The answer to whether there is any cheese in New York city is a resounding YES! Kathy and I are fortunate that Kathy’s sister Janet and Janet’s boyfriend Eddie (aka Edmund; film critic for BlackBook Magazine) live in New York, and that we, on occasion, get to visit them. This coming weekend happens to be one of those times…

Celebrating both Janet’s and Eddie’s birthdays, we’ll be able to once again enjoy the true metropolis of New York (San Francisco is a great city, and I love it, but New York’s deep-rooted extended history causes the town to have a completely different vibe that I enjoy). To be fair, we’ll actually be spending the majority of our oh-too-short-trip in Brooklyn, where, I know from experience, has some incredible cheese shops such as Bedford Cheese Shop. My hope is to visit there again; a perfectly placed corner shop with well-informed cheese mongers and a beautiful tin-plated ceiling.

Murray’s Cheese, also has a Brooklyn location nowadays, but its original location, opened its doors in 1940 on Cornelia Street (Near Washington Park) in Manhattan. It’s current flagship store is close to the original location, at 254 Bleecker Street, and is well known throughout the states for its quality, selection as well as education of cheese.

Another current day New York mainstay of the cheese community is Artisanal Premium Cheese, also located on Manhattan, just about 2 and 1/2 diagonal blocks from the Empire State Building. Not only does Artisanal have an excellent cheese counter, and cheese “caves”, it also has a full-service bar (where you can have drinks AND flights of cheese) AS WELL AS an amazing restaurant featuring… can you guess? Yes; cheese! I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying dinner there once in the past, and is well worth the experience if you have the time and money.

all this leads me to my question to you…

With so many great, and historic, cheese resources in New York, WHAT type of cheese do I bring to N.Y. friends from California? The truth is, they can most likely buy any California Artisan cheese that I can think of in New York. So; what will/would be different (and tasty)?

and my second question;

What type of cheese should I try while in New York? Perhaps you have something to suggest, local to New York State perhaps, a cheese or two to keep my eye out for? We’ll be busy visiting friends and family, and will most likely spend the majority of our time in Brooklyn, but you can be sure that I try something, somewhere…

Thanks for any advice you can give in the comment section just below in the lower-right of this post.

Cheese and wine are natural friends, and there is an incredible art to pairing them well/correctly (entire education classes are offered at places such as at the Cheese School of San Francisco). When and why cheese and wine became synonymous with art openings, however, I am not certain. Very brief searches of the Internet did not yield anything (well, not quickly enough. I was hoping to find an article on the subject as a “first” hit in Google). I’ll take a few uninformed guesses; fine wine and cheese are traditionally (in America) not cheap, and were traditionally considered to be for refined tastes. People who might attend an art opening, are either often other artists, or people who enjoy, and can afford to buy, art. The wine and cheese, besides being excellent on their own, provide an art opening a certain air of sophistication due to the reasons I already mentioned. On top of that, it is perhaps more likely that a gallery will be able to sell art should the visiting patrons being both a little on the inebriated side, and fed.
When and how wine and cheese became an almost expected part of any art opening I am still not certain, but even in today’s economic climate, you’ll find them at art openings. This past Friday night (4/24/09) started a busy weekend for Kathy and myself…

First, a little history. When the Thunderbird Theatre Company decided to write and produce its first musical, “Rocket Girl“, we were VERY fortunate that local artist/illustrator Josh Ellingson came on board to help us with the graphic design elements for the musical. He designed the show’s logo, as well as several other print pieces for the production. Nowadays Josh continues to be a nationally (well; internationally) recognized and published illustrator, to the point that his art was even recently on display in space. Thanks to Facebook, Kathy and I were reminded on Friday that it was time for the; “Spring Open Studios at The Local 303,” home of Josh’s studio space. We see Josh, and his new work, too infrequently, so this was the perfect opportunity.

Uh, Bryce; Cheese?!?

