What's in Season, CT? (Scenes from Coventry Regional Farmers Market)

We live about 15 minutes from the Coventry Regional Farmers Market, which is held every Sunday from June through October on the Nathan Hale Homestead. Each week features around 75 vendors featuring the freshest local produce, meats, dairy products (hollah cheeses!), breads, artisan foods, crafts and more. Chefs do demonstrations, breweries and wineries offer tastings, and often, there's a local band supplying the background jams. It's awesome. In their own words, "It's like a country fair every Sunday." Here are some photos from our last few visits. We hope they will entice you into going, and perhaps we'll see you there! (Note: This year is the last of the CRFM as it has been, but not to worry, the town of Coventry is taking it over and promises to keep it going - hooray!)

Basket of Fresh Garlic

Gladiolas and Picklin' Cukes

Ingredients for Mystic Oyster Shooters

Heirloom Tomatoes

A Peck of Picked Peppers

Cherry Tomatoes

Burgundy, Golden and Green Beans

Various Shades of Eggplant

Want Some Honey, Honey?

Ripe Red Raspberries

Boxes of Onions

A Beet Shelf

Connecticut Corn

Funky Fungi

Giant Pretzels from Hartford Baking Co.

Local Food and Drink Takeover of Krust Pizza Bar, Middletown

What a great night! We just got home from a fantastic dinner at Krust Woodfired Pizza and Bourbon Bar in Middletown, CT. But it wasn't just a regular night at the wildly popular pizza joint. Rather, it was a celebration of Connecticut 2014. A virtual who's who of the creators and makers of the hottest products coming out of CT right now: Jason and Brian of Mystic Cheese Company, artisans of the "guest of honor," Melville Cheese; Adam and Pete (and company) of Onyx Moonshine, the local spirit of the evening; JD of Ripe Bar Juice, the best mixer around; Carrie (the creative cupcake lady) from NoRA Cupcake Company; and Winter, the main Market Master of Coventry Regional Farmers Market, there, like us, to enjoy it all. 

Yes, these local movers and shakers took over Krust, and Krust welcomed them with open arms and did them justice, creating pie after luscious pie topped not with plain ole' mozzarella, but Mystic's Melville - a smooth, satiny, blubbery, melty, gorgeous cheese that lately, we can't get enough of. We mingled while we awaited our table, enjoying a few Onyx cocktails and the company of our local food heroes. 

When we finally sat, we were starving. First, the Melville antipasti - a wedge of the soft-ripened cheese with roasted red peppers, olives and croutons topped with just the right amount of olive oil. Next, the meat pizza - chunky San Marzano tomatoes, Melville instead of mozz, pancetta, pepperoni, and salami, touched with a sprinkle of oregano, crushed red pepper and sea salt, and drizzled with olive oil. The blend of tender bits of herbacious pork with the stretchy globs of cheese atop the flaky crisp crackly charred crust? Let's just say, it's a good time to be from the Constitution State.

We split a "Cheese Board" cupcake for dessert, and there's no better way to describe this savory confection. The cake had a light almond flavor with a fig preserve filling, and the "frosting" was Melville cheese topped with a mixture of toasted pecans, peanuts, and almonds. Everything you would want in a cheese board but in the form of a cupcake. Masterful.

What a great celebration of the current CT food scene. We can only hope for similar "takeovers" to come. When they do, we will be there!

Best of 2013: Best Local Foodie Event, CT Cheese Festival

The Connecticut Cheese Festival was our pick for Best Local Food Event of 2013. Food Republic recently named New Haven native Jason Sobocinski's Caseus Fromagerie & Bistro third in its list of The Ten Best Cheese Shops in America. We were not at all surprised, for we had the fantastic opportunity to spend a few hours with Sobocinski and some of his cheese-loving friends at the Connecticut Cheese Festival this fall, and we can tell you that this man is all about cheese.

The Cheese-Rolling Contest

With its apt motto, "Curd is the word," the three-hour festival proved that Connecticut is becoming a leader in the artisan cheesemaking revolution. Featuring demonstrations, tastings, classes, and pairings (all with cheese experts), local vendors like Mystic Cheese Company and Fairfield Cheese Company, not one but two grilled cheese trucks, and even a cheese-rolling contest, this event was the cheese lover's place to be. It took place on October 13th and coincided with one of the final Coventry Farmers' Markets of the summer season which take place at the Nathan Hale Homestead. Market "Master" Winter Caplanson invited press, including local bloggers (that's us!), to check it out. When we arrived, Sobocinski greeted us and gave us a run-down of the day as we watched market volunteers assemble the Connecticut Cheese Plates which market-goers could pre-order.

CT Cheese Plate

The plate was beautifully composed and included a variety of cow, sheep and goat cheeses from local cheesemakers with a wide range of textures and flavors, along with locally-made accompaniments. We were instructed to taste clockwise, from lightest/youngest cheeses to the oldest/strongest: There was Oak Leaf Dairy Fresh Chevre (goat's milk) with Farm to Hearth Woodfired Oven-Baked Crisp, Mystic Cheese Company Melville (mixed milk) with Winding Drive Citrus Marmalade, Arethusa Camembert (cow's milk) with 18th Century Purity Farm Heirloom Apple, Beaver Brook Farmstead (sheep's milk) with Falls Creek Farm-Made Quince Paste, and Cato Corner Aged Bloomsday (cow's milk) with Stonewall Apiary Raw Honey. It was a delicious walk through the farms of Connecticut on a single plate.

