Saw this lovely looking spring snack combination...inspired me to pick up some La Tur for an appetizer tonight.....

http://sunday-suppers.com/snack-blueb...

I don't know what part of Charleston you are moving to, but here are my favorites - mostly downtown or West Ashley/James Island areas. I don't go over to Mt. Pleasant much, but it looks like Sue has that part of town covered.

Seafood: Crosby's - they have a location on Folly Beach & one downtown

Meat: Earthfare (West Ashley) or Teds Bucherblock (downtown) depending on what you need.

Veggies: Charleston farmers market on Saturdays, multiple CSAs

Wine & cheese: Avondale Wine & Cheese - West Ashley

Bread: Normandy Farms (West Ashley, near Earthfare)

Good luck with your move!

60%, boo. I never had a chance with the sports related questions.

This is a hard question as I take a "love the one you're with" approach to cheese.

If I were forced to choose a desert island cheese it would be any mold ripened (new term I just learned today!) goat cheese - clochette, coupole, crottin, valencay, etc. I would also pray there was a fig tree and sugar plantation on the island so I could make jam to go with them!

My favorite is actually Trader Joes pre-shredded gouda/swiss blend. You would never know it from eating a piece straight, but it is so good melted in eggs!

The 3-month is El Greco brand. Will report back on the other 2 when I get to Whole Foods.

I make fig jam, but I am sure Whole Foods has a great one.

Jay - I think I would slice it. I have never tried to recreate the sandwich before, but based on what I remember they probably used fairly thick slices of manchego. Now, I really wish I could remember what kind of bread they used....

Fun, I didn't know about this either. It is a great excuse to make my favorite grilled cheese from a (now closed) tapas restaurant - manchego with fig jam. Bonus that it uses the cheese of the month!

It is the best jam-making book I have bought - I love her method and, after a bit of a learning curve to figure out how to tell if the jam has gelled properly, have had great success with the jams I have tried. Even the ones I stopped cooking a bit too soon are delish, but a bit runny. The flavors are fun.

Another of recipe from the book that goes great with cheese is the peach with pinot noir & cinnamon.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

These are two of my favorite cheeses!

Great question....and I don't know the answer because I threw away the labels. Next time I am back at either store, I will make a note of the producers and report back.

To kick off April I put together a Manchego tasting plate - including:

3 month ($15.99 from EarthFare)
6 month ($16.99 from Whole Foods)
12 month ($18.99 from Whole Foods)
Served with quince paste & chorizo as bites alongside. All cheeses were pasteurized.

While I would buy any of these again, the far and away taste test winner was the 6-month. I thought it had far more flavor and depth than the three month. While I liked the taste, the 12-month made my mouth sting/tingle (pecorino does this to me as well, does anyone know why??).

I am planning to use the rest of the 12-month to make the smoked chicken, corn & manchego quiche from this month's Fine Cooking....will report on that when I make it!

I hope everyone is enjoying some Manchego this month - I look forward to hearing about everyone's experiences!

This sounds wonderful. In my opinion, few cheeses are not made better with a little bit of fig jam!

This won't help you - but there used to be a local goat cheese maker in Charleston that did fresh chevre with crystallized ginger - it was the best stuff ever! Sadly they closed up shop a couple years ago, but if you ever come across anything like it, give it a try!

That sounds amazing. We do a lot of grilled pizza around here - this is on the list for fig season.

Hi Danna,
I found 12-month manchego at Whole Foods yesterday for $18.99/lb. Not cheap, but a little better than $25/lb.

I am glad you are excited to try it!

Today I was able to find 6- and 12-month versions - so my cheese plate is complete. I am excited to start tasting!

I chose one for this month since it is a fairly broad category and widely available.

I think there may be multiple choices in future months if the coordinator wants to explore a specific cheese that may be difficult to find or otherwise out of reach for many.

Wow, that's a great haul! I have no idea about tasting order....but I am sure one of the experts will weigh in!

It is fig honey & laurel (bay leaves) jam- I made it this summer - the recipe is from Mes Confitures by Christine Ferber. Goes great with lots of cheeses or just on biscuits!

I just picked up Mt. Tam today - it is so good! Paired with fig, honey and laurel jam - heaven!

There were some requests to post the April Cheese of the Month a couple days early....I hope I am not stepping on Taleggio's toes.

Overview: Sheep milk cheese from Spain. Can be raw milk or pasteurized.

Reasons chosen: Mentioned in the cheese nomination thread; I like it and have never explored the aged versions; it is widely available and (hopefully) approachable enough for those new to cheese while offering enough depth for those who are already familiar to learn something new.

Potential topics: Do you like it?; raw vs. pasteurized versions; comparison of various stages of aging; recipes; pairings….I am sure there are many others!

Traditional pairings: quince paste, marcona almonds (have y’all tried the rosemary ones from TJs – they are so good, although probably not “traditional”!), fig cake, chorizo, roasted red peppers

Complimentary Wines - from the book What to Drink with What You Eat: Rioja (esp. with aged Manchego), Sherry (esp. with young), Cava (with young)

Description from Culture Magazine:
http://culturecheesemag.com/cheese-library?a=manchego&b=All&c=&d=All&e=All&f=All&g=All&h=All

http://culturecheesemag.com/node/1181

Unless otherwise noted, all the above information is sourced from various internet sites (Culture Magazine, Murray’s Cheese, etc), I will defer to the experts if any of it is incorrect.

I picked up a 3 month Manchego for $15.99/lb and plan to serve as our appetizer with quince paste and marcona almonds when we get to the Keys! So far, all the aged versions I have found are raw milk, but I will keep hunting.

Happy Cheese Hunting!
Emily

Previous Cheese of the Month Threads:
Taleggio – March 2013: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/892781

My understanding is that they will be posted at the beginning of each month. I can go ahead and start the April thread if that is incorrect.

Thank you for putting this all in one place Melanie!

Figs and coupole http://www.vermontcreamery.com/coupole-1

Thanks HillJ - I am looking forward this series continuing as well. I never needed much of a push to eat some cheese, but now I feel like I have a purpose (excuse?)! :)

Thanks Melanie - I actually almost posted that same link! I should get better about referencing articles I see since I always appreciated it when others take the time to post links.

I agree that Fleur Verte is probably too specific for COTM. One of my handicaps as coordinator is honestly not know about availability outside of where I live and shop. I am going to "go safe" for April and hopefully will pick something people are interested in based on input from this board.

Thanks Veggo. Hopefully it won't be too much extra work since (my understanding of) the roll is that it is to kick off the topic, not moderation. You have already done a lot to get this off the ground. I just want to eat cheese!

I am not sure what you are asking? Based on the March boards a cheese was chosen, some people complained (but in the end tried something new), some people jumped on board and by the end of it several people had tried a new cheese and some learned more about a cheese they already knew and loved.

I volunteered because no one else did and I enjoyed the March COTM and wanted to see it continue with a minimum of hand wringing - if you would like to take April, I am happy to let you have it.