Curd on the Street Archives | Page 45 of 82

March 31, 2017November 29, 2017

An Egg-cellent Easter Dessert Pairing!

Listen up, because we’re about to turn your world upside down. The last thing we want is for you to go into Easter with the same old meal – that roasted ham, the overly sweet chocolate bunnies, and those sugar-blasted Peeps. So we’re going to up your Easter game with one suggestion: take your cheese plate and turn it into a dessert cheese plate by pairing your best cheeses with some upscale Easter chocolate. We’re going to give you pairings for some of our favorite Easter chocolate (bunnies, eggs, and everything in between) and the cheeses that they would taste awesome with!

Ah, the classic Easter bunny. There’s no food that is so often associated with Easter as the chocolate bunny. These mischievous bunnies are delectable, but if you’re interested in upping your game, we suggest you break out a log of Capri. This simple, rindless goat’s milk might be on the younger side, but it has a bold, vibrant, and tangy character that makes it clear that this is a spring time cheese. The crumbly, pasteurized goat’s milk is still creamy enough to spread – we say, scoop and spread over a bite of chocolate bunny and go nuts. Want to go crazy with flavor? Throw some raspberries into the mix.

Robin eggs, at least for us, have always been the sign that spring is here. Now, these might not be coming straight from the robin’s nest, but that’s okay. They’re made from decadent milk chocolate caramel ganache that is enrobed in white chocolate, then decorated to look like the real deal. But with a nutty milk chocolate, we’re going to need something creamy, buttery, and utterly delightful. We say, break out the Brillat Savarin. This cheese is basically buttercream icing in cheese form – talk about dessert!

Fresh eggs are a sign that spring has sprung – so how about some delectable chocolate ones? These white chocolate eggs are filled with a milk chocolate hazelnut gianduja mousse – so a nutty Alpine is natural pairing. Our Cavemaster coaxes flavors of roasted hazelnuts, butterscotch, and cocoa out of each wheel of Annelies and the natural nutty flavors are perfect with this chocolate/hazelnut combo. There’s a smooth creaminess in both the egg and the cheese – crunch into both and be taken away on an epic food journey.

Two for the price of one! This carton of eggs is filled with sweet chocolate bliss flavored with two different fillings – sweet ganache of the passion fruit and hazelnut milk chocolate varieties. Inspired by the hazelnut and sweet milk notes, we say break out the Challerhocker for those toasty, nutty eggs. Meanwhile, the passion fruit is just what the doctor ordered when paired with an apricoty, tangy blue cheese like the Bay Blue!

March 28, 2017November 29, 2017

Cheeses to Bring the Spring

The beginning of spring always seems a little dreary (personally, we don’t love the constant drizzle, even if we know it’s good for the plants). So here at Murray’s, we’ve been thinking about the best ways to make the season a bit brighter. And what better way of doing it than picking bright, floral, and sweet cheeses to get us in the mood for warmer, sunnier days? So, we’ve designed two delectable collections to get us in that springtime spirit!

Springtime Splendor is us looking forward to Easter – think chocolate bunnies, caramel sweetness, and flowers in the middle of the table for brunch. That’s where our inspiration came from when putting together this collection. First we took our award-winning Hudson Flower, which is dressed in aromatic flowers and herbs, and full of springtime flavors from the Hudson Valley. Then we add in 2 Year Aged Boerenkaas, which is filled with rich caramel sweetness. Need a little bit more of a tangy dessert after Easter brunch? Jasper Hill’s Bayley Hazen Blue has notes of dark chocolate within the tangy, piquant blue. But a springtime feast is more than just cheese! How about a few dollops of Murray’s Strawberry Rhubarb jam? Or maybe you could spread those delectable cheeses on Rip Rap Bakery’s Sea Salt Crackers. Finish it up with a handful of colorful and rich Chocolate Malted Milk Balls – decorated as beautifully painted pastel Easter eggs.

