Cheese Tour Part 4 of 4: Last Stop -- Uplands

We made our way from Mineral Point to Dodgeville to visit Uplands Cheese Company, which is only eight years old. Uplands was quite a bit different from the other two creameries we stopped at in that while the others produce many types of cheeses, Uplands really only produces one (although it has one other variety in the winter) and all the milk comes from cows that graze right on the creamy property.

Andy Hatch, cheesemaker and general manager, explained to us that the farm follows more of a European style of cheesemaking and it’s not a typical format for a Wisconsin creamery. He explained that the more complexity in the milk supply, the more of a possibility for flavor complexity. These old techniques the creamery follows generate a great flavor.

Uplands makes Pleasant Ridge Reserve, a raw-milk artisan cheese that tastes similar to a French Gruyère. The cheese wheels are aged in ripening rooms built into the creamery where they are washed several times a week in a brine solution, encouraging the development of specific (good) bacteria on the cheese rinds.

In the fall, Uplands produces Rush Creek Reserve. At this time, the cows’ diet changes because of the seasonal changes. The cheese is super soft and has a slightly sweet flavor. While we didn’t get to try it at the creamery, we have sampled it before and it’s delicious.

I thought it was interesting that Andy explained the Uplands cows take part in rotational grazing. Each day, the cows are moved to different fields. This ensures the milk they produce gets the best flavors and keeps the grass in the best stages for optimal growth. If the farmers have to feed the cows hay, rather than grass, they don’t use the milk for cheese, but rather ship the raw milk for drinking. Having the cows right on the property gives the cheesemakers an intimate relationship with the animals. 

Like at the other creameries, we got an in-depth tour at Uplands, checking out where the milk is turned into cheese and big wheels are ripened. And of course, we got to sample! Andy cut us chunks of cheese from a large wheel of Pleasant Ridge Reserve. So good!

Cheese Tour Part 3 of 4: Hooked on Hook's Cheese

After our stop in Monroe, we boarded the big, fancy tour bus (did I mention the bus is something like rock stars take on tour?!) and headed to Mineral Point.

We stopped at Hook’s Cheese Company, which is fairly compact creamy that actually has caves, cut into the side of the hill, where some of the cheese is cooled.

Hook’s has been around since 1952 and produces a world-champion Colby variety. The creamery gets its milk from the same farmers it has for 36 years, all of whom run small dairy farms. Other varieties Hook’s is known for include a Blue Paradise and 10- and 12-year-old cheddars (watch for a 20-year-old cheddar in 2015!). We got to feast our eyes on a peculiar cheese called Stinky Fottene, which translates to stinky feet in Norwegian. It is, as you might imagine, stinky.

Tony Hook gave us a tour of the creamery, even giving us a peek into the 16-foot underground cave. We also got to tour a huge cooler with a vast amount of cheese. And then, of course, we got to taste. They had so many types of cheese out for us to taste, it was fantastic.  

They were all great, but I particularly liked the Blue Paradise, Little Boy Blue and 15-year-old cheddar. Of course, we got to try the cheese curds, too, which were fantastic and super squeaky.

While we didn’t pick up any cheese to take with us from the creamery, we did visit the Hook’s booth at the Dane County Farmer’s Market and picked up some pesto curds.

Cheese Tour Part 2 of 4: Chalet Cheese Co-op

We took off early on a beautiful June morning and headed to our first stop: Chalet Cheese Co-op in Monroe. Chalet is owned by farmers of 21 farms — all from Green County — and dates back to 1885. The creamery has 24 employees and eight master cheese makers.

Chalet is highly unique in that it is the only U.S. producer of Limburger cheese. Once upon a time, Limburger was a top 10 cheese. Roughly 3 to 4 million pounds were produced throughout the country annually. Today, only about 500,000 pounds are produced, and it seems to get a bad rep for being a stinky cheese.

There is no denying that it’s pungent, but have you tasted it? It’s quite good! We had the opportunity to try four different types, each aged a different amount of time. My favorite was the mildest, or youngest, of the bunch. We tried one of the more aged varieties with some strawberry jam on top. So good! 

