Murray's Cheese Blog

Holidays are about family, tradition and…decadence! And what could be more decadent than the earthy, delicious and delightfully trendy truffle? These elusive tubers were once believed to have grown where lightning struck the earth, and today, an air of myth and mystery still surround these tasty underground beauties. This rare nature means truffles can be quite expensive and hard to find, but we’ve figured out the perfect way to enjoy their flavor anytime: by carrying as many truffle cheeses as we can find. Here are some of our favorites, perfect for the Holidays, or as we like to call them, Truffle Season.

Continue reading “The Murray’s Guide to Truffle Cheeses”

Editor’s Note: This post was guest-written by Chiara D’Amore-Klaiman, an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional and member of our Wholesale team!

Truffles seem to be everywhere these days: on our french fries, in our mac and cheese, on our pizza, and topping our burgers. But more often than not, what you’re getting at your local gastro pub is truffle oil, made with a synthetic flavor compound, and not in fact made with any truffle. This is because real truffles are rare and incredibly time consuming to obtain (not to mention, expensive), but they are also undoubtedly delicious. Find everything you need to know about the prized delicacy, from definitions to recipe idea, below.

Continue reading “Black Truffle 101: Everything You Need To Know”

Holiday time in the office often means getting gifts for your coworkers. Whether it’s something small for a white elephant gift exchange, or something a little larger to thank a close teammate or perhaps a boss, picking a thoughtful, lower-price gift is always a challenge. However, delicious and artisan made food gifts are always a smart and unique choice, and you don’t need to break the bank to get something both tasty and impressive! Here are some of our favorite office gifts for 2018, categorized by the different coworkers found in every office:

For the Office Snacker: The Ultimate Snacking Tin

Give the person who always has snacks hidden in their drawers or under their desks all the delicious snacks they could want with the Ultimate Snack Tin. What makes this the ultimate? It brings together all the classic snacking profiles. There’s chocolate. There’s popcorn. There’s caramel. There’s cheesiness galore. Salty, sweet, savory, and scrumptious—every snack base is fully covered with this collection.

For the Girl Scout Cookie Hoarder: Baking Bean Popcorn

Work in any office where people have children, and chances are a Girl Scouts cookie order sheet will be passed around at some point. Some people like these cookies, and some LOVE them, and for those who can’t get enough, Samoan Caramel Popcorn from The Baking Bean is the perfect gift. As the name suggests, this is the classic cookie reinvented: popcorn is coated in rich caramel, and paired with toasted coconut, vanilla shortbread, and drizzled with 70% Belgian chocolate.

For the NYC Transplant: BobbySue’s Nuts Everything Goes Nuts

A New York transplant in the office isn’t hard to find. Maybe they wear their Yankees or Mets hat religiously, or are constantly complaining about how they can’t find good pizza or bagels in their adoptive hometowns. For the ex-New Yorker in your office, give them a small taste of home with BobbySue’s Everything Goes Nuts, which are equal parts sweet and savory, and coated with the same everything mixture (sesame, poppy, onion, and garlic) that adorns bagels across the city.

For the Person Obsessed with “The Great British Baking Show”: Baked Boxed Baking Mixes

Very few shows have captured people’s attention quite like UK-based and Netflix-distributed “The Great British Baking Show“.  We’ll save you the details, but safe to say its a baking competition where everyone is exceedingly nice to each other, and there’s most certainly someone in your office that’s obsessed with it. For that person, we suggest Baked Boxed Baking Mixes, which will allow any baker the ability to make upgraded baking classics (with unexpected ingredients such as rye flour in the chocolate cake).

For the Office Foodie: Burrata Lover’s Collection

For the person in your office with the Instagram that’s mostly food pictures, our Burrata Lover’s Collection will satisfy their foodie cravings. Burrata is the It cheese: It’s delicious. It’s eminently photogenic. It goes well with everything. And here, it brings a luscious, ribbony texture to a trinity of Italian classics:, alongside buttery, vibrantly green Castelvetrano olives and silky sheets of ruby-red Prosciutto di Parma.

For the Person Who’s Always “Discovering” Something New: Cavemaster Reserve Cheeses

There’s always an office Brand Ambassador — a person who is trying to get everyone else on board with the new product (vitamins, apps, subscription boxes, etc.) they just can’t live without. For the person who prides themselves on discovering new things, give them something you can only get from Murray’s: our Cavemaster Reserve cheeses. From the gooey, spoonable Greensward to the best selling Alpine-style Annelies, you can enjoy being the discoverer for once!

For the Boss (or for Wowing Anyone Else): Monthly Clubs

If you’re looking for a gift that will pull out all the stops, any one of our Monthly Clubs is here to make you look good. Our signature clubs bring the best of Murray’s Cheese to your lucky recipient once a month for 1, 4, 6 or 12 months. Choose from the Cheese of the Month, Meat & Cheese of the Month, Pair of the Month or Meat of the Month clubs and rest assured that your coworker will be eating well for months to come. Membership also includes Murray’s monthly newsletter with detailed tasting notes, cheese profiles, histories, and pairing suggestions.

Editor’s Note: This post was written by Josh Windsor, one of our Cavemasters at Murray’s, responsible for the crafting and care of cheeses in our very own cheese caves in Long Island City, NY.

Fending off the cold of winter with a malty, dark ale is both an ancient tradition, and a modern good time. So, when Murray’s partnered with Other Half Brewing Co. to create a limited edition cheese for December, an imperial stout washed cheese seemed like the perfect choice. “Snowbirds Imperial Stout” has everything an affineur (those who care for and age cheeses) looks for in a beer. A strong malt backbone, a robust but manageable alcohol content, and complex flavor profile are the perfect combination to build a wash for a hearty cheese. The result of this experiment is Project Snowbird, a comforting cow’s milk cheese with a brothy aroma and lasting finish. But before we dive into the specifics of this cheese, let us first consider the beer.

Continue reading “A Cheese Made for the Winter: Project Snowbird”

Editor’s Note: This post was written by Natasha Manning, Cheese Monger and Regional Manager of Pacific Northwest and Mountain Regions of Murray’s in Kroger stores!

As cheese mongers, we have extra pressure on our shoulders when it comes to entertaining guests during the holidays. After all, they look to us as the cheese experts! Given my profession, I am expected to bring cheese, accompaniments and make them all look flawless together without being asked by my family members. Here’s some of my favorite tips on cutting, storing, and enjoying the different families of cheeses.

Continue reading “Murray’s Ultimate Hosting Guide”