gariotin

I'm happy to report that "Moroccan" olives are just fine - they are an excellent example of an oil-cured olive. Oil cure is also kinda a misnomer - because first they are cured in layers of salt, which acts as an agent to extract the bitterness and cure the olive. After curing and rinsing, the typical oil cure olive will be tossed w/oil and often aromatics like garlic or herbs to re-hydrate the flesh of the olives. I love the rich, unctuous flesh that results - they are very intense and delicious. Most French olives that are called "black w/herbes de Provence" use this method and get their raw material from Morocco. There is not much of an olive harvest left in France anymore, outside of the wonderful varietals like Lucques, Picholines, Cassee de Baux, Nicoise, etc. The best French manufacturers have long and loyal family relationships with Moroccan growers, so they import the olives and then cure and flavor them in France. Canning makes them even softer - try to get "fresh", i.e. unpasteurized ones if you can, but they are always delicious and a little goes a long way in a dish. BTW, if you are assured that you are getting high quality olives, the brine is a great ingredient, so dont' throw it out. I use it in soups, stews, salad dressings, or a great braising liquid for chard or spinach. I always have several containers or jars of brine in the fridge, just because you never know when it will come in handy!

Thanks for the info, Smithy - been telling that story for years, but always preface it with a disclaimer.

I can help here - I have been selling "real" olives for many years, including most of those on the olive bars in WF stores. The major difference between Lindsey or commercial olives and "real" olives is the use of lye, or other caustic chemicals. Olives must be cured to be edible. When treated with lye, olives can be cured in a matter of hours. Naturally cured olives are held in tanks of salt water, and the salinity is constantly monitered. This takes months, but you end up with an olive that is not compromised in texture or flavor. This also affects price - as you can imagine, if you can turn over your stock quickly, the price can be lower. Naturally cured olives will always be more expensive because the stock must be held during curing. I have always heard this apocryphal story, so don't know that it is true - that when the old Lindsey plant closed down to move into a larger facility, the land around it was declared an EPA disaster site due to the many years of lye leaching into the ground. I think Dana's suggestion is a great one - go to that WF, or a store that you know has top-quality olives, and buy a few different types to taste and compare. Curing methods can result in very different textures - oil cured black olives will always be soft and a little chewy, while brine cured olives like kalamatas or green olives will be crunchier. A favorite is a French varietal called a Picholine - it is bright green and sometimes has a buttery flavor, but very crunchy. As to canned olives, I find that once you have gotten used to fresh olives that are unpasteurized, it is hard to enjoy canned olives. The act of canning cooks them a bit in the tin, affecting the color and texture.\ Let us know what you like!

OK, Dave - not only do you tease us with your proximity to great cheeses, now you also seem to have a to-die-for kitchen. Life certainly seems to be good in France! I am embarking on a kitchen reno next month - never have done one before, so I am crossing my fingers. I tried to be careful about balancing good values like subway tiles and good, but simple cabinets with a couple of splurges like a full farmhouse sink and soapstone counters. Not having a camera, I can't post a before pix, but it is a typical 50s ranch kitchen - dark, horrible vinyl floor, and boxed-in layout. I am going for a bigger window over the sink, pulling out an old island that divided the room and replacing it with a smaller one, and white cabinets and tiles. All I want is something clean, bright, and uncluttered. I'll keep you posted.

What a beautiful platter of crayfish! What other dishes are part of a traditional party? I agree with you on Beaufort - it is one of the best of the French mountain cheeses. Here is the States, the Beaufort made with summer milk is considered the most select and demands the highest price. It is always worth it.

Dave, you are killing me with those beautiful pix of raw milk beauties! The company I used to work for did import and sell both the Pechegos and Rouelle - probably about 5 years ago now. It was definitely sold in some Whole Foods stores and retailers around NYC. Once the ax fell, they became impossible to import anymore and I miss them. The Pechegos was very interesting and delicious. But that goat brie is a magnificent thing - one more good thing about living in France... Spaghetttti - I like to eat cheese with very thin slices of baguette or thin unflavored crackers. I don't like the ratio of vehicle to cheese to overpower the taste of the cheese. I eat cheese just by itself a lot, but sometimes the crunch of a cracker or chewiness of bread is a great extra texture.

