AmazonFresh  / Blog

As a lover of cheese, I find that I am constantly on the lookout for the next best cheese. Cheese that is different, unique and perhaps, unheard of. I realize that I cannot be selfish with my findings, so I will share a couple of my new favorites with you! As a side note, these cheeses are so new to us that we don't even have an image of them to share. Don't worry, they're coming soon!

Beehive Cheese Company: The Beehive Cheese Company is located in Utah and owned by 2 men who quit their day jobs of real estate and software to make great artisan cheese. They use products that are native to their state and produce fantastically clean and flavorful cheese. My all time favorite is Barely Buzzed--a semi-hard cheese that is packed full of surprises. Rubbed with a mix of coffee and lavender grounds that are diluted with oil (so that they won't seep into the cheese, rather, they stay on the surface), this cheese imparts a bold coffee taste with hints of caramel and butterscotch. The accolades on Barely Buzzed are impressive--it took 1st place in 2007 and 2008 at the American Cheese Society Annual Competition under the Flavored Cheddar category. I serve this cheese for dessert along with Columbia Winery's Chardonnay, because the buttery profile of the wine pairs well.

Rogue Creamery: Based out of Oregon, Rogue Creamery is one of my all time favorite cheese companies. They specialize in blue cheeses (winner of the Best Blue Cheese in the World by the World Cheese Awards located in London in 2003...a first for a US cheese) which rival France's famous Roquefort Cheese and cheddar cheeses infused with uncommon ingredients. There are 2 cheddars that I am especially fond of: Lavender and Chocolate Stout. The Lavender Cheddar is made with organic French lavender and the flavor imparts a sweet note on the mild cheese. The floral flavor isn't overwhelming; rather it lightly lingers on your palate. I prefer not to pair this cheese with wine but instead with Vanilla Bean Dry Soda.

As for the Chocolate Stout Cheddar, it has been infused with real chocolate, chocolate malts and Rogue Chocolate Stout Ale (a microbrewery in Oregon that shares the same name). This leaves the cheese with a light brown marbling and a taste that is unlike no other. I find that this cheddar starts out bittersweet (from the Ale) then finishes with a sweet chocolate note. This cheese is best complimented by an ale or stout. . .but I prefer to pair it with a robust, fruity wine. Any viognier will do, but the one I like best is Sobon Estate's Viognier.

I hope you will enjoy these cheeses as much as I do! And if you find the next best unique cheese, feel free to let me know--I would love to try it out and share it with others. Happy eating!

I'm not a beer drinker which makes St. Patrick's Day a lonesome holiday for me. I'm "that" person...the one who orders wine when we're out on March 17th. To avoid the stares and comments, I've devised a new plan-- I stay at home and have some friends over for a great meal with wine, beer (for "those" people) and some Kerrygold Cheese. Produced in Ireland, the creators of Kerrygold get their milk from a COOP of local farmers to make their line of cheeses and butter. I know that I normally rave about great cheeses and their flavor profiles but let me take a moment to talk about Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter; this butter is truly fantastic. My first experience with this butter was 2 years ago at the Pike Place Cheese Festival--a representative of Kerrygold smothered a tiny piece of bread in this butter. It was hot day (for Seattle) which allowed the butter to turn into the consistency of pudding, tasting sweet and luxurious with a slightly salty finish. I make it a tradition to take it out of the fridge (or freezer, where I often put my butter) to let it reach room temperature. For my meal, I heat Essential Bakery's Potato Rolls at 300 degrees for 10 minutes and serve them slathered with the butter. Most often, the butter runs out before the bread does.

As for their cheeses, I particularly enjoy the Dubliner which is similar to Beecher's Flagship Cheese; it's considered a part of the Cheddar family with a nutty and slightly sweet taste. Although most would say it goes well with Guinness, I actually like to pair mine with Duck Pond's Cabernet Sauvignon. However, my favorite way to enjoy Dubliner is to mix it into a homemade macaroni and cheese. If you're in a hurry, I would recommend using Dubliner in a grilled cheese sandwich. I serve the macaroni and cheese as a side to a rack of lamb (not traditional, I know, but I'll use any excuse I can to eat lamb) along with a mixed green salad dressed in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, twist of lemon, salt and pepper.

Finally, we come to dessert. Instead of serving a soft cheese as an appetizer or with my main course, I like to present Blarney Castle for dessert with a side of fruit (green grapes, Jazz apple slices), honey, Anjou Bakery's Fruit Nut Crostini and a handful of almonds. Blarney Castle is a softer cheese, comparable to a young Gouda with a rich, velvety flavor. This cheese goes nicely with a crisp white but if I serve cheese for dessert, I like to pair it with Columbia Winery Gewurtztraminer, which is a sweeter wine that has a fruity palate.

There you have it, St Patty's Day re-invented. Bar food and green beer replaced with authentic Irish cheese enjoyed with good friends and even better wines.

In the world of cheese, I feel that Blue Cheese is the underdog. Known for its strong smell and unique color, Blue (as I like to call it) is often pushed aside for the more scent-friendly Brie or the all-around loved Cheddar. However, the more time I spend with this lonesome cheese, the more I've come to love it. Pair Rogue Creamery's Smokey Blue with a crisp Fuji apple and you've got the most tempting mixture of salty and sweet. In my personal opinion, it tastes similar to bacon. If you want something more conventional, I recommend Rosenburg Danish Blue Cheese crumbled on top of a salad. My favorite pairing is Ford Farm's English Blue Stilton with honeycomb (or just plain honey if you can't find honeycombs) and a great red wine (my new favorite is a Malbec).