News From The Cheese Caves

One of the more significant functions for any accountant is the accurate control of company assets. And probably the most important of those assets is the company’s inventory. This control is usually enhanced by periodic physical counts of the inventory items. My experience with physical inventory counts usually takes place in a massive manufacturing warehouse filled with thousands of dirty, used auto parts or tons of Kraft paper. This type of physical count is typically uncomfortable, dirty and smelly. Fortunately, the physical inventory count procedure at Artisanal Cheese is a remarkably pleasurable experience.

The best thing about counting inventory at Artisanal is the cleanliness and organization of the caves. Each of the five environmentally controlled caves is filled with easily accessible racks that help make the counting efficient and enjoyable. Trust me, it’s much better than climbing around on dirty warehouse racks in 100 degree Texas heat.

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Artisanal’s Dean of Curriculum and Maître Fromager was interviewed on iwineradio.com.

Listen to the radio interview.

Max discusses cheese and pairings with his usual insight, passion, and expertise. This interview is worth a listen.

At a Mediterranean Diet conference that I attended recently it was interesting to note that the cooking demos I was able to catch both included cheese in their ingredients, as in “healthy food.” We’ve known it for years, that cheese was a near-complete, a “near-perfect” food.

While we certainly appreciate how cheese can enhance  a recipe, we enjoy fine cheeses on their own, without having to cook with them. It’s great to see that more Americans are catching on to the cheese idea; well most of them. A new store that’s opening soon near where I live in lower Manhattan has a banner that claims: “We don’t cook with butter, cream, mayo, or other unhealthy fats!”  Though the banner did not mention cheese, apparently not everyone has caught on yet.

-Max McCalman
Dean of Curriculum and Maître Fromager

Since my artisanal cheese epiphany several years ago, I have always considered myself a “cheese purist” — not wanting to obscure the pure expression of taste that the cheesemaker intended. To taste a bite of a raw cow’s milk cheese is to evoke the flavor of fresh pastures and sunny days as your tongue is coated with its creamy curd. Why would anyone put it on a flavored cracker or top it with a spread? Then I met a local beekeeper who insisted I try her honey with a variety of cheeses. That was my first affirmation that cheese could indeed be elevated to another level of gastronomic ecstasy.

After conducting several cheese and honey tastings, I moved on to the world of condiments. Further proof of the condiment craze catching on was at a Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Event where I featured 10 different Artisanal cheeses with a variety of gourmet condiments. Needless to say, the crowd went wild!

For a new culinary thrill, try a drizzle of Buckwheat honey over a chunk of Valdeon or other rich blue. Goat cheese topped with Harvest Song’s Golden Fig Preserves on a Fruit and Nut Crostini is a healthy, delicious and rewarding breakfast in a hurry. Other favorites include a hunk of farmhouse cheddar topped with a chunky chutney or a dollop of Coffee Apple Butter on Beehive Farms Barely Buzzed cheese—nirvana!

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“The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity, than the discovery of a new star.” – Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin French gourmet & lawyer (1755 – 1826) from his masterpiece: The Physiology of Taste, 1825

I began working at Artisanal Cheese at the end of February 2008 and had my first mind blowing cheese experience shortly there after. It was the beginning of spring and as all cheese-heads know great things happen to cheese in the spring. Spring is when fresh new cheese gets its chance to shine, and it was last spring when our Director of Affinage, Monsieur Denis Cottin gave me my first taste of Brillat Savarin Frais (FRESH!). Named in honor of the 18th century French gastonome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin – this brilliant little cheese is six ounces of triple crème perfection.

In its freshest form, which is only available for a few months of the year, Brillat Savarin is like cream cheese on steroids, ultra creamy, ultra smooth, ultra rich and delicious. I felt like one of those allegorical characters in Plato’s cave, I thought I knew what fresh creamy cheese was; when in fact all I had known were shadows, vague misrepresentations of reality. Monsieur Cottin brought me into the light, showing me what true cream cheese should taste like. For weeks I would swipe hunks of the stuff whenever a sample left production, I never bothered with crackers or bread or condiments of any kind, just mouthfuls of pure heaven. I have always considered myself a foodie, long before the word became commonplace, but on that day almost one year ago, I realized how little I knew and how much more I wanted to know.

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin’s most famous quote is, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.” I now know who I am; after you try this cheese you’ll know yourself better too.

-Heather
Assistant to the CEO

When our group purchased the Artisanal Cheese Center from its founders and I got the honor of figuring out what to do next with Artisanal, I couldn’t wait to attend a class with Max to dig into my new job and learn something from the master himself.  This encounter was the root of our now famous CheeseClock

Max showed us how we should appreciate cheese by starting us out at the 6 o’clock position of our plate,  which on that night was a two ounce piece of a very soft, triple crème cheese from France called Brillat-Savarin that was paired with a glass of champagne – “a match made in Heaven”, as Max called out to the class.  We then enjoyed more than 5 more cheeses with different wines, each one becoming stronger in aroma and flavor, as we moved clockwise to the 9 o’clock position of our plate, then to the 12 o’clock position, until the class ended with Roquefort made only for Artisanal that was paired with a tasting of port wine.  In 90 minutes, I learned so much about cheese.  I now have a framework to work within and am never lost even when looking at the 200 cheeses at Artisanal and bottles upon bottle of wine we have stored here.  When selecting more than one cheese I can now put together a complete cheese flight thinking of the CheeseClock principles — lighter to stronger cheeses, alternating textures and having a sense of the beverage partner.   If I have one cheese, I know what type of wine, or even beer or champagne goes best with it as if I was in the dining of a Michelin-rated restaurant with Max as my personal fromager and sommelier.

These days when I see people eating triple crème cheeses with red wine and hear them say “I love wine and cheese”, I cringe, thinking it’s all wrong.  Their pairing is not right!   Thanks Max, you made me a snob.   I guess I was saved by the Clock!

The French Laundry in Napa, California has long been considered one of the best restaurants in the country. It is no wonder they serve Artisanal Premium Cheese.

The French Laundry has been kind enough to allow us to release a selection of some of the cheeses you would enjoy if you went for dinner.

Take a look a The French Laundry’s selection.

Here are some highlights:

1. Stanser Rotteli – This Swiss washed-rind has an assertive flavor and a strong aroma.

2. Vermont Shepherd – This cheese has a smooth texture and won a Best of Show at the American Cheese Society competition.

3. Blaui Geiss – An extremely rare raw goats milk cheese from Switzerland.