T Minus Three Days and Counting…You can Still Vote by clicking here…please send this feline foodie to Wisconsin…yes, I still live with what The Lady likes to call my “misguided perception” that the manse is run like a democracy…hope springs eternal…
A day The Lady had been awaiting finally arrived on Thursday when The Beecher’s Flagship Reserve truckles were delivered to the Kiosk. She has been begging for this cheese for months. What her kiosk lacked was a great American Cheddar, with all due respect to the regular Beecher’s Flagship, which The Lady and The Man love, as well.
The wait is over; another goal has been achieved and clicked off her “To accomplish” list…
In 2007, The American Cheese Society named Beecher’s Flagship Reserve “America’s Best Cheddar” and they sure got that right.
Flagship Reserve is a bandaged cheddar, wrapped in cloth and open-air aged for at least one year. This cheese made only on days when the milk composition is just right (think Terroir). The curds on these days allow for a lower moisture and higher salt content but keep the creamy finish that Kurt Dammeier (whose middle name is Beecher) demands of this fine cheese. By air-aging this cheddar there is a 14-16% moisture loss during the aging and that concentrates the rich flavor and produces a finish that stays on the palate longer.
Beecher trivia: Kurt learned to make cheese at Washington State University, where the agriculture department produces Cougar Gold cheddar. While working at the kiosk in Vancouver, The Lady discovered that fans of Cougar Gold could be easily converted to devotees of Beecher’s Flagship. There were enough similarities between the two cheeses, to satisfy those WSU folks who previously thought that Cougar Gold was “the cat’s meow”…what’s up with that phrase…
Another bit of trivia: Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is located in Pike’s Place in Seattle, right next door to the original Starbucks location…how’s that for a great culinary destination???
Yesterday, the Lady cracked the first truckle (derived from the Latin word “trochlea”…I knew that three years of Latin at WHS when observing in the Jefferson County Quandrant would finally pay off) of Flagship Reserve and began sampling and selling it. The response was universal, “Wow, this is great cheese!!” The sales were brisk and this morning The Lady will be cracking the second truckle, cutting and wrapping this superb cheddar from Seattle’s own Beecher’s Handmade Cheese…God bless America (for Nate’s dad) and Kurt Dammeier…
This feline foodie gives Kurt and his Flagship reserve 4 Paws out of 4 Paws…it may be all I’ve got; but how in the world could I give this cheddar anything less…after all, he also gave the world of cheese No Woman, which you may recall is this feline foodie’s favorite cheese of all time…at least for now…the world of cheese is so big and my journey has just begun.
Serving Suggestions: The Lady let this cheese sit out for about an hour and then she served it with everything, including the proverbial kitchen sink…grapes, the green, seedless kind… pears, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, 34° Sesame Crispbread, Grand Central Bakery Olive Ciabatta, Ficoco Spread, Boar’s Head Salami. Everything worked, it was a cornucopia of delish foods…The Lady and Flagship reserve were hits with this feline foodie and The Man.
Wine Pairings: A California Cabernet or Hogue Cellar’s Syrah
Beer Pairings: Seattle’s Red Hook
Source: The Crème de la Crème of Cows’ Milk
Up next: I will conclude my series of reviews of the BelGioioso Family of Cheeses and cross my Paws that you, my devoted fans, will do the right thing and send this feline foodie to Wisconsin…
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This is an excellent cheese! I like it especially coarsely grated and liberally added to an omelet with diced tomato and minced arugula.
Marcella ~ This is a beautiful display. I just have to say thank you for doing this so perfectly. You have the POS, the special sign, the stickers, cross merchandising, a full range of different sized pieces. Seriously, it doesn’t get any better than this!!
Absolutly an Awesome cheese, was at Pike Place Market the other day, got to taste the cheese and see it being made by a crew of hard working cheese makers, props to the Beechers Cheese Crew, Kurt Dammeier and Brad Sinko, for making a fine artisan cheddar that lives up to the hipe!!!