Make Your Own Paneer

Adam Taylor has brought my attention to a couple of Indian chefs that offer free video cooking lessons online. Sanjay, who calls himself the 'vahchef,' offers a huge selection of video recipes at http://www.VahRehVah.com/. Here is Sanjay showing viewers how to make paneer, a homemade Indian cheese found in dishes like Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer:



Another Indian chef, named Manjula, offers video cooking lessons from her home. Here is Manjula showing viewers how to cook Palak Paneer, Chapati (or Paratha) and Naan. Adam says the dishes are easy to make and quite tasty. I'll have to try them myself sometime.

Carr Valley Benedictine

Benedictine is one of the many unique creations of Carr Valley Cheese. This washed rind cheese is made from the milk of sheep, goats and cows and is aged for twelve weeks. It is quite creamy and has a slightly robust, nutty flavor.

I have blogged and raved about Carr Valley cheeses before (cf. my posts on their Mobay and Billy Blue cheeses), but Benedictine is my least favorite of all of the Carr Valley products I have tried. According to the Carr Valley website, "The flavor [of this cheese] explodes with intensity." The cheese's flavor is certainly a bit stronger than one might expect, given its creamy, slightly soft texture. But I thought that its flavor was surprisingly bland and uninteresting, despite the various steps taken to provide it with flavor.

The blending of three types of milk seems to make the cheese taste like it is not from the milk of anything in particular. Instead of providing the cheese with a distinctive personality, the blending seemed to rob it of one.

Because of the somewhat high price of Benedictine, I had put off trying it for some time. Perhaps the fact that I like so many of Carr Valley's products and the expense of the cheese made me have higher than reasonable expectations. Benedictine is not a bad cheese, but given its price and somewhat disappointing personality, I would recommend buying other products from Carr Valley instead.

Cypress Grove Mount McKinley

Cypress Grove Chevre may be the best cheesemakers in America. They're certainly one of the very best. If you want to know what extraordinarily high quality American cheese tastes like, sample any of their products.

I recently tried Cypress Grove's triangle-shaped Mount McKinley cheese. This unique shepherd-style goat cheese is aged 18 months and is covered in vegetable ash. On top of the ash sits a thin, bloomy layer of white peniclium molds. The cheese has a sharp, robust, earthy flavor and a hard, somewhat dry texture.

Many foodies recommend grating hard, dry cheeses like this over pasta or other dishes. In my mind, that's like cooking with a $150 bottle of wine. You should cook with a $5-$10 wine and drink the $150 bottle. Similarly, I recommend enjoying Mount McKinley by itself on a warm slice of bread.

Mount McKinley has garnered a variety of awards from the American Cheese Society, the London International Cheese Competition, and the National Cheese Competition. Curiously, it is not currently listed on Cypress Grove's website as one of their current products.

Some consumers pass over Cypress Grove cheeses in the cheese aisle because of their slightly higher prices. Cypress Grove cheeses, however, are among the best in America. Your taste buds will thank you for spending a little extra.

Update: Saenkanter and Buffalo Mozzarella

In earlier posts I wrote about Saenkanter, a unique butterscotch-flavored aged Gouda, and Buffalo Mozzarella (mozzarella made from water buffalo milk). Buffalo readers might be interested to know that both of these items are now available at Premier Gourmet in Kenmore. They were not available at the time my earlier posts were published. I highly recommend trying them both.

Mondavi Fumé Blanc

When I first began drinking wine many years ago, Robert Mondavi's Fumé Blanc quickly became one of my favorites. There really is no such thing as a Fumé Blanc grape. In the late 1960s, Mondavi wanted to do something about slumping sales of his Sauvignon Blanc. So, he made up the name 'Fumé Blanc' and sales took off. Unfortunately for Mondavi, he did not trademark the name, and now many other producers use it to market their Sauvignon Blancs.

Mondavi patterned his new name after a dry French wine made in the Loire Valley that is known as 'Pouilly-Fumé.' It is made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape and is reputed to be known for its unusual, smoky flavor. Whatever smoky flavor there may be comes from toasted barrels rather than the grape itself.

Earlier this week I opened a bottle of Mondavi Fumé Blanc for the first time in years. In fact, it was the first time I have had white wine at home in a very long time. Like many avid wine drinkers, I prefer reds. I had forgotten how enjoyable a simple white wine can be.

