specialty cheese
shop
cheese & wine bar
2411 Mt. Vernon
Avenue
Alexandria, VA
22301
703.706.5300
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Welcome to the Cheesetique May/June Newsletter
Greetings, Cheese Lovers!
Are
you sitting at your computer right now? (I realize the
answer is yes because you couldn't read this otherwise -
it's sort of a tree-falling-in-the-woods thing). Unless you
are sitting on a patio with your laptop, I hereby order you
to take a break and step outside to enjoy one of the most
beautiful days you might ever come across. Do it. Now.
Actually, sign up for the cheese class first, then go
outside. Ok - lecture over.
Cheese & Wine Bar
in a Nutshell
We've added hours. We've added menu
items. We've added wine flights. Whew! It's been a whirlwind
at the Cheese & Wine Bar. So, in summary, here is the
most important piece of info: our
hours!
Tuesday-Thursday
Retail 11 AM - 9
PM
Cheese Bar 5 PM - 9 PM (dinner
only)
Friday
Retail 11 AM - 9 PM
Cheese Bar 11
AM - 2:30 PM (lunch); 5 PM - 10 PM
(dinner)
Saturday
Retail 8 AM - 9 PM
Cheese Bar
11 AM - 2:30 PM (lunch); 5 PM - 10 PM
(dinner)
Sunday
Retail 12 PM - 5 PM
Cheese Bar
12 PM - 2:30 PM (lunch only)
As always, we are closed
on Mondays.
First Thursday is June
5th
First Thursday is just around the corner. The
live jazz was a huge success last time, so we're bringing
back Kevin Pace along with Rodney Richardson on guitar. A
good time will be had by all! Thursday, June 5th, 6 PM - 9
PM.
This Month's Cheese Class: Mambo
Italiano
Why just eat cheese when you can eat cheese
and cured meat? Join me for a unique tasting
experience as we learn about some of the most famous Italian
cheeses and cured meats (think 2-year Prosciutto, Bresaola,
Speck... sorry I have to stop because my mouth is watering).
These savory delectables will be paired with two of my
favorite Italian wines (one white and one red). This is
truly a special event and I'm so excited to partake with you
all!
The cost is $35* per person and you can expect
to spend about an hour learning and tasting. Act quickly -
this will fill up in no time!
The available dates
are:
Sunday, June 1, 6:00 PM
Monday, June 2, 7:00
PM
Sunday, June 15, 6:00 PM
Monday, June 16, 7:00
PM
Sunday, June 22, 6:00 PM
Monday, June 23, 7:00
PM
Email tastings@cheesetique.com to
sign up. Let me know the date(s) you prefer and how many are
in your party. If you are available on more than one
date, please let me know. That way, we can fit more
folks.
A couple more things:
1) You must be 21
to consume alcoholic beverages. Please let me know if you
are under 21 and we will make special arrangements.
2)
Advance payment is required for all classes. Once we fit you
into a slot, I will send you a Paypal invoice so you can pay
securely online. If you need to cancel (72 hours advance
notice, please), we will refund the full amount minus the
Paypal fee.
*This session is $35 instead of
the previous $30. Please know that all classes are priced
according to format and contents. Price changes are not
implemented arbitrarily.
See you
soon!
Jill Erber, Proprietor/Cheese
Lady
Cheesetique Specialty Cheese Shop
direct email:
jill@cheesetique.com
Click here to visit Cheesetique's
web site. You can learn more about the shop, see
location and hours, and view archived issues of the
newsletter. |
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This Issue's Featured
Recipe
Black Pepper Fettuccine with Prosciutto and
Peas
Last month's
recipe did not do enough to satisfy my hankering for our new
fresh pastas. So here's a new one... |
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When to Serve
It
Dinner. With a nice earthy Italian red. Invite your
friends. It's a party in a bowl.
 About the
Meat
What is
Prosciutto?
Prosciutto is
pork. Prosciutto is ham. Prosciutto is perfect pork ham. A
traditional salted and dry-cured leg of pork, it is most
commonly sliced paper-thin and eaten solo as an intoxicating
snack. Served with ripe melon, the salty and sweet/juicy
combination is one of the most coveted. I'm a bacon-holic,
but sometimes its smokiness can be distracting when used in
cooking. Enter Prosciutto, which adds the most complex
sweet-yet-savory accent to any dish.
Parma vs. San
Daniele
Prosciutto is
traditionally produced in one of two Italian regions: Parma
(central-northern Italy) and San Daniele (far northeastern
Italy) and is aged for 9 to 18 months. Ours comes from Parma
and is aged for two years. The extra aging creates an
unmistakable sweetness and tender texture in the
ham.
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Ingredients (serves 4
generously)
4 portions fresh "Ohio City" Black Pepper
Fettuccine (available at Cheesetique)
1 approx. 4 ounce
Prosciutto Butt (we create these from the ends of the
Prosciutto, which is not as good for thin slicing).
8 oz.
frozen peas
1 cup chicken stock (this will create a nice
amount of sauce for sopping up with crusty bread)
1
medium red or yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic,
minced
Directions
1) Chop the Prosciutto Butt into 1/8
inch dice. Cook over medium heat until the fat is rendered
and the Prosciutto is deeply colored.
2) Add the onions
and saute with Prosciutto until tender. Add a little olive
oil if necessary.
3) Add garlic to onions and cook until
tender (don't let it burn).
4) Add chicken stock to pan
and bring to a boil.
5) Add peas to the pan and stir
until warmed through. The sauce should also reduce a bit.
6) While warming the peas, boil the fettuccine in salted
water for 3 minutes.
7) Drain pasta and return to pot.
Pour sauce over pasta as stir well.
8) Portion pasta into
bowls, drizzle with a little olive oil, and shave Parmigiano
Reggiano generously on top.
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Featured Product: 2-Year Prosciutto
Parma
Sweet, savory, tender.
We
slice it thin for snacking. We cut it into butts for
cooking. We adore this ham. 'Nuff said.
$25.95/lb at
Cheesetique. |
| Copyright 2004-2008 Cheesetique LLC. All rights
reserved.
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