Yes, yes, “Inner-Cheese Voice,” I was getting to that, but to be honest I plan to stray from cheese quite a bit on this particular post… so as I was saying; open studios are an excellent chance to not only see new art, but also to have some wine and cheese. While in college we paid close attention to when art openings were almost exclusively for the wine and cheese… The Local 303’s  open studio was a treasure trove of art (and cheese). We also got to meet one of Josh’s studio co-tenants, Jason Dryg, who has a very distinct style which mimics commercial art. As to cheese, there WAS cheese, AND there were hot dogs! It was refreshing to find both the tradition of wine and cheese being met, but also in conjunction with the pop-art feel of some of the work we saw, I was pleased to find the heartier down-to-earth fare being offered. Art without pretension.

Will you write home about the cheese that was offered?

No, but I will mention it here. A respectable quality variety of sharp cheddar, dill Havarti and Dutch Gouda were present, all tasty and all most likely purchased at Trader Joe’s; which is an excellent place to find and buy a variety of cheeses (both foreign and domestic) and prices which are at least 1/3 cheaper than the inflated prices of “gourmet” (ie non-consumer block cheese) cheese at larger grocery chain stores.

Wandering the halls and studios of The Local 303, we noted that most all the kind food and drink offerings were likely from Trader Joe’s. One studio had a sign, however, next to a few crumbs on a plate, something about figs and Bellwether Farms’ Carmody. Arrived too late for that…

As to the rest of the weekend, “cheesiness” continued… We went with our good friends Michelle and Alexander and their daughter to a Science Fair at Cal. State Hayward. Yeah, I know; they renamed themselves to Cal. State East Bay (so to sound more more metropolitan and to have prospective students believe they are somehow closer to the Bay than they are), but I just can’t call them that… The science fair was fantastic. Set up to attract kids to science, and to show science in a university setting. The event was perfect since college professors were there showcasing their work, and interacting with “kids” of all ages.

…and this has to do with cheese, how?

OK, it doesn’t. In fact, the single food stand was family perfect; hot dogs for $1, water, chips and sodas for 50¢ each. I did learn, however, at a nutrition display that one “serving” of cheese is the size of about two dominoes. The daily recommended amount of dairy for an adult male of my age is three cups, which in this example equates to six dominoes of cheese (roughly 4.5 ounces). At the open studios the night before I must’ve had at least two days worth of recommended servings, so on Saturday I cut back… 

Sunday brought new cheesiness; the press photo shoot for the Thunderbird Theatre Company, conducted in our apartment. Our next production is “Aaron Trotter and the Incident at Bikini Beach” written by Peter finch of KFOG radio. Auditions for the show are Saturday, May 9th, 2009 and you can get all the details about the auditions on our website  (as long as you are reading this prior to May 9th, 2009 ). You may recall I mentioned last years photo shoot (and gave my favorite mac and cheese recipe) on Canyon of Cheese here. This year we had six actors/”models” for the press photo shoot, and six support people. Kathy and I (OK, mainly Kathy), made a brunch of pancakes, bacon, coffee, juice and plain Dutch Baby (recipe here on CofC). As to cheese, we only had some grated (Parmesan) for those of us who enjoy savory Dutch Baby… jam, syrup and powdered sugar for the sweet version. Our graphic designer/photographer Dana Constance took over 1000 photos, and we’re looking forward to see which make the final cut as the show’s press photo. The photos displayed are a couple that he let me have for this posting.

Last, but certainly not least, the weekend ended in having an amazing opportunity to not only see the musical “Wicked“ , but to enjoy a backstage tour by our friend Patrick who has been traveling with the show for… four years? It has finally made its way back here to Patrick’s home in San Francisco (you might recall that we visited Patrick while he was working the show in Los Angeles, and fed us an incredible meal with Feta). As the production’s Automation Carpenter, Patrick controls 90% of the large set piece movements throughout the play. For Kathy and myself the backstage workings of these kinds of huge productions are almost more spectacular than the show its self. I’m thoroughly amazed by how much design and expertise are used to create such a flawless show of this scale. In the independent realm of theater (our hobby), we use a lot of low-budget “tricks” to create impressive effects. True, shows such as “Wicked” do use a fair amount of smoke and mirrors to create the illusions they do, but what spectacular smoke and mirrors they are! A huge thank you again to Patrick for the intimate inner-workings tour of the show.

…and this, again, has to do with cheese, by…?

IT DOESN’T, “Inner-Cheese Voice!” It just doesn’t, ‘cept that I was fueled by the cheese I had eaten in the morning. To satisfy your never ending interest in cheese, however, I’ll talk about the dinner we had Friday night at one of the many Mexican burrito shops in the Mission District of San Francisco ["El Balazo"]. As I’ve mention in the past, I’m always hoping to find an excellent Chili Relleno, but never find them… this one, on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest) was a 5. I wouldn’t have ordered the Relleno had the menu not claimed that it was filled with a special imported cheese. Regretfully, the cheese inside is no different than the bulk-produced mild cheddar and jack which was on top. It was still edible, good even, the price was right, AND IT HAD CHEESE, so I’m trying not to complain. In their favor, they were serving some of the most flavoriful refried beans I think I’ve had this year.

365 days have gone by since I started Canyon of Cheese, and during that time I’ve posted 101 times, which is a respectable 27% of the year that I’ve released my cheese musings to anyone who cares to read them.

I’d like to thank you, dear reader, for coming here to see if my current posting is informative, or fun, or odd, or just plain cheesy. As many fellow bloggers I have met can tell you, it’s not always easy to write and post something up on your site (sometimes it’s life that gets in the way, other times, I’ll admit, it’s lethargy). I may have written 27% of the past year, but I think about cheese every day, and could write about it every day given the time and freedom to do so.

My guidelines have always been, and continue to be, to: 1) write in a personal voice/manner, 2) try to always include photographs, related or not, 3) do not assume that anyone who reads this knows anything about any subject (cheese-related or not), 4) also don’t underestimate the knowledge of the readers, 5) write because you want to, and enjoy doing it, 6) whenever possible, try to learn more, and share what you learn when applicable, 7) try to keep a positive approach towards the things that you write about, and if you can’t be positive, try to be objective, lastly; 8…) go eat more cheese.

Texting to Kathy this morning to say that it’s been a year of Canyon of Cheese, she wrote back; “Champagne?” No; some cheese, please. Even on “normal” days I have cheese; Kathy made ground turkey tacos last night, and she put grated Prima Donna (from the Netherlands; crafted to be a Gouda-style cheese) on them. I can/do enjoy domestic cheddar as much as anyone, and that would have worked on the tacos too, but the point is that you can have cheese, and quality cheese, be part of your everyday life.

The best part of the past 365 days (besides the cheese) has been meeting all the wonderful, kind, friendly and interesting people who make having cheese possible. That’s everyone from cheesemakers, to distributors, to marketers, enthusiasts, and even people who simply tell me; “I like cheese.”

We live in a wonderful continuum, traveling in time, so it’s impossible for me to pick specific things that I enjoyed more than another over the past year. I value all experiences, and I value trying all cheeses too. If YOU, however, have favorite things about Canyon of Cheese, favorite cheeses, or would like to see me concentrate on any specific things more, or less, please let me know.

Is this dirge of yours over? Is your blog dead or something?

Far from it, “Inner-Cheese Voice”! Actually I wanted to invite any and all readers who care to to send me their own drawing of what Bryce’s “Inner-Cheese Voice” might look like. I’ll pick a favorite, and if you live in the Bay Area, a fondue dinner with us will be your reward of thanks! Tell me in the comment section that you have a drawing to send (electronically or by regular mail), and I’ll e-mail you an address (e-mail or regular) so that you can send it in.

Here’s to the next 365 days of Canyon of Cheese! Thank you all for reading, and continuing to read, commenting, and for enjoying cheese.

“Gutschein” is a voucher (such as a gift card), and “Glücksschwein” is a lucky pig (or rather; a pig that brings luck). Put ‘em together and you get a lucky pig with a gift card, but it still sounds better in German. We have our friend, who is a co-worker of Kathy’s, and happens to be German, to thank for teaching us this crafty little way of making a gift card into a more attractive looking gift…

Great; another German lesson. CHEESE, Bryce?!?

I was getting to that “Inner-Cheese Voice”; have some patience. We were fortunate to be invited to, and attend, our friends Mike & Nicole’s house warming last night. Motivated, and possibly crazy(?), they managed to take advantage of the economic down-turn and buy a real fixer-upper in San Francisco. There couldn’t be a more perfectly suited couple, however, to make improvements on a house which had greatly needed it, and their house-warming was an excellent celebration of the amazing improvements they have already made. They are both behind-the-scenes theatre professionals, and both have amazing artistic sensibilities with the craft and experience to make their household improvements happen.

