[1] This gouda from Basiron in Holland is infused with pesto. Get it at iGourmet (photo © iGourmet).

[2] Coupole, from Vermont Creamery, is one of our favorite goat cheeses. The brain-like surface is caused by Geotrichum candidum, a fungus that colonizes nearly all fungal surface-ripened cheeses during the early stages of ripening. Here’s more about it. Get Coupole at Murray’s Cheese (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[3] Huntsman, from the U.K., the marriage of two British classics, Double Gloucester and Blue Stilton. Double Gloucester is comparable to the finest cheddar. The layer of blue cheese “veins” from the Stilton is creepy. Get Huntsman at iGourmet (photo © iGourmet).

[4] If the Great Pumpkin were a cheese, it would be Mimolette. It’s from France but made in the tradition of Dutch Edam. You can find it at Murray’s Cheese (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[5] Basiron Goudas are the finest specialty Gouda cheeses from Holland: creamy Goudas with creative ingredients and colors—some 30 varieties! (photo © MAAZ Cheese B.V.).

No trick, just treat:

Put together a Halloween cheese plate and pop the cork on a bottle of wine or two.

This selection of cheeses belong in your Halloween tasting.

For dessert, a chocolate follow-up is the finale to your treat. Chocolate and cheese are a great pairing.

Here are two ways to pair chocolate and cheese:

 
 
HALLOWEEN CHEESES

In addition to the cheeses highlighted in the photos, check out this article for spooky cheeses:

 
Also consider:

 
FOOD TRIVIA: A lover of cheese is a turophile (TOO-row-file).
 
 
HALLOWEEN CONDIMENTS

For your cheese plate condiments, consider:

 
 
PUTTING TOGETHER A HALLOWEEN CHEESES BOARD

1. Start with a selection of frightful cheeses. If you’re not a goat cheese fan (maybe you’ve never had one as good as Vermont Creamery’s?), see the Halloween cheeses above for other suggestions.

2. Set the tone with a dark cheese board. We love the “gravestone” look of a gray slate board (see photo #4).

3. Add pairings such as dark olives (especially wrinkled ones), dark dried fruits (cherries, cranberries, raisins) and toasted pumpkin seeds. Slices of dark rye bread and crackers studded with dried fruit and seeds suit the scary season.

4. Decorate with dried moss and these simple DIY ghostly maple leaves (or oak, or elm, etc.) from the wonderfully creative folks at Sweet Paul.

5. Drip some honey (consider spicy honey!) over the edges for more creepiness. This works best with one board or platter that sits on top of a larger one, so the honey drip has a neat landing spot.

6. Place the crackers and breads around the larger platter.
 
 
HALLOWEEN CHEESE RECIPES

 
 
MORE HALLOWEEN

> The History Of Halloween

> The History Of The Jack O’Lantern

> The History Of Trick-Or Treating & Halloween Candy

________________

*Most washed-rind cheeses are pungent with a “spooky” orange rind. The color (orange to ruby red), texture and aroma are caused by the bacterium Brevibacterium linens. Époisses is the most famous example, but there are many delicious options.

We love the creativity and fun of this apple cider cocktail, served in a fresh apple.

The recipe was developed by Eastern Standard Provisions, which sells the soft pretzels in the photo as well as the French Toast Sugar used for the rim.

(Here’s our review of their yummy line of soft pretzels in classic and unusual shapes.)

We like this apple cider cocktail with brunch or as an after-dinner drink or dessert substitute.

The sweet sugar rim is satisfying instead of dessert, and of course, the apple should be eaten when the drink is gone.
 
 
OTHER WAYS TO USE THE APPLE SERVING CUPS

Don’t want a vanilla-cider cocktail? Here are some other options to use an apple cup:

 
 
RECIPE: CIDER COCKTAIL IN A FRESH APPLE

Ingredients For 6 Drinks

 
Preparation

1. POUR the French Toast Sugar onto a clean plate, and wet rim of the apple cups with maple syrup. Place the rim apple cup into the sugar and twist to coat the rim.

