hillvalley Posted May 26, 2005 Share Posted May 26, 2005 Our first June event will be an Italian cheese tasting at Cheestique on Sunday, June 12th at 6pm. Jill will discuss a variety of Italian cheeses which will be accompanied by non-alcoholic beverages (no liquor license at this point). There is room for 13 people. PM me if you would like to join us. The first 13 people to contact me will "win" the spots. (I feel like a radio DJ.) I will keep a waiting list if necessary. The cost is $20 a person and payment will be required through PayPal before the event. Lack of prepayment will forfeit your seat. Details will follow. Feel free to contact me if you have questions. I look forward to seeing you June 12th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted May 30, 2005 Author Share Posted May 30, 2005 If you recieved a PayPal request from me please Do Not pay it yet. I am having a problem with my account I'll let you know when it is fixed. Sorry. (Jacques, you're in the clear) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted May 31, 2005 Author Share Posted May 31, 2005 I still have a few spots open. If you are interested send me a PM or email Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted June 2, 2005 Author Share Posted June 2, 2005 (edited) Here is the current list: Jacques Gastreaeux Heather babka brr Rick Azzarano+1 dcpolicywonk simdelish mdt Nadya Shogun I have room for two more. Jill is excited to do a tasting for a group she knows will appreciate her special finds. Edited June 3, 2005 by hillvalley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted June 3, 2005 Author Share Posted June 3, 2005 (edited) The final list: Jacques Gastreaeux Heather babka brr Rick Azzarano+1 dcpolicywonk simdelish mdt Nadya Shogun Principia+1 Jacques is working behind the scenes to see if he can cook up a little surprise Edited June 3, 2005 by hillvalley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted June 3, 2005 Author Share Posted June 3, 2005 If you are on this list would you please send me an email using the account you want the paypal email sent to? It will save me more work than you can imagine. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted June 10, 2005 Author Share Posted June 10, 2005 Due to a plethora of cancelations I have a spot open for Sunday's tasting. If you are interested PM me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shogun Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 Sigh, and I expect a full report..... (Are you sure I have a 'plethora' of cancellations?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 Unfortunately, I can only give a definite maybe. This weddin stuff is gettin in the way of my social life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted June 12, 2005 Author Share Posted June 12, 2005 Sure, put the wedding in front of us. That's fine. We understand. See if we care I will see you all aorund 6 at Cheestique. Jill is very excited to share what she has in store for us. For those of you who couldn't join us take a look at the web page. Jill does tastings on a regular basis on a wide variety of cheeses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLK Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 So, how was it? Signed, The woman with a bad cold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Azzarano Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 (edited) Thanks to hillvalley for organizing this and Jill Cheese Lady for leading an informative, entertaining (and delicious) tasting. How was it? 10 different "uncommon" Italian cheeses ranging from semi-soft and "young" cheeses to the hard, aged cheeses. A couple of examples - (quoting from Jill's handout) Vento d'Estate - "While being aged in a barrel, this cheese is buried under hay, which gives it fragrance andcharacter. Vento d'estate is best known for its fragrance - a combinatin of barrel wood, lilac, pear and straw. The flavor of thissheep;s milk cheese is rich and savory." Had a distinct taste of apples and Jill (who seems to know everything about all kinds of cheese) said to pair this with a "deeply sweet apple." Ubriaco - "'Ubriaco' means 'drunken' in Italian. It is thus named because the young cheese is soaked in merlot and cabernet wine, covered with crushed grape skins left after pressing and then allowed to mature for six to ten months. The cheese has a firm crumbly texture that is fairly wet and thetaste is rich and winey. The arome of this cheese is amazing!" Thanks also to mdt, mktye, Nadya and Jacques Gastreaeux (and hillvalley) and others for making newbies feel welcome. Edited June 13, 2005 by Rick Azzarano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Principia Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 (edited) A mighty thanks to hillvalley and Jill (the proprietor) for coordinating and hosting this fun event! My "+1" and I had a great time; we ended up taking home a total of 4 cheeses (Rosemary Manchego, Midnight Moon, Pecorino Brinata, and Muenster Petit). For those who couldn't make today's tasting, Jill said that this set of cheeses will be the ones she'll be using in her tastings throughout June. A quick listing of the cheeses covered, to whet the appetite of potential attendees: a. Pecorino Brinata - the youngest of the cheeses, and the one from the tasting we ended up bringing home b. Caprino with Truffles - trufflicious! c. Rocchetta - my +1 loved this d. Pecorino Toscano 30 day - I really enjoyed this one e. Castelmagno - what a neat texture! f. Piave Vecchio - quite nifty, very complex g. Parmigiano Reggiano Cravero - I actually enjoyed this one more than the Piave, which I guess makes me a total cheese Philistine h. Vento d'Estate - distinctive, with an almost minty taste to the rind i. Ubriaco - very, very winey and fragrant j. Pecorino Fossa - very, um, unusual. It was great meeting everyone, and we hope to be able to make it to another DR event soon! Edited June 13, 2005 by Principia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babka Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 (edited) Never have I traveled from heaven to hell so quickly, and with a single plate at that. We started with a Pecorino Brinata, a mere babe at 20 