issue 1 The of cheese art Create with passion. Savor the flavor. Entertain with flair. fabulous fondue...perfect for a party It’s fabulous. It’s fun. It’s fondue. Providing entertainment as well as food, fondue is the perfect excuse for a party — and a cozy antidote to winter’s cooler weather. No matter what the occasion — casual supper, fancy dinner or intimate dessert with that special someone — just get out your fondue pot and you’re good to go. Gather your friends together toasted almonds and blue after the big game for a zesty cheese on a bed of crisp, fondue made of Sonoma mixed greens (see recipes on “Hot Pepper” Jack, Habanero page 3). Offer each guest a glass Jack and Cheddar cheeses, of wine and and let the accented with white wine, and compliments begin! Worcestershire and hot pepper To try a true fondue feast, sauces (see recipe on page 2). host an elaborate party After cooking, transfer the featuring a different fondue mixture to a fondue pot. The for each course. For the tea candle beneath the pot will appetizer, invite guests to dip keep the fondue warm — but cut-up carrots, celery and be sure it doesn’t boil. Have zucchini into creamy cubes of crusty French bread Jarlsberg fondue. For the on hand to dip in the aromatic main course, dip cubes of mixture. French bread, small cooked For an elegant evening, try potatoes and cooked shrimp a creamy fondue made with into a flavorful combination Jarlsberg cheese, dry white of Vlaskaas cheese, white wine and kirsch or dry sherry. wine, kirsch or cognac and For dipping, cut Italian bread half-and-half into cubes and leave the crusts (see recipe on page 2). Finish the on to help them stay on forks. meal with a rich, creamy As a cool and refreshing chocolate fondue paired with counterpoint to the fondue, tangy pineapple chunks, serve a fresh berry salad of orange sections and bite-size strawberries, raspberries, bits of pound cake for dipping. in this issue 1 | Fabulous Fondue... 4 | Appetizer Parties: Easy as 1,2,3 Perfect for a Party 6 | Brunch Buffet: A Feast for 3 | Storing Specialty Cheese Family and Friends Vlaskaas fondue 1 Do you fondue? With so many tempting options, you’re bound to take a dip soon! Vlaskaas Fondue Prep Time | 10 minutes Cook Time | 15 minutes storing specialty cheese Beemster® Vlaskaas cheese gives this hearty fondue a sweet twist. Small potatoes and Connoisseurs agree: The best way to enjoy cheese is to buy only as shrimp are the perfect dippers. much as you need and to savor it right away. But if you end up with leftover cheese that you must refrigerate, keep these tips in mind: 2 tbsp. butter 2 tbsp. of flour • Store cheese well away from other foods so it doesn’t absorb flavors. 2 cups half-and-half • Rewrap the cheese each time you open it for a snack. 1 cup white wine Here are some more tips for refrigerator storage: 20 oz. Beemster® Vlaskaas cheese, cubed 4 tbsp. kirsch or cognac Fresh/Unripened Cheese Hard/Firm Cheese 1 lb. cooked small potatoes (optional) Fresh cheeses like Ricotta, Mascarpone For hard cheeses like Asiago and 1 ⁄2 lb. cooked and peeled shrimp (optional) and cottage cheese are usually moist and Parmesan, remove excess moisture by French bread, cut into cubes mild, with a palate-pleasing tartness. wiping them with an absorbent towel. 1. Melt butter in thick-bottomed pan over Store them in their original containers in Wrap only the cut surface with wax paper medium heat. Add flour and simmer 1 to the coldest part of the refrigerator or aluminum foil, leaving the rind fondue à La jarlsberg 2 minutes. (usually in the back on the bottom shelf). exposed so the cheese can breathe. Prep Time | 10 minutes Cook Time | 15 minutes 2. Remove pan from heat and gradually whisk Because they haven’t been aged, these Cheddar, however, does not have a rind Your guests are sure to notice the little kick that in half-and-half and white wine until it cheeses have a shorter shelf life — so and should be left in its original wrapper strong, nutty Jarlsberg® and kirsch or dry becomes smooth. Bring sauce to boiling. enjoy them within a week. — then wrapped again in plastic wrap. Reduce heat and simmer 3 to 4 minutes. sherry give to this fondue. Soft Cheese Place all hard/firm cheeses in the 3. Remove pan from heat and stir Vlaskaas 1 clove garlic, peeled Soft cheeses like Brie and Camembert refregerator’s vegetable bin. cubes into sauce, stirring until smooth. 