Here are a few gourmet items you can indulge in without breaking the bank!

Spicy Plum Chutney:

This is my favorite chutney, especially with goose.

DiChickO’s Famous Peri-Peri Sauce:

The garlic flavor is awesome. Sometime I just dunk little pretzles in it as a snack
Maya Kaimal Fresh Indian Sauces:

Great for just dumping in leftover veggies and the odd piece of meat and making something exceptional.
Dukkah:

Traditionally mixed with oil (like avocado oil) as a dip, this is super flavorful and great for topping white fishes or rolling lamb for a crunchy crust.

~Nick Benard, Product Manager / 1.09.2009 

igourmet.com joins Orvis & St. Francis to Present: A Toast to the Bounty of our Land

An evening of big, bold wine and gourmet wild game

Join us as we toast the distinctive Orvis country lifestyle with St. Francis Winery & Vineyards and igourmet.com’s wild game meats to indulge in the fruits of our vineyards, mountains and valleys.

Orvis celebrates a long history of commitment to product quality, outdoor lifestyle and the natural environment. To exemplify this traditional approach to fine living, we have invited St. Francis Winery & Vineyards to educate our loyal customers on the art of pairing the big, bold flavors of St. Francis wines with wild game dishes. After all, being outdoors is only half the fun… this event is about what happens once you return home for the feast.

This never frozen, fresh-killed, free-range, organic turkey is very large - ranging from 18 to 20 pounds. Only whole organic grains and pure spring water are fed to these birds, without any protein supplements or added bi-products. Furthermore, no pesticides and herbicides ever come in contact with the birds or their food or water. Additionally, no antibiotics, no growth hormones, no arsenicals and no artificial light are permitted at any time. The result is a turkey with great flavor, tenderness and a 25% lower fat content than commercially raised alternatives. Ideal for larger gatherings, this turkey has great flavor, tenderness and a 25% lower fat-content than commercially raised alternatives.

As we approach the holiday season, we begin our search for unique holiday gift items. There is a world of variety to be found and enjoyed in specialty food items. I would define ‘specialty foods” as those foods not purchased and consumed on an “everyday basis” as well as those that represent the upper end of the spectrum, qualitatively speaking. But these items are “expensive” aren’t they? Well, some may fetch a higher price than one may pay for an item in the same family(e.g. “estate bottled extra virgin cold pressed olive oil” as opposed to “olive oil” in the supermarket) However, let’s take a look at the previous example. The estate bottling offers a flavor profile that is unsurpassed by any ordinary oil, with an intensity that requires very little to produce stellar results. And though it may be three times the price, it is not used to cook with, or to make vinaigrettes and the like. A thin drizzle on top of that arugula and Parmigiano Reggiano salad or a grilled sea bass fillet, is all you need. Used as such, you will get perhaps fifty or more servings from one bottle. I do, and I use olive oil like water.

And while we’re on the subject of Parmigiano Reggiano, this fantastically flavorful product from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy will put a smile on any cheese lovers face, and paired with a high-quality balsamic vinegar, will make an elegantly simple yet sublime gift for the gourmet or foodie. And specialty oils, vinegars, coffees, and other non perishable item will last quite a while in your pantry, making them gifts that your friends and family can enjoy throughout the year. Truly the gift that keeps on giving!

Specialty cheeses are also ideal for gift giving. This fastest growing segment of the specialty food world (in terms of both new products and also sales) offer a world of variety and a diversity of flavors unparalled by any other food group. And a selection of five half pounds of specialty cheese will serve eight guests generously if used for an after dinner cheese plate. Again the flavors are so pronounced that any more than a few ounces is overkill. And a holiday gift basket, in my opinion, is the perfect gift, period. I have given many over the years with great success. I must have bought my parents a hundred sweaters, scarves, shirts etc, that got thrown into a drawer (or elsewhere!) without a mention. But for the last ten years, I buy them a big gift basket of cheeses, salamis, jams, honeys and the like. And every year for months I hear “hey, thanks for that salami” or “your Mother and I just had that cheese, that blue cheese, what was that one?” I don’t recall that kind of feedback and enthusiasm over a pair of gloves! And, perhaps the best reason to give this type of gift is that, all too often, we just don’t purchase them for ourselves. Be it a question of being too busy, buying just what we need to get through the week, tightening our budgets, or unavailability at the local grocer, we very often forget to treat ourselves to some of the finer things. So let’s do it for one another. We’ll all thank ourselves in the end.

- Patrick  Ambrosio

The holidays are approaching, and that means cocktail parties, get togethers, lots of fun, and cheese! Here are some simple solutions to the ever present question “what to serve” Not a recipe per se, but some concepts that may not only save you time in the kitchen, but leave you with more time to spend with your guests. The cheesemakers have already done the work; you just put it on a plate and party along with the crowd!