Fumé Blanc is a not a complex wine. It lacks the depth and subtlety of a full-bodied red. But sometimes simplicity can be refreshing. I found the dry Fumé Blanc to be clean, crisp, slightly fruity and as easy to drink as a Sprite. It paired especially well with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I fixed on Tuesday. (Seriously, it really did.) A strong, serious Chardonnay would not have gone well with PB&J.

The Mondavi Fumé Blanc comes in a signature frosted bottle that makes a nice presentation. I highly recommend it for a nice, casual change of pace.

Buffalo Food Blogs

Buffalo readers might be interested to know about the following food blogs that are based in Buffalo:

Buffalo Buffet (by Andrew Galarneau, writer for The Buffalo News)

Savory & Sweet (by Holloway Ortman)

Okun on Food (by Janice Okun, food critic for The Buffalo News)

These blogs were brought to my attention by Christa Glennie Seychew, food editor for Buffalo Rising. Christa's daily discussions of food in Buffalo can be found at the Yum! section of BuffaloRising.com.

Interested readers can also educate themselves at The Pour, the blog of NY Times wine critic, Eric Asimov, or curdnerds.com (based in NYC).

Cheese Posters and T-Shirts

Don't know what to get that special cheesemonger in your life for Valentine's Day? How about a poster displaying the world's great cheeses (other versions available here and here)? Or how about one dedicated exclusively to French cheese? Or Chèvre?

T-shirts with the following cheesey slogans are also available:
"Cheese! It's milk you chew"
"Ecce Potestas Casei (Behold the Power of Cheese)"
"Raw Milk is not Crack--How Does the Government Get Confused?"
"I Moved Your Cheese"

These gift ideas may not seem very romantic, but I would certainly enjoy a nice cheese poster more than a traditional Valentine's gift.

Ewephoria

Ewephoria is a relatively new Gouda-style cheese from the Friesland region of Holland. Unlike standard Goudas, Ewephoria is made from sheep's milk and is pasteurized. It is, however, made using the same carefully-guarded starter cultures that give Goudas their distinctive flavor.

Ewephoria is aged 10 months, has a butterscotch color and a rather sweet, nutty, buttery flavor. Like all Goudas, it is hard and somewhat acidic. One reviewer claims, "Ewephoria is possibly as close as cheese gets to candy." That's going much too far. On the one hand, Ewephoria is not as sweet as many other traditional cheeses. In fact, even some Goudas--e.g., Saenkanter--are considerably sweeter. Then there are flavored cheeses like Chocolate Fudge Cheese, which although technically cheese, is really just a kind of candy.

Ewephoria was allegedly developed by Seattle-based cheese importer CheeseLand, Inc. specifically for the American cheese market, although the CheeseLand website does not mention the product. The idea was that aged Goudas were too harsh for American tastes and a softer, sweeter aged Gouda was needed.

Regardless of what the truth about Ewephoria's origins may be, it is a very enjoyable cheese to eat. I may bring it to my next dinner party. It is unique and more welcoming than other aged Goudas.

Plain Chèvre

Chèvre is a wonderfully flexible cheese. More often than not, the chèvre rounds I am served have been coated with herbs. It can also be blended with peppercorns, fruit or even fennel pollen and lavender buds.

I recently tasted some plain chèvre at Randy Dipert's house for the first time in a long while. I had become so accustomed to eating chèvre-plus-other-stuff that I had almost forgotten what plain chèvre tastes like. The fresh, slightly tart yet distinctive flavor of the cheese didn't need any help from additional flavors. I ate most of the chèvre on Randy's cheese tray and promptly bought some more from my local grocer.

Although some people claim that chèvre is an acquired taste, it is a very novice-friendly cheese. There are some especially acidic chèvres out there that may be off-putting to some, but most will have a balanced amount of caproic, caprylic and capric acid. If you haven't tasted or served plain chèvre in a while, give it a try. Fresh chèvre also has the virtue of being less expensive but not less flavorful than other artisanal cheeses.

Real Swiss Cheese

Cheeses that are actually made in Switzerland are quite different from most of what passes for 'Swiss Cheese' in the United States. Most genuinely Swiss cheeses (e.g., Gruyère, Raclette, Tilsit, Tête de Moine), for example, do not have the large holes that are characteristic of American-made "Swiss" cheeses. The holey Emmental variety is only one of many Swiss-made cheeses. (For more information on the variety of Swiss cheeses, click here.)

The holes (known as "eyes") found in stereotypical Swiss cheeses are produced by Propionibacter bacteria that release carbon dioxide during the production process. The characteristic nutty flavor of "Swiss" cheeses in America are produced by this and other bacteria used in the production of Swiss cheese. Generally speaking, the larger the holes, the stronger the flavor of the cheese. American producers prefer smaller holes and blander flavors so that the cheeses are easier to slice. European producers of Emmental prefer larger holes.

Recently, my mother returned from a trip to Switzerland with a tasty wedge of farmstead cheese produced by Ida and Urs Müller-Stalder. The cheese she bought was labeled as a 'Tristächäs.' I'm not sure what that means, but I do know it was an aged, raw cow's milk cheese that had been soaked in brine. The aging and brine gave the creamy, nutty cheese a very slightly pungent flavor that was very enjoyable both as an appetizer and on sandwiches.

Instead of buying "Swiss" cheese that is made in America by the J. L. Kraft corporation, look for the Swiss flag on wedges of handcrafted cheeses imported from Switzerland. The range of styles of real Swiss cheeses may surprise you.

Cognac

Cognac is brandy made in the Cognac region of France. The name 'brandy' is short for 'brandywine,' which comes from the Dutch word brandewijn, meaning 'burnt wine.' If you ferment grape juice, you get wine. If you distill wine, you get brandy. Although brandy can be made from the fermented juice of any fruit, the best brandies (e.g., cognac) are made from grape juice.

After recently attending parties at the homes of Sandy Goldberg and Randy Dipert and enjoying some tasty spirits there, I was motivated to revisit my own spirit collection. Last night I drank Courvoisier X.O. Imperial Cognac, which was voted "Best Cognac in the World" at the 1994 International Wine and Spirits competition. This spirit, which sells for around $140 a bottle, has aromas of toffee, caramel and roasted nuts. Its smooth, refined flavor made for a very enjoyable end to my evening.

Tonight I drank Rémy Martin's V.S.O.P. Fine Champagne Cognac, which sells for around $40. This seemingly fruitier cognac is a is a blend of brandies from the Grande Champange and Petite Champagne subregions of Cognac. Despite the big difference in price between the two, there was not a huge difference in my enjoyment of them.

The three most common types of of brandy or cognac are V.S., V.S.O.P. and X.O. 'V.S.' stands for "Very Special" but since this is the lowest quality level of brandy one will likely encounter, there is nothing special about it at all. The youngest brandies in a V.S. blend must be aged at least three years in wood casks. Avoid V.S. brandies. The youngest brandies in 'V.S.O.P.' ("Very Special Old Pale") blends must be aged at least 5 years. Those in X.O. must be aged at least six years. The average brandy in an X.O. blend is over 20 years.

The primary grapes used in making cognac are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, and Colombard, which make lousy table wines. Most cognacs are blends of brandies from different vintages and different growing regions. Cognac is distilled twice in pot stills like those used in making Scotch. The rich caramel and amber color of cognac is usually the result of artificial coloring additives.

Do not heat cognac by holding your brandy sniffer over a candle. I don't know where this practice first started, but it will have deleterious effects on your enjoyment of any brandy. Because of the way it speeds up the rate at which aroma particles in the cognac are released into the air, the unique aromatic blend of the brandy will be broken. Certain kinds of aromas will be speedily released ahead of other aromas with which they usually interweave. The brandy will not have the aroma it was meant to have. Heating brandy also makes the nose too pungent for most people to enjoy.

Cognac is a wonderful spirit. The only frustrating thing about it is the tremendous rate at which cognac prices increase with each increase in quality level. Cognac that sell for $200 a bottle is considered to be modestly priced.

Train Your Nose

How well can you distinguish aromas of blackcurrants, cherries, and liquorice in the wines that you drink? The line of wine aroma kits from Le Nez du Vin can help train your nose to discern these and other aromatic components of wine.

Each kit contains vials of aromatic essences that are commonly found in wines. For example, the aromas in the Red Wine kit include strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, blackberry, cherry, violet, green pepper, truffle, liquorice, vanilla, pepper, and smoked. Each vial provides your scent memory with a distinct reference aroma with which aromas in wines can be compared. They also help you put a name on the aromas you are already able to detect and distinguish.

The kits were developed by wine expert Jean Lenoir with the aim of helping trade professionals, sommeliers and ordinary wine lovers to find the right words to describe the wines they drink. The kits come in several varieties: The Master Kit (54 aromas), Le Duo (24 aromas), White Wines (12 aromas), Red Wines (12 aromas), Faults (12 aromas), and New Oak (12 aromas). Jean Lenoir has even created a 36-vial kit of coffee aromas.

The aroma kits also come with explanatory cards and illustrated booklets that explain the connections between aroma and wine. Each aroma and the molecules underlying the aromas are explained in detail. The Red or White Wine kits sell for $109 each in the US.

If my family members have not yet completed their Christmas shopping, the Red Wine Aroma Kit would make the perfect gift for me!

Wally Wine

Wal-Mart has teamed up with Ernest & Julio Gallo to launch a brand of wines that will be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores. The "value-priced" wines will be sold in 750ml bottles for around $6.

The name chosen for the new line of wines is 'Alcott Ridge Vineyards.' Market researchers have suggested that the following names might have been more appropriate:

• Chateau Trailer Parc
• White Trashfindel
• Big Red Gulp
• World Championship Riesling
• NASCARbernet
• Chef Boyardeaux
• I Can't Believe It's Not Vinegar
• Nasti Spumante

The beauty of Wal-Mart wine is that it can be served with either white meat (Possum) or red meat (Squirrel).

Cambozola: A Creamy Delight

Cambozola has quickly become one of my new favorites. This triple cream, soft-ripened cheese with blue veins is a pure delight. Its rich and creamy flavor can be enjoyed by those who typically do not care for blue cheeses.

I like Cambozola so much that I am willing to steal it. Well, sort of. When Neil Williams and Kelly Norlen hosted a dinner party at their house a few months ago, they put away the Cambozola before I was finished enjoying it. So, while I was supposed to be starting on the main course, I slipped into their kitchen and dug around in their refrigerator until I found the remaining cheese. I don't know Neil and Kelly well enough that being caught snooping around in their refrigerator would be completely comfortable.

Although most people will try to tell you the name of this cheese comes from a combination of 'Camembert' and 'Gorgonzola,' the producers of the cheese tell a different story. Käserei Champignon, located in Bavaria, selected the name to honor the ancient cheese-making settlement of Cambodunum that flourished in Bavaria around 300 A.D.

This pasteurized cow's milk cheese pairs well with fruit (e.g., figs) and nuts (e.g., roasted walnuts) and goes well on a party cheese plate. It is also a popular ingredient in sauces and soups. Champignon recommends serving Cambozola with light- to medium-bodied red wines (e.g., Pinot Noir) or Vintage Ports.

Some tasty recipes that call for Cambozola include the following:
Chicken Breast with Cambozola Mushroom Cream
Foccacia with Cambozola, Roast Beef and Arugula
Pear and Cambozola Soup
Spicy Pasta Cambozola (scroll down toward the bottom)

Thanksgiving Wines

What kind of wine should you serve with Thanksgiving dinner? The first thing to know about wine and food pairings is that there is not just one magic combination that you must discover in order to succeed. There are many wines that can pair well with the traditional fare of turkey and dressing.

If you're looking for a white wine, consider a dry or off-dry Riesling. Rieslings typically have a "fruit forward" flavor. Translated from winespeak into plain English, this means that the foreground of its flavor profile is predominately fruity. Elements of apricots, pears, apples and peaches are common. Most Rieslings have some residual sugar and a crisp finish. These lightweight, undemanding wines can make for an enjoyable Thanksgiving meal.

On the red side, some recommend Beaujolais. Beaujolais Nouveau is made from the Gamay grape in the Beaujolais region of France. The novelty behind Beaujolais is that it is harvested in Autumn, fermented only a few weeks and released for sale in November. Drinking Beaujolais is a way to celebrate the current year's harvest.

If I were serving turkey this year (which I'm not), I think I would try a Pinot Noir. Pinot Noirs have a lighter style and softer texture than many other reds. I think these characteristics would nicely complement traditional Thanksgiving fare.

Cheese Toppings

The cheese counter at Wegman's (western New York's upscale grocery chain) carries an interesting selection of toppings to serve on soft-ripened cheeses.

The Caramel Pecan Topping (pictured at left) is by far the tastiest one they make. Its ingredients include butterscotch caramel sauce, pecans, dried apples, and a few dried cranberries. It is really wonderful. The flavor of the topping is so strong that it can easily drown out the flavor of the cheese it is served on. But since most Brie-style cheeses served in America are pretty tasteless, you won't really be missing out on much.

The Cherry Balsamic Topping was my second favorite. It is made from cherry preserves, dried cherries and balsamic vinegar. In contrast to the almost overwhelmingly sweet caramel topping, this one is a bit tart. Wegman's also carries a Craisin, Currant and Walnut Topping, made from red raspberry jam, walnuts, craisins (i.e., dried cranberries), and currants.

Each topping should be served over Brie with some kind of bread. I recommend serving it over a mild-tasting Brie such as Cathedral de Meaux. I tried the toppings with both an intense, earthy Brie and a mild Brie. And I definitely think the mild one worked better.

Because few cheese counters carry cute, little cheese rounds like the one pictured above, your best bet is to pile a generous helping of the topping on top of a wedge of Brie and have your guests cut into it themselves. Encourage them to spread the mixture onto a piece of bread. It won't be the easiest thing for your guests to cut into, but the striking visual presentation it makes should more than compensate for that.

If you don't live near a Wegman's, ask your local cheese merchant to recommend some toppings or try to create some of your own.

Local Wines and Malolactic Fermentation

I've always been puzzled as to why the best "local" wines do not taste as good as the most modest (or even less than modest) wines from larger producers. I've also been deeply curious as to why local wines--seemingly regardless of region or grape variety--all share a distinctive and somewhat unpleasant flavor not found in comparable "non-local" wines. There is a certain bitter, chemical "whang" (to use a technical term) that characterizes all local wines.

When I lived in St. Louis, I tried various red wines from the nearby Augusta wine region. I've also tried many NY wines from the Fingers Lakes region and Canadian wines from Ontario. While I've enjoyed the ports from Missouri and the icewines from Ontario, I dislike the red wines of these regions.

I cannot believe that the marked differences between local and non-local wines and the marked similarities between all "local" wines can all be chalked up to differences in soil, climate, growing season, pruning techniques and other features of terroir. My current hypothesis is this: Unlike the red wines of larger, more established or more prestigious winemakers, local red wines do not go through a process of malolactic fermentation.

Primary fermentation occurs when yeast is added to grape juice and converts grape sugar to alcohol. Other byproducts of this process include carbon dioxide, malic acid and heat. Secondary (or malolactic) fermentation is a process that converts the more bitter, tart or metallic-tasting malic acid into the softer-tasting lactic acid. This process is accomplished with the help of lactic acid-eating bacteria such as Oenococcus oeni, Pediococcus and various species of Lactobacillus.

All good red wines undergo malolactic fermentation. Traditionally, Old World white wines did not undergo this same process. In the 1970s California winemakers established a new style and standard for Chardonnay by combining malolactic fermentation of their white wines with oak aging. It is the secondary fermentation process that gives California Chardonnays their distinctive "buttery" flavor. The buttery sensation arises from the softer, slightly oily texture and flavor of the lactic acid.

Because of malolactic fermentation, California Chardonnays can be drunk more easily as aperitifs. Many Old World Chardonnays are not intended to be drunk by themselves and often need to be tamed by a full meal. Because the California style fits better with New World wine drinking habits, it has significantly changed the oenological landscape. (Notice that in every American wine magazine advertisement, the partakers are standing at a party rather than sitting before a meal.)

With white wines, then, there are two styles: with or without malolactic fermentation. With red wines, however, there is only one: with. My best guess as to why local wines possess a chemical whang not found in non-local wines is that they do not generally undergo the secondary process of fermentation.

I recently ran my hypothesis by a senior wine buyer at Prime Wines, and she completely dismissed my hypothesis. I'm not giving up on it yet, however, because I don't know of any other explanation for the distinctive aroma and flavor profile of local wines. If any of you have hypotheses of your own, please share them with me.

Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper

Cypress Grove Chevre in Humboldt County, California, is one of America's very best cheese producers. Their award-winning cheeses include Humboldt Fog, Bermuda Triangle, Midnight Moon, and Purple Haze (about which I have blogged before). Cypress Grove recently won the Outstanding Product Line 2007 Award at the Fancy Food Show in NYC. Cypress Grove and Carr Valley may be my two favorite producers of American cheese.

I recently enjoyed a wedge of Cypress Grove's Lamb Chopper, a firm and creamy delight. Made from pasteurized Dutch sheep's milk, this cheese is aged in Holland for three months before entering the U.S., where it is aged a month or two more. Apparently, head cheese-ager Mary Keehn didn't want mold from Humboldt Fog and other Cypress Grove cheeses to infect Lamb Chopper during its aging process. So, it does most of its aging outside Cypress Grove's facilities.

Lamb Chopper is one of best Gouda-style cheeses you will find. Its creamy, buttery flavor is simply wonderful. It is firm enough to go on sandwiches and burgers but sophisticated enough to go on a cheese tray.

Brillo di Treviso

It hasn't been easy keeping my wife from eating all of the Brillo di Treviso I recently purchased from Premier Gourmet. The rind of this pasteurized cow's milk cheese from Italy is reguarly washed with red wine during the aging process, giving the cheese a rich, purple exterior and a somewhat fruity flavor.

When I first tasted Brillo di Treviso I thought the winey flavor in it was too strong. As I ate more of it, however, this impression subsided. Now the easily edible wine-drenched rind strikes me as rather mild. The semi-soft paste (i.e., the interior of the cheese) is mild, creamy, and slightly tangy.

Despite the fact that many purveyors of cheese claim that Brillo di Treviso is from Venice, it is in fact from Treviso (the "di Treviso" should have been a giveaway), in the Veneto region of Italy.

Brillo di Treviso is a great party cheese. It has an enjoyable, accessible flavor and its deep, purple color and winey flavor will be something of a novelty to many of your guests. Serve with Chianti, Beaujolais or full-bodied reds.

Baked Brie at Brodo

Wendy and I recently enjoyed a date at the Brodo cafe in Snyder, NY. It would be difficult to find a place with a better great-food-per-dollar-spent ratio than Brodo.

Being the cheesey guy I am, I ordered the Puff Pastry Baked Brie, with apples, walnuts and raspberry sauce. It was superb. I highly recommend it.

Brodo has a prix fixe dinner option for $24, happy hour M-F from 5-7pm, and live jazz on Thurs. and Sat. from 7-9pm.

Brandied Roasted Pears

Mascarpone cheese is a rich, triple cream cheese that is most commonly encountered in Italian desserts such as tiramisu or zabaglione. The cheese is creamy white, smells like milk and cream, and has the consistency of a sticky pudding.

Mascarpone pairs well with fruit. For example, Wegman's supermarkets in western New York sell a Red Raspberry Mascarpone Mousse at their cheese counters that is made from mascarpone, crème fraiche, raspberry preserves, sugar, and vanilla extract. It is heavenly.

My wife, Wendy, found the following fruit and mascarpone recipe on PBS. It has a fabulous, sophisticated flavor but is very easy to make.

Brandied Roasted Pears
Ingredients:

• 3 ripe Bartlett pears (peeled, cored and sliced in half)
• 1 1/4 c. Brown sugar (packed)
• 1/3 c. Unsweetened apple juice
• 2T (or more) Brandy
• 8 oz. Mascarpone
• 1/4 c. Clover honey
• 1/2 c. Toasted pecans (finely chopped)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Grease an 8"x8" pyrex dish.
3. Cover bottom of dish with brown sugar.
4. Lay pear halves on brown sugar.
5. Combine brandy and apple juice. Pour over pears.
6. Bake at 400° for 20-30 min.
7. While pears are cooling for 3-4 min, thoroughly mix honey and mascarpone.
8. Place pears in dessert dishes and top with mascarpone mixture and pecans.
9. Drizzle pears with extra juice from baking dish and serve.

I'm going to experiment more with mascarpone around the house. I think something as simple as toast topped with mascarpone (perhaps mixed with maple syrup) and fresh fruit would be great. A tasty-looking French toast with Mascarpone and Blueberries recipe from FoodTV can be found here.

Rating Wine Preserver Products

As soon as a bottle of wine is opened, it begins to oxidize. 24 to 36 hrs after being opened, most table wines have lost much of their flavor. After 48 hrs they can be almost undrinkable.

You don't need to be a wine snob to notice and be concerned about the effects of oxidation. As a complete wine novice buying my first bottles of wine, I could tell without any training that the flavor of the wine was different the day after it was opened. Several wine preservation products are available that help to minimize the effects of oxidation.

