It's Dairy Month: My Minnesota Cheese Roundup

Honoring My Favorite Food Group - Dara & Co. - June 2011 - Minnesota

June is Dairy Month! My favorite food group is being recognized for a whole 30 days, and I am looking forward to writing about all things Minnesota and dairy all month long. For my blog post this week, I wanted to summarize just a handful of my favorite local cheese nibbles from the past year. Whether creamy and blue or tangy and crumbly, this week, I’m giving a nod to Minnesota cheese. (And yes, some of these cheeses —marked by italics—may seem familiar, because I've written about them before! But they're so good, I had to mention them again.)

I’ve been crazy about a couple cheeses from PastureLand in Southeast Minn., especially their Farmdog Raw Milk Blue and Meadowlark Clothbound Cheddar. Pastureland uses 100% grass-fed organic milk to craft their cheeses, and the complex, grass-fed flavors are truly something special from Minnesota.

Farmdog Raw Milk Blue
PastureLand’s Farmdog Raw Milk Blue Cheese is aged for 75 days in the caves in Faribault, Minn. It’s pungent, slightly yellow, creamy, and chock full of blue veining. I let the Farmdog warm to room temperature, and it became smooth and easy to spread on a piece of fresh baguette with a dollop of honey. Pair it with a glass of Riesling for an after-dinner treat.

Meadowlark Clothbound Cheddar
Pictured above, PastureLand’s Meadowlark Cheddar is pasteurized and also aged in the caves at Faribault. The fact that it’s clothbound means the cheese releases more moisture and develops a different concentration of flavor than other cheddars wrapped in wax or plastic. It’s slightly sweet, a bit tangy, and has an earthiness to it. It’s dense and fares well on a cheese board with crisp apple slices.

A couple of Faribault Dairy’s cheeses have graced my cheese plate regularly this year. Faribault Dairy in Faribault, Minn. is using raw cow's milk from seven local dairies and producing tasty blue cheeses that are giving more expensive European blues a run for their money.

Oktoberfest Blau
Faribault Dairy took it upon themselves to bathe St. Pete’s Select blue cheese in Summit Brewing’s Company’s OktoberFest Beer. Beer bathing in caves might sound a bit strange, but it’s not much of a stretch, considering the sandstone caves at Faribault were used as beer cellars once upon a time. The washed rind does impart a stronger aroma than Faribault’s other blue cheeses, so it’s best to let it come to room temperature under glass, but even the wine-toting mamas in my monthly book club made short work of this creamy, pungent, beer-bathed blue.

Amablu Gorgonzola
Faribault Dairy's Amablu Gorgonzola recently won Best of Class at the World Championship Cheese Contest, proving that cheese-making isn't a skill that the Old World has a lock on. I like Amablu Gorgonzola with a dollop of local honey. It provides a perfect foil for the sharp, pungent, slightly sweet, and salty cheese.

Of course, I can’t forget Alemar Cheese in Mankato, Minn. Their smooth, soft-ripened Bent River cheese is crafted using whole milk from Cedar Summit Farm to produce some of the most delicate Camembert-style cheese produced in the U.S.

Bent River
Bent River Camembert is a domestic, Camembert-style cheese called Bent River by Alemar Cheese. Alemar Cheese Company is located about 70 miles southwest of the Twin Cities in Mankato, Minn. There, Keith Adams is using organic whole milk from Cedar Summit Farm to produce some of the most soft, smooth, delicate Camembert-style cheese produced in the U.S.

Let’s not forget sheep’s and goat’s milk cheeses! Both Big Woods Blue and Donnay Dairy Chévre bring classic flavors to the table with their handcrafted cheeses.

Big Woods Blue
In 1994, Steven Read and Jodi Ohlsen Read established Shepherd’s Way Farms in rural Carver County with their flock of sheep. Currently located outside Northfield, Minn., Shepherd’s Way Farms is handcrafting cheese on their farm. The cheeses are made in small batches and many are national award-winners, including Big Woods Blue, a creamy sheep’s milk blue cheese.

Donnay Dairy Chévre
Donnay Dairy, located in Kimball, Minn., produces two certified-organic goat cheeses, fresh chévre, and cave-aged Granite Ridge. Light and tangy, Donnay Dairy Chévre is a great option served either chilled or cooked. It crumbles when chilled, spreads easily at room temperature, but also softens nicely when exposed to heat (as on a pizza).

With so many cheeses and so little time to celebrate Dairy Month, it’s time to hightail it to the nearest cheese shop and check all the tasty options that Minnesota cheesemakers have to offer. And by all means, if you discover something wonderful, be sure to share!

[where: Minnesota, Food, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, 55418]

Farmer's Market Season is Especially Special For Shepherd's Way

This weekend marks the opening of the Minneapolis Farmer's Market and the St Paul Farmer's Market. It also marks a special day for Shepherd's Way Farms.

They're back to full scale production for the first time since a devastating arson fire in 2005 that killed hundreds of their lambs and ewes.

They'll be making their "debut" at the St Paul Farmer's Market this weekend sampling and selling their smoked, cooked Westlund sausage and knockout cheeses - Friesago, Big Woods Blue and both Shepherd's Hopes.

Look for them at the St Paul Farmer's Market this weekend and the Mill City Farmer's Market next weekend.

In an email earlier this week, Steven Read said:.

For now, we won't be bringing any of our wool to Saint Paul for sale, but folks can order them and we will deliver there. We will have wool pillows, comforters and mattress pads on hand for sale at Mill City. We will also only have our eggs and lamb cuts for sale at Mill City until we see how to balance our inventory.

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

New Email Listserv for Minnesota Urban Farmers

The Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture has created a MNURBANFARMERS listserv, which will provide a way for Minnesotans engaged in urban farming activities to correspond with one another.

According to the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, "the purpose of the MNUurbanFarmers listserv is to be a discussion forum relevant to urban agriculture activities. "

To sign up go to: http://www.misa.umn.edu

While you are there, take their urban agriculture survey to help keep them in the know about your interests and activities.

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Ready for Ramps!

Ready for Ramps! - Dara & Co. - April 2011 - Minnesota

Word on the street is that fresh, local ramps will be making their seasonal debut at local co-ops this weekend. Hooray! Ramps!

What are ramps?
Ramps are tasty, wild leeks. Their small bulbs have a pungent, onion-like flavor and they have broad, green leaves that smell like onion as well. They emerge in spring around the same time as daffodils and tulips. They can be foraged in the wild near water and on hillsides in sandy soil, or you can grab a bunch at your neighborhood co-op.

Cooking with Ramps
As with so many ingredients in our kitchens, ramps pair well with bacon.

• Half a pound of ramps, trimmed and cleaned
• Half a pound of bacon, chopped
• Salt and pepper

1. First, separate the leaves from the bulbs.
2. Gently parboil the bulbs in water while you chop and fry some bacon in a pan.
3. Remove the bacon from the pan and set it aside.
4. Once the bulbs are tender, transfer them to the bacon pan and sauté them in the bacon pan with the drippings.
5. Add the chopped ramp greens to the bacon pan with the bulbs and cook until they are wilted.
6. Grab the bacon you set aside earlier and crumble it over the top of the bulbs and greens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preserving Ramps
Can’t eat all of your ramps? Take a crack at preserving them for later use.

Make a ramp compound butter. Compound butter is butter that has been modified with additional ingredients. Herb butter comes to mind as a popular compound butter served at restaurants. Compound butters are great on broiled fish, bread, and are even good for making sauces.

• Half a pound of ramps, trimmed and cleaned
• 2 pounds of unsalted, cubed butter at room temperature
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parchment Paper (or wax paper)

1. Trim and clean the ramps.
2. Blanch the ramps by boiling them in water for a minute and then plunging them in ice water.
3. Drain the ramps and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
4. Slice the ramps into very small pieces.
5. In a large bowl or mixer, combine the butter, ramps, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
6. Create logs of compound butter and wrap them in parchment paper. Store in container in refrigerator or freeze.

Not in the mood for butter? Try pickling your leftover ramps using a recipe from Twin Cities’ own Chef Shack rock stars. Read up on canning if you’ve never canned before. The University of Minnesota Extension has everything you need to know to get started.

