The Perfect Cheese Plate

Cheese plates or boards are a great theme to a cocktail party, a fun appetizer to a meal or a way to make an intimate dinner special. Many people think there's a science to creating them but we disagree. We've been making cheese plates for as long as we can remember and think they're pretty simple, given you follow our three quick rules for cheese plate assembly:

Five or Fewer: Too many tastes on a cheese plate will confuse your eater. He or she won't remember what they just tasted and if it was made with sheep, goat or gorilla milk! Keep things simple by limited the cheese selection.

Bold & Calming Accompaniments: Pairing a cheese bite with something bold such as cayenne toasted almonds can give you a fresh perspective on a familiar cheese. It can also tire out the tongue. Add accompaniments to your cheese plate that give your eat both adventurous and palette-cleansing opportunities. Try jalapeño jelly, dried figs and a pile of cucumbers. Or candied pecans, proscuitto and seasonal melon.

Just Cut & Room Temp: A freshly cut or freshly opened package of cheese is so much better than an abandoned wedge from the back of the fridge. Buy your cheese plate ingredients as close to the time when you'll be using them as possible. This ensures your guests will enjoy all the aromatic qualities your cheeses have to offer. Furthermore, make sure the cheeses have taken out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving (with the expection of ricotta and spreads). When served at room temperature, cheeses taste ten times more flavorful than when served cold. 

 

Make Cheese. Drink Wine. Be Merry!

Have you always wondered about how milk turns into cheese? Want to get up close to the vat and see the process first hand? If so, join us on Sunday, November 9th for a unique cheesemaking,wine pairing, lunch and vineyard event at Jonathan Edwards Winery in North Stonington.  Narragansett Creamery will be teaming up with The Savory Grape as well as Jonathan Edwards Winery for a fall day full of epicurean delights.

Click here for an e-brochure and more booking details.

Reservation deadline is November 1 (and tickets are going fast!).

Food Forward

(We grabbed this picture and text from the website for Rally RI's recent festival "Food Forward". To see the rest of the pictures, visit http://rallyri.co/foodforward. Photo credit: Tsung Hung).

At last Saturday's FoodForwardNarragansett Creamery was definitely a crowd favorite, running out of their delicious cheeses well before the event's end! Luckily, they brought some of their old-school yogurt as backup. We were thrilled to have Narragansett Creamery, and we wanted to share a little about the company as well as some pictures...

 

Photo credit: Tsung Hung for Rally RI

Photo credit: Tsung Hung for Rally RI

Source: http://rallyri.co/foodforward-recap-3-big-...

Kids Love Cheese

Want a bite? This kid sure does. 

Want a bite? This kid sure does. 

We may be biased but we've noticed lots of happy kids at our farmers' market tables lately. And we know why. Kids love cheese! We see the young and bold going for Pirate Spread, hesitant hands stretching towards a taste of mozzarella, turbo-powered grade schoolers begging for Atwells Gold and all ages and palates asking for that delicious Tuscan-style yogurt. 

Since we have many pint-sized taste testers of our own, we're not surprised by such eagerness. But it does make us happy to know kids are eating nutritious, naturally-made, hormone-free foods instead drinking soda and eating candy. 

Do you have a story or photo to share of your 

cheese-eating kid?

We're gathering stories and photos for a farmers' market "My Kid Loves Cheese" scrap book. If your story or photo gets included in the book, we'll give you a free piece of cheese. Share with us on Facebook or through the Contact link above. Entries must be received by September 30th, 2013 and there is no guarantee an entry will be included.

 

Excited for Summer Markets

​Here we are at the awesome indoor Winter Farmers' Market at Hope Village. 

​Here we are at the awesome indoor Winter Farmers' Market at Hope Village. 

We have a busy farmers' market season ahead of us (as you can see from our 'At the Market' page). We will be hustling to over half a dozen farmers' markets a week so you can have feathery mozz on all of your tomatoes and dollops of sweetened ricotta on all your fruit tarts. Thanks for stopping by our table to say hello and taste a sample or two. We love to meet our customers face to face.

Light Summer Cheeses

Tacos topped with dollops of Plain Angelito are a true summer treat. These simple tacos here also have black olives, roasted zucchini and fresh pinto beans.

Tacos topped with dollops of Plain Angelito are a true summer treat. These simple tacos here also have black olives, roasted zucchini and fresh pinto beans.

The words 'light' and 'cheese' are not often paired with one another but it doesn't have to be that way. Light can means more than 'fat-free'. It can also mean a meal that leaves you feeling satisfied but not stuffed or a dish that doesn't weight one down. 

In the summertime, instead of extra-dense dishes that really 'line the ribs', think about ways to pair cheese that give you a burst of nutrition and flavor without the fullness. This means a little less cheese and a little more veggies or fruits in a dish. Here are our five favorite ways to enjoy Narragansett Creamery cheese when the summer heats up: 

  • Fresh mozzarella slices layered with tomatoes, olive oil and basil
  • Grilled vegetable salad (with asparagus, zucchini, tomatoes, onions) topped with parsley, basil, olive oil and shavings of Atwells Gold
  • Greek salad made with romaine lettuce, lemon juice, olive oil, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives and Salty Sea Feta
  • Grilled corn on the cob, portabello mushrooms, eggplant and queso blanco (the latter four rubbed down with olive oil). Grill until everything is cooked to crispy tenderness. Salt and pepper as needed.
  • Ricotta Dream: 1 cup Renaissance Ricotta mixed with 1/4 cup powdered sugar or honey and 1/2 tsp almond extract, topped with raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and peaches

 

Can You Freeze Cheese?

​Frozen cheese won't look so good once it comes out of the freezer but much of the taste and nutritional value will still be there.

​Frozen cheese won't look so good once it comes out of the freezer but much of the taste and nutritional value will still be there.

Most people think you can't freeze cheese but the truth is you can--at least with some cheeses. High-moisture dairy products, such as kefir or yogurt do not freeze well. But denser, higher butterfat products like chevre or our Angelito freeze nicely. Freezing is especially successful if you're planning to cook with the cheeses (versus eat them plain) later on. 

Medium moisture cheeses such as our queso blanco or our cheddar are not the best candidates for freezing. These 'middle' cheeses tend to break down in texture and end up mealy and unappealing. If, however, you can't bear to throw food away and you promise us the cheese is only going to get baked into a lasagna, you can get away with freezing them. 

Harder aged cheeses, such as our Atwells Gold, can be frozen but also keep quite well simply in the fridge, if wrapped tightly. If you have a vacuum sealing machine and can seal the cheese without air, these cheeses will hold for even longer.

With all frozen cheeses, it's important to thaw slowly--in the fridge instead of in the microwave--for the best texture results.