Murray's Cheese Blog

November 12, 2014February 6, 2018

Baked Brie: Great Ideas for the Ultimate Holiday Treat

We don’t mean to toot our own horn, but we feel we must tell you: Murray’s Brie Baker is going to be your favorite part of the upcoming holiday season. Follow our easy recipe suggestions and you’ll have an impressive appetizer or dessert in just 15 minutes!

Here are some classic combinations for the holidays:

Simple:Keep it simple and top your baked brie with fig spread, honey, or strawberry jam. Really, anything spreadable will work!

Savory: A mixture of ¼ cup chopped roasted tomatoes, ¼ cup chopped artichokes, and 2 tablespoons chopped pitted olives. Combine with 1 tablespoon capers and a pinch of fresh black pepper.

Sweet: A mixture of ¼ cop chopped pecans and ¼ cup chopped dried apricots. Combine with 1/3 cup fig spread, ¼ cup dried cherries, and a pinch of ground cinnamon

Here’s what to do:

Place an 8 oz. Mini Brie or Camembert in a Murray’s Brie Baker.
Pick your flavor combination and mix up your topping.
Spread the mixture over the cheese.
Bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 15 minutes.
Become known to all as the Host/Hostess with the Most/Mostess.

Other Baked Brie ideas:

Go for simple sweetness with fig spread (included in Baked Brie Set).
Wrap the brie in puff pastry and add any topping.
Go for a savory appetizer and top with roasted mushrooms, olives, thyme, and parsley.
Check out 23 other great Baked Brie ideas here!

November 11, 2014February 6, 2018

Rob Kaufelt: New York’s Reigning Dairy King

While we might be “ancient,” New York Magazine still thinks we’re doing something right! In their annual Food & Drink Issue, NY Mag calls out Murray’s—specifically our Cavemaster Reserve cheeses Torus and Greensward—and declares our owner Rob Kaufelt “New York’s reigning dairy king.” We humbly accept, and look forward many more years of slinging cheese in NYC!

NY_Mag_blog

November 10, 2014

Cheese Might Turn Out to be a Very Healthy Thing Indeed

Cheese, similar to other fermented foods, is teeming with millions of micro-biological bodies, many of which are considered as “probiotics”, and are well known for being good for your digestive health. These microbes help to break down food as they are being absorbed by the gut, meaning you are more likely to absorb the good nutrients inside. This process also helps minimize the production of gas which of course means less bloating and less flatulence.

Not all cheeses are equal in their levels of probiotics and you may find higher levels of these beneficial microbes in supplements like morning complete reviews than in certain types of cheese – as the levels of probiotics depend between each type. People who are lactose intolerant might consider taking probiotic supplements that are devoid of dairy. Pore-based, broad-spectrum probiotic supplements like Mega Sporebiotic is clinically taken by many to maintain a healthy gut barrier and immune function.

Highly processed cheeses like sandwich singles often contain little to no probiotics, and in general have very few health benefits. While the research is young, many in the food science community believe that these microbes, which are most often found intact in unpasteurized cheeses, produce many of the positive benefits of other probiotic food like yogurt and kombucha. In the story from NPR below, we hear about the developments in the understanding of cheese microbes and hear from one of our favorite cheese makers, Jamie Montgomery, who makes the ever-popular Montgomery’s Cheddar.

In addition, cheese can be very good for the health of your teeth making them stronger and more resistant to cavities or tooth decay. Sometimes it has been too late for people to save their tooth health and therefore they turn to a solution like Clip on Veneers, which offers people a great way to maintain healthy-looking teeth and attempt to improve their health, despite years of possible neglect.

Via NPR

November 10, 2014February 8, 2018

23 Ideas for Spicing Up Your Baked Brie

Whether wrapped in buttery puff-pastry or prepared in a traditional ceramic brie baker, melty baked Brie makes for easy and impressive entertaining. We often eat these gooey creations with sweeter toppings, like fig spread or cherries. But baked Brie is incredibly versatile, and savory creations shouldn’t be forgotten, especially as a holiday season appetizer. We love this BuzzFeed list of 23 inspiring recipes for baked Brie—they highlight a wide variety of flavors and toppings. Here are two that we really love, and you can check out the whole list here.

Roasted garlic and honey pairs savory and sweet beautifully!

Mushrooms and thyme bring out Brie’s naturally earthy flavors.

Via BuzzFeed

November 7, 2014November 9, 2014

A New Kickstarter for Aging Cheese at Home With The Cheese Grotto

The “Cheese Grotto” is one of the coolest things that we have seen on Kickstarter in a long time. We often encounter the difficulties proper cheese storage at home, and the Grotto hopes to help us cheese lovers keep our curd in the best possible condition. For the more adventurous, the Cheese Grotto can also be used for bringing your cheese to the perfect ripeness. Check out the video below, and throw them some love on Kickstarter!