[1] The Emporium Selection Summer Alcohol Cheese Collection trio from Aldi. There’s more about it below (photo © Aldi).

[2] Wenslydale lends itself to blending with fruit. Here, a mango-flavored variety (not part of the Aldi collection—photo © iGourmet).

[3] For a sublime Wensleydale experience, it doesn’t get better than Old Roan Wensleydale (photos #3, #4 and #5 © The Home Farmer).

[4] Milk is curdled into curds. If the cheese is being blended, it is at this point that the fruit is mixed in. Either way, the curds are then formed into rounds and placed in a maturing room (a.k.a. aging room, cave or cellar).

[5] The maturing room. Note the different ages of the cheeses: the white rounds newly formed, and two older versions with rinds.

We love good cheese, and eat it just about every day. We’re not talking about the mozzarella on pizza or the cheddar slices on cheeseburgers, although we eat those, too.

We’re talking about cheeses that delight, from favorite dairies like Cypress Grove, Jasper Hill Farm, Rogue Creamery, Uplands Cheese Company and Vermont Creamery.

For us, these are “serious cheeses.” But we also like what we think of as “fun cheeses.”

These are excellent cheeses that are also fun to eat: Burrata, with its oozing, creamy center; Gorgonzola Dolce, creamy, mild, and sweet per its name (dolce means sweet in Italian); Halloumi, a semisoft Greek cheese that becomes a grilled slab of cheese without melting; and Raclette, a cheese that is heated until melty and then scraped onto potatoes, vegetables and meats.
 
 
THREE BLENDED WENSLEYDALES FROM ALDI

Here’s more fun cheese from Aldi.

Imported from the U.K. and exclusive to Aldi, The Emporium Selection Summer Alcohol Cheese Collection comprises three English Wensleydale cheeses, blended with the flavors of three popular cocktails.

A medium-bodied cheese that is supple and crumbly, plain Wensleydale has a slight honey aroma. It’s commonly flavored with apples, dried cranberries, mango, pineapple and other fruits. These are called blended cheeses, and are charming.
 
At Aldi, they’re available beginning August 25th. Wenslydale cheeses are blended with fruit†*:

 
The six-ounce cheese squares do not contain alcohol†, but are skillfully flavored to give the impression of the cocktail. They are made with rBST-free milk.

All three are a real treat, for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

They’re perfect with summery wines and cocktails, delicious as a snack, and luscious as dessert cheese.

We were treated to samples, and couldn’t stop eating them. We’re headed to the nearest Aldi for more.

 
ABOUT WENSLEYDALE CHEESE

A popular cow’s milk cheese originally produced in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, England, today Wenslydale is mostly made in large commercial creameries throughout the U.K.‡

Wensleydale cheese was first made by French Cistercian monks, who traveled from the Roquefort region of France to build a monastery in Wensleydale, England. They brought a recipe for making cheese from sheep’s milk, which is the major cheese milk in the Roquefort region.

During the 14th century, cows’ milk began to be used, and the character of the cheese began to change. A small amount of sheep’s milk was still mixed in to provide a better texture, and to allow the development of blue mold.

At that time, Wensleydale was almost always a blue cheese (like Roquefort); the white variety almost unknown. Today, the opposite is true: It is difficult to find a blue Wensleydale.

When the monastery closed in 1540, local farmers continued to make the cheese.

 
To taste it in its purest form today, look for “Yorkshire Wensleydale,” a PGI cheese whose name can only be used for cheeses that are made in Wensleydale (see photo #3).

Plain or blended, Wensleydale is found on many a cheese board, and is a favorite dessert cheese.

The combination is a custom that likely dates back to Medieval times. It came to New England with British immigrants, and became “a Yankee thing” (like England, New England was apple country).

The practice spread to the upper Midwest (dairy country) [source].

If you haven’t had it, treat yourself to a slice of apple pie with Cheddar—and another slice with Wensleydale!
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHEESE

________________

*Food 101: Both the coffee beans and cacao beans (used in the Espresso Martini cheese) are fruits.

†Beyond the casual Port Wine Cheddar spread, where wine is mixed in, numerous sophisticated cheeses are washed (“bathed”) with some type of alcohol as it ages in the maturing room. The nuances penetrate the paste (the inside of the cheese), creating complex flavors. Examples include Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey, AleHouse Cheddar Cheese, Drunken Goat Cheese (red wine), Epoisses (pomace brandy), Finger Lakes Champagne Cheddar Cheese and Stinking Bishop (pear brandy).

