The evolution of our tastes: progression or regression?

On a hot summer day of 1996, deep in the woods of New Hampshire, Julie and I bonded over piglet and pooh bear stuffed animals. Thus two skinny late blooming clutzes began a beautiful friendship.

The early years were marked by bad camp food, eating juju bees out of a camera bag and fruit by the foot hidden in socks. Indulgences included shrimp flavored ramen noodles stolen from another camper’s stash hidden behind the bed and incredible avocado, sprout cheese sandwiches on trip day. Our reunions throughout the early years were marked by ice cream sundaes and stove top popcorn.



Remarkably as we’ve grown older, our friendship and love for food has grown aligned. Staples of this new era include sundried tomatoes, anchovies, CHEESE, and wine (lots of it). On a recent spring Saturday after an afternoon indulgence of soft serve in peppermint schnapps to reward taxes and attempted studying Julie and I climbed into bed to watch NBC’s The Office online with a bottle of Prosecco. It wasn’t long before we brought out the Manchego and Parrano and two easy to please girls were made extremely happy.

feeling charitable?

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saxelby cheesemongers - one of our favorite institutions - is running a "Day a-Whey" day trip to Mecox Bay Dairy and Wolffer Vineyard. to us, it sounds like a perfect day. priceless, you might say. and yet, there is a price. but with your quick, easy payments of lots of money, we can go! and take pictures! and tell you all about it! doesn't that sound like a great deal? for you? (hint: yes!)

we're not seriously expecting you to pay for us to go on this thing (you know, unless you want to...) but i thought we'd fill you in on all the fun we're not having. here's saxelby's dreamy description of their planned excursion:

Saxelby Cheesemongers says: You don't have to travel far from New York City to taste some of the finest wines and cheeses in the world! Cheese lovers, oenophiles, and just about anyone interested in sustainability, local farming, and good food will delight in this fabulous, farm-y excursion! Our Day A-Whey will begin at Wolffer Vineyard with a guided wine tasting and picnic lunch. Next, we'll stop at Mecox Bay Dairy, a fourth generation family farm in Bridgehampton for a tour of their farm and creamery. And last but not least, if the weather permits (and we're crossing our fingers it does!) we'll visit at a local beach for a little stroll in the sun and sand. Oh, and did we mention that we'll do the driving?? All you have to do is show up hungry!

A Day A-Whey starts with wine (as all good days a-whey should...) at Wolffer Vineyard. Daytrippers will have time to meander through the vines and see the beginnings of the wine making process in full bloom. Around noontime, we'll convene on Wolffer's beautiful terrace for a guided tasting and picnic lunch featuring five wines, an array of raw milk cheeses from Mecox Bay Dairy, and other local fixins from NYC Greenmarkets. Roman Roth, a German-born winemaker who studied winemaking all over the world before settling on Long Island to pursue his craft, produces excellent wine utilizing traditional and sustainable methods that highlight the loamy soil and mild climate of the East End of Long Island.

Next, we'll head out to Mecox Bay Dairy, where Art Ludlow, farmer and cheese maker extraordinaire, will treat daytrippers to a tour of his farm. We'll see how fruits and veggies, turkeys, pigs, and cows all play a part on this tiny, yet diverse family farm. Art will then lead us on a tour of his creamery and explain the oh-so-mysterious process that transforms raw milk into delicious cheese!

Finally, we'll stop off at a local beach for a late-afternoon stroll and an opportunity to soak up some precious early summer sunshine; with the bus returning to the city by 7:30 pm

Couldn't we all use A Day A-Whey?!


For tickets ($110) and further information, please visit:

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/31953
http://www.saxelbycheese.com

and, uh... we accept paypal. i'm just saying.

mmmmCHEESE

The partner in crime is back! While these last few weeks I have not been doing any food writing, I have been doing much food eating- from Tokyo to the Essex market in the Lower East Side out to Brooklyn, I have tasted tempura fish guts to omakase sashimi at nine am to seared scallops in shitake sauce and roasted brussel sprouts cooked by your two resident bloggers.

While there will be many blog entries and pictures highlighting these culinary adventures, in the spirit of this blog I would like to take a moment to pay a tribute to cheese. A wise woman once said at the end of the long day skiing, “There aren’t many things, but taking off ski boots is definitely better than sex.” I have thought about this a lot, and have come to the conclusion that in this case, she is not even close to correct. However, this weekend’s cookfest lead to the discovery of orgasmic cheese! A small piece of this truffeled smooth sheep’s milk cheese may cost a fortune, but it is worth every cent. (You can pick some up in Essex Street Market) Each bite brings a new intense flavor, from creamy and mild to tangy to OOO OOO OOO truffle. Seriously. Orgasmic. This may be better than sex. Or better yet, eat before and after sex.

and speaking of fondue...

fx of fxcuisine, apple of my eye, posted a gorgeous account of his own fondue adventure. when it comes to fondue, you can trust the word of a true swissman (bonus points for other yummies, like french pressed swiss coffee, gingerbread and panettone, and for the action sequence of luging down the alps).

a definite fon-DO

i don't generally read Vogue - not for any reason in particular, or maybe because it has too many words, or because i can't identify with people who think $500 face cream is a worthwhile investment - but i happened to have a copy of the February 2008 issue lying around, and i was bored, so i decided to flip through it. and, man, am i glad i did. if you happen to have a copy of this (admittedly out-of-date, sorry, i know i'm behind the times) issue within arm's reach, crack it open to page 265.

you're welcome.

for those of you who aren't staring at a droolworthy beauty shot of emmentaler right now - and Jeffrey Steingarten's accompanying (borderline pornographic) piece devoted to fondue - i'm sorry. you are majorly missing out. on the upside, there's no reason you can't whip up a pot of the good stuff at home. happily, cheese fondue seems to be experiencing some kind of long-overdue renaissance, as evidenced by Melissa Clark's January 23rd piece devoted to the topic in the New York Times. if you haven't already read it, do yourself a favor.

back to Jeffrey Steingarten. in the article, he claims to have posted his recipes here and here; so far, however, i haven't had much luck pinning them down. it is still worth checking out his two sites for the wealth of other yumminess they provide. and if you're in the new york area any time soon, swing by Tom Colicchio's craftbar by union square and try the "warm pecorino fondue with acacia honey, hazelnuts and pepperoncini". yes, that's right. a few of your favorite things. i had the incredibly good luck to try this dish last month with my friend molly and i can tell you that it is ramekin-lickin' good.

if you're just itching to read more about this delicious new old trend, gourmetsleuth provides a fun, comprehensive guide that's a great starting point. if you can perfect your craft in time, take it on over to the Fondue Takedown at the slipper room next week and win yourself a cool $50. we'll see you there.