July is National Watermelon Month.

Do you like watermelon? We do, and we have a passion for watermelon juice.

We “squeeze” our own in a blender or food processor, because bottled brands can’t come near to the vibrant flavor of fresh-squeezed watermelon juice.

You can feel good about each refreshing glass:

[1] Fresh-squeezed watermelon juice (photo © National Watermelon Promotion Board).

[2] To get the clearest juice, strain twice through a fine strainer. Here, the juice is topped off with soda water (photo © Hyhoon | Dreamstime).

[3] Add watermelon juice to a pitcher of green tea. Here’s the recipe (photo © National Watermelon Promotion Board).

[4] A Watermelon Cosmopolitan. Here’s the recipe (photo © National Watermelon Promotion Board).

[1] Alp Blossom, our vote for prettiest cheese in the world (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[2] Serve it with crunchy toasts and a dab of honey (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[3] You can cut the cheese into cubes and sprinkle the flora on top (photo © DiBruno Bros).

[4] Dressed to impress: Get the whole wheel! (photo © DiBruno Bros).

[5] Appenzeller, a hard cow’s-milk cheese produced in the Appenzell region of northeast Switzerland (photo © Artisanal Cheese).

[6] Emmental is the name of the place, while Emmentaler describes something from there. Here’s more about it (photo © Wisconsin Cheeseman).

[7] Gruyère dates to the 13th century. At 12 months or older, it delivers aromas of caramelized apples and notes of hazelnutty brown butter. It is popular as a table cheese and for fondue and grilled cheese. Originally made in Switzerland, it is now produced in France, Germany and the U.S. as well (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[8] Hoch Ybrig is a raw cow’s milk cheese made in Switzerland, patterned after Switzerland’s famous Gruyère cheese. The recipe was created in the 1980s by cheesemaker Rolf Beeler, and has become a favorite among mountain cheese connoisseurs (photo © Artisanal Cheese).

[9] Tête de Moine, a cheese produced since 1192 by the monks of the abbey of Bellelay, in Switzerland. The name means monk’s head. In 1982, a device, the girolle, was invented to make rosettes from the cheese (photo © Artisanal Cheese).

This cheese is flavorful and beautiful, but it also qualifies as food fun—and food art, for that matter.

Alp Blossom is an alpine cheese covered with blossoms and herbs (photos #1 to #4).

It is perhaps the prettiest cheese in the world.
 
 
ALP BLOSSOM FLAVOR & AROMA

This pasteurized, semi-hard cow’s milk cheese is reminiscent of Gruyère: nutty and a bit beefy.

The flora (flowers and herbs) which coat the rind give the cheese a unique herbaceous aroma and a meadowlike sweetness with savory nuances.

The blend includes chervil, cornflower, lavender, lovage, marigold, marjoram and rose petals.

The paste is pale yellow with occasional eyes (holes)*. It delivers flavors of cream and nuts, with a bit of mild washed rind funk on the finish.

Alp Blossom is made by Sennerei Huban, Austria’s first cheese co-op and school, established in 1901 in Doren, a municipality in the district of Bregenz in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg.

The co-op works with 34 local milk herds, each with an average of about 15 Brown Swiss cows.

Alp Blossom is made from Brown Swiss cow milk, handcrafted into 10-pound wheels that are aged for six months. The flora are applied at four months.

Brown Swiss cows were bred to have milk with high butterfat content, that yields a rich flavor and a dense, creamy finish in the cheese.

Alp Blossom starts as Hubaner, the co-op’s signature cheese: a firm wheel with a washed rind.

After four months of aging, the wheel is covered in the flora. The result: Magic!
 
 
HOW TO SERVE ALP BLOSSOM CHEESE

The cheese is so beautiful, it will outshine any other cheese on the plate.

But there are solutions to serve it with other cheeses:

 
To Drink

In general, cheeses pair best with their local beers and wines. Local recipes were crafted to pair with other local foods.

For Alp Blossom, beer and wine from Austria and Germany are excellent choices, but you can go beyond boundaries.

 
When we have Alpine cheeses at the end of a meal, we may also serve a dessert wine.

Alp Blossom is available from Murray’s Cheese and DiBruno Bros.
 
 
WHAT ARE ALPINE CHEESES OR MOUNTAIN CHEESES?

Alpine cheeses, also called mountain cheeses, are a range of cheeses originally produced in the Swiss and French Alps.

The area now includes the Italian and Spanish Alps, and the style of cheese is also made in non-mountainous cheeses.

Mountain cheeses are only produced in the summer months, using milk from cows that spend the summer on mountain pasture. They feed upon the grass plus the flowers and herbs that are unique to each region.

The milk creates strong, aromatic cheeses, often made in large wheels.