Thank's for the info, Andrew. I am going to keep my eyes open for it - I've never tried any gouda older than 5 yrs, so it sounds interesting. Lisa, if you see this, can y tell us the brand name on it? Thanks!

And Sadistick - have never been to Kensignton Market, but will check it out. My favorite solution to jet lag is that guy outside the Neal's Yard shop in Borough Market - when you are exhausted and hungry and just trying to stay awake, his grilled cheese sandwich with Montgomery's ched and chopped shallots and his raclette w/cornichon is the most amazing meal one can have. You are standing in the street, weary and starving, and it is just SO GOOD!! Don't know who you are, Mr. Street Cheese Guy, but you deserve a big cheer!

Whoa! 10 year old gouda? That's pretty crazy. 5year old gouda is so hard it is like a bowling ball to cut - I cannot imagine it making to 10 year old. Can you throw us a brand name? That seems a little suspicious to me!

OMG - Fleur de Maquis and its counterpart, Brin d'Amour are some of the best cheese in the world!! It looks like someone dropped it on the barn floor - it's herbaceous notes and sheepy qualities make it unbelievable when it is good! Absolutely one of the best!

Very impressive menu and recipes, Abra. Would y mind if I crib some - I am always asked to give people ideas of how to cook w/cheese - you have some great ones in here - in addition to popular cheeses like Manchego and Cabrales, you have some of my favorite regional ones like Garrotxa and Urgelia. Spanish cheeses, and Portuguese ones as well, are some of the most interesting and varied cheeses around. I was surprised however, that when I was in Spain, it was hard to find artisinal cheeses. Seems like they are so smitten with a zillion different kinds of ham, that their wonderful cheeses play second fiddle. Hope we have some Spanish folk weigh in with their opinions...

Up until 2 years ago, we imported Rocamadour into the US, but everyone got scared and stopped. It is a beautiful little cheese and I miss it. Your pix is gorgeous! Yes, I also have heard that Crottin is a slang word for "turd" - looks pretty similar! As for another name/shape one, there is Tetilla from Galacia in Spain. It looks just like a big boob! Not a tremendously interesting cheese, but quite simple and likable. I've heard local children enjoy a sandwich of Tetilla and membrillo (quince paste). Anyone know if this is true?

Dave, you are a lucky Yank - these look yummy! How long does it take to get to the beurre stage, and when there, do they have more of a rind, with a different texture in the center? MMmmmmmm.....

Small world - I live on the South Shore. Yes, Formaggio Kitchen is a gem - we are lucky in the Boston area to have some great cheesemongers. Where do other folks buy their good cheeses?

Gini, I agree w/your cheesemonger - Papillon is not what it used to be. Try Carles, if you can get it, but Coulet is also excellent. The chevre looks fabulous - give props to your local cheese vendor - where did you buy it?

Well, here's a wierd factoid - we were a loyal Hellman's family growing up and my mom used it in everthing, including her award-winning potato salad. Only thing is...we kept it in the kitchedncupboard next to the peanut butter, etc. I never knew you were suppposed to refrigerate mayo until I went away to college! Either there were more preservatives in it back then on the 50s and 60s (doubt it), or mayo has gotten a bum rap. All I know is that I keep it in the fridge when I buy it...only Hellman's, natch. (This Duke's thing has my curiosity piqued - will have to buy a jar next time I'm in the South.) Favorite recipe - guess this is mostly for New Englanders - during bluefish season, whisk together mayo and Dijon mustard and frost a generous amount onto the filets before baking. It sort of poofs up, makes a crust, and has a nice spiciness that goes great with the rich,dark fish. Yum...it's bluefish season right now...gotta go!

