New Gifting Catalog and New Pairing

After a lot of thought and tasting, a lot of going back and forth with proofing and photo editing we are proud to announce a new Pastoral gifting catalog! We have new collections featuring cheeses and products exclusive to Pastoral, cheeses of the Midwest, fantastic cheesemakers who are making a difference, and an Italian collection filled with some of the great finds Cesar discovered while in Italy this past Spring! Check out all the new gifts on our website.


In other news, we have a new pairing for the week featuring Coolea and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Forth Family Vineyards.


Coolea is a cow's milk cheese made in the small village of Coolea in Ireland (handpicked for us by the Neal's Yard Dairy folks) made by the Willems family. Handmade wheels aged for at least two years and made in the tradition of Dutch Goudas this cheese has a sweet mellow flavor with nuttiness and caramel overtones that we deeply appreciate in an aged cheese. If you enjoy the two and five year Goudas in our cheese case, you will absolutely adore the Coolea.


From Mendocino, California we have a fairly new wine to our shelves. The "Histoire" 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from Forth Family Vineyards is quickly becoming a staff and customer favorite. You'll find this wine in the full-bodied section of our wine wall. Big dark fruity flavors and aromas with a big rich flavor, this wine is a perfect accompaniment to the impending cooler weather.

Loop Store Anniversary and New Pairing

Come and join us this coming Friday, October 23 as we celebrate the second anniversary of our Loop location. Of course there will be lovely cheeses to nibble and we'll be pouring tastes of the Domaine Saint-Vincent from New Mexico. The celebration starts at 4pm and ends when the cheese tray and bubbly samples are gone.

We've got a new pairing this week also. Our featured cheese is the Stichelton from Nottinghamshire, England-hand selected for us from the fabulous affineurs at Neal's Yard Dairy. This 100% handmade, non-pasteurized blue cheese has a creamy butteriness to it with just the right amount of blue spiciness.

For libation, Jan suggests you pour yourself a glass of the Two Brothers Coffee Bean Porter "Red Eye". This is a dark, robust and powerful beer well balanced with rich chocolate and coffee notes. A perfect companion for the slightly fudgy consistency and spicy flavor profile of Stichelton.

Pairing and Event

Before we get into this week's pairing just a reminder that this coming Saturday from 6:30pm until the last drop is poured, we are doing our monthly free wine tasting at our Loop location. This month's theme is "Hot Summer Whites". Jan has selected some great wines to pair with any summer outing you have planned. Going to Ravinia for a show? Or bringing a picnic to Millenium Park? We've got you covered! Stop by and taste what's hot!


This week's wine is 2006 Domaine de Nagues Beaujolais Village (Gamay Noir) from Burgundy, France. Jan says that Gamay Noir gets a bad rap because of the Beaujolais that is released as a
right about Thanksgiving, and then ignored the rest of the year. Beajolais-Village is the same grape but grown in only several specific villages, with a far lower yield (by law) and several months spent aging in oak barrels. Earthy cranberry compote and coffee notes make this lighter bodied wine a complex, and delicious treat!

For the cheese this week we found so many that could go with this wine that we're featuring a few. First up is the Mt. Tam from Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station California (small write rind cheese in the front). An organic cow's milk cheese, this First place winner at the American Cheese Society in 2008 for soft ripened cheeses is a firm, yet buttery cheese with a mellow earthy flavor. A great triple creme cheese.

Next up (going clockwise) is the Fleur du Maquis from Corsica, France. You may know this cheese by it's other name, Brin d'Amour. A slightly sweet, rich and creamy cheese coated in herbs and juniper berries this sheep's milk cheese is mild and complex.

In the back we have the Barely Buzzed from the Beehive Cheese Company in Uintah, Utah. A cow's milk cheese, the rind is developed by handrubbing a mash of finely ground espresso beans, lavender and vegetable oil. The resulting cheese has an earthy nuttiness not unlike a Cheddar.

Last, but certainly not least is the Ardrahan from County Cork in Ireland. This washed rind cheese has a creamy, rich texture with earthy aromas that will transport you right to the Emerald Isle. A big thanks to Mary Burns for her hard work in bringing artisinal cheesemaking back to Ireland and a big thank you to the folks at Neal's Yard Dairy for supporting her delicious endeavors and for hand selecting the wheels we get here at Pastoral.

Can't decide which cheese is right for you? Neither could we. We think that they're all wonderful!

-Agela

Neal's Yard Dairy

A few months ago we did an in-store demo of opening a new wheel of Montgomery's English Farmhouse Cheddar. It's easy to tell why this cheese is a staff favorite with it's big flavors and acidity that keeps you coming back for "just one more nibble". Well, earlier this month I was on a short holiday to London, and I had the great opportunity to meet some of the folks over at Neal's Yard Dairy.