‡It’s the same with Cheddar, Swiss (Emmenthal), and any other cheese that is so popular that grocers nationwide need to be filled with it. Artisan cheeses like the Wensleydale shown in photo #3 comprise a tiny fraction of the volume produced. It’s the same in the U.S. and in other cheese-making countries.

‡‡Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) is a status awarded by the European Commission that protects and promotes named regional food products that have a reputation or noted characteristics specific to that area.
 
  

August 10th is National S’mores Day, celebrating a combination of graham crackers, marshmallows and melted chocolate that made famous by the Girl Scouts (the history of s’mores).

This year, we offer you a recipe that can be made with conventional or vegan ingredients. The recipe is below.

It’s an interpretation of chocolate bark, itself a popular variation of a chocolate bar.

Chocolate bark is actually a large sheet of chocolate that is broken up into pieces that resembled (to some) tree bark. It’s easy for the surface of homemade bark to have a rougher, craggy surface resembling bark. Professional barks tend to be smooth. While not bark, see the difference between the smooth surface of the professional mendiants in photo #6 and the swirly surface of the homemade mendiants in photo #7.

Bark, which is made in dark, milk and white chocolate as well as peppermint-flavored chocolate, is often covered with a variety of candies, dried fruits, nuts, mini marshmallows, pretzels, seeds, or whatever catches the eye of the confectioner.

 
 
FROM FRENCH MENDIANTS TO AMERICAN BARK

When did a slab of chocolate become “bark?”

We haven’t been able to discover the first appearance, but Fanny Farmer, the See’s Candies equivalent on the East Coast (alas, closed in 2004), sold almond bark since at least the 1960s, maybe earlier.

Bark became a popular item in chocolate shops: Served to company or given as gifts, grabbing “just a piece” was better than eating a whole chocolate bar.

The concept of bark derives from a 19th-century Provençal French chocolate confection called a mendiant (photos #6 and #7). The word means “beggar,” and one idea was that the chocolates were so tempting, that a person would beg for a piece.

But first, there was a religious theme:

The original mendiants paid tribute to the Catholic friars and nuns who helped the local poor. The first chocolatier (whose name is lost to history) created a disk of chocolate topped with nuts and dried fruits.

There were four different combinations of fruits and nuts to honor each order: Augustinians, Carmelites, Dominicans and Franciscans (here’s more about it).
 
 
DANDIES VEGAN MARSHMALLOWS

This recipe below comes to us from Dandies, maker of superb vegan marshmallows, can be made with vegan or conventional ingredients.

Vegan or not, we have long been fans of Dandies. They’re delicious, fresher-tasting than supermarket marshmallows, and no one will suspect they’re anything other than great.

Dandies makes full-size and mini marshmallows, plus holiday flavors. We’re especially fond of the pumpkin marshmallows and peppermint marshmallows.

What makes Dandies special?

 
There are many craveable recipes on the website. Head to Dandies.com, where you’ll find a store locator and options to buy online.

 
RECIPE: S’MORES BARK
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lay out the graham crackers.

2. COMBINE the butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until dissolved. Pour this mixture over the graham crackers. Use a spatula to spread evenly if needed.

3. BAKE for 5 minutes and remove from the oven. While still hot, sprinkle on the chocolate chips and spread with the spatula as they melt.

4. SPRINKLE on the marshmallows and garnish with a chocolate drizzle made from melting more chocolate chips. Spooning the melted chocolate over the bark. Once completely cooled…

5. BREAK apart the bark, and enjoy!
 
 
> MORE S’MORES RECIPES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF S’MORES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF GRAHAM CRACKERS
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF MARSHMALLOWS
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

[1] S’mores “bark” made with Dandies vegan marshmallows. You can use your mallow of choice. The recipe is below (photos #1 and #2 © Dandies).

[2] It’s broken up, just like chocolate bark.

[3] Dandies Vegan Marshmallows are available in standard, mini, pumpkin and peppermint.

[4] Peppermint bark, a popular American holiday treat (photo © Delysia Chocolatier).

[5] It’s easy to make bark at home. How about this Caramel Almond Bark recipe, from Lemons for Lulu (photo © Lemons For Lulu). Or, here’s a chocolate bark recipe that you can customize with numerous yummy toppings.

[6] Mendiants (photo © Eli Zabar).

[7] Homemade mendiants. Here’s the recipe (photo © American Heritage Chocolate).

[1] Take a bite of fun fusion food: an apple pie hot dog (photos #1 and #5 © Chevrolet).

[2] If you want to make your own apple pie filling, here’s a recipe from Delicious Table (photo © Delicious Table).

[3] Or, buy your favorite brand (photo © Market Pantry | Target).