Me too, Stu! When my daughter got pregnant last year, one of the very first things they told her to avoid were raw milk cheeses! I could not believe it! I had a huge argument w/her OB - they just tell women this b/c it was in some medical journal they read, not b/c they really know anything about it! You are so right - small farmers that make cheese from their own herds have to be more attentive to the cleanliness of their operations than folks whose milk get mixed with many farmers and pasteurized. Listeriosis is just as much a possibility with pasteurized product as raw milk. Raw milk cheese just rocks and it is a sin that we are not allowed to eat imported products. I feel that is like eating raw shellfish - you know that if you eat raw oysters or clams you are taking a risk, but you make the choice to do so. This should be our choice as well.

Abra, I believe the conference is open only to members of the American Cheese Society - but anyone can be a member. There are many "cheese enthusiasts" who belong - check out their website at www.cheesesociety.org. You are so right about Manouri - it is a great summer cheese. Light and tangy and goes well w/veggies, salads, and fruit. One of my favorite quick summer recipes is to dress a mixture of arugula, sweet onion, watermelon chunks, and kalamata olives with a lemoney vinaigrette. Stir in chunks of feta or Manouri and serve w/good bread and grilled fish or shrimp - everyone loves it!

According to the Judging Guide, both Green Valley Dairy and Hendricks Farms had cheeses in the competition - wish I could tell you I remembered their products, but at 900+, one is hard-pressed to taste more than the category winners. Yes, many of the more commercial dairies also compete and this year, Cabot won the Best of Show for their interesting clothbound cheddar. This cheese is made at Cabot and then aged for them by Jasper Hill Farm, a great Vt cheesemaking farm. (Jasper Hill makes a delicious blue called Bayley Hazen Blue and a very interesting small soft-ripened called Constant Bliss. CB is fabulous when you can find it perfectly ripened, but beware, as it is sometimes being offered when it is past it's prime.)The cheddar is very delicious, and I would imagine you will begin seeing it at fine cheese retailers. The raw milk question is complicated - the law, which addresses imported cheeses aged for less than 60 days, has been around as long as I've been in the business - at least 25+ years. For many years, it was quietly ignored, and many cheeses were brought in under the radar. It is true that even a few years ago, places like Whole Foods were selling the true, AOC versions of chevres and soft-ripeneds. Even before 9/11, things were starting to get tightened up, but that led to big changes for importers. It's just not worth the risk for them anymore. I would understand our government's concern for our well-being if there was a world-wide problem of cheese-bourne illnesses. Have you heard of people falling dead all over France from eating raw milk cheeses? Gee, neither have I. I have nothing to base this on but conspiracy theory, but I think there must have been some lobbying from big business way back when that convinced legislators that these products were dangerous. They have been protecting our health, even when presented with facts to the contrary, ever since.

Oooo - what an exciting thread! I have been in the specialty cheese business for over 25 years, as an importer, distributor, and now broker. I just returned from Portland, Oregon last weekend from the annual conference of The American Cheese Society. This wonderful group of cheesemakers, and the people who sell their cheeses, culminates in the "Festival of Cheeses" - this year, over 900! We start cutting, plating, and displaying all these cheeses at 7 in the morning and it takes a group of 30-40 volunteers to get them all ready for the Festival that evening. Spirited competition takes place between folks carving mammoth cheddars. You have never seen so many American artisinal cheeses in your life - it is something to be proud of! And there are wonderful American sheep milk cheeses - Sally Jackson in the Northwest does a beautiful leaf-wrapped one, and Old Chatham Sheepherders in upstate NY makes great camemberts and Mutton Buttons. As for some of the other posts - Mary Quicke is one of the cheese world's greatest - she just got a MBE from the Queen, but is the most down-to-earth person you'll ever meet. Her family has been on the same farm in Devon for over 450 years and they are truly caretakers of the land. There is also an oak-smoked version of her cheddar available, which is delicious. As for Roquefort, I am partial to Carles brand - small manufacturer. You can find it at Whole Foods and lots of cheesemongers. I miss the "old days", when we could get raw milk cheeses here in the States. It is a sad state of affairs not to be able to eat a real Selles sur Cher or Valencay. There is a group called the Cheese for Choice Coalition that is still working on this issue, so there may still be hope. One last little note - my screen name of Gariotin refers to one of my favorite little French goat cheeses, available here in the States at many Whole Foods and good cheesemongers. It refers to the name of the little huts that shepherds used to sleep in while they were out with their flocks - the cheese is made in the same shape as the hut. Here's to cheese!