We usually have a few cheeses from Neal's Yard Dairy in the case. Stilton, Keen's Cheddar, Berkswell, Ardrahan, Coolea, Stichelton and of course Montgomery's have all spent time in our case, and in your homes, but how do we get such good wheels of cheese and what's Neal's Yard Dairy?

Neal's Yard Dairy is the premiere cheeseshop and affineur in Britain. They buy directly from the cheesemakers, taking trips out to the farms routinely to pick up cheese. In addition, they are excellent supporters of the cheesemakers. I asked about a favorite cheese of mine and why I hadn't seen it in many many months. Lucy told me that the cheesemakers was working out some kinks, but until she did, Neal's Yard Dairy was not going to be selling her cheese. They're not giving up on her or her cheese. Instead, they are working with the cheesemaker to get her cheese back to its glorious standing. Much more than just a retail store.

How do you feel about Stichelton? Big flavors, lactic, salty, delicious. This cheese is the direct result of Randolph Hodgson the big cheese at Neal's Yard Dairy. Find out more about Randolph here.

Upon first entrance in the Borough shop I came face to face with a wall of Montgomery's Cheddar. I knew it was going to be a good day.


This is one of the four temperature controlled aging rooms at The Railways. The Railways is just that, a cave like enclosure underneath the rails where they store and age the cheese before hand selecting each wheel for wholesale distribution or retail sale.

So who are some of these wonderful people who make cheese from the British Isles available to us here in Chicago? Starting on the left we have Michael Jones, manager of the Borough store. Next to him is Martin Tkalez, manager of the Covent Garden shop, and Lucy Moylan, cheesemistress extraordinaire and my personable tour guide during my time there. Lucy and Jason (not pictured) specifically pick out the wheels of cheese for us here in the U.S. She told me that sometimes she tastes upwards of 50 different cheeses in the decision making process. With that attention to detail, you can be assured that we are getting the very best, and that you are taking home a superior product.


I would like to point out that our own resident Fromagier, Cesar does a lot of the same work with cheesemakers. He has convinced cheesemakers to give us their cheeses to work with, taste, help them develop and sell. If you go to the Green City Market on Saturdays you'll see him selling Leslie Cooperband's Prairie Fruits Farm Cheeses.

This is a picture of Cesar holding a freshly cut wheel of Stichelton just moments before the morning crew pounces on it for a taste.

He's not the only one of our staff out there. Adam sells Leslie's cheese at the Oak Park farmer's market on Saturday, and Alison is going to be selling cheese for Judy Schad of Capriole.

-Agela

Better with Cheddar

This past Sunday, Marty Stiglich and the Sunday Broadway Pastoral crew did battle with a beautiful wheel of Montgomery's Cheddar that had been hand selected for our store by Neal's Yard, the distinguished English cheese shop and affineur. As seen in the pictures, the opening was well attended, and Marty made quick work of the 57 lb wheel so it could be shared with the crowd. This beautiful, hard to find wheel, aged for nearly two years, is currently available at Pastoral.

Why is this cheese so special? Well, Montgomery's Cheddar is the quintessential bandaged wrapped cheddar, perhaps the best tasting in the world. Made on the Manor Farm in Somerset England with the raw milk of their Fresian Holstein herd, it is an amazingly complex cheese with a lingering presence on your palate that is the mark of a wonderful cheese. It is drier and flakier than its American counterpart, but the nuances of this cheese are impressive. Aged at roughly a 25% higher temperature than American cheddars, these golden yellow wheels can be nutty, mushroomy, and perfectly barnyardy. The aging in cheese cloth allows for a transference between hand made cheese and aging room that bestows this cheese with all its unique characteristics. Stay tuned to the Pastoral Blog and pastoralartisan.com for future instore events!


- Nat

Cheese Cracking and Roquefort Update

Come join us this coming Sunday at our Lakeview store from 1pm until 2pm for a cheesy demo. The great people at Neal's Yard Dairy have hand-selected a wheel of Montgomery's Cheddar for us. On Sunday we will be cutting into the 50+ lb. raw cow's milk Cheddar. Stop by to try some of this big, intense, fruity, nutty, grassy and oh so delicious cheese for yourself!

The Roquefort issue has been all the buzz in the cheese world. There was an article in the LA Times yesterday that discusses the issue, and the extension that is in place. Check it out here. Not to fear though, both our Lakeview and Loop locations still have plenty of Roquefort on hand.

-Agela