| Join My Mailing List! |
Summer is here, and the summer grasses are reaching for the sun. This means the cows, goats, and sheep are eating great food, which translates to great milk. In turn, we get great cheese — fresh cheeses now and aged cheeses come the fall and winter. It also means it's almost time for the annual American Cheese Society conference. This year's conference, taking place in Seattle, is almost certainly going to be the best one yet. Our keynote speaker is none other than Michael Pollan. Plus, we're going to have more cheeses available for tasting than ever before. If you've ever contemplated going to the ACS conference, this is the year to do it.
In the meantime, I continue to focus on grilled cheese. In fact, grilled cheese and wine pairing was the subject of one of my two seminars at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, held June 18 - 20th. And you thought grilled cheese was exclusively beer food. Not any more. Click here for a list of the sandwiches and the wines I paired with them. Try the sandwiches and pairings at home. You're going to love the combos. And, if you're interested in seeing a great video overview of the Classic, click here.
QVC and QVC.com had a big presence for the second year in a row at the Classic. Not only did I get to play co-host for a day, reporting on the goings-on in the Grand Tasting tents for them, but i also got to make a grilled cheese sandwich with host Meredith Laurence. As always, it was great fun to work with her. The name of the sandwich we made? Salami and Cheese. When it comes to grilled cheese, simple is best.
If you missed this year's California Artisan Cheese Festival, this video made by Cheese-Chick will convince you to make your plans for one of the year's biggest cheese happenings. You can check out the details here www.artisancheesefestival.com.
Say Cheese!
AWARD-WINNING
BOOKS
BY LAURA WERLIN
James Beard Award-Nominated
CHEESE ESSENTIALS
An insiders guide to cheese with 50 recipes.
An Insider's Guide to Buying and Serving Cheese. With 50 Recipes. By Laura Werlin with photographs by Maren Caruso.
GREAT GRILLED CHEESE
50 Innovative Recipes for Stovetop, Grill and Sandwich Maker
Discover 50 new recipes for America's favorite sandwich and the best method for making a perfect grilled cheese sandwich every time.
THE ALL AMERICAN CHEESE AND WINE BOOK
Winner of the James Beard Award! A comprehensive guide to pairing cheese and wine American style and entertaining with cheese.
THE NEW AMERICAN CHEESE
This IACP award-winning book explores the cheeses of America and the people making them as well as features 80 cheesy recipes.