Mascarpone Mascarpone is a very rich (about 70% fat) cream cheese. Its soft, smooth, creamy texture makes it a good substitute for whipping cream for any of your favorite desserts. It is the key ingredient in the popular dessert, tiramisu. It may also be used as a substitute for sour cream or crème fraîche in savory dishes. It makes a luscious creamy pasta sauce. It is fabulous served with fresh berries or other fruit and a sweet dessert wine. Serve for breakfast on scones or other breakfast pastry. Maytag Blue Nestled in among the rolling hills of central Iowa is Maytag Dairy, which produces Maytag Blue cheese. Shortly before World War II, F.L. Maytag II began working with scientists at Iowa State University to begin making a great American blue cheese, modeled after those of Europe. The result was one of the first American farmstead cheeses of superior quality. Maytag cheese makers, however, are still hand making the same cheese that they created in the 1930’s. Maytag Blue’s popularity has taken off with the growing interest in American farmstead cheeses, and this wonderful, tangy blue cheese is now featured on menus across the country. It’s wonderful flavor, moist yet crumbly texture, and lemony finish make Maytag one of the world’s great blue cheeses. Mimolette French Mimolette, dates back to the reign of Louis XIV, who prohibited the import of Dutch cheeses into France. The residents of Flanders (now part of Belgium), the northernmost region of France, had strong cultural ties to Holland (many still speak Dutch as their first language today) and dearly loved the banished Dutch specialties. Their alternatives were to either smuggle in the contraband cheeses or make a go at producing their own - with a French twist, of course! And so, Mimolette was born. Mimolette is a semi-hard cheese that has the same texture and spherical shape as Dutch Edam, but with a natural rind. It is produced in bowling-ball sized 7-pound spheres with a bright orangecolored interior. Its taste is gloriously sweet, yet uncommonly tame for a French cheese. Morbier Morbier (meaning “small market-town”) is produced in the village of Morez in the Jura Mountains. Its creation dates from the 19th century. It was originally made for the personal consumption of the Comté cheese makers. Every night, soot was sprinkled on the fresh curd that remained at the bottom of the barrel, which prevented a rind from forming and kept the insects away. The next day; left over pieces of cheese were put on top to make the Morbier. The cheese is uncooked and pressed, and allowed to mature for two months. It is then brushed with salted water. The shape is round with sides that bulge slightly; it has a horizontal black furrow through the middle. During the maturing period, the cheese develops a natural fine rind. The pale yellow center is supple and soft when touched, dry and sticky at the same time. Morbier is savory, fruity, & mild, contrary to what its aroma might suggest. The production of this cheese is protected by a special label from the Franche-Comté; it belongs to the A.O.C.1 family. 122 ~ Fresh Products 2013 - 2014 Annual Catalog