread. Strike that: needed. Ah, a warm raisin-studded round of dense, hearty soda bread! I set course for Pastoral, which is more commonly known for its cheeses and wines, but also offers some breads and an excellent selection of sandwiches. Actually, Pastoral is one of my favorite places  to grab lunch, since it is one of the few casual, non-chain options in the Loop. In recent months, I have had their Barcelona-inspired Loma Costa Bravo sandwich (thinly sliced pork, sundried tomato tapenade, artichoke, feta, olive oil, field greens) and the Cali Chevre (goat cheese, avocado, red onion, shaved celery, almond pesto), both of which were excellent.

Cotija Cheese

I’ve recently discovered Cotija (ko-TEE-hah) cheese and I love it.  Actually, I’m certain that I’ve had it many times at various Mexican restaurants but did not know it by name.  I first discovered it on the menu board at Frontera Fresco where it is deliciously sprinkled on their salads and Huaraches. 

Cotija It is a hard, dry cheese that is typically sold already grated and has a very salty and robust flavor similar to Feta, Parmesan or Romano.  It also goes by other names such as Queso Anejo or “aged cheese” and Queso Seco or “dry cheese.”  Cotija is not the best melting cheese but it is extremely versatile and has a long shelf life, which is why I love it. 

You can grate it over any type of food and it works perfectly.  I’ve been using it as a substitute for Parmesan (similar in calories and fat) and grating it over pasta and lasagna. It works great on salads, vegetables, soups (especially tomato), chili, tacos and enchiladas.  The cheese is sold in grated form at Devon Market at Devon and Clark.  I'm sure you can also find it at any Mexican grocery store.  It truly is the most versatile cheese out there and now the only cheese you’ll consistently find in my refrigerator.

Persille de Beaujolais

If I were in Chicago during the week, I would load up on cheese at Pastoral on Broadway.  Traveling for work, I rely on Whole Foods and their $3 and under cheese bin.  This week I picked up Persille de Beaujolais.  A nice creamy cow's milk cheese with edible rind, it has a nutty character.  Unlike the saltier blues it is not the acquired taste that puts off some.  At $18 a pound it is on the high side, but the bold flavor and long finish makes every bite last a long time.

Persille de Beaujolais / Cow's milk / France / at Whole Foods

Herve Mons: Got Your Stinky Right Here...

An emergency trip to Whole Foods left me with a couple of real stinkers. Actually one sheep's milk that really stinks. It's an unpasteurized Tomme du Berger. It's much stinkier than I thought. I usually enjoy the reek but this one is unabashedly rotten. 1/4 bottle of saké has left me more than able to reminisce on those days as a child when I went to swimming lessons and the peculiar funk that I was privy to in the deepest of locker-room lockers. Boy is this one a farm-land winner.

Brescianella Aquivitae: Off the Stink Charts

Nearly a year ago I wrote about Morbier,  a stinky cheese that my now-wife was more than glad to throw away.   My love for the stink hasn't diminished in spite of it, and I have found a new love in a name I'll never remember, so if I write about it hopefully I can do a keyword search when I'm trying to recall what I ate.