Right around the corner from the Municipal House (I agree, great place!) is the Sarah Bernhardt. It's in a hotel, so may be open for dinner after the opera. Had a wonderful Easter dinner there this year!

I never did find out what caused the reaction - the folks at H & H were very kind and provided me with the recipe. I had allergy tests for every ingredient and came up negative. Knowing about the food business, I suspect they buy sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc in huge quantities. I could have come in contact with a mold or fungus I might never meet again. I also disagree with this idea of the nose having a weak memory. Now that I cannot smell a thing, I can distinctly remember the smelly difference between a rose and a tuna fish sandwich. I still dream of smelling things and always feel cheated if the dream involves smelling gasoline rather than cabernet. I think it is harder to describe the actual experience of a smell - harder to put into words than music or sights. As for the memory - that's a whole other issue. I have learned that smell is our most primal sense - that the area of our brain where smell activates is one of the oldest parts of our brain. There is speculation that is the reason that smells can often spark an instant ancient memory of something you may not have thought of for years. I think this all might have helped us develop as Homo Sapiens - smell was probably as important to us as it is to animals now in terms of finding food and food safety.

This topic is a huge one for me - I've already detailed this on another thread, so apologies if you've already heard me whine. Long story short: I'm a food professional, been in the specialty food importing and distribution biz for over 25 years. I had a pretty damn good palate, as a large part of my job is to taste and evaluate food to be able to sell it. Two years ago, while in NYC at the annual Fancy Food Show, I ate an H & H everything bagel at the hotel for breakfast. I have never been allergic to anything in my life before or since this incident. Within a half hour, I was in anaphylactic shock on the streets of NYC. I passed out, fell down and fractured my skull and have not smelled a thing since. Many MRIs later, the diagnosis is that all nerves coming from my brain into my nose were severed during the fall and will never reconnect. I cannot begin to describe how hard it was to adjust to this condition. I went thru the Elizabeth Kubler-Ross stages of grief as I came to accept that I would never smell again. While I would not equate this to the loss of sight or hearing, it is much more fundamental than most of us are aware of - it is truly a sense that we take for granted. It taps into some very primal areas of our brain - hence the ability to conjure up memories from odors. I have lost that forever. The hardest challenge, as you can imagine, has been the loss of my taste. On a scale of 1 - 10, I've gone from a 10 to a 1. I remember the subtlety, nuance, intricacies of food - but I taste only the four big groups. I have gained a lot of weight because I keep thinking I will get some satisfaction if I eat more - alas, not so! I used to love to cook and was quite accomplished - now I worry about entertaining since I don't really know if something is too salty, too spicy, etc. Wine is even a bigger bummer - if you can't smell it, you lose so much of the pleasure. Pleasure...that's what food used to give that gets lost when you can't smell. Sorry to sound so whiny - you can tell that I'm still not totally adjusted to this loss. I still dream of smelling and hope I always will. In the long run I would rather be alive and not able to smell than the alternative. But I can't help but feel a bit akin to Beethovan - it's weirdly ironic that a person who makes their living from food would lose their sense of smell and taste. Life goes on...

No, but it brings back wonderful childhood memories of my grandmother Bertha turning the kraut over in the crock. I've always loved kraut - even as a kid. Glad to see someone is still making it at home! Good luck.

I work for one of the importers of the total yogurt - it's not illegal, it's just that by lacking these papers they've been trying to get for years (!), big chains like TJ, Whole Foods, etc are nervous about carrying the product. Small independents are filling in the gaps in most areas, but they just don't have the same geographical coverage. We are very bummed as well - sitting on a lot of (dated) product and sales have fallen dramatically. We have not been told it is illegal to import or distribute the product.