Meanwhile, we’re dreaming of sunshine, so we put together a trio hoping that it’ll come soon! We love the fresh, green grasses and warm breezes of spring, and of course, bloomy rind cheeses! We chose one of our favorites for this trio, Sweet Grass Dairy’s Green Hill, which is silky and creamy and loaded with rich, buttery notes. When you dollop a spoonful of Serramel Lemon Curd on top of the Green Hill, it’s like being hit with sunshine, adding a custardy tart bit of citrus to the mix. We like to spread both over Effie’s Homemade Oatcakes – think of it as a nice picnic to celebrate that spring is here and (hopefully) will be blooming soon!

Did we get you in the mood for Spring yet? Even if the weather isn’t acting like it, we hope you can welcome in the season the best way we know how – full of bright, sunny cheeses and sweet delights.

March 24, 2017November 29, 2017

A Simple (Healthy) Alternative for Junk Food…with CHEESE

If you’ve given something up for Lent, or if you’re still keeping up with your New Years Resolutions (if that’s the case, you’re amazing and you should teach us your ways), you might be struggling to get your fix. We feel you – junk food purged from the pantry, there’s nothing we want more than a handful of potato chips. But we have a cheesy option for you that you might just love.

Fricos. It’s not an off-brand corn chip. Actually, it’s a simple recipe that you can make yourself, as a cheesy alternative to the snack food you crave. For this recipe, you’re going to need some parm. We’re not talking about the powdery stuff that you sprinkle over pizza though. We suggest buying a nice chunk of Murray’s Parmigiano Reggiano – the king of cheese. Murray’s chooses 24 month wheels straight from Parma, Italy, made of raw, partially skimmed cows milk. The result is a distinctive buttery aroma that hints at the barrage of nutty sweetness and spice followed by a salt-caramel finish.

Sounds better than a bag of Lays, right? You can find our recipe for Fricos below, and indulge guilty free!

Ingredients

1 pound of Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
That’s it! Just cheese!

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper (or silicone non-stick mat if you have!)
Scoop a tablespoon of freshly grated Parmigiano onto the baking sheep, spreading the mounds to about 3″ wide. Make sure as you continue filling the sheet to keep at least an inch between each mound.
Place baking sheet in middle rack, and bake cheese until brown and melted, about 5-6 minutes.
Remove sheet from oven and let fricos cool off completely (this will allow that crispy texture you crave).

PS – Want a little extra kick? You can add spices to the grated cheese mix. We like adding a bit of curry powder!

March 21, 2017November 29, 2017

Spring is in Full Bloom – and so are Our Cheeses!

It’s official: Spring has finally sprung. Sure, we might still be a little chilly, but we know that flowers are getting ready to bloom and little baby cows, goats, and sheep will soon be joining the world. Then suddenly, there will be bloomy cheese everywhere! We’re definitely not complaining – we love these young, soft cheeses made from milk that comes fresh from the pastures and goes straight into becoming cheese. They’re only aged for a month or so, allowing them to keep the grassy, fresh milkiness that we know and love them for. To celebrate spring, here’s a few of our favorite bloomy rinded, warm(ish) weather cheeses!

Kunik

Out of the South Adirondacks, comes this triple threat. First, a layer of lemony goat’s milk is enriched with fatty Jersey cow cream, to create a mushroomy, intensely buttery flavor and the utmost decadent paste. Murray’s buys these cheeses as soon as they’re made, then let them spend a little time ripening in our Long Island City caves. The hints of minerals from the fresh pastures at the foot of the South Adirondacks are coaxed out during this time, and it makes it the best cheese to have with a sparkling, fruity rose.

Hudson Flower

Speaking of flowers blooming, our Hudson Flower is ready to grace your cheese plate. Young wheels of decadent sheep’s milk from the nearby Old Chatham Cheese Company are sent to our caves, where they then receive a fresh coat of rosemary, lemon thyme, marjoram, elderberries, and hop flowers, a flavorful blend based on the sheep’s springtime diet. These bright herbs impart a certain woodsy, floral aroma that always get us in a springtime sort of mood and make an unforgettable flavor.