According to Caseus Montanus, an international association of mountain cheese producers, a mountain cheese is one produced and aged above 800 meters (approximately 2,500 feet).

According to Artisanal Cheese, scientific studies on the flavor profile of mountain cheeses have found as many as 100,000 micro-organisms in the flora of the high altitude mountains, as compared to less than 10,000 microorganisms in lower prairie altitudes.

This intensity of microorganisms is responsible for the deep and complex flavors of mountain cheeses.

The best-known mountain cheeses available in the U.S. (made from cow’s milk, except as noted) include, among others:

 
The categories of Swiss cheese include:

 
If you’re a lover of these cheeses, consider a tasting with representation from each category.
 
 
WHAT IS SWISS CHEESE?

If you don’t see “Swiss cheese” on the preceding list, it’s because it’s not a term used in Switzerland or any other part of Europe.

Swiss cheese is the generic term used in the U.S. for several related varieties of domestic cheese, modeled after those originally made in Switzerland.

Emmental or Emmentaler (the first spelling is the name of the place, the second describes something from that place) is the cheese Americans think of as the generic Swiss cheese.

While Americans believe that Swiss cheese has holes*, properly known as eyes, Emmental has them but not all kinds of Swiss cheese do.

There are some 450 known Alpine cheeses, classified into five categories: extra-hard, hard, semi-hard, semi-soft and soft. Cow’s milk is used in 99% of the cheeses produced.
 
 
AMERICAN MOUNTAIN CHEESES

Mountain-style cheeses are made in other countries, too; and no mountain cheeses are required.

A Vermont-made mountain cheese, Tarentaise, was named “Best Farmstead Cow’s Milk Cheese” at the 25th American Cheese Society Conference, a competition for for American-made cheeses.

Other noteworthy mountain-style cheeses:

 
Great cheese awaits!
 
 
> Discover Many More Cheeses in Our Cheese Glossary.
 
 
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*Some cheeses, like Emmental, are made with three types of bacteria: Streptococcus thermophilis, Lactobacillus and Propionibacter shermani. In a late stage of cheese production, P. shermani consumes the lactic acid excreted by the other bacteria, and releases carbon dioxide gas. This gas forms the bubbles that appear to be “holes” when the cheese is sliced. The cheese industry calls these holes or tunnels, “eyes.” Mountain cheeses without eyes are known as “blind.”

This salad works perfectly as a side dish or an appetizer—but it’s so good you might be tempted to make an entire meal out of it!

These pasta salads can be served as a light lunch (with soup or a salad of greens on the side), as a first course at dinner, or as a vegetarian dinner.

Both are very easy to make. The longest part is boiling the water and cooking the tortellini.

Both recipes were adapted from ones by DeLallo, a specialist in fine Italian imported food.
 
 
RECIPE #1: TORTELLINI SALAD OR SKEWERS

This recipe was designed as appetizer or skewers, but we have enjoyed it as much (and with less work) served in a bowl as a composed salad (photo #1).

The pesto is combined with olive oil to make a thinner sauce.

We had a jar of pepperoncini and another of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, which we drained and added to the mix.

You can also add olives.

And you don’t have to use cheese tortellini. You can find herb, pumpkin, spinach, seafood and meat fillings, including chicken and pork. But the vegetarian versions work better in pasta salad recipes.

Ingredients For 10 Small Servings

 
Preparation

To serve as a salad instead of skewers, don’t combine the ingredients but place them artfully in a bowl or on a platter. Serve the dressing in a pitcher for drizzling.

1. BRING a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the tortellini according to package instruction. Drain. As it cools…

2. COMBINE the pesto and olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Add the tortellini to the bowl and carefully stir to coat the pasta. Allow the tortellini to cool prior to skewering.

3. GENTLY thread the ingredients onto skewers. Save a few basil leaves to chop and sprinkle over skewers as a garnish.
 
 
RECIPE #2: GREEK TORTELLINI SALAD

Here’s a fusion pasta salad: Italian tortellini with Greek salad ingredients (photo #4).

The dressing is also Greek: olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and oregano.

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
For The Greek Vinaigrette (1/2 Cup)

 
Preparation

1. BRING a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain, rinse and let cool.

2. ADD the tortellini to a large bowl. Mix in the artichokes, pimento/cherry tomatoes, olives, onion, bell pepper and cucumber, plus optional ingredients.

3. POUR the dressing over pasta salad and toss well to coat. Crumble the feta on top, and garnish with the basil. Add salt and and pepper to taste (note that feta cheese is salty).

