Fork and Gobble It: Whine and Cheese

My wife and I love cheese, all kinds of cheese. It doesn't matter if it's an aged cheddar, a stinky blue, or even those handy little pre-wrapped slices of processed American that make a great quick snack. We are lucky enough to have a really great cheese department in our grocery store and we are always on the prowl for something new and tasty. It was important enough to us that we even decided to have a cheese course brought out at the end of the meal at our wedding reception. So you could say, "Yeah, those guys like cheese alright," and you'd be spot on. It's no coincidence that it works so well with wine and we love exploring pairings with different cheeses and foods made with cheese.

Recent discoveries have been intense blue cheeses that we love like Stilton and a gorgeous Spanish blue called Valdeon made from cow and goat milk. These usually end up in salads or crumbled on top of steak freshly off the grill. Valdeon works especially well with ripe tomatoes and thinking about it has me yearning for summer already. We've also come to love domestic cheddars that have been aged wrapped in muslin for a year or more. Cabot, the cooperative creamery and cheese producer out of Vermont does a clothbound aged cheddar that isn't too hard to locate and it is simply out of this world. It is both intense and complex with nutty and salty flavors and crumbly texture that melts in your mouth quite literally.

It works perfectly in macaroni and cheese or as my Mom used to call it "Baked Macaroni." It was always a favorite comfort food and continues to be.

-1 1/2 qts of whole milk + 1 pt of heavy cream
-1/2 cup AP flour

In a 5 qt. Heavy bottomed pot, whisk the flour into the cold milk. Put the pot over a medium heat and whisk periodically. As the milk/cream approaches a boil, it will thicken. Lower the heat to a simmer and simmer for about 3 minutes.

-3 cups of 3 different grated firm cheeses, such as Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Manchego, Gruyere, etc.

Stir in the cheeses slowly and stir well. Season to taste with salt, pepper, a dash of Tabasco, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

-1 lb of cooked macaroni such as elbows, penne, etc. with 1 cup of the cooking water reserved.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Put the macaroni in a large mixing bowl, pour the cheese sauce over it and mix well. Pour the macaroni/cheese mixture into a deep baking dish and place in the oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

-1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
-1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Top the baking dish with an even layer of breadcrumbs and dot with the butter. Continue to bake until a golden brown crust forms.

At a recent dinner at ABC Kitchen, the wonderful new restaurant in ABC Carpet near Union Square in Manhattan, we discovered Chef Dan Kluge's toasts with roasted Kabocha squash and fresh ricotta cheese. This inspired me to upgrade an old favorite, grilled cheese.

We had returned from a very early ride on a blustery Saturday morning to pick up our new rescue dog. He is a year old Black and Tan Coonhound named Elvis who had ridden all the way from Tennessee overnight to his new home. By midday we were all hungry and kind of exhausted and I needed something not too difficult but very comforting. I had some homemade tomato soup in the freezer and a hunk of San Joaquin Gold, a cheddar like firm cheese made by Fiscalini in California. I put the griddle on the stove, cut long slices from a baguette and got to work.

For me, tomato is obligatory when making grilled cheese.

This had Elvis whining for sure.

Speaking of wine, I keep one thing in mind when pairing wine and cheese; Intensity. Intense cheese, such as Parmigiana, Cheddar, or Monterey Jack, needs an intense wine and I'll usually go to reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, or the like. Less intense cheeses such as goat or brie call for less intense wines such as a Chardonnay or Vouvray. I'll will experiment because I believe there are no hard and fast rules to making that work. It almost always proves to be lip smacking good.