Chalet is also known for its Swiss cheese varieties: baby Swiss, which is rich and creamy, and regular Swiss, which has more of a nutty flavor. Both were incredibly good. We also got to sample German-style brick cheese. Mmm …

But before the sampling, we got a thorough tour from Myron Olson, master cheese maker. He gave us the low-down on the creamery, what it takes to be a master cheese maker and the varieties of cheese Chalet produces. It was a great introduction to creameries and a great first stop.

Cheese Tour Part 1 of 4: Tour Introduction

If there is one thing everyone knows about Wisconsin it’s that there is a lot of cheese in this state — and that we eat a lot of cheese. So as a Wisconsinite through and through, I am, of course, mildly obsessed with cheese. I love just about all types, and there is always something new to try.

So when Nate and I were invited to be part of a creamery tour, sponsored by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, to check out three creameries and stay the night in Madison and sample delicious food, we said, “Sign us up!”

And so we begin.

First, some fun cheese facts courtesy of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing board:

·         Wisconsin makes about 26% of cheese in the United States, making it the No. 1 producer nationwide.

·         Wisconsin leads the nation in specialty cheeses, including Asiago, Provolone, Aged Cheddar and Gouda.

·         As you’ll find out in other posts, Wisconsin is the only producer of Limburger in the country.

·         Wisconsin has more than 12,000 dairy farms.

·         Did you know it takes 10 pounds of milk to make just 1 pound of cheese? Incredible!

·         Colby cheese comes from … wait for it … Colby, Wisconsin.

·         Since the 1930s, Wisconsin has officially been known as “America’s Dairyland.”

In subsequent posts, you’ll learn more about the three creameries we visited and see some of the many photos I took. Do yourself a favor and check look for the cheeses we tried at area stores.

Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwiches)

I've only had banh mi once in my life--a few years ago in New York's Chinatown--but I dare say it was the best sandwich I ever had. I was visiting my cousin, Becky--who now lives in Brooklyn--and we traveled to Chinatown for lunch. I can't remember if I had read about banh mi before or if we just stumbled upon a place. But we ended up at Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich Deli. The place was really small--just enough room to order take out and leave--but it was reasonable and super, super tasty. I still remember what we had: Becky ordered the beef lemongrass, and I had the house special, which I believe had Vietnamese salami on it along with another form of pork. It was amazingly delicious. We both still talk about it to this day.

Anyway, I digress. Despite having been to a number of Vietnamese restaurants in the Milwaukee area, I've never had--or seen on the menu--a banh mi. I know they're out there, and after having a homemade version this weekend, I'll definitely be seeking it out. So when I came across a tweet about a food blogger's version of a banh mi--and after looking at the drool-worthy photos--I knew we would be making banh mi for dinner sooner than later. It seems like a lot goes into the recipe, but it was really very simple.

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Ashley, of Not Without Salt, recently posted this recipe for banh mi with pork meatballs (just look at those photos!). I followed the recipe exactly (except I just realized now, reading it over again, I forgot to sprinkle rice wine vinegar on the carrots and radish--oops).

The only thing, is that my meatballs did NOT turn out like hers did. I think the pork I had was really pretty fatty, and browning them in oil on a pan--and adding extra grease--did not help. So, our sandwiches were more like banh mi with ground pork. Nevertheless, the taste was there and was fantastic!

Before:

After:

If I made them again (and I'd like to!) I would do two things differently:

1. If I used pork again, I'd probably add an egg or something to the meatballs to get them to stick. Or, I'd use ground chicken or turkey, which I think would stay in the meatball shape a little easier.


2. Instead of buying individuals rolls or buns for the sandwiches, I bought a baguette and cut it into sandwich-sizes. The bread was fantastic (it was from Breadsmith), but because it was crusty and a bit tough to chew, it was an incredibly messy meal. I think I'd get softer rolls next time.

The Sriracha mayo served with it was fantastic, and we dipped some of the sweet potatoes we had on the side in the mayo. The next day, we used the mayo mix for a veggie dip. I think we'll be making the mayo again even sooner!

