Congratulations to the 2010 American Cheese Society* Best of Show Winners
1st: Pleasant Ridge Reserve, Uplands Cheese Co.
2nd: Bonne Bouche, Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery
3rd: Tarentaise, Spring Brook Farm

Marion Street Cheese Market is proud to carry outstanding cheeses recognized by the American Cheese Society in our Market! Stop in and taste these delicious cheeses!
MSCM carries 10 of the 1st place winners:
Bellwether Farms Fromage Blanc
Jasper Hill/Ploughgate Creamery Hartwell
Nettle Meadow Kunik
Meadow Creek Dairy Appalachian
Sartori Bellavitano Gold
Jasper Hill/Cabot Clothbound Cheddar
Roth Kase Gran Queso
Spring Brook Farm Tarentaise
Uplands Cheese co. Pleasant Ridge Reserve
Vermont Butter and Cheese Bonne Bouche

MSCM carries 10 of the 2nd place winners
Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor
Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam
Vermont Butter and Cheese Coupole
Tumalo Farms Fenacho
Bleu Mont Dairy Bandaged Cheddar
Carr Valley Billy Blue
Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Farmer’s Rope
Capriole O’Banon
Nordic Creamery Goat Butter
Capriole Sofia

MSCM carries 11 of the 3rd place winners
Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill
Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog
Old Chatham Sheepherding co. Nancy’s Camembert
DCI Cheese co. Liederkrantz
Fiscalini Cheese co. San Joaquin Gold
Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy Queso de Mano
Beecher’s Flagship Reserve
Capriole Piper’s Pyramide
Meadow Creek Dairy Grayson
Everona Dairy Piedmont
Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy Red Cloud

*The American Cheese Society is an active, not for profit trade organization that encourages the understanding, appreciation, and promotion of farmstead and natural specialty cheeses produced in the Americas and Canada. By providing an educational forum for cheesemakers and cheese enthusiasts, the Society fills an important gap in today’s specialty food world.

comte dinner @ marion street cheese market

 RESERVATIONS STILL AVAILABLE!

wednesday, june 23rd

cocktails @ 6:30 pm ◊ dinner @ 7:00 pm

 ◊ special guests ◊  

daphne zepos of essex st. cheese + philippe goux, affineur of marcel petite

 ◊ spectacular chefs◊  

chef john caputo of bin 36 + chef leonard hollander of marion street cheese market

 ◊ five course dinner ◊  

closing act = comte cheese course

 $55.00/person includes dinner + 1 glass of craft beer or 1 glass of fine wine

+ $18.00/person for fine wine pairing

+ $15.00/person for craft beer pairing

gratuity + beverages are not included

Opening Day Wed., June 16!

Welcome to the Oak Park, Illinois Mid-Week Market web site. More than a farmers’ market, closer to a street festival, the Mid-Week Market features locally grown fruits and vegetables, food vendors offering a wide selection of ready-to-eat items and local retailers selling goods and services – all in the heart of downtown Oak Park on Lake Street, just east of Harlem Avenue. Local microbrews and wine are available for on-site consumption as well, along with food demonstrations and live music. Held each Wednesday from mid-June through mid-September, the Mid-Week Market is open from 4 – 9 p.m. For more information, e-mail midweekmarket@oak-park.us.

comte dinner @ marion street cheese market

wednesday, june 23rd

cocktails @ 6:30 pm ◊ dinner @ 7:00 pm

◊ special guests ◊

daphne zepos of essex st. cheese + philippe goux, affineur of marcel petite

◊ spectacular chefs◊

chef john caputo of bin 36 + chef leonard hollander of marion street cheese market

◊ five course dinner ◊

closing act = comte cheese course

$55.00/person includes dinner + 1 glass of craft beer or 1 glass of fine wine

+ $18.00/person for fine wine pairing

+ $15.00/person for craft beer pairing

gratuity + beverages are not included

Yes, I was the lucky monger chosen to go on a whirlwind tour of some fantastic Wisconsin cheese makers. Thank you European imports! I am in my first year of working with cheese so this was a great opportunity to really learn what the world of cheese making is all about. We visited large and small scale operations including Brunkow (from them we carry Lafayette Cold Pack Cheese Spread and Bruun Usto), Roth Kase (Grand Cru Gruyere Surchoix), Widmer (Four Year Cheddar), Carr Valley (Gran Canaria) and Crave Brothers (Les Frere). Each factory used the same basic procedures to make cheese: Heating milk, adding culture, straining whey, salting, molding, and aging. The uniqueness of these cheeses occurs with sometimes only the slightest tweak of these processes. A few degrees of temperature change, a different culture, the use of steel vats versus copper, what type of surface the cheese rests on when ageing, can drastically change the outcome of the product. To create the desired outcome takes years of experimentation, hard work and patience! Cheese makers are true craftsmen!

