Our first cheese is Tillamook Cheddar Extra Sharp Special Reserve which is a cheese I absolutely love and purchased because of it's tangy creamy quality and I missed it because I went to school in Seattle, Washington and this cheese reminds me of the Pacific Northwest. My good friend, TC, introduced me to this cheese when I first moved there and it was love at first bite.
The story of Tillamook starts in the 1800's and comes from the Tillamook Valley in Oregon which was a fertile lane and conducive to raising cattle. Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) is the collection of different farmers that create this wonderful cheese. Many of the farmers are kin to the original pioneers of the 1850's and this company still uses the same recipe for makings its products that it has for over 100 years. It is the tradition and great ingredients that help to make this cheese so wonderful. Tillamook is also very environmentally conscious and gives back to the community which is very important in my book. Environmental stewardship is an important part of being a socially responsible company and that is a super plus for me and the cheese! Tillamook offers a variety of products which includes: cheeses, ice cream, yogurts, and butters.
So, this particular cheese is aged over 15 month and it develops this complex nutty salty flavor but still remains very creamy to the palette. The cheese is very bold but is understated at the same time because it has a familiar quality from most cheddar's that you buy at the store. I think this cheese is truly derrrricious and for the novice cheese eater you might become addicted. EMay thought the cheese reminded her of home, she hails from the Pacific Northwest we actually went to the same school out there but at different times. The cheese to her reminds her of a great grilled cheese sandwich which was exactly what I was thinking which means that great minds think alike or we suck at evaluating food. It was salty to her liking as well. We ate the cheese with an Asian inspired salad that composed of romaine lettuce, tofu, sesame pita chips, peanuts, and a Thai style peanut dressing with curry powder. The cheese actually went pretty well with the salad. It added a different bite to the salad and gave some contrast to the salad itself but the nuttiness of the dressing helped to compliment the food too!
To Cheese or not to Cheese-
For the novice or advanced cheese eater this is a super fantastic cheese for you. It is a very easy cheese that can be eaten by itself and added into dishes as well. This would make a great sauce, great to add into salads, or top soups with. And, it would make some awesome Mac & Cheese and the chef tip of the day for amazing Mac & Cheese is to add Philadelphia Cream Cheese to your Mac & Cheese because it has a chemical stabilizer that will help make your cheese super creamy.
Since I am a Chef, it would be wrong of me to leave you without a recipe right? So here we go...
Since EMay and I both thought that it would be great in a sandwich here is my homage to the traditional grilled cheese...
Tillamook Grilled Cheese and Bacon Sammy with Heirloom Tomatoes and Arugula
Serves- 1
- 2 slices White or Wheat Bread - preferably thick cut Texas Toast (the whiter the bread the faster it will kill you)
- 1 T. non-salted butter
- 3 thick cut sliced Peppered Bacon
- Tillamook Cheese Sliced Thin, as much as needed
- 3 slices of Heirloom Tomato (seasonal item best in summer), 1/4" sliced
- handful of Arugula dressed with some olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Heat a frying pan to medium and add your bacon in. Fry until crispy (should be crispy but not overdone to give good contrast for the sammie or fry it how you like your bacon). Let the bacon drain on paper towels.
- Get rid of that oil (or save it to fry something in it later ...) Add your butter and heat then add your bread. Heat the pan before you add the bread to lessen soft crust. Brown the outsides of the bread until it forms a great golden brown crust. Turn the bread over to brown the other side and then add the cheese to the already cooked side on both slices
- Add the cooked bacon on top of the cheese on one side, add tomatoes ontop of bacon and season with salt and pepper just a dash (tomatoes should always be seasoned to enhance its flavor). Let it cook for a minute to melt but make sure the other side doesn't burn. Don't smush the sammie together just yet you still have to add arugula.
- Take the two sides out of the pan onto a plate and add the olive oil dressed arugula to one side of the sammie. Smush the sammie together and enjoy! Enjoy with some roasted red pepper soup and you have a meal fit for a chef!
- ENJOY!
That sure sounds good!
ReplyDelete