2. FILL a shaker with ice, apple pie liqueur, vanilla vodka, apple juice and allspice. Shake well.

3. POUR the cider cocktail into apple cups, garnish with cinnamon sticks, and enjoy!
 
 
ALTERNATIVE TO CINNAMON STICKS

Cinnamon sticks and cassia sticks (here’s the difference; also see the photos) are pricey.

We really don’t like using them because they’re a garnish that isn’t eaten; it just gets thrown away unless you know that you can wash and reuse them.

 
You can substitute star anise, or an orange orange peel curl, for the cinnamon‡‡ sticks.

[1] An edible drinks glass: first drink up, then eat the apple (photos #1 and #2 and recipe © Eastern Standard Provisions).

[2] Eastern Standard Provisions French Toast Sugar is one of several flavored sugars they sell to top pretzels (there are flavored salts, as well).

[3] Ambrosia apples are slow to brown (photo © Stemilt Growers).

[4] Gala is another apple variety that is slow to brown. See the footnote† (photo © Good Eggs).

*To make cinnamon sugar, thoroughly combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon. To approximate Eastern Provisions’ French Toast Sugar, use vanilla sugar instead of table sugar, and substitute 2 tablespoons of the vanilla sugar with 2 tablespoons of maple sugar.

†Chose a red apple variety with low or no browning: Ambrosia, Cameo, Cortland, Empire, Gala. Here’s why apples turn brown.

‡ A substitute for vanilla vodka is 1 cup regular vodka and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

‡‡ You’re probably buying cassia, not real cinnamon. Check out the difference.

This year, World Champagne Day will be celebrated on October 23rd. Plan ahead if you’re planning to celebrate!

Although New Year’s Eve is more than two-and-a-half months away, we can’t object to another “official” occasion to drink champagne.

First, an important thing to know: Champagne only refers to the sparkling wines of the Champagne region of France.

Everything else, by law, is called “sparkling wine,” no matter where in the world it is produced.
 
 
THE SEVEN LEVELS OF SWEETNESS IN CHAMPAGNE

Champagne is made in seven styles, or levels, of sweetness. The first three, dry wines, are to be paired with savory foods.

The last four are to be paired with sweeter dishes, from lobster thermidor to desserts. Read the footnote* for Extra Dry.

The sweetness comes from a step in the secondary fermentation of Champagne, when the bubbles are created.

The process is called dosage (doe-SAZH): a small amount of sugar is added into the wine bottles before they are corked. The sugar also reduces the tartness/acidity of the wine.

 
Based on the amount of sugar in the dosage, the seven levels of sweetness based on residual sugar (what’s left after the secondary fermentation) are:

 
 
MORE ABOUT CHAMPAGNE

 
 
CHAMPAGNE TOOLS

 
 
RECIPES: CHAMPAGNE COCKTAILS

 
 
FOOD WITH CHAMPAGNE

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHAMPAGNE

[1] During the holiday season, you can find bottles with special packaging. Stock up for gifting occasions throughout the year (photo © Moet et Chandon).

[2] Only wines grown and made in the Champagne region of France can be legally called Champagne. Everything else is “sparkling wine” (photo © Champagne Bureau).

[3] The ideal glass to showcase champagne is the flute (photo © American Club Resort).

[4] Rose champagne gets its color from allowing the just-pressed use “skin contact” with the red grape skins from which it is pressed. “Pink champagne” is an inexpensive product with color added (photo © Rocky Slims | NYC [permanently closed]).

________________________________________

*It’s a paradox in the Champagne industry that “dry” indicates a sweeter wine; as do sec (which means dry in French) and demi-sec. Doux, the sweetest style of Champagne, does mean sweet.

†Grams per liter.

[1] This cream cheese frosting adds sour cream for a nuance of flavor and more spreadability (photo and recipe © American Heritage Chocolate).

[2] Whether you like the name brand, store brand, or organic cream cheese, you need a block of it (photo © Bay Business Help).

[3] A bit of sour cream creates a variation of the classic recipe (photo © Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board).

October 18th is National Chocolate Cupcake Day.

We’ve been using this classic cream cheese icing recipe on our chocolate cupcakes for years.

But we recently received this recipe to try from American Heritage Chocolate.

It adds sour cream to the cream cheese, which cuts the sweetness and adds a barely discernible hint of tartness.

We prefer cream cheese icing to buttercream, and always use it on cupcakes, carrot cakes, and other loaf cakes.

So is this recipe frosting or icing?

The difference between frosting and icing is that:

 
But the two words are used interchangeably by those not aware of this nuance.

> December 13th is National Cream Cheese Frosting Day*.

> The history of cupcakes.

> The history of cream cheese.
 
 
RECIPE: CREAM CHEESE ICING (FROSTING)

Prep time is 10 minutes.

We used it on our dark chocolate cupcakes recipe.
 
Ingredients For 3 Cups

 
Preparation

1. CREAM together the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and a pinch of salt on medium speed of an electric mixer, until light and fluffy (approximately 2 minutes).

2. ADD the confectioners’ sugar. ½ cup at a time, stopping the mixer and scraping down the bowl before each addition. Gradually increase the speed to medium after each addition of sugar. That’s it!

3. STORE in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, if not using immediately. Bring to room temperature before using.

Try something new for National Pasta Month.

It could be as simple as a shape of pasta you haven’t tried before, from wagon wheels (ruote) to strozzapreti (photo #4—the name means “priest stranglers—here’s why†).

Perhaps it’s baked pasta, like manicotti, pastitsio or ziti.

How about this fun approach to baked pasta: Spaghetti Pie, a recipe from DeLallo.

This spaghetti pie is called Pasta Frittata in Italy.

The spaghetti is tossed with hot Italian sausage, roasted red peppers and San Marzano-Style tomatoes.

Don’t want sausage? Substitute your ingredient(s) of choice.

It’s not your grandmother’s spaghetti dinner—unless, perhaps, your nonna was Italian. Have fun with it!
 
 
RECIPE: SPAGHETTI PIE (PASTA FRITTATA)

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the oven to 425°F. Butter a 9-½-inch springform pan.

2. COOK the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

3. HEAT the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and crushed pepper; cook for 1 minute.

4. ADD the sausage and roasted peppers. Cook, breaking the meat into small bits until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until slightly wilted, about 2 minutes.

5. STIR in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes and salt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally and scraping any bits from the pan, until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

6. WHISK together the milk, eggs, pepper and ¾ teaspoon salt in a large pot (you can use the pasta pot). Stir in the cheddar, fontina and 1 cup of parmesan. Add the sausage mixture and the spaghetti. Stir until combined.

7. TRANSFER the mixture to the springform pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the edges are golden and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

8. REMOVE the pan from the oven and turn on the broiler. Sprinkle the pie with the remaining parmesan and fresh basil. Broil until the cheese is golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and run a knife around the inside of the pan.

9. LET the pie rest about 10 minutes, then release and remove the sides of the pan. Cut the pie into slices and serve.
 
 
Also try these pasta pies:

[1] Bake a “pie”: a new way to enjoy spaghetti (photos #1, #2, #3, #4 © DeLallo).

[2] There’s no pie crust: just spaghetti with sausage, red peppers and more.

[3] “Slice” is no longer reserved for pizza.

[4] Strozzapreti: hoping to choke the priest so he stops freeloading (photo courtesy Alchetron).

> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PASTA

> THE HISTORY OF PASTA

> THE HISTORY OF BAKED PASTA

________________

*Strozzapreti literally means “priest stranglers” or “priest chokers.” This twisted tubular pasta (pronounced STROAH-tsa-PREH-tee) was named centuries ago when it was common practice in Italy to let priests eat for free in restaurants and homes. According to the story, some restaurateurs wished that the “freeloaders” would choke on the pasta course before they could get to the more expensive meat and fish courses. The apocryphal story is that they rolled a shape that might get lodged in the priest’s throat. Here’s more of the history.