Beyond meeting wonderful friends, neighbors, and family of Mike and Nicole, there was, of course, cheese. I’ve been fortunate to try Spring Hill Creamery’s cheeses on many occasions, not the least of which had been at the California Artisan Cheese Festival.

As you should be able to see from the picture (click on it for a pop-up window with better resolution), Spring Hill prides its self for producing Organic cheeses. Without getting into the various definitions of “Organic” (at this time), I’d like to point out that Spring Hill produces its cheeses using vegetable rennet. If you are a vegetarian, or know vegetarians who do eat cheese, this is a very important factor. The question of whether cheese is a vegetarian food or not, is another somewhat controversial topic that I’m not in the mood (or of the expertise) to discuss at the moment, but here is one of thousands of articles that you can read on the subject (this one is a good place to start). What I will explain briefly is that in order to make cheese, you need some form of rennet, and although the greatest majority of cheeses utilize animal rennet (which is procured from the stomach lining of certain animals), there are also many which utilize rennet derived from fruits and/or vegetables, which is what Spring Hill uses. Spring Hill’s many types are cheeses are ones that you might also find in your larger grocery store (from other larger manufactures), but some of the differences are the fact that you can rest assured that there are no “extra” ingredients in Spring Hill’s cheese (their website sums it up concisely; “All Natural, 100% Fresh Cultured Grade A Jersey Milk, Salt and Enzymes… That’s It! No Artificial Hormones.”), they are using vegetable rennet, and it is a farmstead cheese (in brief; the cheese is made from the farm/creamery’s own milk – single herd).

Did you try all the cheeses?

Are you crazy?!? Of course I did! There’s an incredible creaminess to Spring Hill’s cheeses… Since I love garlic, I think that the Garlic Jack was my favorite of the ones served at party. Here in the Bay Area of California, besides the many stores which carry Spring Hill’s cheese, you can also try and buy it at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.

One of these things is not like the others…

Good eye, “Inner-Cheese Voice”. There’s one goat cheese on the plate; it is Pave from Pug’s Leap Farmstead Cheese of Healdsburg, California. Priced very differently than Spring Hill’s cheeses (and naturally completely different in taste, texture, form, use, etc.), Pave is another fantastic artisan cheese from California and helps illustrate the diversity of cheeses being produced here. More on Pug’s Leap another time…

Oh, one last side note. The dollhouse picture is of a dollhouse that Nicole and Mike had built together as kind of their “dream home” prior to actually owning a home… I love that it includes a postcard rack!

Have YOU been enjoying any cheese lately? Let me/everyone know about it by using the comment section to the lower right of this post.

Well, we did it, Kathy and I hosted the Postcards, Cheese and Cheesy Postcards party. If you look at my last post, you’ll understand a little about what the party was about. What a fantastic time; we have our wonderful friends to thank for that. It lasted a little over 11 hours, and at its peak there were about 50 people at our place, and closer to 70 people managed to make it (some overlapping, some not). The selections of cheeses were amazing, and I have to compliment everyone who attended for their choices, which caused a wonderfully diverse selection of cheeses. My belief prior to the party was that I’d be able to document all the cheeses that arrived along with our friends, maybe take a picture, write it down… couldn’t possibly. When, for example, 12 people show up at the same time, it was tough enough to welcome them, make them feel at home, get them a drink and make a few introductions. Our friends, however, are 100% self-sufficient, it’s just that we wanted everyone to feel as special as they are to us. Ultimately it was a wonderful orgy of cheese that we all got to enjoy…

To call out single cheeses (that I can remember) from the wonderful selection is potentially unfair, since there were so many. Just as the many pictures I’m trying to post can’t/won’t show everyone who was able to attend (we were too busy enjoying the party to take pictures), I won’t be able to list all the cheeses. Oh; an FYI: just with all Canyon of Cheese posts, you can click ON a picture and a secondary window will pop-up with the larger resolution version of the picture.

