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Would You Eat This Vegetarian Pâté?

partysugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:13:31 -0700

At the Artisan Cheese Festival, I was browsing the cheese display with my mom when she did something totally out of the ordinary. She's not an adventurous eater, but to my surprise she took a gigantic chunk of vegetarian pâté! I love regular pâté, but was a little wary of the bright orange, green, and white thing that rested on my mom's plate. I wish I could say it was absolutely delicious but it just wasn't. The texture was weird and the flavor odd. We were both glad we tried it, but aren't running out to purchase buckets of vegetarian pâté. How about you? Would you eat this vegetarian pâté?

Party Foul: Not Enough Room to Move

partysugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:18:31 -0700

When hosting any sort of an event, it is crucial to find the correct balance between too much open space and not enough room. If there is too much room, the party looks like an empty dance floor at a bad prom. If there is no room, it can be stifling and uncomfortable.

During the public tasting at the Artisan Cheese Festival, I found myself crammed between several people all desperate to taste cheese. The booths were too close together and there was no flow of traffic because the place was over packed. Needless to say, it was not fun. I wondered why the event planners had not spaced out the booths better or taken into consideration that it was a beautiful day that would bring a bigger crowd to the event.

Although this was a large event, the same goes for private parties in the home. If you have a small studio, don't invite over fifty friends. Allow room for guests to mingle without having to press up against a new acquaintance.

How about you? Have you ever been to an over-crowded party? How did you deal with not having enough room?

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Make a Delicious Cheese Display

partysugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:01:31 -0700

Last weekend I attended California's Artisan Cheese Festival. While the highlight was tasting tons of scrumptious cheeses, I did learn how to create a beautiful cheese plate. A cheese plate is wonderful for parties because it doesn't involve any cooking; it's more about assembling and displaying in an attractive way. To see my tips for creating a beautiful cheese display, read more.

Start by selecting the cheeses. Choose cheeses that represent a variety of types and textures. You want to find a balance between flavors. Offering three to five cheeses is ideal, as it won't overwhelm the palate.
If you want to get creative, choose a theme. All of the cheese could be from the same region, from the same milk or from different milks.

Avoid common cheeses that most people have already tried. Head to a local cheese shop and look for artisan cheeses. If you are on a budget, buy one or two quality cheeses instead of a bunch of cheaper ones.
Present the cheese on a large platter or board with plenty of room. You want each cheese to have its own space. Make sure the cheese is easily accessible. Arrange hard cheeses on the outside of the board or crumble into small chunks.
Create levels in the display. Turn bowls or pans upside down or place old shoe boxes underneath the tablecloth.
Make the plate pretty by placing large leaves underneath the blocks of cheese. Fresh herbs are also a lovely and fragrant touch.
Don't forget the accompaniments that enhance the cheese: olives, nuts, fresh fruit, jams, honey, crackers, breads, thinly sliced meats, pate, etc. For beverages both wine and beer make good complements to cheese.
Make sure the cheese you are serving is at room temperature.
Lastly label the cheeses so guests know what they are tasting.

Got a great tip for creating a wonderful cheese display? Please share with us below!

Do You Own Special Tools For Serving Cheese?

partysugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:41:31 -0700

A Closer Look at the Artisan Cheese Festival

partysugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:30:42 -0700

While my favorite seminar was Cheese Essentials hosted by Laura Werlin, there were plenty of other fabulous things to savor at the Artisan Cheese Festival. The ladies of Cowgirl Creamery talked about how the environment and animal raising practices affect a cheese's flavor. Sommelier Christie Dufault discussed the best ways to pair cheese with wine. Then, there was the cheese! Over thirty cheesemakers participated in the grand tasting making for a weekend that was creamy, salty, tangy, and purely delicious.

Words can't describe how wonderful this event was, so check out all my pictures! For the large gallery of the festival, read more.

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Say Cheese! Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials

partysugar — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 03:30:10 -0700

Last weekend while Yum was eating her way through the Chocolate Salon, I was busy sampling cheese at the Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma, CA. I attended a seminar, Cheese Essentials, hosted by Laura Werlin, one of America's most prominent cheese authorities. According to Werlin, if you can understand the basic characteristics of the eight types of cheese, you'll be able to easily navigate any cheese shop. Generally speaking, soft cheese is mild and hard cheese is more complex and flavorful. To learn Laura's eight styles of cheese, start clicking.

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Say Cheese! On Pairing Cheese With Wine

partysugar — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:15:39 -0700

There was one thing I learned at the Artisan Cheese Festival that changed my life. No joke! Normally when I think of pairing wine and cheese I choose a red wine.

