May 2
A cheese van in Crete
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A cheese van in Crete
Charcuterie board fit with the finest vegan cheeses money can buy!! Mouthwatering🙃
Rebel Cheese- Austin, TX
RECIPE: Garlic-Honey Baked Briesus with Rosemary (from Cheese Sex Death by Erika Kubick)
There’s nothing that hits quite like a baked Brie. This hot tub of silky molten cheese is easy to make, eager to bed an array of accompaniments, and guaranteed to seduce anyone.
The Cheesus
Look for a small format wheel of Brie, Camembert, or similar body no more than 6 to 8 oz (170 to 225 g). I recommend using a cow’s milk body—they make the best melters! Her ripeness impacts her baking time, so keep your eye on Her as She bakes.
The Ingredients
Serves 2 to 4
1 8-oz (225 g) wheel of Brie, room temperature
2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp rosemary, chopped
3 T high-quality, local honey
Pinch of black pepper
Sliced baguette
The Ritual
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175˚C).
Use a sharp knife to score a crosshatch pattern into the top rind. Don’t go all the way to the bottom, though!
Stuff the garlic into the slits in the cheese and place the wheel in the center of a baking dish.
Sprinkle the rosemary over the cheese, then drizzle with honey.
Finish with black pepper.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until She starts to ooze.
Let cool for 3 to 5 minutes, then surround with baguette slices and devour.
The Rites
Bring Cheesus to room temperature before baking. This ensures that She heats evenly and doesn’t separate.
Keep the heat around 350°F (175°C). A lot of recipes recommend 400° (205°C), but if you cook Her too hot, the fat will separate and you’ll be left with an oily mess.
Score the rind with a knife. This helps the toppings seep in, and makes it easier to dip later. You can also completely take her top off for easy access to dipping decadence. Make sure you keep the wheel contained in a baking dish or even the box it came in.
Consume as soon as it cools enough. Baked Brie doesn’t keep.
The Service
Pair with crunchy carbs and sparkling wine.
The Variations
Use the same ritual and swap the toppings for the following suggestions:
Sliced apples tossed with a pat of melted butter + maple syrup + pinch of cinnamon
Spoonful of peach preserves + black pepper + chopped almonds
Handful of ripe berries + honey + chopped pistachios
From lauded cheesemonger and creator of the popular blog Cheese Sex Death, a bible for everything you need to know about cheese
For many people, the world of artisan cheese is an intriguing but intimidating place. There are so many strange smells, unusual textures, exotic names, and rules for serving. Where should a neophyte begin?
From evangelist cheesemonger Erika Kubick, this comprehensive book guides readers to become confident connoisseurs and worshippers of Cheesus. A preacher of the curd word, Kubick provides the Ten Commandments of Cheese, which breaks down this complex world into simplified bites. A welcoming sanctuary devoted to making cheese a daily part of life and gatherings, this book explores the many different styles of cheese by type, profiling commonly found and affordable wedges as well as the more rare and refined of rinds. Kubick offers divine recipes that cover everything from everyday crowd pleasers (think mac and cheese and baked brie) to festive feasts fit for holidays and gatherings. This cheese devotee outlines the perfect cheese plate formula and offers inventive yet easy-to-execute beverage pairings, including wine, beer, spirits, and non-alcoholic drinks. These heavenly spreads and recipes wring maximum indulgence out of minimal effort and expense. Filled with seductive photography and audacious prose, Cheese Sex Death is a delightfully approachable guide to artisan cheese that will make just about anyone worship at the altar of Cheesus.
For more information, click here.
Minnesota-Made Artisanal Cheeses
Our cheese specialists are a remarkable group of experts found in each of our stores. They can help you build a great cheese plate, pick a perfect pairing or find a new, unique cheese to try – including many Minnesota-made options! Take a look at some of our cheese specialists’ favorite Minnesota-made cheeses. See you at the cheese counter!
Ike Wagner Cheese Specialist, Lunds & Byerlys Northeast Minneapolis
Shepherd’s Way Farms | Nerstrand, MN When you’re looking for the finest quality locally made artisan cheeses, Shepherd’s Way Farms quickly comes to mind! Steven and Jodi Ohlsen Read use fresh sheep’s milk and world-renowned sustainable farming practices to hand-craft many of Minnesota’s most well-known (and super delicious) farmstead cheeses! From the rich, grassy wood tones of their signature Friesago, to the deep, bold tangy bite of their Big Woods Blue cheese, any of Shepherd’s Way Farms’ family crafted cheeses can add a distinctly Minnesota flair to your meals.
Michael Brantl ACS CCP Cheese Specialist, Lunds & Byerlys Downtown Minneapolis
Capra Nera Creamery | Altura, MN I’m pleased to introduce this new Minnesota gem – Contadina goat cheese – from Capra Nera Creamery. I first met Katie Wiste, owner of Capra Nera, last year when she visited my cheese counter. After chatting, she invited our cheese specialists to visit her operation and get our hands in the curd. As a result, we now carry her cheese in five of our stores and we’re lucky to be the exclusive retailer to offer this product in the Twin Cities market. The unpasteurized goat’s milk cheese reminds me of some of the Spanish cheeses of the Basque region. And, did I mention that we got to play with the baby goats on her farm? Welcome, Contadina goat cheese!
