J’Adore Fromage

I adore French cheeses.  I cannot keep the secret any longer… my favorite cheese (this week) is the French roquefort Gabriel Coulet Cosse Noir.  This cheese – probably the world’s greatest blue cheese – truly is tenderness poured into a rock. I’m not kidding, either. Gabriel Coulet is produced entirely from the milk of the ewes that feed on the vast plateaus found in the Aveyron. It is the quality of the milk, the processing of the curd, the adding of “penicillium roqueforti” and finally the ripening in natural caves that give us this unique and remarkable French cheese. The taste is complex, but quite outstanding… soft, creamy, slightly salty, with an after taste that leaves the palate craving for more.

Ahhh, but I digress. Recently I had the true honor of meeting a fellow cheese lover and a French Colonel (for all roads due lead to MacDill, didn’t you know?). Monsieur and I had a good hour-long cheese chat, sampling cheeses from all over the globe starting in France with the famous Brillat Savarin, Comte and Fromage D’Affinois. From there we ventured all over Europe – Ubriaco al Prosecco from Lombardy, Cahill’s Irish Porter from Limerick, Cana de Cabra from Murcia. I was most impressed with Monsieur’s experience with cheese, but what caught me by surprise was his delight with American artisanal cheeses. Where I wonder and fuss over the miracles of French penicillin, Monsieur fell hard for the Purple Haze from Mary Keene’s California creamery.  More and more I am discovering that cheese has power, a miraculous “je ne sais quoi” that can really unite us.

Case in point: Happy Birthday to Datz for one great year, and Happy 100th Birthday to France’s premier cheese store, Androuet.

Tags: Aveyron, Brillat Savarin, Cahill Irish Porter, Cana de Cabra, Comte and Fromage D’Affinois, Datz Deli, Gabriel Coulet Cosse Noire, Limerick, Mary Keene, Murcia, Purple Haze, Ubriaco al Prosecco

Nectar…Meet Ambrosia

So Valentine’s Day may be over, but love is still in the air. That is… if you still have chocolate lying around, whipping your pheromones into an aphrodisiac frenzy. What’s chocolate got to do with beer, you ask? Who could possibly think of munching on Vosges chocolate while quaffing an ice-cold brew?

By definition, chocolate is a preparation of the seeds of cacao tree, a small evergreen sterculiaceous tree (Theobroma Cacao – theobroma meaning “food of the gods”). These are grown primarily in tropical America, and are cultivated for their seeds which are the source of cocoa. The indigenous Indians used cocoa to make a pungent, bitter drink they called “chocolatl“. As it so happens, Dogfish Head Brewery has named one of its Ancient Ales, a pungent, bitter drink they called “Theobrama.” Coincidence?? Is it a coincidence that Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery in Milwaukee, WI is walking distance from the Ambrosia Chocolate Company?? Oh, ye of little faith.

Chocolate and beer is perhaps the oldest, most natural pairing in history – one any aspiring Beer Geek should take the time to explore. The following pairings will blow your mind… or the socks off your significant other.

Start with a nice wheat beer such as Blanche de Bruxelles and an almond milk chocolate bar. The citrus from the wheat beer will play nicely with the nutty sweetness of the chocolate.

Next find a robust nut brown ale like Samuel Smith Nut Brown or Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar. Pair this with a simple milk chocolate or caramel chocolate. I prefer the simple milk chocolate because it allows the nut flavors in the beer to stand out. But if you love caramel these will pair well also.

Following that we are going to spice it up a bit. Select a big, bold stout such as Bells Expedition or Hoppin’ Frog BORIS The Crusher. Next get a chili chocolate like Vosges’s Fire Bar. The big malty chocolate flavors in the beer get an extra kick with the spice from the chocolate. A truly amazing combination of sweet and spicy.

Finally get a bottle of the Lindeman’s Framboise it is the best and find the darkest chocolate you can, preferably 70% cocoa. Framboise is brewed with over a ton of raspberries and the dark chocolate plays perfectly into the hands of the sweet and fruity brew.

I hope this gives you a new idea to surprise your honey with during the sweetest month of the year. Until next time happy drinking and enjoy a craft brew.

Technorati : Ambrosia Chocolate Company, Beer Geek, Bells, Blanche de Bruxelles, Datz Deli, Dogfish Head, Hoppin’ Frog, Lindeman’s, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Rogue, Samuel Smith, Vosges Chocolate
Del.icio.us : Ambrosia Chocolate Company, Beer Geek, Bells, Blanche de Bruxelles, Datz Deli, Dogfish Head, Hoppin’ Frog, Lindeman’s, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Rogue, Samuel Smith, Vosges Chocolate
Zooomr : Ambrosia Chocolate Company, Beer Geek, Bells, Blanche de Bruxelles, Datz Deli, Dogfish Head, Hoppin’ Frog, Lindeman’s, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Rogue, Samuel Smith, Vosges Chocolate
Flickr : Ambrosia Chocolate Company, Beer Geek, Bells, Blanche de Bruxelles, Datz Deli, Dogfish Head, Hoppin’ Frog, Lindeman’s, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Rogue, Samuel Smith, Vosges Chocolate

Tags: Ambrosia Chocolate Company, Beer Geek, Bells, Blanche de Bruxelles, Datz Deli, Dogfish Head, Hoppin’ Frog, Lindeman’s, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Rogue, Samuel Smith, Vosges Chocolate

eat. drink. crave

And so it begins. Another foodie Œblog. Which begs the question, why – in the land of delicious ramblings (steamy kitchen, orangette, delicious days, serious eats, taylor eason, the stew, mouth of the bay… yummmm) – datz4foodies?

Because at datz, we are omnivores. carnivorous, chocolate-loving, bacon-hoarding, wineauxs, beer geeks and curd nerds.Unapologetic flavor crusaders. Which makes this blog… simply….a playground for the epi-curious. where the heart-warming  merry-go-round of vintage, comfort foods are just as exciting as the as-yet-unexplored sandbox of culinary traditions found Œround the globe. a place that believes a glass of wine is best shared among friends. So stick around. Join us for ongoing culinary conversations and epicurean experiences. Then…tell your friends.

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Tags: Datz Deli, Mouth of the Bay, Orangette, Serious Eats, Steamy Kitchen, Taylor Eason, The Stew