Hold on tight - we have lots of new stuff to talk about and most of it happens to be in cheese.
Serra di Estrela is a new Portuguese sheep's milk made with thistle rennet (as opposed to animal rennent). You can definitely taste the thistle! Estrella Family Creamery graces us with their cheese presence once again. Caldwell Crik Chevrette, Brewleggio, Old Apple Tree Tomme and Grisdale are all in. It's like going to their dairy in Montesano, near Olympia, without worrying about the cops on I-5 in Federal Way.

La Giostra & Il Saggio are new for us. Both are goat's milk cheeses from Sardegna with the Giostra being the milder, younger of the two. The Saggio is aged eight months and presents a nice, full-nutty/sweet flavor. We like washed-rind cheeses. They're maxed-out aromatically and their textures typically accompany a full-flavored, long finishing cheese. Add the cow's milk Aragone from Spain to the list of washed-rind favorites. Blue de Langa is mixed milk blue from the Alta Lange, Piedmont. Creamy and dense with not too much bluing-definitely a gateway blue. Ooh, this is a good one: Avonlea Cheddar. A raw, clothbound cow's milk cheddar from Prince Edward Island, Canada. Avonlea is very much in the mold of traditional English Cheddars. Cacio Fiori is an Italian thistle rennet sheep's milk cheese that's medium aged and classically nutty and "barnyardy" (that's good). L'Amuse Gouda hails from Essex Street (home of Daphne Zepos: one of our favorite Cheese Festival mavens). L'Amuse is a two-year old pasteurized Cow's milk that's characteristically dense and bordering on caramelized. Pecorino di Pienza has returned. This time veiled in a tomato washing. It's younger and dense and sort of like Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream -you shouldn't eat the whole wheel but you could.

And how's this for a period at the end of the sentence? Zoe's Hot Dogs are in. They're huge and delicious without the guilt - really.

Picture the rooftops of a Sicilian town covered with tomatoes. The tomatoes are crushed into a pate' and spread on taulieri ('wood boards') and left in the hot, Mediterranean sun to dry - absorbing the rays and the sea air (not a bad way to die if you're an Italian tomato). Once the tomatoes are perfectly transformed into tomato paste by adding a pinch of sea salt and extra virgin olive oil, Maria Grammatico jars them up and sends them off to us in the states. You'll find these little jars of tomato reincarnation only at DeLaurenti's.

Hello, Summer! Our thoughts have not only turned to crisp white wines and rosé but also to beer. Yes, pedestrian, everyman beer. Along with our perennial favorites there are some welcome newcomers on the shelf. Oskar Blues Brewery continues their string of great beers with the perfect Pils for the summer heat. And from the wonderful Terminal Gravity brewpub in Enterprise, Oregon, come the masterly crafted IPA and ESG (extra special golden). All perfect for the backyard barbeque or hanging out on the lawn.

As you may know, we offer FREE wine tastings every Saturday from 2-4pm upstairs in our Wine Department. Knowing this, you also know we pair cheeses to accompany these wines for your tasting pleasure. What's not to enjoy? Here's what's coming up....

11 July Washington winery Otis Kenyon

18 July Oregon wines from King Estate

25 July Fall Line wines presented by the winemaker Tim Sorenson

 

I'm torn as to what to present this time around. It's a toss-up between a Fregula Sarda pasta dish and a Ricotta Pasta Sauce....The Sarda wins!

This is a great recipe and you'll find a version of it on the package of pasta itself. I left out bottarga (salted, pressed tuna roe) because I think it's too salty for the dish but, of course, we sell bottarga and you're free to pile it on!

Finally, I love this dish because there's very little cooking (other than the pasta) and the leftovers make an even better pasta salad.