Tag: St. Patrick’s Day

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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.

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Ireland: Lush Land of Cheeses

With St. Patrick’s day only a few days away, we wanted to put the spotlight on some of our favorite Irish cheeses! Irish cheesemaking is relatively young to the world, unlike the ancient practices of France and Italy. But that certainly doesn’t make them any less delicious – Ireland had a vast history of buttermaking, so dairies were already up and running before the cheese started flowing. In fact, Ireland’s lush and rich pastures make it the perfect place to milk cows and create rich, grassy cheeses. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorites, ready for you to devour just in time for St. Paddy’s Day! 

15 Fields Irish Cheddar

The Lonergan Family farm, in the heart of Ireland, is made up of 15 expansive fields on which their cattle graze. With fresh grass from April to October, the raw cow’s milk is cheddared and wrapped in a traditional cloth binding. After almost a year of aging, the 15 Fields cheddar still retains that sweet grass notes in its compact, smooth paste. More intense notes of nuttiness and bold meatiness grow the closer you get to the rind, balancing out that delightful sweetness and acidity. A true farmhouse cheese from the Emerald Isle, enjoy with a farmhouse ale.

Grubb Family Cashel Blue

You know the story already, about how the Grubb family was kicked out of England 300 years ago for religious differences. The Grubbs made their new home in County Tipperary, Ireland, taking up millering and buttermaking. To this day, Louis and Jane still keep the family’s dairy traditions alive. In the mid 1980’s, they developed the first Irish Blue, nurtured and exported by Neal’s Yard Dairy. Cashel is made with the milk of the Grubbs’ 110 Friesian cows, pasteurized, and ripened for two and up to six months. It maintains a unique, voluptuous, creamy texture with a minerally undertone complemented by a delightful, mild blue tang. The best cheeses are made from April to October when the cows are out to pasture – and hey, what do you know? That’s which wheels we order!

Murray’s Irish Cheddar

This is one of those cheeses that totally tastes like the place it comes from (hint: it’s called terroir!) Cow’s milk picks up a sunny pigment from the lush pastures growing in southeast Ireland’s temperate climes, known as the “Garden of Ireland.” Buttery and grassy, with sweet and fruity flavors, and kept moist with an ever-so-Irish green wax. Slice it for sandwiches, melt it on noodles, or munch it with pickles – honestly, whatever you decide to do with it will be delicious. The perfect creamy pal for a mug of stout or Irish Whiskey. Like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but better (because it’s cheese)!

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We’ll Drink To That: Beer & Cheese Pairing Basics

Caitlin and Kevin have insatiable appetites for delicious cheese/beverage combinations and they are out to try them all. Today they share some basic tips for pairing beer and cheese, just in time for your St. Paddy’s Day festivities.

BEER ME

Beer and cheese. The perfect pairing? Potentially. Better than wine and cheese? Undeniably, and we aren’t just saying so because St. Patrick’s Day is on the horizon. A wise man once told us that cheese and beer are the same: both are made from grass processed by animals for our (delicious) consumption, and both are ancient methods of preservation. If you’re unconvinced, try this mental exercise: Think of your favorite cheese, and the creamy rich texture that coats your mouth. Then imagine a glass of crisp, lightly effervescent,  golden-brown lager. There, now you get it.

BEST BETS: TIPS FOR CHOOSING BEER AND CHEESE 

When pairing cheese and beer, it’s important to stay away from super hoppy beers. You may love that eye-watering Double IPA, but it’ll overwhelm any cheese you want to munch with it. Stay closer to the malty side of the fence: Stouts, bocks, ambers and pilsners. Stouts and porters are particularly cooperative, as their roasty-toasty character works well with many cheeses.

On the cheese side, go for cheese that will stand up to your beer. Delicate cheeses are easily overwhelmed, so you wouldn’t pair these with anything too intense. Texture-forward cheeses, such as Fromager d’Affinois or a triple crème can get lost against even the mildest of beers. Instead, think alpine-style, washed-rinds, and thistle rennet options – in other words, stuff with serious flavor.

WHAT WE LOVED

Alpine cheese, such as Comte or Gruyere (cave-aged for sure), pairs well with a rich Stout. The roasted character of the stout, which can frequently have notes of chocolate or coffee, marries perfectly with the sweet, caramelly, cooked milk of an alpine cheese. This weekend we tried a few new beer and cheese combos. Our favorite pairing was Spring Brook Tarentaise with Two Brothers North-Wind Imperial Stout, the fruity American alpine mixed delightfully with the clean notes of the Stout. And for a truly seasonal treat, you can’t do much better than our new, limited edition Cavemaster Reserve Across the Pond. It’s washed in stout, so beer is its natural companion – get it while it lasts!

The best thing about beer is that it’s a wonderfully forgiving accompaniment, so DO try this at home. As long as you take care to match flavor intensity odds are you’ll have a delicious duo. Throw some cured meats, olives, nuts or dried fruit alongside, and dinner is served.

Caitlin Griffith is a cheesemonger at our Bleecker Street store, and in a few months she’ll boast a MA in Food Studies from NYU. Things she enjoys in excess: wine, radishes, list-making, garlic, and salt water.

Kevin Brooks is head monger at Bleecker Street and also shares his merchandising expertise in Murray’s Kroger outposts. His iPod is full of metal, and his brain is full of thoughts on beer, burritos, and Settlers of Catan.

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