Posts Tagged ‘Cheese

18
Dec
09

Tis the season I lose my mind!!!

By msbutterton 4 Comments
Categories: Blogging, Cheese and Desserts
Tags: , , ,

Ever notice how the countdown to Christmas becomes most frenetic the final week before December 25th?  Between the last-minute shopping and the Holiday parties, I get really crazed, right about now!

Last night I baked one of my favorite Cheesecakes for our Book Group Holiday Party tonight.  It’s the one night each year that all of our husbands are included, so we’re having a sit-down dinner for 14 at my girlfriend’s house – with a White Elephant gift exchange.

My assignment is the dessert so I made my favorite Christmas Cheesecake, covered with a luscious Raspberry~Grand Marnier sauce.

:)

:)

I’ll post the recipe and pics tomorrow – right now, I have to get over to the Epicure Sale to stock up on discounted French cheese for Christmas and New Years.

:)

:)

Then it’s time to tackle the mall once again (ugh) so I can buy another pair of Spanx! What can I say, the holidays have taken their toll on my figure!

I hope you’re all holding up well this holiday season — I’m so glad it only happens once a year!  :)

14
Dec
09

Epicure Imports Sale – this Friday & Saturday

By msbutterton 2 Comments
Categories: Cheese and Specialty Shops
Tags: , , , ,


Hey LA friends!  I just received this e-mail from Epicure Imports:

OPEN WAREHOUSE


Christmas – New Year’s 2009


COME DO YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING FOR HIGH END SPECIALTY FOODS


Olive oils, vinegars, truffles, meats, sausages, pates, cookies, and freshly imported specialty cheeses.
Plus, beautiful pre-made gift baskets at wholesale prices and wine selections from France, Italy and Spain


Friday, Dec. 18, 2009  1:30PM – 6:00PM   Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009  9:30AM – 2:00PM


Epicure Imports, Inc – 6900 Beck Ave – North Hollywood, CA 91605 Tel: (818) 985-9800 Fax: (818) 985-1500  info@epicureimports.com

08
Nov
09

Cheese-a-palooza is coming, again – 11/20 & 11/21 ~ just in time for Thanksgiving!

By msbutterton 4 Comments
Categories: Cheese and Specialty Shops
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
cheese platter

cheese platter

Epicure Imports is having another warehouse sale November 20th and 21st.  It’s a great opportunity to stock up on gourmet cheeses and specialty foods for the holidays.

Brillat-Savarin

Brillat-Savarin....my favorite!

I’ll be reminding everyone as the date gets closer, but I thought I’d tell y’all now – so you can mark it in your calendars and make a plan!

GOAT CHEESE WITH FIG PRESERVES

goat cheese with fig preserves

p.s. – doors open Friday at 1:30 – bring a jacket…It’s cold in the warehouse.

Epicure Imports:

6900 Beck Ave.

North Hollywood, CA 91605

818-985-9800

cheese - milk's leap

24
Sep
09

EPICURE IMPORT SALE STARTS TOMORROW – DON’T FORGET THE ROQUEFORT!

By msbutterton Leave a Comment
Categories: Appetizers and Cheese
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

“ROQUE-TY-TOASTS”

These are a great addition to an assorted bruschetta platter!  If you like Roquefort cheese – you’ll LOVE these!  My husband HATES Roquefort, (preferring Velveeta above all) so more for me!

ROQUE-TY TOASTS

6 oz Roquefort cheese
1/4 Cup  red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 Cup walnut pieces, coarsely chopped
1 Tablespoon softened butter
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
fresh baguette slices

Let the cheese soften at room temperature.  Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and spread liberally on the baguette slices.  Put them on a cookie sheet.  Turn on the broiler of  your oven and place the cookie sheet on one of the lower racks – not too close to the flame, or they’ll burn.  Cook them until bubbling and golden brown – usually between 30 seconds and 1 1/2 minutes – depending on your oven

Watch them carefully – all it takes is walking away to answer one phone call and forgetting about them – and they’ll be “toast”  (pardon the pun)

Remove immediately and let them rest for the cookie sheet or about a minute and serve.

Epicure Imports:

6900 Beck Ave.

North Hollywood, CA 91605

818-985-9800

22
Sep
09

MARK YOUR CALENDARS – CHEEZAPALOOZA IS COMING THIS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25!

By msbutterton 1 Comment
Categories: Cheese and Specialty Shops
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

I learned of Epicure Imports through a Facebook friend, last spring. They are a gourmet food and wine warehouse that opens to the general public twice a year. This Friday, and Saturday,  they will be open for us civilians!  It’s an opportunity to stock up on imported cheeses, wine, chocolate, etc., at WHOLESALE PRICES!   You know I’ll be allll ovah that – like bleu on Stilton!