[4] Buy bacon jam or make your own: It’s easy! Here’s the recipe (photo by Grognar | CC BY 2.0 License).

[5] Guy Fieri in the Field Of Dreams. Hey Shoeless Joe, come and get an Apple Pie Hot Dog.

You don’t think of Chevrolet, the automobile manufacturer, as a creator of trendy cuisine. But they have succeeded in creating a fun new recipe, the Apple Pie Hot Dog.

Chevrolet calls it “the ultimate baseball fan food and what may arguably be the most American food ever created,” combing two iconic American foods, hot dogs and apple pie.

The Apple Pie Hot Dog is being introduced for the first time at the MLB at Field of Dreams game this Thursday, August 12th. Everyone in attendance will have the opportunity to taste it.

This Field Of Dreams is the same site of the 1989 film Field Of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner.

His character Ray, an Iowa farmer, hears a mysterious voice one night in his cornfield, entreating “If you build it, he will come” (here’s a clip).

He does build a baseball diamond, and “he” does come: the ghost of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, along with other great players of the past, who emerge from the corn crop to play ball.

Chevrolet combined the spirit of the acclaimed film with a catchy jingle from a Chevy ad campaign from the 1970’s: “Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet.”

Chevy thought it would be fun to rejuvenate the jingle in ballpark food form, enlisting Guy Fieri, the Mayor of Flavortown, to create an innovative, craveable recipe.

The result, fusion food: a sweet and savory hand pie, comprising a hot dog, bacon jam and apple pie filling, sprinkled with raw sugar and pie spice.

The ingredients are enclosed in a pie pastry wrap.

The condiments on top are sweet and savory, too.

Ready to take a bite?
 
 
RECIPE: GUY FIERI’S APPLE PIE HOT DOG

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the apple mustard: Purée apple pie filling and mix with yellow mustard in a 50:50 proportion. (We mixed ours with Dijon mustard, which we prefer.) You can make it up to a week in advance.

2. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Roll the pie dough and cut into rectangles that will leave an inch or more on each side of the hot dog

3. SPOON the bacon jam down the center of the bottom crust, leaving enough margin on all sides for folding and crimping (1″ or more).

4. TOP the bacon jam with the apple pie filling. Add the hot dog, pressing lightly. Brush the margins of the dough with the egg wash.

5. STRETCH the top crust over the hot dog and fillings, until it reaches the edges of the bottom crust. Press closed and crimp closed with a fork. Sprinkle with the raw sugar and pie spice.

6. PLACE on a parchment-covered or nonstick baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes. While the pies are baking…

7. COOK the bacon to a crispy state and cut into a small dice when cool to the touch.

8. TO SERVE: Zigzag the top of the pie with the apple mustard, and sprinkle with crisp bacon.

Here’s a video.
 
 
> MORE HOT DOG RECIPES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF HOT DOGS
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF APPLE PIE

If simply the idea of eating raw chocolate chip cookie dough makes you happy, our Top Pick Of The Week is for you.

If actually eating it is ecstasy, prepare to experience Sweet Loren’s Cookie Dough.

Sweet Loren’s is an allergen-free cookie dough brand dedicated to clean ingredients and great flavor, in four of the most popular cookie flavors:

 
You can bake the cookies, or safely eat the raw dough. We’ve done both, but our mood often leads us to a ball of raw dough.

Whether or not you have any food allergies, the cookie dough (and the cookies baked with it) are delicious.
 
 
WHAT ARE CLEAN INGREDIENTS?

While there is no single industry or government definition (though we hope one will arise), “clean” ingredients typically means:

 
For Sweet Loren’s, the latter means that the dough is dairy free, gluten free, Non-GMO, nut free and vegan (and also corn free and soy free).

After beating cancer in her early twenties, Sweet Loren’s founder and CEO Loren Brill made it her mission to eliminate processed foods from her diet. Unable to find great tasting cookies made from clean ingredients, she developed her own.

She’s done a great job!
 
 
HOW TO ENJOY SWEET LOREN’S COOKIE DOUGH

Need a cookie fix in a hurry? Take a pre-cut round of dough (photo #2) from the freezer and microwave it for 1:15 minutes. Let the cookie harden for five minutes—or eat it warm and gooey.

If you microwave the dough for just 30 seconds and you have a delicious molten lump. In 45 seconds, a lava cake-like bite emerges.

You can bake the cookies in a conventional or convection oven, in a toaster oven, even in an air fryer and a solar oven.

Our favorite way is to snack on the raw cookie dough, or to have a mixed grill of baked, molten and raw cookies with a tall glass of milk.
 
