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You are here: Home / Archives for cheese tray

Stephanie Says

STEPHANIE SAYS

giant cheese wheel and slices with community food co-op deli worker

by Stephanie Willard, Downtown Specialty Cheese

The cheese case can be overwhelming. Don’t know where to start? These selections offer something to please everyone.

young creamy gouda cheese

Artikaas 3 Month Gouda

Creamy, affordable, goodness. This cheese has a mild, but decadent, flavor. It's good by itself or melted into frittatas. I now always have this at home along with my other long time favorite, Coastal Cheddar.

Uses: Great melted into frittatas or eaten by itself as a snacking cheese. Mild and satisfying.

coastal cheddar cheese on a wooden board with pear

Coastal Cheddar

This cheddar is matured at the Ford Farm Dairy located on the world heritage Jurassic Coast line in the salty sea air. It is rugged and mature and has crunchy tyrosine bits that I love. It's sharp enough for a kick, but smooth enough to melt.

Uses: Great for cooking. Use anywhere you might use a traditional cheddar or serve on a charcuterie board with cheese and crackers. 

Harmony Fields Fleecemaker

This is our lovely, local sheep milk feta from the Skagit Valley. It’s creamy, tart and so good. It’s only available from April to October, so this is the only feta I buy this time of year. Harmony Fields is a regenerative farm that is known for its sheep cheese but offers other products such as wool and organic herbs.

Uses: Great to eat fresh. Add to a mezze platter and sprinkle with za'taar, or eat on top salads and pastas. 

sheep's milk cheese peril papillion

Pérail Papillon

Melt-in-your-mouth, buttery, full but mild flavor, with notes of sweet grass and wildflowers. A thick, creamy disc of fresh sheep’s milk with a fudgy center and downy velvet rind. The sheep graze lush floral pastures on the Causses, a group of limestone plateaus rich in minerality in the South of France.

Uses: At room temperatures, it gets almost unctuous and runny, making it perfect to spread on crackers or a baguette with sour cherry jam and toasted nuts on the side.

Smoked Scamorza

This cheese is a locally-made favorite. It's a relative of mozzarella, but smoked and aged making it bold, buttery and slightly more firm than the mozzarella you're used to.

Uses: A great melting cheese. This is ideal for pizza, burgers, and grilled cheese.

Pairing and Charcuterie: 

Payson Breton Salted French Butter: My absolute favorite! It used to be a “fancy” butter to have at home when we were hosting dinner or going to friends’ homes. Now it’s in my fridge all the time.

Divina Mediterranean Pickled Beets: So delicious. They’re perfect this time of year with feta or chevre on salad mix.

Arnaud Pitted Nicoise: I’ve become lazy and only buy pitted olives now. These haven’t lost their integrity by being pitted, like some other olives. They’re little flavor pops on any kind of salad. Pasta or otherwise.

Divina Chopped Calabrian Peppers: These are spicy, smoky and a bit fruity. I’ve used them in marinara sauce and topped onto vermicelli bowls. A little can go a long way.

Effie’s Oatcakes: These are sweet and savory. It says they’re good with cheese, but I just eat them by themselves. So good with tea. When I have eaten them with cheese, honey chevre is the hit!

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Dazzle ’em! Simple Hors d’Oeuvres & Delicious Cheese

by Rachel Horton, Cordata Specialty Cheese

brie covered in divina sour cherry spread

Feeding a crowd? Dazzle ’em with simple hors d’oeuvres and delicious cheese!

My suggestion? Bring a smile to everyone’s face with a round of Ile de France Brie, topped with Divina Sour Cherry Spread, and paired with La Panzanella Gluten-Free Oat Thins. 

This simple yet posh dish brings so many flavors for a few minutes of work, plus it won’t break the bank!

Feeding a crowd? Let them nibble on these irresistible morsels.

If you’re anything like me, you love the holidays! We enjoy getting together with friends and family. But, when you really think about it, we love the holidays because we love to eat. The holiday recipes that seem too fancy for everyday living make us all feel like we are gourmet chefs in the kitchen. It’s a chance to impress your family members while trying something new.

you’ll supply the amazing hors d’oeuvres

This year, the specialty cheese department is here to help excite you and all your friends with delicious easy-to-prepare treats. Let the family gourmet chefs prepare the main courses; you’ll supply the amazing hors d’oeuvres!

My suggestion? Bring a smile to everyone’s face with a round of Ile de France Brie, topped with Divina Sour Cherry Spread, and paired with La Panzanella Gluten-Free Oat Thins, as pictured above.

This simple yet posh dish brings so many flavors for a few minutes of work, plus it won’t break the bank!

Ile de France is a mild brie and great for anyone just starting to try soft ripened cheeses. It has a slight mushroomy scent with a tangy aftertaste that pairs perfectly with the sweet and sour cherry spread.

The new Gluten-Free Oat Thins from La Panzanella in Seattle is a great option if you are trying to please everyone’s palate and consider various dietary needs. La Panzanella has long been a best-seller at the Co-op and their new gluten-free crackers don’t disappoint.

hors d'oeuvres platters with cheese pastrami figs olives figs

Building a cheese tray?

A basic serving suggestion is 1 to 1 1/2 ounces of each cheese per person; round down if you are serving three or more cheese varieties, round up if serving only one or two cheeses.