• 1 lb cleaned, fresh wild ramps
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 tsp. each of hard pickling spice (cinnamon, coriander, juniper berry, star anise, and cardamom)

1. Clean and soak wild ramps in cold water.
2. Trim root ends and scrub free of soil. Leave whole.
3. Place the raw, prepped ramps in jars while you prepare the pickling liquid in Step #4.
4. Pour vinegar, sugar, water, and spices in a heavy-bottomed pan and bring the mix to a rolling boil for 3 minutes.
5. Carefully pour the hot liquid mix over the ramps in jars and place self-sealing ring and top on each jar.
6. Cook the sealed jars in your canner for approximately 15 minutes. Keep a minimum of 2 inches of water boiling over the jars during cooking time.
7. Remove the ramp-filled jars from the hot water. Cool for 24 hours.

Just as quickly as ramps appear on shelves and menus around the city, they disappear, so grab some of these tasty harbingers of spring while you can!

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Alemar Cheese Announces Fromage Blanc

Alemar Cheese, makers of Bent River Camembert, are sourcing Cedar Summit Milk to create a new product, Fromage Blanc.

Keith Adams, of Alemar Cheese blogged about it this week.

"Some people compare it to a lighter version of cream cheese, and there are definite similarities. For me, it's a blend of cream cheese, yogurt and creme fraiche. There is the acidic tang common to all of them, but the texture is not quite the same. What sets it apart is the amazing milk from Cedar Summit Farm. The milk's great complexity and depth shine through, leaving a long, distinct and pleasing aftertaste."

Apparently, you can sample the new Fromage Blanc on flatbread at Vincent on Nicollet Mall and on cupcakes at the Craftsman. I'm looking forward to bringing some home to my own kitchen.

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Minnesota Pizza Round-Up

Slice and Serious Eats in New York has compiled a roundup of pizza called the United States of Pizza. They tracked down Minnesota food blogger, Aaron Landry, for the Minnesota pizza round-up. Slice and Serious Eats definitely picked the right guy for the job.

Called the "Minnesota pizza blogger extraordinaire," pizza has been one of Landry's most covered topics in Minnesota, and you can read his round up of the best Minnesota pizza here: The United States of Pizza: Minnesota. I second his Black Sheep and Galactic Pizza picks. Add a comment there if agree or if you've got a pizza to add that he missed.

Although he vacated Minnesota for Hawaii last December, he's still producing Heavy Table, and I'm glad to see he's still showing love for the land of 10,000 lakes.

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Cure In A Bowl

Cure In A Bowl - Dara & Co. - April 2011 - Minnesota

When the only cure for last night is warm and spicy soup, Tortilleria La Perla serves up some of the Twin Cities’ best cure in a bowl. As you’re sipping your soup and recalling the details of last night, you might ponder the white, slightly fluffy, slight chewy grain that is floating in your soup. It’s nixtamal, or hominy, which is dried corn that has been soaked and cooked in limewater or ashes, and then hulled. Its popular uses include soups such as Pozolé and menudo in its whole form, and when it’s ground it can be used to make tortillas and tamales.

After spending more than a few hours contemplating the complex texture of the nixtamal in my soup, I decided to prepare some from scratch at home using Minnesota-made Native Harvest Hominy, produced by the White Earth Land Recovery Project. They’re on a mission to recover the original land base of the White Earth Indian Reservation in Northwestern Minnesota. One of their major efforts is preserving native crops, and they prepare their own hominy with ashes from burned hardwood.

The process of turning the dried hominy soft and tender was simple. It was time-consuming, but no more so than preparing dried beans for a soup. I rinsed the dried hominy and then soaked the kernels in water overnight. The next afternoon, I brought the soaked kernels to a boil and then allowed them to simmer for about two hours, stirring occasionally until they were al dente. Once they reached that perfect tenderness I seasoned them and added them to a bowl with black beans, spicy shredded pork (tinga), cilantro, and onions and ladled some broth over the bowl. It was superbly comforting and worth the effort.

Native Harvest Hominy is available locally at Seward Co-op, but if you’d rather just sit down with a bowl of soup than make it, check out Tortilleria La Perla—especially if you’re in recovery mode from last night.