POACHED PICKLED GRAPES
Julian Alonzo, Executive Chef
Brasserie 8½
New York
1 lb. seedless white grapes
½ cup cranberry juice
3 T. Thai basil leaves
Vintner guests can mix and match any
cheese selection to create their own cheese
flight, while waitstaff walk guests through
the selections, provide suggestions and tell
stories about the cheese. They may explain
that Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Uplands
Cheese Company in Dodgeville, Wis., is
made in the tradition of Alpine cheeses such
as Gruyère and Beaufort. Like the Alpage
versions of these cheeses, Uplands Cheese
only makes the cheese from May through
October, when its cows are eating fresh
pasture. This grass-fed raw milk produces
flavors in the cheese that can’t be replicated
by “ordinary” milk. Because the company
is particular about using milk from only the
best pasture conditions, the weather largely
determines how many batches it can make
in a year. When the pasture conditions aren’t
ideal, it sells the milk.
Method: Peel grapes. In medium
saucepan, bring juice and basil to a
boil. Add grapes; stir. Reduce heat
to medium; cook 5 minutes, stirring
frequently. Remove from heat; cover.
Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Pour
grapes into container; refrigerate.
Note: Chef Alonzo uses the sous vide
method, as follows. Cryovac® grapes,
juice and basil. Cook sous vide at 50ºC
(122ºF) for 15 minutes. Shock in ice
water. Refrigerate.
from Gibbsville Cheese, Sheboygan Falls,
Wis., and three-year, seven-year and 12-year
aged sharp cheddars from Hook’s Cheese
Company, Mineral Point, Wis.
To further educate guests, Silverman
offers a cheese of the day between 4 p.m.
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, that
features one new cheese every day in the
bar area. There’s no charge for the cheese;
wine or other beverage is purchased at
full price. The restaurant’s sommelier is on
hand to talk about the wine paired with the
cheese, and there is information about the
cheese and the cheesemaker.
we feel it’s important to help promote and
showcase the state’s artisan cheesemakers
and the products they make, and help
dispel the thinking that most cheese from
Wisconsin is mass-produced,” says Ulrich
Koberstein, culinary-arts group director.
“This flight used to include six-month,
one-year, five-year and 10-year, but we
discovered that not all guest could tell
the difference or appreciate the subtle
differences between the various cheeses,”
says Koberstein. “So by creating a larger
timeframe between the cheeses, guests
can definitely taste the difference.”
In past years, the resort used to let guests build
their own cheese plate with recommendations
from servers. However, with the increase in
the number of cheese selections, Koberstein
enhanced the cheese program. The resort
now has a cheese cave in its winery bar, where
guests can view the cheese up close before
going to dinner, and ask questions.
The other five flights are Tangled Up in
Blue, Smoke, Softer Side, All Mixed Up
and Hard. The 42-cheese selection ranges
from 20 cow’s milk cheeses and six raw
cow’s milk cheeses to seven sheep’s milk
cheeses, five goat’s milk cheeses and four
mixed milk cheeses.
“The cheese-of-the-day idea was not
conceived to help build traffic or promote the
restaurant,” says Silverman. “I just wanted to
help educate people more about cheese.”
CHEESE FLIGHTS
The American Club Resort in Kohler, Wis.,
offers approximately 42 cheeses, all from
Wisconsin. “Being located in the middle
of Wisconsin, and it being a dairy state,
Additionally, Koberstein created six Wisconsin
artisan cheese flights to make it easier for
guests to make choices, learn about cheese
and have an enjoyable experience. “We build
the foundation with the cheese flights, and
then, many times, guests will supplement one
or two cheeses from the list of 42 cheeses.”
CHEESE AND BEER
Beer isn’t necessarily the first beverage
that comes to mind when thinking of what
to pair with cheese; wine is the obvious
choice. But beer is the more commonly
accepted beverage choice in many cultures
worldwide. Going a step further, it could be
said that the flavors of beer and cheese—
earthy, yeasty, musty, fruity, rich, toasty,
floral—actually complement each other
better than most wines and cheeses do.
For example, there’s the Evolution of
Cheddar, which includes fresh cheese curds
Brian Goldberg, owner/operator of Sustain
Restaurant + Bar, Miami, is challenging wine’s
