I was gifted a kit of 7 cheeses from the Sartori Cheese company in Plymouth, Wisconsin. They make lovely artisan cheese and use Wisconsin cows! Immediately I put my creative foodie hat on to see just what different ways I could use them beyond a knife and a glass of wine.
First up I used the Espresso BellaVitano (yes, espresso…get some) to make my take on a grilled cheese…not just any grilled cheese, but one that suited my sweet-driven persona. I used a glazed blueberry cake doughnut, sliced it like a bagel, buttered
the cut sides (so the sugar from the glaze wouldn’t burn), laid one half buttered cut-side down in skillet, top with slices of Espresso BellaVitano, top that with the other half of buttered doughnut.
Grill like any other cheese sandwich. Watch out, it may be addictive. Boom!
Sweet and salty…nothing better!
How about some protein after that sandwich?! Let’s try a beautiful egg scramble with sautéed onion, jalapeno sausage and topped with Extra Aged Goat Cheese. The creamy egg, sweet onion, and spicy sausage, married perfectly with the tangy and earthiness of the goat cheese. The cheese also helped to calm the fire from the jalapeno. I served tomato salsa on the side for brightness and color. Bold and brilliant!
The Dolcina Gorgonzola had me salivating just thinking about all of the tasty treats I could try. Nothing could stop me from making a Gorgonzola Cheese Cream Sauce. It is multi-purpose! I used a basic Bechamel recipe, made a roux, added cream, then finished with Gorgonzola, salt and pepper, then a bit of nutmeg. Holy Toledo Batman, sinfully good! This dish is pasta, topped with sautéed mushrooms, then finished off with Gorgonzola cream sauce and sprinkled with basil. Later, I will top off a burger with this sauce and a few crumbles of Sartori’s Gorgonzola. This is also a fantastic sauce to put on a steak. It is so special, and so smooth. I could bathe in this sauce. Oh my!
*Dolcina Gorgonzola Cream Sauce Recipe w/ pasta and mushrooms:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
4 Tablespoons All-Purpose flour
2 cups Half and Half
4 oz Sartori’s Dolcina Gorgonzola, crumble
1 Tablespoon of your favorite fresh herb or spice. If using dried herbs, use a smidge less, especially when using a strong flavor. I used nutmeg IN the sauce, and dried basil last, to top off the dish. Remember, taste test along the way!
1 pinch of salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb pasta
3 cups of sliced mushrooms
Directions:
- Cook pasta as directed on box, drain, cover and set to the side.
- Melt butter over med-high heat in a med pot. Once melted, add flour and whisk. Cook until flour turns a light brown color, about 4 minutes.
- Slowly whisk the Half and Half into the roux. When it is all incorporated it will be thicker, but not completely thickened. Turn down heat to low and simmer until thicker, about another 4 or 5 minutes.
- Stir in Gorgonzola until melted and keep warm until needed. Taste for salt and pepper.
- In a separate pan, saute your mushrooms in a bit of olive oil, cook until just tender.
- Place pasta on serving platter, lay the mushrooms on top, then ladle on the cream sauce and finish with a few shakes of dried herbs…basil or rosemary are nice.
- Enjoy!!!
Quite honestly, the Raspberry BellaVitano, Merlot BellaVitano, and the Limited Cognac BellaVitano are all incredibly delicious cheeses on their own. A charcuterie board with these 3 cheeses, slices of pear, apple, dried apricots, dates, olives, nuts, honey, crackle bread, fig jam, and prosciutto would make a perfect Holiday appetizer for my guests. Add wine and we’re good to go!
The Asiago with Rosemary and Olive Oil will be sitting atop an Italian red sauce with melted anchovies and plenty of garlic over gnocchi. My mouth is watering already!
Sartori’s artisan cheese is superb, a definite must-try for any cheese lover. High quality, beautifully made, phenomenal flavor. 5 out of 5 stars! Go to their website and peruse their story, cheese, and recipes.
It is pretty impressive. http://sartoricheese.com
You can take the girl out of Wisconsin, but you can’t take the cheese out of her! Thank goodness. Cheesehead to the end 🙂
Xo, Avery