Please note! We are opening at noon on Monday August 21 so that we can watch the 92% solar eclipse that morning.
We adore cheese here at Paris-Madrid Grocery. But sadly, our gorgeous blue cheeses just don’t get the love that they deserve! Valdeon is a well-known blue cheese made in Spain’s Picos de Europa mountains. Made with the reknown top quality milk from this area, aged in caves in the Asturian town of Posada de Valdeon, it is a blend of about 90% cow milk and 10% goat milk. The unique conditions in these caves and the addition of goat milk give it a slight piquancy with a creamy and flavorful deliciousness. A fantastic addition to cheese plates, Valdeon is excellent drizzled with honey, or served plain accompanied by walnuts, dried prunes, raisins or figs. Top a grilled tenderloin with it, or make Martha Stewart’s blue cheese dressing by mixing 2 oz Valdeon with ¼ cup buttermilk, ¼ cup sour cream, ¼ cup mayonnaise with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve the dressing on fresh garden carrots, green beans, radishes or lettuce. A typical and delicious tapas dish from Spain combines Valdeon blue cheese with endive (see recipe below).
OTHER NEW CHEESES:
Meule de Savoie (Cave Aged Gruyere) $24.99/lb
A gruyere style cheese made by Fromagerie Fruiteres des Bornes, Meule de Savoie is made from raw cow’s milk and cave aged 18 months at high altitude. Cream to yellow in color, this cheese gives off floral and herbaceous aromas, with flavors ranging from fruity to nutty. A delicious French alpine cheese! Serve as hors d’oeuvres or melt for fondue.
Trois Laits $30.99/lb
A stunning presentation of Trois Laits produced by Secrets d’Affineurs, a major cheese maker in the Auvergne, Roquefort, and Pryenees regions. Using “trois laits”, three types of milk, this semi-firm cheese possess the creaminess of cow’s milk, the nuttiness of sheep’s milk, and the subtle herbaceous tang of goat’s milk. Rich and complex with sweet aromas of hay and alpine grasses.
Digestives are back in stock! The original McVitie’s are here and we’ve got both plain and dark chocolate covered.
TASTY EVERYDAY WINES:
NV Blanc Pescador, Costa Brava ($9.99) This slightly frizzante white wine is served in all of the coastal seafood restaurants in Catalonia, and on languid family lunches in summertime. Low in alcohol (11.5%), it is a blend of Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo. Clean, fruity with just a touch of sweetness, it is excellent with cheeses, seafood and salads.
Domaine Alary “La Grange Daniel” IGP Orange ($13.99). The Alary family’s involvement in viticulture and wine production dates back as far as 1692. Guided by a healthy respect for the environment for 10 generations, in 2009 the estate was converted to organic farming. A blend of Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre, and Syrah, it was raised in concrete vats for 8 months and is unfined. Offering up aromas of raspberry, it has spicy notes with a depth of black fruit. Moderate tannins and excellent balance make this tasty quaffer one to stock up on!
Endives with Blue Cheese
2 endives (24 leaves)
12 Tablespoons Valdeon blue cheese, room temperature
8 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons minced parsley
Slice root end off endive and separate leaves into individual spears. Rinse and dry well. Mash the blue cheese and mix with mayonnaise. Arrange endive spears/leaves on a serving platter, and into each spear put some blue cheese mixture (stuff the leaves to suit yourself), and top with minced parsley. Optional: Sprinkle a few walnut pieces on each endive leaf, and finish with a slight drizzle of honey.