However, after tasting over 30 types of cheese paired with both red and white wine, I have to agree with cheese expert Laura Werlin: in general, cheese pairs better with white wine than it does red wine.

Why? Simply put, cheese affects the taste of the wine more than the wine affects the taste of the cheese. A bold, highly tannic red wine cancels out the flavor of most cheese and leaves a soapy taste in the mouth. On the other hand, the buttery richness of cheese is complemented by a creamy Chardonnay or acidic Sauvginon Blanc.

Especially if there is a dominant characteristic in the wine - too much oak, extremely high alcohol content, etc. - it won't pair well with cheese. To truly understand the difference, I highly suggest you perform your own cheese and wine tasting. To learn how read more.

Select several different types of cheese from a variety of cheese families. Brie, cheddar, Pecorino Romano, and Stilton would be a nice group for the tasting.
Pour two glasses of wine. A red (easy-drinking Pinot Noir) and a white (unoaked Chardonnay).
Take a bite of cheese and a sip of white wine.
Take a bite of the same cheese and a sip of red wine.
Think about how they taste together. Which one tastes better?

Let me know how your tasting goes and if you agree that cheese does in fact taste better with white wine!

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A Closer Look at the Artisan Cheese Festival

partysugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:17:09 -0700

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Must-Read: BBQ Bash

partysugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:00:59 -0700

Last year I received a copy of BBQ Bash: The Be-All, End-All Party Guide, from Barefoot to Black Tie ($16.95) by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig. I quickly flipped through the pages, but since it was October, I stored it on the book shelf.

Then two weeks ago I was sitting on my couch, looked up, and swore BBQ Bash jumped out at me. I scooped it up and started reading. To find out why I couldn't put this book down - even on the bus - read more.

Pros:

It's written by two females, the BBQ Queens, so instead of taking a stereotypical manly point of view, the tone offers a refreshing anyone-can-do-it attitude.
Filled with hundreds of mouthwatering recipes, helpful tips, party plans, interesting lists (example: 15 different flavored butters), general information on grilling, smoking, and barbecuing.
To the authors, barbecue is a 24/seven, 365-day-a-year thing - meaning there is something for everyone.
The party plans are festive and fun. They include such themes as A Black-Tie Barbecue, Home For the Holidays Barbecue, and A Cozy Dinner a Deux.
There're plenty of cocktail recipes, too.

Cons:

Lack of photos. There's a small color photo spread in the center of the book that features 14 images. Other than that, the book is photo-free.
Some of the recipes call for specialty ingredients like artisanal prosciutto, peppadews, and tarragon vinegar.
Other recipes are uncreative and rely on store-made products. A salmon recipe is little more than salmon fillets marinated in Italian dressing and Seafood Magic rub.
There's no index or list of the drink recipes making them hard to find.

Recipes: Each recipe is followed up with helpful pointers: to "deck it out" (make the dish seem more formal), to "take it easy" (simplify the recipe), to "change it up" (meat, herb, and cheese substitutions), and to "raise a glass" (alcoholic beverage pairing suggestions). Here are some that caught my eye:

Rioja-style grilled pork tenderloin tapas
Limoncello spritzers
Big Easy grilled beef tenderloin, Zinfandel-glazed baby back ribs with a kiss of smoke
Blue cheese coleslaw
Grilled Winter-greens with warm cranberry port-vinaigrette
Grilled chocolate crostini
Dulce de leche sauce

Imagery: As mentioned above, there are only 14 color photos. The rest of the book is filled with curvy illustrations.

Overall: If you do a lot of outdoor entertaining and don't mind a cookbook without images, this book is perfect for you!

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Noteworthy Nibbles - Mar. 17-23, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:30:16 -0700

This week, the country's gone crazy for wine, cheese, and chocolate. If you're in Northern California, you may find yourself faced with the tough decision of choosing between three of life's greatest indulgences. We'll be getting cocoa butter and sugar high at the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon, and saying cheese at California's Artisan Cheese Festival. Maybe we'll see you there! Let us know what events you're attending this weekend - and feel free to add any other food events below.

Del Mar, CA: Family Winemakers of California Tasting 2009 - Mar. 17
Green Bay, WI: US Championship Cheese Contest - Mar. 17-19
New York, NY: NYC Restaurant Week - Mar. 17-20
Tallahassee, FL: Florida Wine Festival - Mar. 20-21
Paso Robles, CA: Zinfandel Festival - Mar. 20-22

To see the rest, read more.

Petaluma, CA: California's Artisan Cheese Festival - Mar. 20-23
San Francisco, CA: San Francisco International Chocolate Salon - Mar. 21
Yountville, CA: Taste of Yountville - Mar. 21
Monterey, VA: Highland Maple Festival - Mar. 21-22

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