2 cups dry white wine 1 Add kirsch. Serve potatoes and/or shrimp, if 7 cups (1 ⁄2 lb.) Jarlsberg® cheese, shredded become creamier as they ripen. Wrap Washed-Rind Cheese 1 tbsp. cornstarch desired, and bread to dip into fondue. these buttery cheeses in wax paper and Cheeses like Limburger and Port-Salut 3 tbsp. kirsch or dry sherry store in the refrigerator’s vegetable bin. develop rustic red and orange rinds and Serves 4 2 tsp. cornstarch Dash nutmeg Use within a few days. are aromatic and strongly flavored. FIERY Jack Cheese Fondue Italian or French bread, cut into cubes Semi-Soft Cheese Wrap them snugly in wax paper first, Prep Time | 10 minutes Cook Time | 15 minutes 1. Rub garlic inside of a fondue pot. Add wine Moister than hard cheeses but drier than then in plastic wrap. Store in the Sonoma® “Hot Pepper” Jack and Habanero and heat; do not boil. refrigerator’s vegetable bin, changing the Jack cheeses and Tabasco® sauce turn up the soft cheeses, semi-soft cheeses such as 2. Mix cheese and 1 tablespoon cornstarch; wrapping daily. heat in this delightfully spicy fondue. Fontina and Havarti are perfect for add to the wine gradually. Stir until cheese slicing. The flavors range from mild and Blue Cheese 4 tbsp. butter melts. 1 fiery jack cheese Fondue buttery to sweet and nutty to pungent The unique flavors of cheeses like ⁄2 cup flour 3. Mix kirsch and remaining 2 teaspoons 2 cups milk cornstarch. Blend into cheese and wine. and earthy. Store semi-soft cheeses in Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Stilton are 2 cups dry white wine The consistency of the sauce should be thick their original packaging in the produced by their classic blue-green 3 tbsp. cornstarch and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to refrigerator’s vegetable bin. Or, rewrap marbling. Wrap these cheeses in 1 ⁄2 lb. Sonoma® “Hot Pepper” Jack cheese, POTS ARE HOT AGAIN taste; add nutmeg. them in wax paper, aluminum foil or aluminum foil and store in the coldest grated 4. Serve with bread cubes. Use fondue forks plastic wrap. part of the refrigerator. What’s old is new again — and 1 lb. Sonoma® Habanero Jack cheese, grated for dipping the bread. fondue pots are a prime example. 2 oz. Cheddar cheese, grated* Serves 6 1 These staples of ’70s home ⁄2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 entertainment are enjoying a ⁄2 tbsp. Tabasco® sauce BerrIES-BLUE CHEESE Salad 1 resurgence as today’s cooks rediscover ⁄2 tbsp. black pepper Prep Time | 10 minutes 1 the pleasures of serving fondue. ⁄2 tbsp. celery salt Sweet raspberries and strawberries are balanced French bread, cut into cubes Collectibles by the tangy flavor of blue cheese in this fresh, light-as-a-feather salad. 1. In small saucepan, melt butter and whisk While the fondue may be the main in flour to form roux. Whisk constantly attraction, the fondue pots are 5 cups mixed greens 1 3 minutes until smooth. Remove from attracting attention for their designs, 1 ⁄2 cups sliced strawberries 1 heat; set aside. which range from retro to 1 ⁄4 cups raspberries contemporary, colorful and kitschy to 2 tbsp. almonds, toasted and chopped 2. In large saucepan, bring milk to boiling; 1 tbsp. blue cheese whisk in roux, stirring constantly until functional stainless steel. The designs 1 ⁄3 cup raspberry vinegar smooth. Add white wine and cornstarch, are so appealing that some people are 1 tsp. olive oil 1 stirring until slightly thickened. Reduce collecting them — fondue-to-go ⁄4 tsp. freshly ground pepper heat and stir in cheeses, Worcestershire styles, celebrity designer pots 1. Top mixed greens with strawberries, sauce, Tabasco sauce, black pepper and even football-shaped pots for raspberries, toasted almonds and blue and celery salt. Serve French bread cubes game-day entertaining. cheese. as dippers. 2. Drizzle with raspberry vinegar and olive oil. Serves 8 Top with freshly cracked pepper. *May substitute another great Sonoma Jack flavored cheese Serves 5 2 3 Fresh Marinated Mozzarella Bruschetta Prep Time | 15 minutes* *stand time extra Topped with a savory blend of onions, tomatoes, basil, oregano and Cappiello® Marinated Braided Mozzarella, this a flavorful Italian treat . 1 (8-oz.) Cappiello® Marinated Braided Mozzarella, finely diced 1 small red onion, diced 1 small white onion, diced 6 medium tomatoes, diced 1 ⁄2 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp. salt 1 ⁄4 tsp. black pepper 1 ⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 ⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar parties 1. Mix all ingredients well and let stand easy as 1,2,3 30 minutes at room temperature. appetizer Serve with thinly sliced French bread or toasted bread rounds. There are many ways to throw a Makes 12 appetizers fantastic party — and one of the Pizza Parrano CheddAr-veggie Dip best ways is to make it “appetizers Prep Time | 15 minutes* Cook Time | 15 minutes Prep Time | 10 minutes Chill Time | 2 hours only.” There are lots of reasons why: *marinate time extra Vegetables never had it so good! Add tang to People enjoy trying a little bit of Can pizza be elegant? It can if it’s topped with their crunch with this seasoned dip made of grated Parrano® cheese and marinated tomatoes Kaukauna® Sharp Cheddar Spreadable Cheese.