Unfortunately, Epicure does not have a website, so here is their info, along with a link to a great site called Gayot, where you can read more about them:

http://www.gayot.com/gourmetshops/LosAngelesInfo.php?tag=LASHP081201&code=LA

p.s. – doors open Friday at 1:30 – bring a jacket…It’s cold in the warehouse.

Epicure Imports:

6900 Beck Ave.

North Hollywood, CA 91605

818-985-9800

Gayot:

http://www.gayot.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brillat-Savarin_cheese

18
Sep
09

Vegetable and Mascarpone Raviolis

By msbutterton Leave a Comment
Categories: Cheese, Pasta & Noodles and Vegetable
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

1-2 packages Wonton wrappers – unless you can make fresh pasta (the pasta is fresh in my pics, but using wonton wrappers is fast and easy)

1 egg- beaten

Sautéed Vegetable Filling:

3 Tbs Olive Oil
1 box or bag frozen artichoke hearts
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 shallots – chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
2 Portobello mushrooms – chopped
4-5 basil leaves, chopped
Cheese filling:
1 Cup Mascarpone Cheese
1 egg – slightly beaten
In olive oil, sauté all of the vegetable ingredients, (except the basil) until well browned – approximately 30 minutes  Remove from heat and cool.  In large mixing bowl, fold the cheeses and beaten egg.  When the vegetable mixture is cool, combine it with the cheese and add the chopped basil.

Sprinkle flour on a good-sized working space for the wonton wrappers and place a spoonful of the veggie/cheese mixture in the center.  With a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg along the edges of the wonton and place another wrapper on top.  Press the edges, while pushing out any air bubbles. If you have a ravioli cutter, use it to cinch the edges, if not use the tines of a fork to create a decorative edge. Place the raviolis on a cookie sheet, lined with floured parchment paper, until you are ready to cook them.

To cook:

Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil and add salt.  Gently place the raviolis in the water – careful not to crowd them and boil them for about 2-3 minutes

These can be served with most sauces – marinara, a light cream sauce. I like them with this white wine, olive oil and tomato sauce:

1 clove garlic – sliced

1 shallot – sliced

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Plum Tomatoes – seeded and lightly chopped

1 1/2 Cups dry white wine

salt and pepper to taste

a pinch of red pepper flakes

Fresh basil and chives – you judge!

Over medium heat,  sauté the garlic and shallots in olive oil – just until they “sweat”.  Add the wine, salt, pepper and pepper flakes and cook for about a minute; then add the tomatoes and fresh herbs, toss until blended – Serve immediately

17
Sep
09

Mama’s got a brand new blog…

By msbutterton 2 Comments
Categories: Cheese and Specialty Shops
Tags: , , , , , ,

Trying to decide what to write about, on this, the first post of my new blog, but all I can think about is “what am I going to do with the 3 pounds of fresh mozzarella, the 1/2 pound of fresh burrata and the pound of mascarpone in my fridge?”

I recently discovered Gioia, an incredible Cheese Supplier located in El Monte, CA.  For years now, I’ve tried in vain to buy fresh mozzarella, here in L.A.  I don’t mean the refrigerated tubs in Trader Joe’s and Bristol Farms.  I’m talking about FRESH, made that morning, handed to you warm and so creamy, when you get it home and slice through it, the milk inside, oozes all over your cutting board!  New Yorkers and East-Coasters know what I’m talking about – sold in neighborhood pork stores and delis, where one can watch the owner behind the counter, pulling and stretching and braiding their beautiful balls (yeah, I know how that sounds) of mozzarella.  It’s a joy to watch – and it’s on my list of “things I want to learn to do, before I die”!

Anyway… I read about Gioia a while ago and finally bit the bullet this week and made the trek – not as bad as I thought, about 25 minutes each way…and soooo worth it!  I’ll be making this a monthly outing!  Gioia is located in an industrial area and there was no opportunity to watch the cheese-making process – we just entered the front office and placed our order with an amiable young woman behind a desk, from an order sheet.  I got a little carried away, with the idea of all these cheeses being made fresh, on the premises – so I did order more than I should have – needless to say, this week’s menus contain a LOT of cheese and my neighbors and friends have become some lucky recipients!

They accept online & phone orders and Fed-ex orders overnight for anyone who finds the drive too far.

Gioia
1605 Potrero Avenue
El Monte, CA 91733
949.922.8902

And some more of my faves for  L.A Cheese:

The Artisan Cheese Gallery
12023 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
818.505.0207

Tutto Latte Express
1233 Vine St
L.A., CA 90038
323.463.5041

The Cheesestore of Silverlake
3926-28 West Sunset Blvd.
L.A. CA 90029
323.644.7511

https://www.gioiacheeseinc.com/

http://www.artisancheesegallery.com/

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-calcook26apr26,0,2342160.story

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© Sandy Carlson and À la Sandy, 2009. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sandy Carlson and À la Sandy with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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