 
RECIPES GALORE

Use the dough to create cookie dough bars, brookies, cake pops, crusts for pies and tarts, ice cream sandwiches, skillet cookies, as and specialty recipes like these:

 
You can color the Sugar Cookie dough in rainbow hues, green for St. Patrick’s Day, or the colors of your favorite team.

You can turn roll any of the doughs into cookie cutter shapes: ghosts for Halloween, hearts for Valentine’s Day, etc.

And when winter rolls around, we can’t wait to make these Melted Snowman Cookies.

In fact, the website has 32 pages of recipes, including many holiday and seasonal variations.
 
 
EDIBLE COOKIE DOUGH CUPS

Sweet Loren’s turned their cookie doughs into cookie dough cups: like a cup of ice cream, it’s raw cookie dough made softer, to be eaten with a spoon.

The flavors:

 
While many fans will want to dig in, we actually prefer the raw cookies themselves. They cookie rounds have a texture we find more appealing.
 
 
GET YOUR SWEET LOREN’S COOKIE DOUGH

Look for Sweet Loren’s in the refrigerated dough section of your local market.

Or, buy them on the Sweet Loren’s website.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF COOKIES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COOKIES: A GLOSSARY

[1] America’s favorite cookie, chocolate chunk, allergen free (all photos © Sweet Loren’s).

[2] From package to pan: Bake the cookies on a conventional cookie sheet, or make cookie balls in a mini muffin pan.

[3] In minutes, Fudgy Brownie dough is transformed into a plate of cookies.

[4] Another use for your air fryer: Bake cookies!

[5] There are scores of recipes for treats like these ice cream truffles, wrapped in cookie dough and dipped in chocolate.

[6] Molding the dough into a cup for milk or liqueur, an homage to Dominique Ansel’s cookie shots.

[7] Want to eat your cookie dough from a cup? There are three flavors of this softer version of the dough.

Last week we suggested Hatch chile peppers, with a limited season of August and September. Now, raise your hand if you want a slice of Hatch Chile Pepper & Pepperoni Pizza (photos #1 and #2).

Don’t worry if you can’t find fresh Hatch chile peppers: You can substitute Anaheim, Cubanelle or poblano chiles. A fresh chile pizza is delicious no matter which chile you use.

Comparing their heat on the Scoville Scale, the Scovile Heat Units (SHUs) are:

 
This recipe is from Melissa’s Produce, which sells fresh and dried Hatch chiles, as well as If you can’t find the Hatch chile powder used in the recipe, look for poblano chile powder. You could use red chile powder or paprika. The flavors are different, but they won’t alter your enjoyment of of the pizza.

This pizza complements the chiles with circles of pepperoni. If you don’t want pepperoni on your pizza, there are plant-based pepperoni using substitutes including seitan. Or, go veggie with mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers or halved cherry tomatoes.
 
 
RECIPE: HATCH CHILE PEPPER & PEPPERONI PIZZA

Prep time is 30 minutes (including making the crust), cook time is 30 minutes.
 
Ingredients

 
For The Pizza Dough

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the pizza dough (skip to the next step if using a prepared crust). In a standing mixer, add 1 cup of the flour and the next 6 ingredients (yeast, sugar, garlic, oregano, olive oil, water) and mix.

Add the salt and more flour, as needed, until the dough is only slightly sticky. Flatten with a rolling pin into a circle.

2. PREHEAT the oven to 500°F. Place a pizza stone in the oven while It preheats.

3. SPREAD the marinara over the pizza dough. Sprinkle the Hatch chile and the rest of the ingredients over the pizza and place into the oven.

4. BAKE until the pizza is slightly charred all over, rotating it every few minutes so it cooks evenly. Cut and served. Makes about 4-6 servings.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHILE PEPPERS
 
 
________________
 
 
*Green Hatch chile powder, unlike the red, is made from Hatch chiles that are picked and dried when green. It is made in both mild and hot varieties. The powder tastes zesty and fresh, and can be used just as you use pepper. You can also sprinkle it on cut fruits and vegetables (jicama, mango, papaya, watermelon) and snacks (crackers, nuts, popcorn). Try it as a rim for a Bloody Mary.

[1] This delicious Hatch chile pizza is equally yummy made with other chile peppers, like Anaheim, Cubanelle and poblano (photos #1, #2 and #3 © Melissa’s Produce).

[2] Close up on a slice.

[3] Melissa’s Hatch Chile Powder is made in both mild and hot varieties.

[4] If you don’t want pepperoni, substitute a topping of choice, including other veggies such as onions, mushrooms or red bell peppers (photo © DeLaurenti | Seattle).

[5] Shredded mozzarella cheese (photo © Kiboka | Panther Media).