Childhood memories of local cheeses made in the Savoie region of the French Alps were a strong pull for Carine Goldin of Goldin Artisan Cheese, headquartered in Molalla, OR. Her formative years spent there with her cheese-loving grandmother, nearby dairy farms and creameries making local favorites like Tomme de Savoie, Raclette and Tome des Bauges stoked a taste for interesting, full-flavored cheese.
Hunting for Oregon Truffles
Delve Into This Pure-bred Delicacy
Move over france and Italy, there are some new truffles in town, and they’re sending seismic shocks of pleasure through chefs and food connoisseurs alike. Though truffles are found throughout many U.S. states, the ones that are causing the most notice — and are in demand — are pure-bred Oregonian —both native black and white truffles and, much more recently, Perigords, the famed French black truffle now being cultivated in Oregon orchards.
On The Oregon Cheese Trail
Award-winning offerings wow patrons coast to coast
Maybe you’ve been lucky enough to taste a smoky, sweet, fudgy piece of rogue creamery’s smokey blue, cold-smoked for 16 hours over local hazelnut shells in Oregon’s Rogue Valley. Or savor some Lorelei, a small square loosely inspired by a robiola, but made in Dundee, OR by Briar Rose Creamery. It’s washed in Steam Fire Stout, a beer made at nearby Fire Mountain Brewery, and exhibits funky, citrusy, balanced and lovely notes. Or perhaps you wisely stock your fridge with Tillamook’s Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar, made from their own high-quality, super fresh milk and aged for about 15 months to coax out tons of complex savory, nutty flavors. Continue reading →
Rogue River Blue
Beginning at 5 a.m. on a summer’s day in June, the folks at Rogue Creamery spent their morning in southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley, picking Syrah grape leaves that will be macerated in local pear brandy from Clear Creek distillery — to later serve as an earthy wrap for the creamery’s Rogue River Blue.
Tied with a raffia ribbon, it is Rogue’s seasonal gift to Blue cheese lovers, released on September 23, 2015 and available through the beginning of 2016. Aged from nine to 18 months, Rogue River Blue can credit its popularity to attention to detail, including its unique grape leaf wrapping, seasonality and farmstead milk from Rogue’s own pampered cow milk dairy.