Renee Pitman ACS CCP Cheese Specialist, Lunds & Byerlys Downtown St. Paul Caves of Faribault | Faribault, MN The Caves of Faribault are made of St. Peter sandstone, which is uniquely well suited for aging cheese. We sell three cheeses from the caves – Fini Cheddar, St. Pete’s Select Blue and Jeff’s Select Gouda. Fini Cheddar has a nice creaminess-to-sharpness ratio with a hint of mineral in the finish. It’s young enough to melt, but old enough to pack a punch. Use it for mac & cheese or sandwiches. St. Pete’s Select Blue is my go-to all-purpose blue. It’s equally at home on a cheese board or crumbled over a salad. I suggest pairing with candied nuts or anything bacon. And Jeff’s Select Gouda is their newest offering, and it’s a real standout. Its bright orange rind is edible and funky, encasing a paste that’s complex and intense with waves of sweet caramel and salty bouillon flavor and abundant crystallization. This will be the most memorable cheese on your platter. Pair it with fresh berries or chocolate, or my favorite – serve with an artisan summer sausage for an all-out umami bomb!
Lori Yunger ACS CCP Cheese Specialist, Lunds & Byerlys Roseville
Redhead Creamery | Brooten, MN Family, passion and happy cows all add up to create a delicious variety of cheeses created by the Redhead Creamery in Brooten, Minnesota. Lunds & Byerlys is proud to carry the wonderful artisanal cheeses from this strong, supportive Minnesota family. One of their signature cheeses – “Little Lucy” – is named after the cheesemaker’s daughter. The smooth, creamy Brie is perfect for 2 to 3 people as an appetizer paired with our L&B pepper jellies. Come in and sample any of their fabulous cheeses at our cheese counter!
Justin Pitman ACS CCP Cheese Specialist, Lunds & Byerlys St. Louis Park
Alemar Cheese Company | Mankato, MN One of my favorite cheeses is Alemar Cheese Company’s Good Thunder. The cheese experts at Alemar start with a beautiful, classic French-style Reblochon (a cheese washed in salt water and cultures) and make the recipe a truly local treat by adding Bender beer – the famous American oatmeal brown ale from Surly. The wash creates a magical mix of pasteurized grass-fed organic milk, cheese making artistry and beer-engineered microbial alchemy resulting in a delectable cheese with a delicate funkiness.
Alicia Baldwin ACS CCP Lunds & Byerlys Deli Category Specialist
Stickney Hill Dairy | Rockville, MN When you step up to a Lunds & Byerlys cheese counter, the endless choices can be intimidating. Our cheese specialists are there to help make the choice easier by introducing you to new finds and their favorites. My local favorite is Stickney Hill Chevre, which comes plain or flavored (honey, herbs or spices). Stickney Hill started locally in 1999 and is now an internationally known manufacturer of goat’s milk cheeses. Last summer our cheese team was invited to visit their new state-of-the-art facility in Rockville and get a behind-the-scenes look at this award-winning operation. We’re very excited to have this amazing artisanal cheesemaker right here in Minnesota. See you at the cheese counter!
Shepherd’s Way Farm is a true family business. Steven Read is the shepherd, his wife Jodi is the cheese maker and their 4 sons help to run and maintain the farm. They have hundreds of sheep that live, sleep and feed happily everyday at their farm in Nerstrand, Minnesota, about an hour south of Minneapolis.
A devastating arson fire in January 2005 destroyed more than 500 sheep and lambs and all of the animal housing. At the end of 2005, milking was suspended and cheese production continued on an extremely limited basis. With enormous community support, Shepherd’s Way has persevered, slowly beginning rebuilding and resuming full production in 2011.
Today, Shepherd’s Way Farms has a small foundation flock of approximately 200 dairy ewes and the renovated ‘new’ lambing barn is nearly finished.
Jodi Ohlsen-Read’s award-winning artisan sheep's milk cheesesare made in small batches, by hand, at their farm. Friesago was her first cheese. It is a natural rind semi-aged cheese with a dense texture and pleasantly mild flavor and a slightly nutty finish. A multiple award-winner, Friesago is versatile as a table cheese and as a cooking cheese. Pairs well with just about any white from Sauvignon Blanc to Chardonnay and loves a soft red such as Tempranillo. Friendly to all beers.
How to Pair Cheese and Whiskey
I think it's time you and cheese spice things up a little so here's five whiskey pairings to get things started for you.
Luxurious, like a warm wool robe. Everyone loves a little wine with their cheese – but have you ever tried pairing cheese and whiskey? It’s an exciting little pair when you’re looking to spice things up. When an artisan cheese meets the right whiskey, they make a bold, beautiful love on your palate. Finding a good match between the two takes some experimentation, but it’s generally pretty easy,…
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Deluxe Cheese Board
Looking for an easy appetizer idea? Try a cheese plate!
Start with a crowd-pleasing hard cheese such as Karst Cave Aged Cheddar, which pairs well with Louis Martini Napa Cabernet Sauvignon or a Kölsch beer. Then add simple sides of varying textures and flavors. Some of our favorites include:
Grapes
Dark chocolate
Salami
Caramelized walnuts
Dried fruits such as apricots or cherries
Get creative! Adding a variety of finger foods will create an impressive appetizer plate that appeals to everyone at your gathering.
For more delicious wine and cheese pairings, check out our food & wine guides.