If you have been reading The Novice Foodie or my Twitter posts then you may have some idea about Kunik. Kunik is a triple cream cheese made in Thurman, NY by Nettle Meadow Farm. Owned by Lorraine Lambiase and Sheila Flanagan, Nettle Meadow Farm is nestled on a cozy 50 acres just below Crane Mountain in the Adirondacks.

Kunik is a white-mold ripened cheese made from goat milk  and jersey cow cream. It has a delicate bloomy rind that smells sweet and grassy…but the inside yields a unctuous and buttery cheese with gracious tang.  Perfect on a slice of baguette topped with fruit chutney….or just slathered graciously on a toasted bagel.

Best at room temperature (like ALL CHEESE), Kunik has a permanent space on our kitchen counter.  Delicate and powerful…Kunik is by far becoming the favorite cheese of us here in St. Louis.  It is by far, my current obsession….delivered in small dreamy little rounds it doesn’t last long once cut into.  To be honest…I don’t think we have ever failed at finishing off the round once we got started.

The current batch at cheese counter at The Wine Merchant is by far the best we’ve had in Missouri……and that is saying a lot because ever subsequent batch and been perfect.

The Shaved Duck to open for lunch

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From Ally Nisbet:

The Shaved Duck in the Tower Grove East neighborhood located at 2900 Virginia Street is opening for lunch starting Monday January 4th.
The Shaved Duck specializes in traditionally smoked meats using oak and hickory, and  will now be smoking earlier in the day to ensure that everything is fresh off the pitt for their guests.
Please stop by for some great smoked meats, flatbreads, homestyle sides and expanded lunch menu, or contact Matt Fournier, Catering  Manager for any catering functions coming up.

No fear…you can now have what the French call Fromage Fort. It is the EASIEST recipe you will ever read.  It goes alittle something like this:

1. Gather up about a 1/2 pound of cheese scraps

2. Chuck ‘em in the food processor

3. In goes a couple cloves of garlic

4. Slosh of white wine

Salt and pepper to taste….

Whiz it all up til kinda smooth…depending on how you like it. I like a little texture.

Put in ramekins…serve at room temp with crackers, toasted baguette…BILLY GOAT POTATO CHIPS

It keeps forever in the fridge if wrapped airtight. I love this stuff….and it’s different everytime…depending on what kinda cheese you have. I’ve never had it NOT turn out delicious.

Enjoy!!

Both The Cheesemonger and I have Twitter accounts. My tweets are merely jovial…but The Cheesemonger keeps everyone up to date on what is coming into the shop…what he wants to see in the shop and special cheese events in St. Louis!  Look us up!

@MerchChzmonger

@Chzmongerswife

Happy Tweeting!

Pimento cheese recipe, comfort served

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Cheese has always been something MOST Americans have taken for granted. Cheese played an insignificant role in most American families….limiting their exposure to what they found in their neighborhood megamart.  Not anymore….American are not only eating more cheese than ever these days…they are choosing artisan cheeses made my American dairies and creameries.

A new quarterly periodical, Culture Magazine is taking amazing strides to educate us on all things cheese!  Focusing on American cheesemakers, mongers and lovers….a subscription to Culture is the PERFECT gift for the food enthusiast you put up with!

Seriously!  How lucky are the residents of the Central West End (CWE)!?!  Gerard Craft opened Brasserie by Niche in the former Chez Leon space.  With Perry Hendrix at the helm of the stove, the CWE folks have just gotten themselves one heck of a neighborhood hotspot! Focusing on classic French bistro fare, you’ll never eat onion soup anywhere else.  Cassoulet, moules frites, French cheeses, country pate….and an amazing croque monsieur…coq au vin…you’ll feel like you are sitting in a Parisian bistro! With a nice beer and wine selection…Brasserie By Niche is one of my new favorite places to go. Lucky for me it’s a stone’s throw from the hospital…and after a long day caring for the masses…Brasserie is a welcome respite!