"Poetry, Music and Cheese" with Robert Aguilera

Next we were invited to join in on the unique and inspiring "Poetry, Music and Cheese Class." Robert Aguilera, who met Sobocinski while the two were working at Formaggio Kitchen in Boston, led participants on an artistic journey to experience cheese as a living entity - pairing it not only with wine or beer, but also with music and poetry. To give much of it away would be a shame, because this is the kind of thing that must be experienced in person, but suffice it to say that it both touched us and gave us a whole new outlook on food pairing.

Grilled Cheese from the Caseus Cheese Truck

The class whet our appetites, so we headed to the Caseus Cheese Truck to wait in line and order the special CT Grilled Cheese. So enraptured by the piping hot, melted cheese, and perfectly grilled, crispy bread, we devoured the whole thing before stopping to take a photo (silly us!). Thankfully, we caught Sobocinski as he enjoyed one himself.

Mozzarella-Making Demo

We watched a few minutes of the mozzarella-making demo which showed how to make a pound of fresh mozzarella using New England Cheesemaking Supply Co.'s cheesemaking kit. Yes, we bought one! But no, we didn't get to see the outcome, since our last, and favorite stop was the Cheese and Spirits Pairing Class with none other than Jason Sobocinski, "The Big Cheese," himself.

Cheese and Spirits Pairing with Jason Sobocinski

After starting with "Every cheese has a story," Sobocinski proceeded to walk us through an hour-long tasting of cheeses paired not with wines but with spirits. We knew we were in the right place when we saw the bottle of our favorite Onyx Moonshine at the table. The best thing was that Sobocinski did not suggest to us what we were tasting, but patiently waited while we tasted and pondered and then discussed what flavors came through on our own palates. He was more of a guide than anything else, and we learned a lot. Amy's favorite pairing was the Bees' Knees - Onyx, local honey and lemon juice - paired with Mystic Cheese's buttery Melville, while Chris loved the Manhattan - Johnny Drum Special Reserve Bourbon, Carpano Antica Vermouth and Luxardo cherries - paired with Arethusa's grassy, nutty Europa. Even without the perfect pairings, those are our favorite new cheeses. We plan to visit his new venture, Ordinary in New Haven, very soon for more. 

Jason Sobocinski, cheese enthusiast

All in all we had a great day. We met many new friends, enjoyed plenty of Connecticut-grown products, discovered some now-favorites, and learned a heck of a lot about cheese. We can't wait for next year's Connecticut Cheese Festival, and we highly recommend you meet us there! 

All the cheese experts at the CT Cheese Festival

Burrata, Prosciutto and Tomato Chutney in Carrozza

We are cheese people. We can easily by-pass a candy store in favor of a cheese shop, especially a really good cheese shop. Italian delis are some of our favorite places to buy cheese, but we are trying to branch out beyond our usual mozzarellas, parmigianos, and provolones to ripe, stinky French cheeses, strange-sounding Swiss cheeses, and best of all, any of their counterparts, locally made.

On a weekend jaunt to the up-and-coming village of Brattleboro, Vermont, our cheese cravings were satiated by the fantastic selection offered by the welcoming and knowledgeable staff of the Brattleboro Cheese Shop and Cafe. The shop was busy and the cheesemonger did her best to meet everyone's needs while she made suggestions, wrapped purchases and created gorgeous cheese plates for sharing. We bought a beautiful fresh burrata made an hour away from the shop, plus some house-made tomato chutney to pair it with. Both of us had visions of the gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches we would make when we arrived back home.

We grabbed a rustic loaf from nearby Brattleboro bakery Amy's Bakery Arts Cafe, and when we got home, we laid our our purchases. The burrata was soft and pillowy, filled with curds, and reminding us of a delicately poached egg. We broke it open and used some of the soft curds and the outer, more-mozzarella-like layer  to make a fancied-up version of mozzarella in carrozza*.  It was fabulous. The tomato chutney had a deep, dark, slightly sweet richness about it that contrasted beautifully with the creamy burrata. The addition of prosciutto contributed a chewy texture and smoky flavor. Deep frying it to an eggy golden brown? Well, that's just good lovin'.

The next day, via email, we received a perfectly timed invitation to the Connecticut Cheese Festival to be held at the Coventry Regional Farmers Market on Sunday October 13th from 11 to 2. Tastings! Pairings! Classes! Food trucks! Even a cheese-wheel-rolling contest! We can't wait to see how our state's offerings compare to Vermont's. For more information about the festival, read the press release here. Hope to see you there!

*Note: "in carrozza" is Italian for "in a carriage" - the golden-fried bread being the vehicle for the delicious fillings. No chutney? Use your favorite preserves!

Burrata, Prosciutto and Tomato Chutney "in Carrozza"

Ingredients (per sandwich):

2 slices rustic bread

1 tablespoon tomato chutney
1/4 large burrata

2 slices prosciutto

1 tablespoon flour

1 egg, beaten

oil for frying

Fill large skillet or frying pan 1/4 inch high with oil and heat. Spread one slice of bread with chutney or preserves and cover with folded prosciutto. Break open the burrata and spread some of the curds onto the sandwich; add some of the mozzarella as well. Assemble into a sandwich. Dip each side of sandwich first in flour, then in the egg. Fry in hot oil on both sides, until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted.