Changing my Life through Cheese

Changing my life through cheese.  Is that what I’m doing?  Might be… things are definitely a lot more fun now that Cured has entered my life.  Who else entered my life?  A tender of a bar who has all kinds of spirits and beers and also likes cheese.  That means my last cheese dinner was an exceptionally fun tasting experience!

People who know my drinking style will tell you I’m a bourbon gal.  True, but once I discovered rye in New Orleans, it became my spirit of choice. So, my friend Matt and I started out the night with a special bottle of rye whiskey- High West Double Rye from Park City, Utah.  Just sippin’ it straight.  Such a nice surprise for me as he pulled the bottle out of his bag of goodies.

But, on to the cheese.  Coral Ferguson, co-owner of Cured, chose four cheeses for Matt and me, and Tyler, an esteemed foodie at Cured, helped me with the beverages.  I asked Coral for cheeses to eat in a progression for this particular evening.  She almost effortlessly handed me a Mt Tam, Fenacho, Red Leicester, and a Stilton.  Tyler suggested pairing it with a sparkling wine, so I picked up a bottle of Tiamo Prosecco.  Tyler and Coral suggested enjoying the Stilton with Port, so I asked Matt to bring some… I can’t always supply EVERYTHING.

But, libation-savvy Matt Lanning had an idea… some Haandbakk, a Norwegian ale aged in wine barrels from the Haand Bryggeriet Brewery in Norway.  Um… yeah, I had never heard of it either.  All I can say is wow, what a beer! The label describes it as an original Scandinavian brew made by farmers, aged in oak, and naturally sour.  I will describe it as fantastic, and say we were both a bit bummed when we finished the bottle, which happened before dinner because we followed the rye with some Stilton and Haandbakk.  Matt insisted on starting with the Stilton, number four in the four cheese progression.  But, we did save some for later.

We dove into the cheese in proper progression after the Stilton/Haandbakk pairing and started with Mt Tam from The Cowgirl Creamery in San Francisco.  Liz Thorpe describes this triple-creme aged, soft-ripened style cheese in The Cheese Chronicles as a “perfectly balanced swath of salt, cream and butter.”  It is perfectly wonderful in every way and when it’s at room temperature, it’s kind of addictive.

From Mt. Tam we moved on to Fenacho, from Tumalo Farms in Bend, OR.  This cheese is really unique because it has Fenugreek seeds, which are commonly used in pickles and curries.  Fenacho is a semi-hard cheese with a slightly sweet, nutty flavor.  This was a really different cheese from what I’m used to, but I enjoyed it and would definitely buy it again.

Our third taste was some Red Leicester, which, as you can probably guess from the name, comes from England. Red Leicester is a beautiful, bright orange cheese, colored with annatto.  It is firm and dry and might replace cheddar in my fridge from now on. There’s a sweetness to this cheese that draws you back… bite after bite after bite…

Matt and I went full-circle this particular evening, ending where we had started- with Stilton. The trusty Murray’s Handbook refers to Stilton as the best known blue cheese in the world.  It is protected under EU legislation, which means it can only be produced in certain counties in England with a particular milk and formed in a cylindrical shape, etc.  The Murray’s Handbook describes Stilton as “an impeccable marriage of heavy, moist paste, sparkling minerality, balanced salt, and roasted nuttiness.”  It then goes on to say ” serve with tawny port and that’s that. There are no other options.”  Stilton and port are without a doubt a fine pairing, but, with all due respect to my trusted guide book for this exploration of cheese, I’ll have to say there is another option.  How about that Haandbakk?

Roundhouse Imperial Aged Gin

It all started with a cocktail. I was at SALT while guiding one of my downtown dining tours, and my guests got to “mix + match = make merry” with The Cocktail Element. As the esteemed libation experts at SALT know, I really enjoy my cocktails. And not just any ole’ cocktails. Real, thoughtfully prepared, unique cocktails. Sometimes I’m presented with a cocktail that’s not on the menu, or one that is a twist on a classic. That day, out came beverage director Evan Faber with a martini glass.

I, also sometimes known as Megan Maple Bourbon, immediately thought I had been served a bourbon or scotch cocktail, martini style. I took a sip and couldn’t quite place any flavors, but I knew it was a whiskey cocktail.

I couldn’t have been more wrong! I can only explain it like the moment the record player needles slides off the record and music comes to a screeching halt. It was a gin cocktail. A GIN cocktail! And not just any ole’ gin. This was made with Roundhouse Imperial Barrel Aged Gin. It was so golden honey brown, I was fooled. But, this barrel aged gin, disguised as scotch or bourbon to anyone ignoring the label, surprises and delights the palate.

Roundhouse Spirits, “Handcrafted Spirits of Uncommon Character,” is located right here in Boulder, and you can visit the distillery Thursdays-Saturdays from 3-7 pm. I did just that.

These barrels house the next batch of Imperial Barrel Aged Gin. Ted Palmer, el presidente, chief distiller, and tour guide, told me that the first batch had just gotten out to select restaurants and is available in limited quantities in liquor stores. Looks like the Imperial Cocktail at SALT is one of the first official barrel aged gin cocktails in town for Roundhouse Spirits.

Here’s Evan’s recipe:

2 oz Roundhouse Imperial Gin
1 oz Boissiere Sweet Vermouth
Dash of Orange Bitters
Garnish with a cherry

Stir well over ice and strain into a martini glass.

But, back to the place where the magic happens… Ted gave us a great tour of the distillery.

Turns out he has some custom made stills, handmade in Spain.

Ted is very enthusiastic about gin. He said he knew he wanted to make gin from the moment he had his first delicious sip. I was please at the end of our tour to enjoy some delicious sips of his libations. There’s a complementary tasting at the end of each tour, by the way.

Roundhouse Spirits currently makes gin, the newly released barrel aged gin, as well as Coretto, a fantastic coffee liqueur, which features a special roast from Boulder’s Unseen Bean. And, stay tuned for the new spirit… coming soon!

At the tasting bar, we learned about Ted’s theory of artfully producing a “Melting Pot Gin” with flavor profiles from the best parts of all world styles of gin. Come to a tasting and smell all of his choice ingredients and learn which ones are traditional in Dutch, English, and American styles of gin.

I bought a bottle of the first batch of Imperial Aged Gin. I have plans for this bottle…

You can try the Imperial Cocktail at SALT, but supplies are limited. Cocktail possibilities, on the other hand, seem endless.

Tequila Grapefruit Collins

Killer Penguin 2010, American Barley Wine Ale