cheese

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Post 390 is one of those places I keep meaning to visit. I had dinner there when they very first opened and have been in for drinks, but every time I try to go in for dinner, they are completely packed. It turns out, there’s a very good reason for that.

Wednesday night I had the delicious opportunity to attend the kickoff dinner for Post 390’s latest Farm to Post series, this time around featuring 5Spoke Creamery, raw milk cheese makers from Goshen, New York.

As I always do, I arrived early, which gave me time to photograph the beautifully set table. An upstairs private room was set up for our group, and the table featured floral arrangements mixed with cheese. One of the arrangements was inside of a basket made of baguettes.

Post 390

While I took photos, I was offered a Provencal Gimlet, a refreshing cocktail made of fennel-infused vodka,thyme, basil, lime, and lavender syrup over ice. Wow.

The Post 390 cocktail menu is creative and exciting, and this Provencal Gimlet was absolutely delicious. I loved the hint of lavender along with the herbs.

Provencal Gimlet

Before we all sat down, introductions were made, and we snacked on some incredible appetizers made with 5Spoke cheeses. These included griddled Tumbleweed Cheese and Ham Salad “Tacos” and Redman Cheddar-Pecan Shortbread with Apple Butter. I definitely want to make a cheddar shortbread sometime soon; it was the perfect vehicle for apple butter!

The owners and cheese makers at 5Spoke, Alan and Barbara Glustoff are delightful, and they have quite the interesting backgrounds. Cheese has always been an interest and passion of Alan’s, but his background is in food science. Barbara has a background in advertising. Now that their children are in college, they’ve taken on this exciting new venture, renovating a farm outside of New York City for their 35 Holstein cows. The farm will include a farm museum along with their farmhouse, which is over 100 years old.

Once we were seated, we devoured several courses, all paired perfectly with wine.

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{Cauliflower and 5Spoke Heritage Cheese Soup, Brambly Farm Pork and Apple Croquette – paired with Godello, Rafael Palacios, Louro, Valdeorras Spain, 2011}

The soup was velvety and warm with the perfect hint of cheese flavor. The pork and apple went very nicely with it and added a hearty element to the soup course.

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{Roasted Monkfish, Foraged Mushroom-Talcott Gratin, Lobster Demi Glace – Paired with Chenin Blanc, Marc Bredif, Vouvray, Loire, France 2010}

I have been loving Vouvray since the Hooray for Vouvray panel I participated on, and Post 390 could not have chosen a better wine for the flaky yet meaty monkfish and rich gratin.

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{Rabbit and Welsh Cheddar Tamale, Ensalada de Pimientos – Paired with Brut Rose Cava, Anna de Codorniu, Spain NV}

First of all, we were served bubbly in the middle of the meal. What’s not to love? The crisp, light bubbles paired deliciously with the tamale and even better with the citrusy pepper salad. It was so fresh and perfect for refreshing the palate before the main course.

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{Herb Roasted Veal and Sweetbreads, Orecchiette with Broccoli and Crawford Cloth Bound Cheddar Cheese – Paired with Barbera d’Alba, Sottimano, Pairolero, Italy 2009}

Wow. There was so much going on in this dish, but it came together and was wrapped up with a nice little bow of Barbera. 🙂 Orecchiette with the 5Spoke Crawford Cloth Bound Cheddar should be the new macaroni and cheese everywhere. Between that and the meat and the juices on my plate, my palate was in pure heaven. Talk about a perfect dish for a day that started with snow.

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{Welsh Cheddar Bavarian, Honey Apricots and Cinnamon Phyllo Crunch – Paired with Royal Tokaji, Mad Cuvee Late Harvest, Hungary, 2009}

I don’t know how we did it, but we even ate dessert. I adore desserts that incorporate cheese, and this one was simple and outstanding. I only wish I could have finished it. The team at Post 390 definitely deserved a round of applause for this meal.

This meal was definitely a treat, and I love what Post 390 is doing with its Farm to Post menus. The Post 390 team gets to see the highlighted ingredient/s right where they are produced and learn the stories of the producers, making a true farm-to-table relationship. The support for small farmers and producers is certainly evident in Post 390’s menu. In these times when, I think, small business can change our futures, it’s great to see a high-profile restaurant paying such attention to where their ingredients come from.

Tags: Boston, cheese, cocktails, creamery, Dining out, dinner, events, farm to table, Post 390, wine, wine pairings

Meal planning is definitely one of those things that comes and goes in our house. There are some weeks where I have everything from breakfast to snacks to dinner all mapped out, broken down on a shopping list, and ready to go. I love those weeks; if you know me, you know that a hungry Meghan is not a good thing.

Then there are the weeks I sort of lose inspiration or don’t have time and everything is up in the air. You know, the weeks where you are scrounging around the fridge for ingredients for some semblance of a meal.

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Sometimes, though, the things you have laying around make for one tasty dinner, like crispy, cheesy chicken tenders with a side of roasted broccoli.

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This is a super easy recipe. I grabbed one sleeve of whole wheat crackers and pulsed them into crumbs, adding in garlic powder and black pepper to season.

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I shredded about a cup of Cabot extra sharp cheddar.

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Sprinkled both on the chicken, in layers. . .

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And popped the chicken in a 400 degree oven until cooked through.