So, where to start? First off, it wasn’t just about cheese, it was about postcards too. As you can see from the picture of our new card-catalog cabinet specifically designed and made for our postcard and stationary collection (the picture of it is from our friend Dana… He also blogs; read his here).  I actually don’t collect postcards (though I have a lot); I SEND postcards. At least one a day. E-mail is fine, but for our friends, family and acquaintances, I write cards, and write them frequently. It’s an easy habit and I’m always encouraging friends to send physical mail to the people they know too. A couple hundred cards went out in the mail due to our guests writing at the party…

Um, Bryce, Cheese?

Sorry, “Inner-Cheese Voice”, got carried away, as always. I’ll try to loop it back to cheese if/as I can. Everyone has got a cheese story. “Influential cheeses in their life,” date-stories, family stories, cheeses they’ll never forget… Our friend Christine (part of the Thunderbird, as well as a composer extraordinaire) always has amazing stories about her life in San Francisco whether about travels on public transit, or even buying cheese for the party (you can see her keeping us in rapt attention in one of these pictures).

Our friend Brian, a professional balloon twister (as well as an amazing chef and actor), brought his offering of cheese wrapped up in balloons resembling a big hunk of cheese.

Paul, who lives in San Francisco, but had been in Chico three hours prior, brought some goat cheese from the Northern half of the state fresh from Chico’s farmer’s market. He skillfully kept the cheese chilled the whole trip…

Nancy and David went nuts and brought a wide selection of English cheeses…  Greg and Stephanie, who, like Paul, also drove up from Chico (three hour drive, AND they drove back the same day), were so happy to be able to go to the Cheese Board in Berkeley prior to the party.

Our guests had quite a time thinking of the ramifications of the “Wyfe of Bath” cheese, named after the character from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, brought by our friend Jenn, and her boyfriend Steve.

Jaina & Yoram also brought great friends and cheese to the party, including some Middle-Eastern semi-soft braided cheese reminiscent of mozzarella. Speaking of which, our friend Micah (of Ray of Light Theatre) MADE fresh mozzarella an hour before the party!

Again, I can’t mention ALL the cheeses that were present at the party, so I sure wish any and all of you who did manage to attend would click on “comment” down in the lower right of this post and remind us all what you brought and/or what your favorites were. I am NOT playing cheese favorites; just TOO many to remember and mention!

Thank you everyone again for the fantastic cheese and postcard party…

Was there any cheese left after the party?

Yes, some, as you can see from the picture to the right I started to use some of it for the Zucchini Casserole I make sometimes (recipe on this Canyon post). Thanks again everyone; couldn’t have asked for a nicer party amongst the company of such excellent friends (and cheese).

Been a busy week, and would have posted more except that I sadly didn’t eat much cheese this past week.

How is that possible?

Good question, “Inner-Cheese Voice”. I came down with a cold that had been going around the office (at my day job), and although it was the type of cold that I was well enough to go to work, I haven’t been feeling 100%. Although cheese is fantastic, when you have a cold, fondue isn’t always the first kind of meal you think of feeding it with.

Now that I’m just about 100% myself again, I’ll throw out a few things today which I hope you’ll enjoy hearing about. FIRST; incredible mail these last two days. Yesterday not only did I receive some pins I had been expecting, but also an incredible and unexpected refrigerated box OF CHEESE. This arrived as a fitting and unexpected gesture of appreciation from the California Artisan Cheese Festival for the work I had done (thanks Lynne!). If you’ve never received cheese in the mail, you should order some for yourself, or send some as a gift. We’re fortunate here in the Bay Area of California to have a lot of fantastic cheese shops; if you are less fortunate, then cheese by mail might be the way to go. As you can see, the shipment came from Cowgirl Creamery, and contains cheese from both their own creamery as well as from Redwood Hill Farm (plus excellent crackers from Rustic Bakery and quince preserves from June Taylor). Besides the great cheeses, crackers and preserves, the shipment was complete with an attractive re-usable box, and printed materials; descriptions of the cheeses, and care and handling of artisan cheeses (see the two page pdf scan of them here). Not sure what to order if ordering cheese by mail? Cheese clubs can be excellent. I have two to suggest; Cowgirl’s, and Cheese Plus’. Both clubs are distinct and different from one another. I recommend both because of the level of quality, and personalized care, that I know goes into them.