I also had the opportunity to talk with some great artisan cheese makers face to face! IN PERSON! I was certainly star-stuck  (because I’m a cheese geek) by Willy Lehner, who makes the mouth watering earthy Bandaged Cheddar from Bleu Mont Dairy, which is one of my personal favorites. Mike and Carol Gingrich are a very quaint farming and cheese making couple. They make their farmstead alpine style Pleasant Ridge Reserve exclusively from their own grass-fed cow’s milk. P. Ridge (as we like to call it sound here) is becoming a quintessential mid-west cheese. It is grassy, nutty with a firm smooth texture. The Gingrich’s also provide milk at the end of their season to Willi to experiment with and make his own cheeses.

A few other fun facts about Wisconsin cheese and their cheese makers:

1. Some of these cheese makers, like Widmer, Carr Valley and  Brunkow, have been producing cheese for over 100 years.  
2. Wisconsin produces over 25% of the nation’s cheese.
3. The Midwest’s “driftless”  area, which primarily covers Wisconsin contains more plant variety than the entire state of Illinois, creating a unique terroir. ( Driftless refers to the escape from glaciations during the last glacial period.)
4. Roth Kase uses giant robots named Heidi and Sam to flip and wash their collection of hundreds of wheels of aging cheese.
5. The Crave Brothers farm provides clean renewable energy for itself and to 120 homes in the surrounding area by putting good use to their cows organic waste through their computerized  anaerobic digestion system! To learn more about their sustainability story go to http://www.cravecheese.com/press-details.php?NBC-Nightly-News-segment-called-Making-a-Difference-about-converting-cow-manure-into-electricity-to-power-our-farm-and-cheese-factory.-7

 Overall the trip was great and added to my valuable cheese brain files. If you want to know more, come by the store and ask any of our cheese mongers about our great Wisconsin cheese. 

And boy, oh boy- those cheese heads know how to drink…

 -Lauren D / Cheesemonger

The cheesemongers want you to know that we have some beautiful cheeses on sale right now! Be sure to stop in and include these beauties in your dinner, lunch or even breakfast plans this week:

Mt Tam 20% off – a triple cream cheese at the ladies from Cowgirl Creamery.  Soft, rich, buttery and all organic.

Roquefort 20% off – the only handmade Roquefort still left in existence.  The real deal French Roquefort.  Due to some tiffs over tariffs Rouquefort has been a true luxury over the past few months but the price has finally come down.  Yippee!

Langres 30% off – A lovely little French softie made in the high plains of Champagne. Langres cheese traced back from the 18th century and has a depression at the top of the cheese in order to pour champagne over the cheese before serving.  Great for a special occasion or a decadent evening in front of the TV.

Did you hear us on WBEZ 91.5 FM on Monday, February 22nd?
Follow the link to hear Marion Street Cheese Market’s take on unpasteurized cheese on Worldview.
http://wbez.org/content.aspx?audioID=40189

As far as consumable items go, cheese can be one of the more confusing. Let’s face it – cheese is, at it’s essence, curdled milk – which begs the question, how can something that started as curdled milk end up tasting so delicious? Many cheeses, like wine, only become better with age – while others should be gobbled up in their youth. What is the difference between “good” mold and “bad” mold and how can you tell the difference? Are “raw” cheeses (cheeses made with unpasteurized milk) safe to eat? How was cheese discovered, anyway? What makes cheese stinky?Can you eat cheese if you’re lactose intolerant?

Cheese is an anomaly within the world of food. Unlike other consumable products, cheese rarely comes with an exact “expiration date”. Like all living things, cheeses have a life cycle of their own. In their youth they are firm, fresh, fluffy, moist. As they age, the flavors often become more robust, they may begin to “puff”, as is the case for surface ripened cheeses like Camembert. As cheese continues to age, flavors can become more piquant, softer cheeses may become runnier, cheddar’s lose their moisture and become drier, and the life cycle draws to a close. However, there is no exact time-line to follow. For some cheeses like Parmesan, a cut piece of cheese can last for a year, while a fresh chevre is best consumed as soon as possible.

Molds are another perplexity for many. How can you figure a good mold from a bad mold? The “good” molds are the molds that help to develop and protect cheese, and often lend integral characteristics to a cheeses look and flavor. The fluffy white camembert’s wouldn’t exist without penicillium candidum – the mold that lends camembert its snowy appearance. Blue cheese wouldn’t be blue cheese without adding penicillium roqueforti. The “bad” molds are molds that were not an intended addition to the cheese. Blue molds, for instance, can “jump” on to other cheeses – not a desirable trait for every cheese. (There are, however, exceptions – such as British Cheddars that often develop a natural bluing with age – or cheeses that use a geotricum candidum mold, like piper’s pyramid, bijou, or crottin di Chavignol).

Are raw cheeses safe? I would answer that with a resounding Yes! Not only are they safe, they are often the most flavorful cheeses you’ll find. Delicious Alpine styles, blues, farmhouse cheddars, all become more powerful, more pronounced when made with raw milk. It is currently illegal to sell any cheese aged less than 60 days that has been made with raw milk – so you can be sure that your bries’ and fresh chevres’ and mozzarellas’ have all been pasteurized.

So there – you’ve had a little sample bit of cheese information. If these questions and more have been eating you up inside, join myself and my fellow cheese mongers next Monday, January 25th, for Cheese 101. We’ll cover cheese topics ranging from history to styles of cheese to helping you navigate the cheese counter with confidence and ease. Plus, there will be cheese samples. Lot’s of cheese samples. Need I say more? Call the shop at 708-725-7200 to reserve your space today – or sign up in person with one of our retail associates – Looking forward to seeing lot’s of cheese loving folks there!

-Norine, cheesemonger

Monday, January 11, 2010   /   7:00pm

Pete Crowley of Rock Bottom Brewery in Chicago is at it again.  Five courses, five great beers. Executive Chef, Leonard Hollander, has written a menu that will pair perfectly with some amazing beer from some incredible Illinois breweries.  Brewmasters from Goose Island, Gordon Biersch, America’s Brewing, Flossmoor Station and Rock Bottom Brewery will be participating. Cost: $55, which includes a beer flight but not tax or gratuity.  Call 708.725.7200 to reserve your spot!

Welcome!  America’s Brewing Pilsner

First

Stuffed Peppers

piquillo peppers + whitefish brandade + marcona almond romesco

Beer: Flossmoor Station’s Panama Red

Second

Soup & Salad

chestnut bisque + crispy parmesan + mushroom salad

Beer:  Goose Island Brewpub’s Alt

Third

American artisan cheese course

Beer:  Stilton with Rock Bottom’s Imperial Red, Cheddar with Flossmoor Station’s Pullman Brown

Fourth

Duck Pasta

duck leg confit + white truffle ricotta + local butternut squash

Beer: Gordon Biersch’s Marzen

Fifth

Kumquat Duo

dark chocolate truffle

+

 Tiramisu

Beer:  Rock Bottom’s Bourbon Imperial Stout

If you are one of those last minute planners, we still have some room at our 5:30pm seating for New Year’s Eve dinner this evening. It is a five-course prix-fixe menu with complimentary glass of Champagne. Our seven- course dinner at 9:00pm is almost sold out. call 708.725.7200 to make a reservation.

Our retail department will be open until 9pm this evening for all your last minute wine, beer and cheese needs.

Holiday Hours
We will be closed on New Year’s Day to give staff a day of rest.
We will be open on Saturday, January 2 and Sunday January 3 for brunch and dinner as usual.
We will be closed on Monday, Janury 4 and Tuesday, January 5 to work on staff training, cleaning and maintanence, and to have a staff holiday party.
We will resume normal business hours on Wednesday, January 6.

Thanks for all of your support in 2009. We’re looking forward to a healthy, prosperous and delicious 2010!