A Cure for All- Goat Cheese, Bread, and Rosé

I was really excited to jump right in and write about the four goat cheeses I bought at Cured.  But, that has to wait a bit so I can tell you how very happy I was upon leaving Cured.  It felt like a movie, or like I was magically somewhere else- walking through downtown Boulder with a small brown paper bag full of wine, plums, cheese, and a freshly baked baguette.  This baguette was teasing me with a freshly baked aroma as I ducked into Topo Ranch to buy a birthday present for one of my favorite people in the world.  I had a great conversation with the girl working at Topo Ranch about the baguette I got at Cured, my blog posts about cheese, the aroma of the baguette… and more about how I could hardly keep myself from biting right into the tip of the bread that stuck out of that slender brown bread bag.

Ahh… the baguette- it changed things that day.  After an unnecessary splurge on my new bracelet (which I justified since I was so excited about the fresh bread) in addition to the important bday gift, I kept walking towards my car.  It started to rain.  My umbrella saved the day as the most important thing was keeping the baguette dry. A woman asked me if I had bought the bread at Panera bread.  Oh, no ma’am.  I went to Cured because I’m a food blogger on a mission to explore cheese and wine.  And this baguette- well, it’s freshly baked by some guy named Steve who uses a local restaurant space to bake breads.  This is no Panera bread baguette.

And so, I got home and unpacked my brown bag.

Coral Ferguson, co-owner of Cured, sent me home with four goat cheeses (beautifully wrapped like little cheese presents), locally grown plums, a bottle of Spanish rosé, and my baguette.  Time to explore some goat cheeses.

I had a taste of Capriago (bottom left), Garrotxa (bottom right), Covered Bridge (upper right), and Goat Cheddar (upper left).

But, before I even unwrapped the cheeses, I tore off the top of that baguette and stood in the kitchen, silently enjoying my bread.  I didn’t even put on music yet.  Just ate the bread.  It felt so good to devour the beautiful section of bread that had been teasing me for so long.  I poured a glass of Borsao Rosé made from Spanish Garnacha grapes.  I’m Spanish wines’ biggest fan, and I really enjoy rosé, so this was perfect for me.  It was also light and fruity, which helped cut the fat from all of my cheeses.

So, I just sliced right into those cheeses.  A little cheese and bread, sip of wine, bites of plum here and there.  It was fun.

Capriago comes from the Bohemian Creamery in Sebastopol, CA.  It’s a moist cheese that’s just slightly sweet, and I had no problem eating slice after slice.  Yum.  I would get this again.

Garrotxa (pronounced ga-ro-cha) comes from Catalonia, Spain.  It’s mild, despite a moldy rind, with a delicate goat flavor- so, it didn’t taste too much like a barnyard.  However, I tend to enjoy the barnyard in cheese while others do not, so that’s something to keep in mind with goat cheeses.  It’s also the only cheese from this sampling that I found in The Murray’s Cheese Handbook, so I’ll quote. “This aged wheel is a brilliant expression of goat’s milk at its best.” I especially enjoyed this one.

Covered Bridge comes from Pholia Farms in Rogue River, OR.  This cheese comes from Nigerian dwarf dairy goats.  That’s unique.  There was something different about this cheese, and it might be because the milk comes from dwarf goats.  I know of a number of people who would find it too farmy, or too barny. When I compared it to the Capriago and Garroxta, I didn’t enjoy it as much.  A friend actually spit it out, but that’s just rude, gross behavior, now isn’t it?

And finally, Goat Cheddar from Avalanche Goat Dairy in Basalt, CO.  This is one I’m still unsure of.  I had a problem with the mouth feel of this cheese.  I felt a sensation of wet chalk or something, but the flavor was nutty and sweet.  This cheese was also spit out by my friend- not once, but two or three times.  I kept insisting on trying things over and over to really get an opinion.  We both agreed that the texture of goat cheddar was a bit odd for us that evening.  I’m open to trying it again, or something like it.

And so, my adventures in cheeses have officially begun.  I’m so glad Cured is in town.

Oliv You & Me

As an avid home cook and food blogger, I often go to downtown Boulder for my cooking essentials.  As co-founding foodie of Local Table Tours, I love bringing my tour guests to some of my favorite foodie hot-spots, especially Oliv You & Me.

Oliv You & Me is the place to explore the varied world of olive oils.  Just look for the Olive Oil sign…

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Upon entering Oliv You & Me, it is clear that there are many different olive oils.  How is one to choose?  Lucky for all of us, Patti Scott, the owner of Oliv You & Me, is an olive oil aficionado and offers samples of olive oil to help you determine which particular oils please your palate.

On our tours, we all gather around the olive oil tasting bar to sample light, medium, and robust oils from all around the world. Patti talks to us about some different flavors and sensations we are experiencing while we slurp down small spoonfuls of premium olive oil.  It is interesting to note which flavors you prefer because each oil is uniquely different.  After you taste a few and distinguish a preference, it is time to start thinking about how to pair that particular olive oil with food.

Patti often tells our tour guests that a good olive oil not only adds flavor to your dish, but also improves your cooking.  She wants people to be inspired by their olive oil and get creative with it in the kitchen.  Patti is full of suggestions for pairing olive oils with foods, so, don’t be shy.  Just ask.

Oliv You & Me is the perfect place in downtown Boulder to find cooking inspiration.  This unique little specialty shop is filled with dried pastas, cookbooks, kitchen gadgets, serving platters, and shelf after shelf filled with olive oils.  Take some time to wander through the store and read olive oil facts, flavoring ideas, and recipe suggestions.

Patti also enjoys supporting local businesses.  Oliv You & Me serves European style coffee using local Coda coffee.  If you’re hungry, locally made salumi from Il Mondo Vecchio might tempt you.  As for me personally?  I’m a big fan of the glass olive oil dipping dishes made exclusively for Oliv You & Me by local artisan Meg Clarke.

These handmade glass dishes have little ridges on them for you to rub garlic, herbs, lemon, ginger, or whatever else you’d like to use to flavor olive oil. I absolutely love mine.

So, join us on a culinary walking tour.  A lot of our tours do make a stop at Oliv You & Me, though not all do. And the next time you’re in downtown Boulder, visit Oliv You & Me and treat yourself and your taste buds to some gourmet olive oils.  But I must warn you: after experiencing such thoughtfully selected olive oils it may be difficult to go back to your store brand oil- and that’s just fine with me.