4. TOAST the pita bread if desired.
 
 
> Here’s An Authentic Greek Salad Recipe
 
 
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*We like lots of roasted red pepper, so we use a large jar. We additionally add the cherry tomatoes

*English cucumbers were bred in the U.K. to create a cucumber more desirable for cucumber sandwiches. It has tender flesh, with a thin, edible peel and tiny or no seeds. Some stores sell it as a burpless cucumber, European cucumber, hothouse cucumber or seedless cucumber.

[1] Recipe #1: two ways to serve a summer tortellini salad: in a composed bowl or on skewers (both photos © DeLallo).

[2] You can use both sun-dried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes in the same salad or on the same skewer. Keep a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil in the cupboard; or buy them dry, add your own oil, and keep them in the fridge (photo © Bella Sun Luci).

[3] Ciliegine (chee-lee-ay-JEE-nay), meaning cherries, refers to the cherry-sized fresh mozzarella balls above. There are eight sizes of mozzarella balls. The smallest size, perlini, is pearl-size—and Italian for pearls (photo ©. Neil Langan | Panther Media).

[4] Recipe #2: a fusion tortellini salad with Greek accents (photo © DeLallo).

[5] Most people enjoy tortellini as a hot dish with red sauce, but it is delightful as a pasta salad with pesto or a vinaigrette (photo © The Nibble).

[1] Churro potato chips are flavored with cinnamon and sugar (photo © Nibbles & Feasts | Idaho Potato Commission).

[2] Yukon Gold potatoes (photo © Bonnie Plants).

This weekend we had a picnic dinner with our social distancing pod.

Everyone contributed something. For the apéritif, we brought bottles of prosecco and homemade churro potato chips.

Churro potato chips?

Yes! Like the fried-dough pastry available in Mexican restaurants, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, these potato chips are seasoned with the same. (Churros originated in Spain.)

The recipe bakes potato chips; there’s no deep fat frying.

The recipe was created by Ericka Sanchez of Nibbles & Feasts.

For dessert, serve them with this recipe for Potato Ice Cream (plain vanilla or chocolate ice cream will do).

That’s double food fun!
 
 
RECIPE: CHURRO POTATO CHIPS WITH CINNAMON & SUGAR

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 500°F. Grease 2 baking sheets with cooking spray or butter.

2. STIR the sugar and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. WASH, peel and pat dry the potatoes. Slice them 1/8 inch thick, using mandolin. Places the slices between paper towels and pat dry.

4. ARRANGE the slices in one layer on the baking sheets. Brush each potato slice with butter on both sides. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

5. IMMEDIATELY DIP the potato chips into the cinnamon-sugar to coat, a few at a time. Repeat until all chips have been coated. You’re ready to enjoy them!

ABOUT YUKON GOLD POTATOES

Yukon Gold is a cultivar of potato characterized by its thin, smooth, eye-free skin and yellow-tinged flesh (photo #2).

Yukon Gold was developed in the 1960s by Garnet (“Gary”) Johnston in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The cross was made in 1966 and Yukon Gold (named after its yellow-gold flesh) was finally released into the market in 1980.

Yukon Gold quickly became a favorite with fine-cuisine chefs. It can stand up to both dry-heat and wet-heat cooking methods.

Its waxy, moist flesh and sweet flavor make it an ideal potato for boiling, baking and frying. You can also use them for grilling, pan frying, and roasting.

Here’s more about the Yukon Gold potato.

July 27th is National Scotch Day. You know how to drink it. How about cooking with it?

Although it is much more common to use wine or brandy in cooking, Scotch can offer complex character to everything from appetizers through dessert.

Cooking lets you appreciate Scotch—or other whiskey—in new ways.

You don’t have to use a “grand cru” Scotch, but don’t cook with the cheapest brand either. You don’t need that much whiskey in any particular recipe, so go for the best flavor.

You can put together an entire meal infused with Scotch. If you’re not already aware, most of the alcohol evaporates in the heat of cooking. Recipes that aren’t cooked, such as mousse, need much less alcohol.

You also can serve a different Scotch with each course. If you don’t have all that you need, invite guests to bring their favorites.

If you prefer a different type of whiskey, use that instead.
 
 
COOKING WITH WHISKEY TIPS

Omaha Steaks advises:

 
 
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHISKEY & WHISKY

Whisky is the Scottish spelling of whiskey, chosen to differentiate its product from Irish whiskey. The spelling is used by Canada, Japan and Wales as well.

In the U.S., a 1968 directive of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms specifies “whisky” as the official U.S. spelling, but allows the alternative spelling, “whiskey,” which most U.S. producers prefer.

The differences predate modern English, to the sixth century when distillation began in what is now the U.K. Here’s how it began:
 
 
> Irish Uisge Baugh Became Whiskey

The Irish are believed to have been the first Europeans to distill whiskey. In Gaelic, the language of the Irish, the name uisge baugh, pronounced ISH-ka BA-ha, was given by Irish monks to the distillate they produced.