Making Chiles Rellenos in Mexico

Before our recent Mexican vacation, I had come across some Zihuatanejo cooking school websites, and I knew it would be something Nate and I would love to do. We ended up choosing Patio Mexica, mostly because the owner got back to me sooner than another one did. This one ended up being much cheaper than the other one I was looking at (about $55 compared to $20). And, it turns out, it was only about three blocks from our hotel!

So on the Saturday during our vacation, Nate and I ventured to Patio Mexica (connected to Rufo's Grill, which we had an excellent fish dinner at the night before) to learn how to make chiles rellenos. I had never made them before, but had tasted them and knew it would be a great experience.

The class was pretty full, as it was Monica's last class of the season, before taking a break and going on vacation herself. We made four types of chiles rellenos:

• Chiles en nogada: chiles stuffed with beef and pork, plus raisins (or cranberries), apple, pear and walnuts, topped with a sweetened sour cream sauce and some more dried cranberries (or pomegranate seeds). The finished product is supposed to represent the Mexican flag. (I had my first chile en nogada not too long ago at Botanas).


• Chile rellenos poblanos: This is probably what you think of when you hear "chiles rellenos." This type is also made with a poblano pepper, and then it's rolled in flour, beaten eggs and fried in hot oil. The ones we made just had wonderful queso fresco inside of them. These were served with a simple yet delicious sauce, made with tomatoes, onions and garlic.


• Chile rellenos ancho: These were prepared the same as the ones above, but instead of the fresh poblano, we used dried poblanos, which are called ancho chiles. It gives the chile rellenos a different taste and texture, but it's just as good.


• Chile rellenos cuaresmenos: These peppers resemble large jalapeno chiles and they can be stuffed with all sorts of fillings--we used beans, some of the meat from the other chile rellenos and a tuna salad mix. We did not fry them.

The class was pretty hands on, as we were to help roast the poblanos to get the skins off, de-seed the ancho chiles and prepare them for stuffing.

One of the most fun parts was stuffing the poblanos and anchos with the filling, dipping them in the batter and frying them. Nate and I both tried it--it was messy, but fun!

Of course, the very best part of the class was tasting everything when we were done!

We got to try at least bits of each of the chiles rellenos, plus they have us some delicious and refreshing hibiscus flower water and baskets of very fresh tortillas. Everything was absolutely delicious and flavorful.

After lunch, some of us, including Nate, tried making some of those fresh tortillas. It's not as easy as it looks! The first one Nate made was a little too thin, and he had to do it again. But it worked well the second time!

All in all, it was a great time and a great experience. Monica holds Wednesday classes in which she takes the class to the market and then makes a lunch with the fresh products the class picks up. I'd love to do that one next time we're there! :)

