Everybody loves cheese (wasn't that a tv show?). Ask any ex-vegan what their downfall was and 90% of the time it'll be the fromage. When I was a kid I would sit there and eat a whole block of velveeta by myself. Yeah I know that's not really cheese but it was close enough. As I've gotten older my tastes have refined a bit and I tend to enjoy cheeses that aren't sliced and individually wrapped in plastic. Washington state is home to some amazing cheesemakers (and a lot of ex-vegans). One of my favorite cheeses is the seastack from Mt. Townsend Creamery. Seastack, or the Sleestack as K likes to call it (any Land of the Lost fans out there?), is a brie style cow's milk cheese that is mold ripened for two to three weeks. It's coated with vegetable ash and salt ot give it an earthy flavor. I love this cheese. It's soft and creamy with a tangy bite from the rind. It's the perfect cheese that will stand up to a bold acidic white wine. As I recently discovered it's also a great cheese to cook with. I made a light cheese sauce out of it and served it with brussel sprouts. Very delicious. 
Brussel Sprouts with Seastack
1 lb brussel sprouts, trimed and cut in half
1 Tbsp butter
1 round of Seastack cheese
1/2 c dry white wine
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
In a saute pan over medium high heat melt the butter and saute the brussel sprouts cut side down until they get a nice caramelization (about 3-4 minutes). Pour in the wine and with a spoon swirl in the dijon mustard. Cover and turn the heat down to medium low. Steam for 6-8 minutes until just tender. Cut the Seastack in half. With a spoon scrape the cheese out of the rind and stir into the sauce until the cheese dissolves. Serve immediately.
It's never occured to me to do anything with seastack other than inhale it on crackers as quickly as I can. You've just opened a whole new world for me ... I'm going to try cooking with it!
ReplyDeleteA good story
ReplyDeleteGK Chesterton: “The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”
Voila: www.tastingtoeternity.com. This book is a poetic view of 30 of the best loved French cheeses with an additional two odes to cheese. Recipes, wine pairing, three short stories and an educational section complete the book.
From a hectic life in New York City to the peace and glories of the French countryside lead me to be the co-founder of www.fromages.com. Ten years later with the words of Pierre Androuet hammering on my brain:
“Cheese is the soul of the soil. It is the purest and most romantic link between humans and the earth.”
I took pen and paper; many reams later with the midnight oil burning Tasting to Eternity was born and self published.
I believe cheese and wine lovers should be told about this publication.
Enjoy