So what’s with the pins?

The pins I needed in order to restock Kathy’s and my 25¢ home vending machine with prizes. The vending machine’s capsules are filled with random pins and odd paper prizes meant primarily to confuse and entertain our friends. It’s a small dADaIsTic homage that fills an artistic need of mine. The pins themselves I buy from a wonderful Canadian artist/pin maker: Button Empire.

This has nothing to do with cheese!

Actually, it kind of does… This is the SECOND thing I was going to write about – I needed to refill the vending machine ’cause we’re having a party on Saturday. The party is titled; “Postcards, Cheese, and Cheesy Postcards“, and is a celebration both of my birthday (just past), and the fact that Kathy and I have had a hand-crafted piece of furniture made, a card catalog-like case which will hold our extensive postcard and stationary collection. It has been a dream of mine to have such a case; one with specific drawers for specific sizes/purposes. Friends attending have been asked to bring cheese, and the addresses of three people they’ll write to. We’re going to provide the drinks, the postcards and the stamps. I write at least one postcard a day to a friend, family member or aquientence, and I’m always trying to get others to embrace this habit as well.

30 to 50 friends coming over with cheese?!?

Yep. We asked everyone to keep it below $6 worth, whether a small amount of something fancy (ie expensive) or a larger quantity of something less costly. I’ll try to document all the cheeses. If YOU happen to know us and would like to attend, get in touch with us!  …since my parents are unable to attend, they sent a fantastic gift; a box of postcards, correspondences which were sent to my grandparents through the years. Many from Switzerland, such as the pictured one, from 1966.

THIRD item to leave you with today, is an easy, quick recipe, with which you can incorporate cheese. It is for a “Dutch Baby” which is an egg, milk and flour (and butter; mmm, butter!) baked dish which I would describe as a combination between a souffle and a pancake. That doesn’t even describe it too well, which is why you should just try and make it yourself (it’s simple and quick!). Dutch Babies can be made as a sweet or savory treat, Kathy and I will often make savory versions. A nice dusting of finely ground Parmesan is enough to make this meal delicious, but the recipes below are a “spicy” version with jalapeño and avocado, as well as a creamy cheesy topping I made up the other night since we were out of avocados. enjoy!

Chile Dutch Baby with Avocado Salsa

Taken directly from Sunset Magazine’s Special Issue: Fast & Fresh Best of Sunset 2008

This savory version of a Dutch baby is reminiscent of chiles rellenos, but it saves the effort of filling and frying the chilies. It’s great for brunch or as a change of pace for a light supper.

Prep and Cook Time: About 30 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

¼ cup (1/8 lb.) butter

3 large eggs

¾ cups milk

¾ cup flour

1 ½ tbsp. minced jalapeño or Serrano chiles, divided

1 cup chopped firm-ripe avocado

1 cup chopped firm-ripe tomato

1 tbsp. thinly sliced green onion

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

¼ tsp. cayenne (optional)

Salt

Instructions:

1. Place butter in shallow 2 to 3 quart baking dish and heat in a 425-degree (F) oven until melted, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, whirl eggs and milk until blended. Add flour and whirl until smooth, then add 1 tbsp chilies and whirl just to blend. Pour batter into the hot baking dish.

3. Bake until Dutch Baby is buffed and well browned, about 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a bowl mix remaining 1/2 tbsp. chiles with the avocado, tomato, green onion and lime juice.

5. Dust baked Dutch Baby with cayenne if you like. Cut into wedges. Add avocado salsa and salt to taste.

Bryce’s Creamy, Spicy, Cheese Sauce

(for Dutch Baby when you don’t have any avocado, but do have cheese)

Similar to above, but with a cheesy twist.

Additional Ingredients:

¼ pound of semi-hard cheese or cheeses, cubed. Pepper-jack or any kind of spiced cheese will work well in the mix you decide on.

¼ cup of sour cream

1. Using the (cleaned) blender or food processor, blend the cubed cheese) with the sour cream until fairly smooth. Scrape into a bowl and mix in the remaining 1/2 tbsp. chiles, tomato and green onions. Freshly ground pepper can be a nice addition if it is to your taste. Spoon onto, or to the side of the Dutch Baby servings.