Friday, December 21, 2007
cheese, redux
I did not anticipate the response to the cheese post from a few weeks ago. Who knew so many people would agree with me?
And then in a comment to my oh crap, I'm busy again post, a certain P/H was kind enough to remind me that hey! you were going to tell us about the cheese.
True enough. But look at what an awesome job of it Sara did! Sara loves cheese too. Sara is lucky enough to have several cheese-only shops nearby. Quelle surprise...Sara lives in Wisconsin.
When I lived in California, I took the cheese for granted. I knew I could get any cheese that I wanted at Whole Foods or a specialty shop. But what do I have in Pullman? Remarkably, a Safeway that recently upgraded itself such that it is as nice as the Super Safeways I was used to in California...which is to say certainly not a Whole Foods, but I can walk away with an entirely organic cart full of food if I try hard enough. Along those same lines, the Safeway also has a nice selection of cheese. Nice enough, I should say. Next time I go to Seattle, I'll still go to a cheese shop or a Whole Foods and shop around. But for now my needs are met. It helps that Tillamook has a lot of good products widely distributed in the Pac NW.
What are my needs, exactly? Remarkably basic.
* cheese for sandwiches: extra-sharp cheddar, havarti, muenster
* cheese for baguette toasts: brie, wine-soaked cheddar, havarti w/ herbs or seeds
* cheese for vegetables: gruyère, emmentaler
* cheese for pastas: parmigiano-reggiano, asiago, pecorino romano, fontina, mizithra
* cheese for cheese and cracker plates: mild/med/sharp cheddar, jack, colby, swiss
* cheese for salads: ricotta salata, goat, parmigiano-reggiano, pecorino romano, mozzarella
* cheese for desserts: ricotta, mascarpone
* cheese for omelets: goat, med/sharp cheddar
And then in a comment to my oh crap, I'm busy again post, a certain P/H was kind enough to remind me that hey! you were going to tell us about the cheese.
True enough. But look at what an awesome job of it Sara did! Sara loves cheese too. Sara is lucky enough to have several cheese-only shops nearby. Quelle surprise...Sara lives in Wisconsin.
When I lived in California, I took the cheese for granted. I knew I could get any cheese that I wanted at Whole Foods or a specialty shop. But what do I have in Pullman? Remarkably, a Safeway that recently upgraded itself such that it is as nice as the Super Safeways I was used to in California...which is to say certainly not a Whole Foods, but I can walk away with an entirely organic cart full of food if I try hard enough. Along those same lines, the Safeway also has a nice selection of cheese. Nice enough, I should say. Next time I go to Seattle, I'll still go to a cheese shop or a Whole Foods and shop around. But for now my needs are met. It helps that Tillamook has a lot of good products widely distributed in the Pac NW.
What are my needs, exactly? Remarkably basic.
* cheese for sandwiches: extra-sharp cheddar, havarti, muenster
* cheese for baguette toasts: brie, wine-soaked cheddar, havarti w/ herbs or seeds
* cheese for vegetables: gruyère, emmentaler
* cheese for pastas: parmigiano-reggiano, asiago, pecorino romano, fontina, mizithra
* cheese for cheese and cracker plates: mild/med/sharp cheddar, jack, colby, swiss
* cheese for salads: ricotta salata, goat, parmigiano-reggiano, pecorino romano, mozzarella
* cheese for desserts: ricotta, mascarpone
* cheese for omelets: goat, med/sharp cheddar