Next up: Pi!! Pi is close to opening its doors in their new CWE locale! That makes the third space opened by Chris Sommers! With the crazy success of his spot in the Delmar Loop..and the cult-like obsession cultivated at the Kirkwood spot he is about to dish out some of that crazy good cornmeal crust deep dish on the corner of Euclid and McPherson! And to make it even better Mathew Rice is going to be doing his ingenious desserts at the new CWE locale! His milkshake bar at the Kirkwood locale is a favorite already.  I suggest a Purple Cow or a chocolate malted milkshake if you make it out Kirkwood! The CWE spot is geared toward adults with a gorgeous reclaimed eco-friendly bar manned by Chad George!

So…no more complaining about the CWE not having anything new….get over to Brasserie (open NOW!) and Pi (slated to open to the public on Tuesday 12/ 15/09!)

Well, I have one more final next week and then I will be on holiday from University until mid January!!!  I am looking forward to doing some serious blogging over my break!  Lots of new cheeses have arrived in St. Louis…new farms are on the horizon (possibly including OURS!!) and great new cheesemakers are popping up all over the States!

Over this Holiday season…make an effort to seek out a local cheese maker/cheesemonger in your area.  Select a locally produced cheese or dairy product!  You are not only supporting a local, sustainable business…but you are ensuring a long heritage of artisanal foods in our country!

I have been wanting to mention this amazing place for awhile now.  As you all know…graduate studies have put a damper on my posting…but this needs to be shared!  The School of Artisan Food in North Nottinghamshire….in the Sherwood Forest….THE REAL SHERWOOD FOREST….in the UK.  I hold dreams of taking classes there in 2010…..let’s hope that dream comes true.  But I hope my UK friends get a chance to get there and enjoy!

The School of Artisan Food

Baking, brewing…cooking, dairy….butchering….pickling and preserving….I AM IN HEAVEN!!!!  Why does all the good stuff open across the pond???  We need a US School of Artisan Food…..maybe they will open one here….but to be honest…I don’t mind the travel required….

Check them out!!

I just wanted to take the time to let my readers know that I will be taking a brief hiatus from posting on The Cheesemongers Wife.  As I enter my final two semesters of graduate school, I am finding that I am having a hard time keeping up the blog.  But…I will post as often as I can.  I hope to take up a more regular posting schedule after I graduate and pass my boards.

Keep exploring the wonderful world of food and cheese….I’ll be back soon!!

Take Care,

Annie

The Scoop: Bienvenue, Brasserie

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Simon and I were invited to attend an installation of Full Moon Foodies Dinner.  Full Moon Foodies is a monthly late-night dinner event hosted by Wes Johnson, Chef de Cuisine and Brendan Noonan, Executive Sous Chef at Eclipse in the Moonrise Hotel.  Each month, a melange of St. Louis food enthusiasts and culinary professionals are invited to partake in a themed meal on the night of the full moon.  This month’s full moon landed on a Friday night and a vegetarian feast was on the books.

Dinner guests included a who’s who of the St. Louis’ professional  food-writing community, chefs and local food enthusiasts, including Mathew Rice, Sara White, April Seager and my new friend Gilberto Pinela.  Our evening began with cocktails at the bar.  Packed in on the ground level of the restaurant were loads of patrons vying for a spot on the rooftop.  The wait was over an hour when we arrived.   With spectacular views, perfect weather and tasty drinks, that was enough to lure the crowds high above the street.  But, we were looking forward to a small intimate dinner in the cozy corner of the restaurant, so the rooftop would have to wait.

As guests arrived, we took our seats and began to anticipate the bounty for which we were gathered.  The meal was based on a video game played by Brendan.  Harvest Moon, a Japanese farming-simulation game was developed by Yasuhiro Wada.  The object of the game is to maintain a farm over a period of time, tending the crops and livestock through the seasons, while befriending the nearby townsfolk and getting married in some games.  With this in mind, Wes and Brendan focused on local (when appropriate), fresh vegetables for the meal.

To start out the meal, we nibbled on spiced roasted nuts.  Crunchy, spicy and sweet…they accompanied our cocktails perfectly.  Secondly a serving of warm herbed olives…with a great underbelly of heat. Simon offered up a new concoction he devised earlier that afternoon at The Wine Merchant.  Local goat cheese, whipped with mango honey and scotch bonnet peppers was coined The Goat Fire Ball.  It was another delicious nibble that brought the spice and heat.