Pick your cheese to suit your crowd: If you are having an intimate gathering with cheesaholic friends or foodies, this would be the time to serve more serious contemplative cheeses (Epoisses, Vacherin Mont’Dor , Serra de Estrella etc). Leave them whole on your cheeseboard. You can partake of them leisurely after dinner, discuss, munch some bread, sip some wine, you get the picture.

But if you’ve got a houseful of folks milling about, you may want to go for some more widely acceptable choices (read; less “stinky” and controversial) And you may want to precut some of them. The exceptions would be brie and crumbly goat cheeses. These will just look like a mess if precut.Sometimes less is more: Don’t always feel compelled to serve a variety of cheeses, especially if the cheese is not the focus of the event. You can create a dramatic, elegant effect by serving just a single cheese and maybe one or two other accompianments. Here are a few examples that I have used with great success:

Pierre Robert or Brillat Savarin: These small 1 lb triple crèmes can make a big statement. Present them whole with the top rind removed. Place the cheese on the center of a larger platter, and surround the cheese with baguette slices. Use a dark color platter for contrast if possible. Place a few strawberries on for color. Serve the cheese with a butter knife or speader, and guests can spread the creamy cheese on the baguette slices. The perfect compliment is champagne or a sparkler. If you want to round it out, serve sliced salami or dried sausage, especially French style Saucisson Sec. Simple and sublime. Great for before dinner.A Large piece of Parmigiano Reggiano served whole: Take a nice sized wedge of this northern Italian classic, and present it on a platter with grapes. Chisel off a few pieces with a cheese knife, and let them fall where they may in a small grouping next to the cheese in one location.  Replace that cheese knife in the hunk and guests can chisel off their own piece. No crackers are needed, but do serve breadsticks (“grissini”) standing up in a tall thin vessel (a tall thin drinking glass will do fine)

Sheep’s milk cheeses and Fig Jam:This is a great presentation for sheeps milk cheeses, and will work great with Manchego, or especially Abbaye de Belloc. Place a wedge cut side down on a cutting board with the back rind facing you. Slice of the rind on the right side, discard, and continue making those same parallel cuts until reach the rind on the left(and discard that rind as well. You will have thin triangles of cheese which you can now place on a platter, points facing out. Dab a small dot of fig jam on the back (wide) end of the cheese; the little bit of sweetness will compliment these cheeses perfectly. Pile up some nuts/dried fruits in the center of the platter.

You can pile some almonds up in the middle of the plate.
Alright sounds good, but how much cheese do I need:

Plan on 1 to 2 ounces per person for a coctail hour serving, and up to 5 ounces of cheese if this is the main food being served.

All very easy, simple, elegant, not much work, lots of flavor. Enjoy!

Patrick Ambrosio served as the cheesemonger for Dean and Deluca in Napa Valley CA. Returning to his home town of Long Island NY worked for many years as the cheese department manger for Bernard’s Market and Cafe, twice featured in the New York Times. Prior to working in cheese, Patrick was a professional chef for many years, including Executive Chef at both Tyler Hill Farm Country Inn, as well as Russian Hill Estate Winery in Sonoma County, CA.

Be the hit at Halloween with this bright and tasty assortment. Colorful symbols of Halloween that instantly come to mind are black and orange. This assortment fits that bill. All stellar, hearty cheeses. Serve with black crackers to get All Hallows Eve into swing.

• Mimolette: A semi-hard French cheese that has the same texture and spherical shape as Dutch Edam, but with a natural rind and a bright orange-colored interior. Because of its hue, it is sometimes called the “Halloween Cheese.” (8 oz.)
• Carrot Cheese: Unmistakably German, this creamy cheese gets its deep orange color from carrot juice. Alas, it doesn’t taste much like carrot, but its looks could hook Bugs Bunny. (8 oz.)
• Saxonshires: This layered cheese is also called five counties cheese because of the different cheeses that make up its five layers. These cheeses are: Double Gloucester, Caerphilly, Cheshire, Leicester, and Cheddar. Black waxes with dramatic orange and white layers. (8 oz.)
• Beemster Extra Aged Farmer Gouda: One of the world’s greatest cheeses. This masterpiece has matured for two years, allowing its body to develop a muted caramel color, matched by a uniquely intense yet sweet flavor. (8 oz.)
• Charcoal Specialty Crackers: Tasty black crackers designed by the cheese gurus from The Fine Cheese Co. in England. (5.3 oz.)

How Specialty Foods can make our lives easier

We all appreciate ideas and shortcuts that save us time when entertaining. Here is a variation on the classic Italian arugula salad, topped with slices of Prosciutto di Parma and shaved Parmigian Reggiano Cheese. By giving the ingredients, seasoning, spices etc in a recipe a slight twist, you have a new dish that seems at once “classic” in it’s feel, but new in flavor.

In this case, standing in for the Prosciutto is Alpen Schinken, a dry cured and smoked ham of German origins. Unlike it’s Italian counterpart, it is smoked over hardwoods, the husky smokiness pairing nicely with the rich texture.

Like prosciutto is is also sliced thin to allow the flavors to open up more fully on the palate.

The Gruyere cheese further reinforces the alpine theme and flavors of the dish.

This is also an example of how a few well chosen specialty food items can make our lives easier when entertaining, giving us something new and tasty with very little work or prep time. 

I served this dish at an all red-wine dinner at Russian Hill Estate Winery in Sonoma County. Pairing red wine(or many wines  with salad) is truly a challenge, but the smoky richness of the ham, along with the dense creamy Gruyere tames the effect of tannins. The drizzle of the aged (and therefore not overly acidic) balsamic actually helped to tie the dish to the wine.

But a crisp white or even beer will match nicely with this fall season fist course.

Salad Of Bitter Greens with Alpen Schinken and Gruyere

A New Take on an Italian Classic

Serves 4

6 cups washed salad greens ( Arugula,  or a mix of arugula and endive, chicory, raddichio and escarole hearts)

8 slices Alpen Schinken

1/2 lb Gruyere ( other hard mountain types such as Abondance, Beaufort, Hoch Ybrig, Jura Montagne will work nicely also)

1/4 cup of Dijon Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Salt and Fresh ground black pepper

Best Quality Balsamic Vinegar (the most aged you can afford) optional

In a large bowl toss salad greens with vinaigrette. Divide salad on to 4 plates. Drape two slices of ham over each serving, and using a cheese plane, shave thin slices of the Gruyere over the salad, letting them fall where they may.
Drizzle with aged balsamic, if using.

What’s easier than that!!

Dijon Vinaigrette

6 Tbsp. red wine or champagne vinegar

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Salt and Pepper

1/4 cup Olive or Canola Oil

In a small bowl with a whisk, combine first 3 ingredients well. Drizzle in oil while whisking to emulisy dressing.

This post was written by our newest addition Patrick Ambrosio

Patrick Ambrosio served as the cheesemonger for Dean and Deluca in Napa Valley CA. Returning to his home town of Long Island NY worked for many years as the cheese department manger for Bernard’s Market and Cafe, twice featured in the New York Times. Prior to working in cheese, Patrick was a professional chef for many years, including Executive Chef at both Tyler Hill Farm Country Inn, as well as Russian Hill Estate Winery in Sonoma County, CA.Welcome Patrick!

Curry and Cheddar? What? Sounds like someone went too far.  Boy, was I wrong.
The Thai Curry Cheddar from Coombe Castle Cheese Co. is really quite delicious.

Sure, myself and and my other cheesemonger cohorts usually turn up our noses at flavored cheese. No history. No AOC. No terrior. OK, all true.
But while I was tasting this great new specialty food product, it dawned on me that this could really work in a number of capacities quite well. The first one being cheese with cocktails. Normally a spirit based cocktail will overwhelm most cheese. Not a “clash” of flavors, mind you, but the vodka (or gin or rum etc) will just walk all over the cheese. You might as well serve peanuts. But the Thai Curry Cheddar will stand up nicely to your Gimlet or Cosmo or Vodka tonic, with the added bonus of dealing nicely with the high alcohol palate fatigue.

Or picture this: It’s a warm afternoon (yes we still have plenty of those left in September) and you would like to serve a nice crisp, tart appley-acidic Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand or the down under, ripe with big tropical fruit flavors. Well you could go the store, get your self some chicken, cube it skewer it, and marinate it in some Thai Peanut Sauce, grill it etc etc (Im getting tired just writing it!) - or - you get yourself some of the Curry Cheddar slice it and serve, and it will play nicely with all that big tropical fruit flavor of the wine, all the while while making you look like some kind of genius for even finding the stuff in the first place, let alone having the good taste , vision and refined palate to serve the two together.

Or, melt it all over sweet potatoes, or maybe on some Soba noodle mixed in with some coconut milk and shrimp, kissed with a little Cilantro and lime for a change of pace noodle dish.

Oh yeah, and for all you cheese snobs out there that think you are too cool for flavored cheese  (I know you’re out there, because I was one too until about 15 minutes ago), please take note that the Coombe Castle Cheese co. is a truly artisan producer in very good company with the other members of the West County Cheese makers, an English organization devoted to quality cheese making. So there. Enjoy.

This post was written by our newest addition Patrick Ambrosio

Patrick Ambrosio served as the cheesemonger for Dean and Deluca in Napa Valley CA. Returning to his home town of Long Island NY worked for many years as the cheese department manger for Bernard’s Market and Cafe, twice featured in the New York Times. Prior to working in cheese, Patrick was a professional chef for many years, including Executive Chef at both Tyler Hill Farm Country Inn, as well as Russian Hill Estate Winery in Sonoma County, CA.

Welcome Patrick!