Bzzzzzz ... bees in February? How is this possible?

 

 
I joined long-time friend Barbara Shepard for breakfast in Fairhaven yesterday. When we finished getting caught up on the latest in our respective lives over good food, a lot of laughter, and a goodly number of coffee refills, we parted our separate ways. I had other errands to run in Fairhaven, one of which was to check in with Beth at Quel Fromage, a friendly and helpful cheesemonger. She suggested a cheese I hadn’t tried before. I let her twist my arm, wrap up the cheese, and I headed back to Birch Bay.
I am so glad I experienced this cheese!

“Barely Buzzed” is a wonderful version of cheddar created by Tim Welsh and Pat Ford, brothers and owners of Beehive Cheese Company in Uintah, Utah. I’m not aware of many cheesemakers in Utah, maybe ten or so, but if Barely Buzzed is any indication, I’m going to try some of their other cheeses. Apparently I’m not the only one who appreciates it, as it won 1st Place, Flavored Cheddar American Cheese Society Annual Competition 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Barely Buzzed, such a catchy moniker, was aptly named by Beehive creamery fan, Andrea with Deluxe Foods in California. I say it’s aptly named because this full-bodied cheddar cheese with a smooth texture and a hint of butterscotch and caramel creaminess was hand-rubbed with a Turkish grind of Colorado Legacy Coffee Company (the cheesemakers’ brother) “Beehive Blend” blended with French Superior Lavender buds. What? Yes, I mean to tell you, that it sounds peculiar, but it tastes FAB! I could taste the lavender when I bit into the rind, and the espresso under note permeates into the paste. It just melted in my mouth!

Barely Buzzed is made with first class grade whole milk from Jersey cows at Ogden’s Wadeland South Dairy. For you vegetarians out there, a vegetarian rennet was used to make this cheese. It’s aged on Utah Blue Spruce aging racks in Beehive’s humidity controlled caves, and moved to different temperature during the 4-5 month aging process to develop texture and flavor. Check out Beehive Cheese's website for more interesting information about these brothers and their cheese making adventure.

Beth at Quel Fromage recommended pairing Barely Buzzed with beer, but I continued the “buzz” by eating the cheese with a dark roast coffee. Delicious!

One could use this cheddar in cooking, but it is such a treat to eat by itself, and the rind is part of the taste experience. Along with coffee, I also paired the cheese with Lesley Stowe’s Raincoast Crisps, wonderful cranberry and hazelnut crackers. What a lovely repast! See if you can get your hands on Barely Buzzed. Very cool!

A perfect cheese with which to sit with your sweetheart and feed each other morsels!

http://www.quelfromage.com/
http://www.beehivecheese.com/
 

More About Gothberg Farms ...

A mountain high list of to-dos has kept me from finishing off my article about Gothberg Farms' delicious assortment of goat cheeses. However, I was online with some research, and unexpectedly came across the following recipe. It is the perfect thing to get back into the article and wrap ‘er up!

I haven’t—yet—personally made this recipe, but I have enough chevre to make it tonight for dinner. It looks like it would be delish!

Art Smith’s Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

I read that these biscuits are served to diners at Art Smith’s Chicago restaurant, Table Fifty-Two.

Makes 12 biscuits

2 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) cold butter
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) goat cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
Extra butter to grease pan and top biscuits
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Place one 10-inch cast iron pan into the oven while it is preheating. Place flour and salt into a medium-size bowl. Cut in the butter and goat cheese. Make a well in the middle of the ingredients and pour in the milk. Stir until the mix is moistened, adding an extra tablespoon of milk, if needed.

Remove the hot skillet from the oven and place a tablespoon of butter into it. When the butter has melted, drop ¼ cupfuls of batter into the pan. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter. Bake from 14-16 minutes until browned on the top and bottom. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy them while they’re warm!

Doesn’t that sound tasty?

But, more specifically back to Gothberg Farms. Since first getting my hands on a sampling of Rhonda’s goat cheeses, I’ve used them in a number of recipes. There are a couple cheeses I haven’t yet sunk my teeth into, and Rhonda seems to keep coming up with new cheese delights. The latest that I’m aware of is a cheesecake they’re making right there at the farm. Who doesn’t love cheesecake?!!!

I’m including some photographs of the farm and “the LaMancha ladies” from this summer. The photo of Rhonda was taken at her booth at the Anacortes Farmers Market in September.

I paired the Gothberg Caprino Romano with salsa and chips, which I heartily recommend. Rose, one of the ladies in our office makes the salsa from scratch, which I also heartily recommend for total taste explosion. I also cut up what I had left over and dropped it into a steaming hot bowl of homemade Italian minestrone. Lovely!

I enjoyed melting the Caerphilly in a grilled cheese sandwich. I also dropped little chunks of it into some chili I made. Loved it.

The fresh chevre was heavenly with the fresh summer peaches and blueberries! And of course, it is a wonderful addition to a salad anytime. It was really helpful to find out I could freeze the chevre and thaw it out later. I’ve now done that twice and have been pleased that the cheese retains its smooth texture and taste, although I did like it best fresh.

The ricotta I tried with cantaloupe, kiwi and cherries and I loved it! I also used some of the ricotta in an Italian pasta dish I whipped up one night for dinner.

Speaking of ricotta. Here is a photograph of some cookies made specifically for Gothberg Farms by The Breadfarm, using Rhonda’s ricotta. The cookies were a very nice addition to my afternoon tea.

It just shows you can’t miss with ANY of the Gothberg Farms cheeses.

Although the farmers markets are finished for the season, you can still purchase Gothberg Farms cheese at their farm on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm. They’re located at 15203 Sunset Road, Bow WA 98232 (360) 202-2436, at Terra Organica and Bargainica at 1520 Cornwall Avenue, Suite 101, Bellingham (360) 715-8020, and at Slough Food at 5766 Cains Court, Suite B, Edison 98232.

My recommendation would be to make it a road trip by dropping by Gothberg Farms, Slough Food and the Breadfarm in Bow-Edison. John, owner of Slough Food, has some lovely wine selections and an international assortment of cheese, plus other foodie goodies; and the Breadfarm is in the same building (360) 766-4065, so MUST stop in there, too! You will be ever so glad that you made the road trip!

I’ve had a wonderful time getting to know Rhonda and learning about her operation, and meeting her very personable goats. Rhonda exemplifies the attitude I’ve found among artisan cheesemakers. Cheesemaking is so much more than a livelihood; it’s a passion, a way of life, with a high regard and affection for their milk-producing animals, and an ever-prevailing ethic to provide the best quality product to their patrons.

Thank you, Rhonda and staff at Gothberg Farms!

http://www.gothbergfarms.com/
http://www.sloughfood.com/

http://www.breadfarm.com/

What? More Havarti?

Well, as a matter of fact, yes, more Havarti.

Good friend, Terry, reminded me that we used to enjoy a very rustic veggie grilled Havarti sandwich at a little restuarant on Citrus Avenue in Redlands, CA. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the restuarant, but that is neither here nor there.

Both of us started salivating at the memory of THE Havarti sandwich.

As soon as I could, I ran to the kitchen, slathered butter on a couple of thick slices of very hearty wheat bread I got from Avenue Breads in Bellingham, sliced some dill Havarti, tossed it onto the skillet! A little sizzle, sizzle and it was browned and melted and ready to savor and enjoy! I had it with some jalapeno Dorito chips. It wasn't THE Havarti sandwich Terry and I had in Redlands, but it was the hot and melting one I had in hand.

Delicious with an icy cold beer!