Up in Smoke

Every time we carefully pull back the edges of the maple leaves that wrap up this rindless chevre like a gift, we feel like we’re welcoming spring itself. The incredible balance of deep, smoky richness and clean minerality comes from the diet of the goats, who are set to pasture year round. But we love it best in the spring time, where the lemony, grassy goat’s milk is at its best. The little round is then smoked over alder and maplewood, then wrapped in leaves and misted with bourbon. These citrusy nuggets are the epitome of bright, crisp spring cheeses.

St. Stephen

These small, bloomy wheels come from the Hudson Valley creamery, Four Fat Fowl. A triple creme made with the cream from Jersey cows (arguably the best, creamiest milk there is), these little wheels are delicately buttery, with hints of sun-dried wheat, newly emerged grass, and sweet cream beneath the pillowy rind. If we’re talking about local terroir (that taste of place we love), you know we’re talking about St. Stephen. If you’re looking for even more of that fresh spring flavor, drizzle it with local wildflower honey, and find something bubbly to drink.

Coupole

The brainchild of one of America’s most innovative and groundbreaking cheese makers, Allison Hooper of Vermont Creamery, this beauty is made with fresh pasteurized goat’s milk that comes from family farms. Once those farms are teeming with baby goats is when this cheese really starts to shine. The fresh, grassy notes are brightened with the velvety paste and unctuous creamline. We want to celebrate this perfection (and the blooming of springtime) with a glass of something sparkling. Go classic with a French champagne or an American cider.

March 17, 2017November 29, 2017

Get the Luck o’ the Cheese Lover with this St. Paddy’s Day Collection

With St. Patrick’s Day being today and all, we here at Murray’s wanted to spend a little time giving love to our favorite flavors of the Emerald Isle. From boggy, mineral rich pastures to the lush, green fields of the southeast’s “Garden of Ireland”, the cheese of Ireland delight our dairy-loving hearts! Ireland has a bounty of delicious treasures to discover, and we’re ready to lead you on a tour of them.

Irish Cheddar

The green wax this cheese comes in is not just for decoration – it reflects the those lush green fields that make the southeast of Ireland known as the “Garden of Ireland”. It’s more temperate from the other parts of the country, and leave the sunny pigment in the grass and in the cheese. The cheddars that come out of this region are buttery and grassy, with sweet and fruity flavors. The wax seals in the moisture of the cheese, making it sliceable and great for melting into sandwiches or with a pint of Guinness on the side (we really suggest you enjoy with the latter).

Cashel Blue

You know Cashel Blue – over the past few weeks, we’ve hardly stopped talking about it. And for good reason. This is the taste of traditional Irish cheesemaking, with its own unique twist. The Grubb family left England and brought their buttermaking and dairy business over to Ireland over some religious differences – that was over 300 years ago. The Grubb family got by with their buttermaking business for a bit of time, but it wasn’t until the mid-80s that they changed direction by creating Ireland’s first blue cheese. And oh, is it good. Voluptuous and creamy, with a minerally undertone, it is complemented by a delightful mild blue tang – an excellent beginner blue. They even get that grassiness that we love, since the cheese is made from milk when the cows are out to pasture.

Grazier’s Edge

Okay, to be fair, this is kind of cheating. Grazier’s Edge is an American classic, not an Irish one. But St. Patrick’s Day is just as popular here as it is over in Ireland (if not more so given the parade that is happening today here in New York). And this pungent delight from Minnesota does have a bit of an Irish twist. We like to think of it as the American version of Ardrahan – a stinky washed rind from Duhallow in the County Cork. Grazier’s Edge is washed in St. Paul’s own whiskey – 11 Wells Rye – which leaves the cheese strong, ye approachable with notes of creamed sweet corn and grass. If you’re going to enjoy this cheese, break open that nice bottle of Irish whiskey you’ve been saving.

We pair these three cheeses with citrusy Orange & Bourbon Marmalade (dollop heavily on top of that Cashel Blue, you’ll thank us later) and rustic Brown Bread Crackers. They make up the ultimate collection for celebrating a truly Irish St. Paddy’s Day – great for having people over or prepping for a long day of pub crawls and parades. We promise, you’ll be dancing an Irish jig when you’re done.