These cheeses were specially selected for the grill. Great on burgers, chicken or chops, they are sure to please at your next backyard BBQ.

Read the article on seriouseats.com

After weeks of fabulous cheese tastings, wine pairings and long hours in the kitchen, it all come down to one final match to crown this year’s champion. Competing for the ultimate prize of cheese supremacy, we have France’s Gruyere de Comté facing off against the United State’s Crater Lake Blue. Comté is a classic cheese, well known in the ranks even by our forefathers. It’s no stranger to this game and has been dominant over blue cheese in this tourney with wins over past champions Roquefort and Royal Blue Stilton. Crater Lake Blue is a new kid, compared to Comté, but it seems to have grown up in a hurry during this tournament. Crater Lake’s confidence was at an all-time high heading into this tourney as it became the first American cheese company to export to raw milk cheeses to Europe. Riding this momentum into the tourney, it has already dispatched of cheese powerhouses Fiscalini, Grafton and hall of famer Parmigiano Reggiano. Is Crater Lake capable of one more big win or will Comte continue its mastery over Blue cheese? This is sure to be an instant classic as both cheeses come in riding hot streaks and oozing confidence. Expect a no-holds barred match to decide the Savory 16 Championship.

VOTE NOW

Save 40% on the igourmet.com Final Four Collection

  Vento d’Estate Vaccino - pairs well with Pinto Grigio

 Cypress Grove Purple Haze - pairs well with Sauvignon Blanc

 Malagon with Rosemary - pairs well with Rioja

Celebrate the New Year with a toast and our Champagne Cheese Assortment from igourmet.com.

By Times Staff Writer
Published November 18, 2007

Macaroni and cheese is a popular dish on the Southern Thanksgiving table. It’s also a good take-along offering if you’re going to a potluck.

This year, why not toss the box and try one from scratch? Yankee Doodle Dandy Baked Macaroni and Cheese, from cookbook author and food writer Marlena Spieler, is packed with flavor, thanks to the addition of blue cheese.

There are other ways to serve cheese at Thanksgiving, including in a spread for early hors d’oeuvres. It’s best to make the cheese spread by Tuesday night to let the flavors meld.

Another good offering for the big feast is Harvest Squash and Cheddar Spoon Bread, which gets a head start from a boxed corn bread mix. Goat cheese and peppery arugula give mashed potatoes an unexpected kick.  

SIDE DISH
Harvest Squash and Cheddar Spoon Bread

2 medium butternut squash, halved and seeded
1 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded
Cooking spray
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons brown sugar
11/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon ground sage
1 (6-ounce) package corn bread mix
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

- Place squash halves, cut sides down, on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.- Scoop pulp from squash and place in a colander. Allow liquid to drain from cooked squash (about 10 minutes).

- While squash drains, combine sour cream, eggs, brown sugar, salt, pepper, thyme and ground sage in a large bowl. Add cooled, drained squash. Mix on medium speed of an electric mixer until combined. Stir in dry corn bread mix and cheese.

- Coat a large casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour batter into dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 12 to 16 servings.
Source: Cabot Creamery—

3 cups (about 5 large) russet potatoes, peeled, quartered
1/4 cups butter
1 1/4 cups whole milk
5 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup (packed) chopped arugula leaves (about 2 large bunches)
Salt and pepper to taste

- Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling, salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain. Return potatoes to pot. Stir over low heat until excess moisture evaporates. Add butter; mash potatoes until smooth.

- Bring milk to simmer is saucepan. Remove from heat. Add goat cheese: whisk until melted.

- Add milk mixture to potatoes; whisk until smooth. Stir in arugula. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 6 to 8.
Source: Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese

—

APPETIZER
Garlic-Cheddar Spread

1 pound garlic cheddar cheese (see note)
1/2 pound cream cheese
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

- Grate garlic cheddar into bowl and mash cream cheese into it. Add minced garlic, lemon juice and sugar.

- Beat until smooth and fully blended. Add in salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

- Divide mixture into 4 equal parts and mold into uniform shapes. Wrap each separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two to three days to mature.

Note: If you can’t find garlic cheese, add two cloves of finely minced garlic to the mix.
Source: Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese

—

SIDE DISH
Yankee Doodle Baked Macaroni and Cheese

12 ounces large elbow macaroni, bow-tie pasta or shells
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups hot, but not boiling, milk (low-fat is fine)
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon dry mustard
12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)
5 or 6 ounces mild white meltable cheese, such as Jack, Gouda or kasseri, shredded
4 to 5 ounces sharp blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)
1/2 to 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese

- Cook pasta in a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water until not quite tender - just shy of al dente. Drain and set aside.

- Make the sauce: Melt butter in a heavy nonstick saucepan and sprinkle with flour. Cook for a minute or two, then stir with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and add milk all at once, along with bay leaf. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until sauce thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes. If there are any lumps, remove bay leaf and whisk with a wire whisk or whirl in the food processor. Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper, paprika and dry mustard.

- Reserve 5 to 6 tablespoons of the sharp cheddar and mild white cheeses. Remove bay leaf from the bechamel if you haven’t already, then stir in remaining cheddar, mild white cheese and blue cheese.

- In the bottom of a 11/2-quart baking dish with 4-inch sides, sprinkle 1 or 2 tablespoons of the reserved cheeses. Add onion and garlic to cheese sauce.

- Layer 1/3 of macaroni in bottom of the dish, top with a third of the cheese sauce, and repeat the layers two more times, ending with the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheeses, then with the Parmesan cheese. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven 20 to 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly browned in spots.

Makes 5 to 6 servings.
Source: Macaroni & Cheese by Marlena Spieler (Chronicle Books, 2005)

[Last modified November 15, 2007, 10:43:53]

Mine is Boschetto al Tartufo Bianchetto.

Its base is a sweet, tender and mild cheese made from a careful blend of sheep’s milk and cow’s milk. Mixed throughout are shavings of rare, white truffle that transform the cheese into an addictive delicacy.

Today we recieved a wonderful email from Neal Greene, an officer in the United States Army, First Calvary Division in Baghdad:

“I”d just like to thank you for your great service to APOS. i”m an officer in the 1st cavalry division deployed to Baghdad and we have hadone of our weekly meetings supplied with snacks from your company. they