Another great option when feeding the masses is a cheese tray.

grab something for everyone and fill your platter with salamis, cheeses, olives, fruits, and crackers

Grab something for everyone and fill your platter with salamis, cheeses, olives, fruits, and crackers. The Co-op has some approachable and affordable suggestions.

A great starter cheese tray would look something like:
(see descriptions of each selection below)

  • Comté
  •  Brie du Pommier
  • Pérail Papillon Sheep’s Milk Cheese
  • Bennings Mild Goat Gouda
  • La Panzanella Artisan Crackers
  • Divina Castelvetrano Olives.

Simply add your favorite meat and fruit, and enjoy!

STEPHANIE SAYS

giant cheese wheel and slices with community food co-op deli worker

by Stephanie Willard, Downtown Specialty Cheese

The cheese case can be overwhelming. Don’t know where to start? These selections offer something to please everyone.

hard goat cheese with almonds

Benning Goat Gouda

Popular Dutch cheese with a pleasantly mild, fresh taste and pure white color. It is made from light, fresh goats’ milk, formed into classic Gouda-style wheels and aged to a rich yet mellow flavor and a creamy smooth texture. It’s a great “beginners” goat cheese.

Uses: Texture is firm enough to slice or cube, but also melts beautifully in anything: omelets, pizza, or quesadillas.

hor d'oeuvres cheese and almonds

Fromager d’Affinois

Mild, buttery flavor reminiscent of a silky triple-crème. The texture is a thick, nearly whipped spread of tangy, milky goodness. A flawless rind adds flavor to the sweetness of the cheese.

Uses: Popular on cheese platters with a sweetness that pairs well with champagne and fresh fruit. Smooth and gooey when warm from the oven: serve with crackers or toasted crusty French bread slices, topped with Divina Sour Cherry Spread, or wrapped in phyllo and baked for an impressive Brie en Croûte.

gruyere cheese block with brie wheel

Comté

Creamy texture with nutty, earthy flavors that range from stone fruit to brown butter. Captures the essence of a raw-milk, mountain pasture-fed cow’s milk cheese.

Uses: Super versatile and fairly firm, it can be sliced, cubed, or grated. Great eaten by itself, or used in cooking. Those nutty flavors work well melted into everything from fondue to Croque Monsieur—or jazz up a bowl of mac & cheese, sprinkle over veggies, or fold into a plate of eggs.

brie cheese wheel and gruyere cheese slice

Pérail Papillon

Melt-in-your-mouth, buttery, full but mild flavor, with notes of sweet grass and wildflowers. A thick, creamy disc of fresh sheep’s milk with a fudgy center and downy velvet rind. The sheep graze lush floral pasture on the Causses, a group of limestone plateaus rich in minerality in the South of France.

Uses: At room temperatures, it gets almost unctuous and runny, making it perfect to spread on crackers or a baguette with sour cherry jam and toasted nuts on the side.

pommier cheese and spread with jam on cracker

Brie du Pommier

Classic bloomy rind and soft paste with earthy and vegetal aromas that intensify as the cheese ripens. Full-flavored and mildly funky, with flavors that range from milk and sweet cream to mushroom and cauliflower.

Uses: follow suggestions for Fromager d’Affinois

green olives and divina orange fig spread

Divina Spreads

Delicious shimmery spreads from Divina are customer and staff favorites all year long, but particularly popular during the holiday entertaining season.

Uses: Serve one of these spreads on the side or generously spread over a rich brie or smooth goat cheese to instantly elevate your appetizer plate. Choose from sour cherry, fig, and orange fig.

Castelvetrano Olives

These olives were my gateway olive. Never having liked olives in the past, I was encouraged to try these. I was not disappointed. Castelvetranos upon first glance stand out because of their lively, pale shade of green. They are firm and meaty with a mild and buttery taste that’s both salty and sweet. They appeal not only to olive aficionados, but also to those who shy away from stronger, brinier varieties.

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DELI & CATERING| HOT OFF THE PRESS celebration| cheese| cheese tray| christmas| holiday| new years eve| thanksgiving

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thanksgiving dinner spread

Our Guide to Holiday Turkeys Available at the Co-op

All the turkeys available for purchase at the Co-op are from Mary’s Turkeys. Choose from three fresh, never-frozen turkeys: natural, organic, and heritage.

package of tortillas con madre tortillas locally made in bellingham washington

A Visit To Tortillas Con Madre

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo early this year by visiting one of our favorite local companies, Tortillas Con Madre! Hear Lupita’s story and check out behind the scenes footage of production day at the tortilla factory.

take and bake entree spinach manicotti

Take Home Dinner Tonight!

From the Co-op Deli kitchens to your oven. Choose from a rotating selection of four delicious entrees. Need dinner in a flash? Grab a Co-op deli take-and-bake entree, and simply add a salad or side dish. Boom! You’re done!

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DOWNTOWN STORE & DELI • map • 360-734-8158 • 7 am – 9 pm
meat and deli counter: 7 am – 7 pm
made-to-order counter: 7 am – 6 pm
salad/hot bar: 7 am – 6 pm

CORDATA STORE & DELI • map • 360-734-8158 • 7 am – 9 pm
meat and deli counter: 7 am – 7 pm
made-to-order counter: 7 am – 6 pm
salad/hot bar: 7 am – 7 pm

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