The monks also called the beverage aqua vitae in Latin. Both phrases mean the same: water of life.
 
 
> Scottish Uisce Beatha Became Whisky

A slightly different spelling for the same “water of life” in Celtic, the language of the Scots, and a slightly different pronunciation, ISH-ka BYA-ha.

The Gaelic uisge and the Scotch uisce both evolved into usky and then whisky in English.

Scholars can’t determine why the “e” was dropped by the Scots. One theory is that the Irish made whiskey first and pronounced it with a broad “e.” When the Scots began to make it, they dropped the “e” to differentiate their product.*

In addition, the Irish and Scots disagree over whiskey’s origin.

 
 
A HISTORY OF WHISKEY

Although it was originally considered little more than a distilled beer (which itself dates to before 5000 B.C.E.), whiskey has evolved into a complex beverage made from different types of mash, the fermented combination of grains that give each whiskey its distinctive taste.

Thousands of years later, distillation was discovered in the late 8th century C.E., by an Arab scholar.

Known as the Father of Modern Chemistry, Abu Masa Jabir ibn Hayyam (?-803 C.E.) wondered what would happen if he put wine into an al-ambiq, a round vessel like a tea pot with a tall spout on the top, and boiled it.

The vapors rose through the spout, were collected and condensed, creating the world’s first distilled alcohol.

In fact, since the al-ambiq was often used to boil powdered antimony into a liquid called al-kohl (used to make the cosmetic kohl), the liquid became known as alcohol and the al-ambiq became the alembic still, which remains in use today.

The distillate was originally used as medicine and remained a secret process, ultimately shared with the monks in Spain for medicinal purposes. Some orders created their own distillations—liqueurs such as Benedictine and Chartreuse.

The Secret Becomes Public

Around 1300, Arnald of Villanova, a professor of medicine at one of the first European medical schools, compiled the first hand-written instructions for distillation, calling the alcohol aqua vitae, Latin for “water of life.”

This translates into French eau de vie, Scandinavian akavit (now spelled aquavit) and Celtic uisege beatha and the Gaelic uisge baugh. These latter two evolved to usky and then whisky in English.

While vodka is not a whiskey†, in Russian and Polish the word is vodka (spelled wodka in POlish) for “dear little water,” instead of “water of life.”

Alcohol was believed to prolong life and cure ills. As we now know, whiskey has no curative properties, but it could help people “feel better,” or sleep and forget the pain.
 
 
WHISKEY GOES GLOBAL

English and Irish immigrants to the U.S. began to distill their own whiskeys, including the distillation of corn, which was not grown in the British Isles.

Today, whiskey is made around the world, from different grains: barley, corn, rye, and/or wheat.

These grains, along with the oak barrels the spirit is aged in, define the taste and aroma of the whiskey.

Most whiskeys are made with a blend of these grains, to create texture and depth and fully bring out the best flavor of each grain.

Regardless of the type, all whiskey is made from a fermented mash of grain.

 
With the continuing popularity of whiskey, other countries with significant whiskey production, sales and export.Australia, Finland, Germany, India, Taiwan [source].
 
 
> The Different Types Of Whiskey

> Scotch & Chocolate Pairings

> Whiskey 101: The Wonders Of Whiskey

[1] If you like to drink Scotch or other whiskey, you’ll like cooking with it (photo © Brian Jones | Unsplash).

[2] How about whiskey in your burger? This recipe from Half Baked Harvest uses Irish whiskey, but you can substitute Scotch (photo © Half Baked Harvest).

[3] How about BBQ Chicken? This recipe from Feasting At Home combines whiskey, chipotle and honey. You can substitute bourbon or other favorite (photo © Feasting At Home).

[4] Add a splash or two of whiskey to anything: meat, fish, fowl, fruit, vegetables (photo of gravlax © Eataly).

[5] You won’t want to wait until Thanksgiving to make this cranberry sauce with whiskey. Here’s the recipe from Fork In The Road (photo © Fork In The Road).

[6] It’s still “as American as apple pie” if you use an American whiskey, like bourbon, corn, rye or Tennessee. Here’s the recipe for this apple pie with rye and ginger from Pastry And Prose (photo © Pastry And Prose).

[7] Scotch or other whiskey in mousse or pudding—bread pudding, rice pudding, etc.—adds something very special. Here’s a recipe from Sweet Society (photo © Sweet Society).

*Source: Perry Luntz, Whiskey & Spirits For Dummies, Wiley Publishing: 2008, p. 62.

†Because column distillation results in higher alcohol with fewer compounds that alter the flavor), many column-distilled spirits like vodka and London dry gin aren’t aged, since they lack the components that are likely to change with aging.