days old, which tasted uncomfortably like a Sunday School picture book: Kind and gentle, a whisper of grass immersed in pillowy cream. The Rochetta came a few cheeses later, the snack of a Russian saint, "pasteurized" for the rules but loose and earthy enough to pass muster even after a few vodkas. It tasted like cows, sheep, and goat all mingled together, somehow. Then, still later, came the Piave Vecchio, which surely was responsible for the Sistine Chapel. Roll together Parmigiano Reggiano with Gruyere and aged Gouda and you've got the glorious mess of the Piave. (Five of us helped diminish Ms. Jill's Piave inventory afterwards, and those comparison cheeses are from her words, not mine.) And then, having reached the zenith of the plate, we plunged. Ubriaco, a wine-drenched cheese, smelled like a scratch & sniff sticker, and tasted about the same (though I understand others at the table had some different, if incorrect, opinions about its merits.) Finally, at the end, true hell: The Pecorino Fossa, a cheese with a great history and a smell, and taste, like shit. The noun, not the metaphor. We opened with a detailed lecture on Italian geography, history, and cheese from the ever-energetic Cheese Lady, who knows her shit, and closed with a purchasing frenzy at the cheese cases. And I'm deeply grateful to both the Lady and hillvalley for the entire experience. Even the shit. Edited June 13, 2005 by babka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Principia Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 (edited) The noun, not the metaphor. Well, I was trying to be politic, but evidently that's not necessary. Let's see, the other opinions I heard were manure, mulch, "like a horse ring", and "like that stuff you dig out of your horse's hoof when it's infected." My +1 described it as a "mother-in-law cheese"; me, I thought it tasted like feet. Edited June 13, 2005 by Principia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted June 13, 2005 Author Share Posted June 13, 2005 Jill, can you do this again? Jill and I have already discussed planning another tasting, although it may not be until the fall. If you are interested in joining in on one before then please let me know. I will see what we can put together if there is enough interest for the summer. In the meantime sign up here for Jill's email newsletter for regular updates about other events at her store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadya Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 A bit fat thank you to hillvalley and Jill for organizing and holding this fantastic event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brr Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 just to add to the thanks to Jill and hillvalley for organizing the event - twas most enjoyable and fun to sit there and focus so intently on cheese for an hour or so personal favorites for me were the Rocchetta, the Piave Vecchio and the Brinata. The Fossa and the Ubriaco were quite strong, I actually think I preffered the Fossa - there was something overpoweringly fruity about the Ubriaco for me looking forward to more tastings in the future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcpolicywonk Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 I'll my voice to the chorus - thanks hillvalley for organizing this. It was great to meet the people behind the screen names. And thanks to Jill for a very informative and fun session. I am a cheese novice and learned a great deal about cheeses in general not to mention specific uncommon Italian cheeses. I particularly enjoyed the Piave Vecchio and the Ubriaco. We picked up a bit of the Piave and I couldn't resist getting a bit of the Oregonzola. I look forward to doing this again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 I"ll third the Piave Vecchio. I bought some last week at Di Bruno Bros in Philadelphia. They paired a nice sliver of it with a candied pecan. It was amazing. Last night, I sprinked it over home made minestrone to finish. Definetely get some from Jill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mktye Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 And an extra special thanks to hillvalley for her adept handling of the cancellations and the wait-list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdt Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 This was such a fun class and I was happy to see one of my favorite cheeses, Vento d'Estate, on the list. I also agree with Don, taste, savor, record, then repeat! Thank you hillvalley and Jill for making this happen. We are lucky to have this store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 I am glad everyone enjoyed themselves. Jill and I are working out the fine details for another tasting in July. Thanks to everyone who came, but especially to the new members. We had more new members at this event than old times which was great. I hope we didn't scare you too much and will see you at another event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Cheese Lady Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I am glad everyone enjoyed themselves. Jill and I are working out the fine details for another tasting in July. But don't worry - even though the theme will change next month, I'll save each and every one of you a big chunk of Fossa! In all honesty, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the tasting. You were a fun group - will great questions and great feedback. I very much look forward to the next event. -Jill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenunda Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 But don't worry - even though the theme will change next month, I'll save each and every one of you a big chunk of Fossa! In all honesty, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the tasting. You were a fun group - will great questions and great feedback. I very much look forward to the next event. -Jill Thanks for staying late to give us some taste-on learning! I did a mini tasting for my roommates when I got back, and the next day I caught one of them trying to sneak-eat the Roccheta with a spoon! Cheese theives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now