The best household wine preservation system is The Keeper (above left). I use this product with every bottle of wine I open at home. The stopper-faucet that dispenses the wine is connected to a nitrogen cylinder. Nitrogen (an inert, non-oxidizing gas) fills the space inside the bottle as the wine goes out. This device prevents oxygen from coming into the bottle and thus keeps oxidation from occurring.

A widely used but significantly less effective product is Private Preserve inert gas spray (pictured to the right). Each time a bottle of wine is opened or reopened, you are supposed to spray Private Preserve (a combination of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and argon gas) into the bottle. These gases are allegedly heavier than other gases and are said to lay down a protective blanket over the surface of the wine, keeping oxygen at bay.

I used Private Preserve for years, and it certainly slows down the oxidation process. It is better than nothing and something you might want to consider buying, if you're not ready to spend money on The Keeper. However, it is only marginally effective at preventing oxidation. The money spent on several bottles of Private Preserve would be better spent on The Keeper.

A completely worthless product that is commonly seen in wine shops is the Vacu Vin Vacuum Wine Saver (pictured at left). This was the first wine preservation product I ever tried. A dinky little pump is supposed to extract most of the air inside your bottle of wine, again slowing down the oxidation process. The pump, however, is exceptionally weak and the stopper that goes on top of the bottle does not form a very tight seal. Vacu Vin may remove some oxygen from the inside of a bottle, but it is an almost completely ineffective product. Don't throw away your money on this one.

Ken Shockley laughs at my Keeper wine system every time he comes over to my house. I must admit that it looks rather odd, but it has been a wonderful investment. It can keep opened bottles of wine fresh for weeks, allowing me to enjoy wine at my leisure. I highly recommend it.

Wine Links

Here are some interesting wine links from around the web:

1. Grape-by-grape wine and cheese pairings at Winemonger.com.

2. Wine and cheese pairing suggestions from Laura Werlin.

3. Wine & Spirits' Top Ten lists. Each issue of Wine & Spirits focuses on one variety or group of related wines and selects the best wines tasted in that category in the past year. The linked page is a compilation of Top Ten lists from the last six years.

Autumn in Vermont

Autumn in Vermont means beautiful fall foliage and scenic drives. It can also mean enjoying tours of some of the best creameries in America. My wife and I are considering taking a trip down the Vermont Cheese Trail during mid-October to soak up the autumn colors and the cheese.

The Vermont Cheese Council offers an interactive map of the Cheese Trail that includes links to all of the participating farms and creameries. Among the more famous Vermont cheesemakers are Cabot Creamery and Grafton Village Cheese (about whom I have blogged before).

If you're looking for a fall getaway, consider a culinary adventure down the Vermont Cheese Trail during the most beautiful time of the year to be in Vermont. Few things are better than good food and good conversation in a lovely setting. (And if you live in Buffalo, consider telling my wife that we should go ahead and spend the money on the trip.)

Grilled Cheese: Literally

Halloumi is a traditional cheese from Cyprus that does not melt when cooked. It can be placed directly on a barbecue grill. I grilled mine in a bit of extra virgin olive oil on the stove and drizzled it with lemon juice. My entire family loved it.

A couple of weeks after I read Jamie Forrest's post about Grilled Halloumi over at Serious Eats, Halloumi showed up in my local cheese shop, Premier Gourmet. Either the cheese buyer at Premier or some other customer must read the same blogs I do.

Halloumi is traditionally made from sheep and goat's milk. It is sold vacuum packed in a bit of its own whey. The true flavor of Halloumi is revealed only when it is cooked. Uncook Halloumi is plain and rather tart. Its texture most resembles mozzarella.

Halloumi served with salad, hummus and pita bread is a tasty treat. Here are some other recipes for Halloumi:

• Marinated & Grilled Barbeque Halloumi Cheese and Vegetable Skewers with Fig Spread and Pitas
• Grilled Halloumi Appetizer Salad
• Halloumi Stuffed Peppers
• Grilled Halloumi Cheese and Lemon
• Sizzling Halloumi Cheese with Fava Beans and Mint
• Further Serving Suggestions

Shopping tip for Buffalo readers: Halloumi is currently available at Premier Gourmet, but I don't expect it to be a regularly stocked item. If your local cheese vendor doesn't carry Halloumi, you can always purchase some at igourmet.com.

Although I originally bought Halloumi solely for its novelty, I'm going back to buy some more because it is delicious. I recommend trying this unique cheese.