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For a meal with just three ingredients and minimal prep time, this chicken was amazing. It was nicely cheesy and crispy and made for a perfect dinner.

I love when that happens.

Are you good at meal planning, or do you end up scrambling for dinner ideas?

Tags: cheese, chicken, dinner, Food, meals, recipe

In case you missed Part I of my day on the Massachusetts Wine and Cheese Trail, be sure to check out our visit to Ruggles Hill Creamery and Robinson Farm! Please also check out my newly created, work-in-progress  Travel page which is full of travel information, photos, restaurant reviews, wineries, and more.

The second part of the fantastic day spent exploring Massachusetts food and wine was the main event, a celebration of the expansion of the trail and the addition of new farms and wineries. The kickoff event came at the perfect time for me to share with all of you; fall would be ideal for visiting some of these farms and wineries and taking in the splendor of New England foliage. (For ideas on visiting the Coastal Wine Trail this fall, check out this interview.)

We arrived at Hardwick Vineyard and Winery, checked in and started checking out the many tasting tables set up. Hardwick Vineyard and Winery is an absolutely beautiful property with a rustic inside, an expansive deck and stunning views. Vendors were set up inside and on the deck leaving lots of space for tasting, taking photos, and networking. I happen to love when events are set up with a good flow, and this one was nicely done.

Hardwick Winery

Hardwick, MA

This event also demonstrated something I love about farming culture; businesses support one another; if one does well and brings exposure to the wine and cheese trail, they all can benefit. Many people still have not tried Massachusetts wine, and I highly recommend getting out there and doing so. If you read this blog, you know I am a fan of a few Coastal Wine Trail vineyards, especially Travessia. Wine made in Massachusetts is not always made from locally grown grapes, especially reds, but several of the winemakers we met were using grapes they had grown while others were in the process of starting vineyards for future wine.

Many of the wines we tasted were made from grapes you may not have heard of, blends that included Cayuga white, Concord, Marechal Foch, Chambourcin, and Frontenac. I noticed throughout the tastings the focus being less on the grape and more on the terroir and blend, as it often is in Europe. These wines are different, but many of them are really good as long as you aren’t expecting them to be something they are not.

MA Farm Wineries and Growers

And luckily for  us, there were plenty of different wines to taste. Along with Governor Patrick, we made our way through all of the tables.

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So many tastes and conversations happened throughout the afternoon. Below are just a few of the highlights.

chocolate raspberry bites

Amherst Farm chocolate raspberry wine paired with Chocolate Raspberry Diva Black Cocoa Hangover Cake provided a sweet, rich treat that would be the perfect winter evening indulgence.

Amherst Farm wine

Berkshire Blue blue cheese – I returned to the Berkshire Blue table multiple times to grab bites of this tangy, delicious handmade cheese made from the unpasteurized milk of Jersey cows. Berkshire Blue is available in several states in the US.

Berkshire blue

Eastleigh Farm cheese, especially the honey lavender, was amazing.  I liked it so much they gave me a container to take home. Eastleigh Farm is located in Framingham, a very short drive from Boston. The woman I spoke with said that they are planning on events for the public, including a “meet the calves” event.

Eastleigh Farms cheese

Ruggles Hill Creamery – After our tour, Tricia from Ruggles Hill went over to Hardwick Vineyards to set up her own tasting table. She kindly made me a little snack with a piece of baguette, salami, apricot jam and an ashed goat cheese, the perfect combination of salty, sweet, and creamy.

Ruggles Hill goat cheese

Mount Warner Vineyards, located in Hadley, Massachusetts, next to Amherst, my UMASS home, left me feeling nostalgic for my days in the Pioneer Valley.  I loved speaking with the owners of this winery about their wine, UMASS, and the Valley. I also really liked their Hampshire White.

Mount Warner winery

Hardwick Vineyards wine – Our hosts for the day had several really outstanding wines open on their tasting bar including their crisp Giles E. Warner dry white and their “summer in a bottle” Yankee Girl Blush.

Hardwick Vineyards wines

Black Birch Vineyard was a favorite of the entire group I was with, from their beautifully designed labels to some stellar wines to the warmth and knowledge of the winemakers. The fact that they met at UMASS didn’t hurt either.  What can I say? I loved my time there! I also really loved the Black Birch Riesling and a red I tried, I believe it was the Frontenac, that had a peppery finish that lasted for several minutes.

Black Birch wines

Rose 32 Bread provided us with apple squares to pair with the goat cheese during our visit to Ruggles Hill Creamery, and they had a table of delicious treats set up at the grand tasting at Hardwick Vineyards.

Rose 32

Dora the Donkey

Hardwick Vineyards’ resident donkey provided us with entertainment as the afternoon wrapped up before we headed back to Boston with gift bags, complete with wine, in hand.

Meeting some of the great people who are hard at work in various areas of Massachusetts agriculture was inspiring. They are stewards of the land, artisans, scientists, hospitality professionals, and more. I hope with the expansion of the wine and cheese trail their work and products receive more recognition from around the state and around the world.

Many thanks to Connelly Partners, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, Hardwick Vineyards, Ruggles Hill Creamery, Robinson Farm, and all of the other food and wine producers who helped to make this great day happen.

Happy Birthday to my sister!

Tags: cheese, events, farms, Food, fruit wine, local food, local wine, Massachusetts, media events, Travel, wineries

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