Comida Mexicana

Recently, Nate, my parents and I spent a wonderful week in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. There, we relaxed, spent hours at the beach, drank a lot of Mexican cerveza (plus margaritas, pina coladas ... you get the picture) and, of course, ate lots of wonderful food. Lucky for you, I took tons of food pictures (seriously, by the end of the trip, I was tired of documenting our meals!). (Also, please note, that I didn't actually eat all the meals pictured below, but I did, for the most part, at least have a bite of everyone's meal--it really pays off being a food blogger!) Zihua is a great, mid-sized city with tourist amenities, as well as an authentic town feel and culture. We did not stay at an all-inclusive hotel (I think you'd be hard-pressed to even find one in Zihua), but rather a small, "mom-and-pop" type hotel with just a few rooms and barely a reception desk. Lucky for us, this meant we got to try lots of different restaurants, as well as have some meals in our room, due to having a mini kitchen with a fridge, microwave and toaster. Each morning (other than the two mornings we went out for breakfast), we started with some fruit and often fresh pastries in our hotel rooms. The fruit was outstanding (except for a bad papaya we picked up)--we had lots of bananas, two types of mangoes and a mini watermelon. There was a bakery near us that had outstanding pastries. I'm not sure what they were, but the mini loaves of coconut bread were fantastic. We often at our lunches while lounging at the beach. Because we weren't at a typical resort, and because Zihua has four main beaches, we spent the day or majority of the day at different beaches, at different restaurants. There, for lunches, we had a variety of Mexican food, which usually included seafood. We had ... .... shrimp and fish tacos. .... lots of guacamole, fresh salsa and freshly made tortilla chips. ... one of my favorites, shrimp salad in an avocado half, served on saltine crackers. ... another of my favorites, that I had never had before but I wanted to try down there, chilaquiles. I had these twice--once for lunch (pictured here) and once for breakfast. I preferred the lunch one, I think mostly because of the red sauce. ... black bean and cheese sopes. For dinners, we again had lots of seafood. If you don't like seafood, I have to say it would be hard to eat a lot of different meals in Zihua--it seems to be in everything! For dinners, we had ... ... fish fillets with different sauces (just about every meal we had came with a side of freshly made corn or flour tortillas. I'm not sure I can go back to having the packaged tortillas we have here!). ... octopus with different sauces. ... shrimp in a tasty, spicy chipotle sauce. ... beef, bacon, veggie and pineapple "fajitas," although they were called something different on the menu. ... octopus, fish and shrimp, cooked in a molcajete. ... pozole (one of the things I can't wait to make at home). That's actually just a taste of everything we had in Mexico. I'd love to document it all here, but, sadly, I don't think there is enough room! For more pictures of the food we had, visit On My Table's Facebook page.

Boston Eats

Last week, I spent about three days in Boston and the surrounding area while visiting my friend Ann. We saw lots of great famous and historical sights, but, maybe most importantly, we had lots of good food and drinks! Here's a recap of the food and beer from my trip:

My first day in Massachusetts, we stopped for lunch at Tanner Tavern in Woburn. I had the slider trio, which came with a beef slider, a crab cake slider and a lobster slide (and lots of thick-cut fries, too). It was really good--the crab cake and lobster were especially good.

That night for dinner, we went to a place in Burlington: Ginger Pad. They serve lots of different Asian foods: sushi, stir frys, Thai-inspired dishes and more. We started with a bowl of edamame, and then Ann had spicy tuna rolls and avocado rolls, I had the massamum curry with tofu. My curry was good, although not the best I've had. Unfortunately, the service was really pretty bad--took forever for the hostess to get to us, forever to be served and the appetizer came out within seconds of the rest of our meal.

The next day, we went on the Sam Adams Brewery tour, which was lots of fun, and the tasting room was a great experience. At the end of the tour, we heard about a "party trolley" that takes brewery tourists to a local Irish pub, where there is good food and plenty of Sam Adams on tap. So, of course, we elected to do that.

It's good we did! The beer was great (plus we got to keep our glasses!) and the food was excellent--Ann ordered a reuben, and said it was one of the best she's ever had. I ordered something I've never ordered before: corned beef sandwich on rye. It was fantastic. The meat was thinly sliced and incredibly tender. We both got the sweet potato fries, too. It was a great meal!

The next day, we met up with my friend Margaret, whom I went to college with and studied abroad with, and had lunch in Cambridge at Border Cafe, a Tex-Mex place. The margaritas were good, the chips and salsa tasty, and my meal was fantastic: black bean and corn empanadas (four of them!) with a roasted red pepper sauce and a side of jambalaya.

Later that night, for New Year's Eve, we made a tasty quiche for dinner. It included spinach, mushrooms, onions and gruyere. We had it with a side salad and I had a tasty local beer: Winter Ale from Wachusett Brewery. Before all that, we had a good chunk of brie with crackers. :)

Then, lastly, not long before Ann took me to the airport, we stopped for one meal I wanted to be sure I had: clam chowder. So we stopped at the Legal Sea Foods in Burlington. Legal Sea Foods is a pretty well-known East Coast restaurant chain that started in the Boston area. We each had a bowl of the clam chowder (it was awesome!) and we split the coconut shrimp with marmalade sauce.

All in all, it was a great trip and included lots of great food and drinks!