And thus the feast began!  Bowls of pickled wax beans cooled your palate.  Along with watermelon dressed with pickled carrots, there was vast platters of fresh vegetables.  Plates of heirloom tomatoes with Koren melon dressed in a balsamic reduction, tempura of Ozark Forest mushrooms, okra, poblano and red bell peppers.   Knowing that some dinner guests were of the vegan persuasion, the tempura was executed san eggs.  Even with the egg omittance, the tempura was crispy and perfect.  Heaping bowls of Ozark Forest mushrooms were served. Maitake, Lobster and Hen of the Woods were sauteed with butter and thyme.  One bowl was sauteed with olive oil for our vegan guests.  A  rich carrot and potato curry was the main course.  The curry was hearty, with warm spices that satisfied.  A dollop of the Goat Fire Ball gave a second layer of flavor and heat that was genuinely scrumptious.  Fresh figs with cracked black pepper were piled high in a bowl.

Cocktails, such as Lemon Lime Gin & Tonic infused with sorrel were consumed…along with Champagne/Elderberry flower liqueur concoctions.  On a sweet note: Brendan found some “sweet crunchy sticks” at the local Asian Market. And that was the literal translation, folks.  There were rice sticks covered in a fine sugar from what I could tell.  The package was brought out and  in a hilarious twist of fate…fitted right in with the video game themed meal!  I never got a chance to read the actual ingredients…all I heard was that they were vegan so they were OK for all at the table.  Finally, a meringue topped with local peaches were the final course.  The meringue was light, sweet and fluffy.  The peaches, although local and fresh, were a tad under-ripe.

All in all, the Full Moon Foodies dinner was an amazing experience.  Food enthusiasts and professionals gathering together to enjoy good food, make new discoveries, exchange ideas and just have fun is a wonderful concept.  A giant thanks to Wes and Brendan for being such gracious hosts and putting together a delicious vegetarian meal!

I can only hope I am lucky enough to be invited back for another Full Moon Foodies Dinner!

FYI:  If you were planning on a trip down to Niche or the new TasteBar….there is a kink.  Gerard and staff are on summer holiday for the week!  You can catch up with them next week!!

What a whirlwind August has been!  We are moved into the new house, however we have loads of unpacking and organizing to do.  Work is in full swing and class begins tonight for me!  The kitchen was our first room to unpack…of course!  Still trying to figure out the proper ‘flow’ of the new space…it’s been rearranged twice…I’m sure we’ll rearrange again.

I’ve been lucky enough to have some great meals around town.  Last night was Bobo…it was my second visit since being home and it didn’t disappoint.  Ginger pork and egg noodles….delicious.  I usually get the chicken….and although I liked the pork…the chicken is still my fav….headed over to Eclipse for a night cap on the roof.  If you have yet to get down to Eclipse at the Moonrise Hotel  in University City…I’d make a trip.  The food is wonderful…the drinks are great and the rooftop views rival any bar in the city.  They have a decent beer list…and the wine list it thoughtful, as well.  But the calamari is delectable.  Best I’ve had in StL in a very long time.

Speaking of Eclipse…I’ve been lucky enough to have been invited to an installation of a Full Moon Foodies Dinner.  Hosted by Wes Johnson and Brendan Noonan…it’s a late-night meal focusing on creative cooking…each dinner has a theme and guests are invited to a late night dining experience at Eclipse.  Wes has graciously given me the green light to publish my thoughts on their late night adventures.  Stay tuned….September 4th will be an exciting night.  It will be a vegetarian meal….looking forward to see what the guys can do with this season’s bounty!

Tuckers for pizza and wings

Niche Taste Bar

King & I

A coca-cola from Ted Drews..it’s my favorite…it’s Kosher, ya know.

pork steaks

Pappy’s

Winslow’s Home for breakfast

….I’ve still got a pretty long list until I’m caught up….i should just slow down, though…

….i’ve gained 4 lbs.

Updated 8/15/09:  White Castles, Basil Spice, Ted Drewes, Bobo Noodle, The Good Pie and Eclipse…..