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February Special: Whitney's Castelton Crackers
If you play Scrabble with a culinary historian don’t be embarrassed to lose when they spell skillygalee. Unflatteringly, it refers to any thin gruel made with water and grain. During the US Civil War, skillygalee was made by soaking hardtack in liquid and, if you were lucky, adding some salt pork, or sugar, or butter. And, if you were on the Union side of this war, chances are your hardtack came from the GH Bent Company in Milton, Mass. Bent’s is still there at 7 Pleasant Street and still baking and still selling hardtack to Civil War re-enactors. Josiah Bent started this bakery in 1801 when he decided to make a lighter, thinner version of hardtack that had been a staple for centuries of sailors and soldiers. He rolled out sheets of dough, baked them, and cracked them by hand. UMass alum Whitney Lamy has always been fascinated with the origin of many of the foods we eat today. From her base in Castleton, Vermont she began rolling out crackers in this original way. Her modern hardtack, caught on with family and friends. Soon a business was born that fit symbiotically with Vermont’s artisan cheese explosion. My own—infinitely better tasting and waterless—skillygalee involves Whitney’s Rutland Rye and Jasper Hill’s Moses Sleeper with all its references to another historical marker. 5 varieties 12/6oz
Specially Priced for February Ask for Details! |
New & Returning
February 6th
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In the News:
2010 American Cheese Society Results!
Janet Fletcher on Andante Dairy's Tomme Dolce
An Interview with Neals Yard Dairy's Randolph Hodgson
Italian Tradition - Made Here
Porchetta in Whole Loin or Retail Packs
Introducing
Fresh Pasta & Sauces!
It's Not Only Cheese in Vermont
United States
BRAZOS
SELECT made by Brazos Valley
Cheese (Waco, TX) - Soft cheese made from raw cow's milk. This is an
award-winning, mold-ripened cheese. It is brushed with sorghum syrup,
wrapped in mesquite wood and garnished with a grape leaf. The result is
rustic and earthy Brie. Case 1/2#
KINDERHOOK CREEK made by Old Chatham Sheepherding Co. (Old Chatham, NY) - Soft cheese made from 100% pasteurized sheep’s milk. This 14 oz soft ripened cheese is an American original. The East Friesian Ewe’s milk brings out the terroir of New York’s Hudson Valley from which they graze. It has a delightfully creamy, even spreadable texture developing a natural rind and creamy, firm paste with mushroom overtones and oozes at peak. Case 3/14oz
MARISA, CAVE-AGED made by Carr Valley Cheese (La Valle, WI) – Firm seasonal cheese made with milk from pastured Wisconsin sheep. It is a pasteurized cheese, white in color with a mellow flavor, complex and sweet -- qualities that reminded Master Cheesemaker Sid Cook of his daughter Marisa, who he named the cheese after. 3rd Runner Up in 2008 American Cheese Society’s Best in Show! Case 1/10#
RUSH CREEK RESERVE
made by Andy Hatch of Uplands Cheese (Dodgeville, WI) – Soft cheese made
from raw cow’s milk cheese. This is the latest creation of the makers of
Pleasant Ridge Reserve and it’s another phenomenal one. This Vacherin Mon
d’Or-style cheese is aged for 60 days to meet the FDA regulations. It is
made with autumn milk that gives the natural sweetness and thicker texture.
In the fall, when
the cows stop
eating pasture and start eating hay, fat goes up, protein goes up, so milk
becomes a bit rich for a hard cheese, but it’s perfect for a soft cheese.
Each 12-oz. wheel is bound with
spruce bark and washed with both
b-linens
and candidum
bacteria. B-linens give
the rind orange color and slightly beefy flavor and candidum gives
the rind white strikes and mushroomy notes. The best way to serve it is by
cutting off the top and making kind of a lid and digging in with a spoon.
The texture is super-smooth and velvety with some barnyardy aroma and meaty,
slightly smoky flavor that is easy to savor. Ironically, named after small
creek running though the farm, it’s a world class cheese with a lot of
personality – another reason to get excited about the holiday season when it
will be released. Pairs well with
Gewürztraminer, Riesling
or a malty beer. We also think Champagne would be great with it, wouldn’t
it? Case 4/12oz
WEYBRIDGE made by Patty Scholten of Scholten Family Farm (Weybridge, VT) – Soft cheese made from organic cow’s milk. This farmstead cheese has a rich and creamy texture and delicious lactic flavor with just the right amount of salt in the background. Pairs well with Pinot Blanc or Chenin Blanc, but Champagne is a perfect match. Case 10/4oz
VAN
SORMON made by Brazos Valley
Cheese (Waco, TX) - Firm cheese made from raw cow's milk. This cheese
has a dense texture and nutty flavor similar to a mild Swiss. For the first
two weeks of the aging period, it is rubbed with vanilla, sorghum, and
cinnamon. Case 1/14#
COMING SOON!
