After teaching a small group cheese class last week, I discovered how much I enjoy sitting down with a few folks, cutting into some wheels of cheese, and taking a deep dive into a topic. So voila – a new series of what I’m calling “Cheese Geek Classes” have been born. Each class is limited to just eight people. We’ll sit around a table, eat some cheese, study a topic in-depth and probably drink a beer or two. I hope you’ll join me!
Here we go:
July 21 – Cheese Geek Class – The Art and Science of Aging Cheese
6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Firefly Coffeehouse, 114 N Main St, Oregon, WI
Join Jeanne Carpenter, American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional for a small-group study on the art and science of aging cheese. We’ll explore four different types of cheese rinds and taste four of the very best artisan cheeses made in America today. Learn why cheesemakers add ash to surface ripened cheeses, why natural rinds are particularly tricky, and learn the difference between a cheese washed in beer and a cheese washed in whiskey. Tickets: $28 and seats must be reserved in advance. Limited to just 8 attendees. Includes glass of wine, beer or beverage of choice. Register at www.cheesetickets.com
August 23 – Cheese Geek Class – Learning the Lexicon of Cheese Flavors
6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Firefly Coffeehouse, 114 N Main St, Oregon, WI
Join Jeanne Carpenter for a small-group study on how best to describe the many flavors you taste in cheese. After this class you’ll stop calling cheddar “sharp” (as Pat Polowsky, Wisconsin author of Cheese Science Toolkit would say: “A knife is sharp. Cheese is not.”) We’ll taste four unique American artisan cheeses and learn how to describe them using cheese descriptors such as brothy, roasted or herbal. Afterward, you’ll be able to impress your wine snob friends with your new cheese lexicon. Tickets: $28 and seats must be reserved in advance. Limited to just 8 attendees. Includes glass of wine, beer or beverage of choice. Register at www.cheesetickets.com
September 29 – Cheese Geek Class – Understanding Crystals in Cheese
6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Firefly Coffeehouse, 114 N Main St, Oregon, WI
Join Jeanne Carpenter for a small-group study on how and why cheese crystals – those little flavor bursty bits from heaven – form in cheese. We’ll study two types of crystals: calcium lactate and tryosine, learn why each forms in different types of cheese, and how cheesemakers encourage their growth. Plus, of course, we’ll taste four different cheeses, with – you guessed it – crystal features. Is your mouth watering yet? Tickets: $28 and seats must be reserved in advance. Limited to just 8 attendees. Includes glass of wine, beer or beverage of choice. Register at www.cheesetickets.com
