Did you know?

“February is a short month, filled with long-ings for those we are fond-ue of.  Because of the huge response to our Goud-a fondue recipe in the January Cheese Club Newsletter, this issue will address your most frequently asked questions about fondue and its rituals.  And what better time than this Valentine’s month to feature fondue, known as ‘the great body warmer.’

The earliest versions of fondue appear in Homer’s Iliad and contain grated goat cheese, flour and wine.  The Swiss championed the custom, logical, since it was a way to feed many during long, harsh winters.  Stored bread, as hard as wood, was cut with an ax and dipped into a mixture of wine and cheese that had been heated into a thick sauce.

The popularity of fondue in Europe is well known and fondue rituals have developed…if your bread falls off your fork and into the fondue pot and you are a woman, you must kiss the person to your left…if you are a man, you must go and buy a bottle of wine.  College students in Sweden, who loose their bread in the pot, strip and jump naked into the snow.

You would need a lot of ‘the great body warmer’ after that!

Just stop by our Cheese Department for a copy of Carlino’s classic and Carlino’s Italian fondue recipes…and have fondue become a ritual in your life.”

Patty Church
Carlino’s Executive Cheese Specialist

Featured Cheese: Prince La Fontaine

Prince La Fontaine is an impossible rich and buttery French triple crème cheese with an edible bloomy crust.  This wonderful cheese tastes like solidified whipped cream.  It is an enriched cheese that exhibits a cream line…a visible oozing creaminess that exists between the rind and the paste.  Here the bacterial activity of the rind breaks down and literally digests the solid paste transforming it into creamy liquid. Perfect beverages to serve with Prince La Fontaine include Champagne or a rich, dark berry over-toned Syrah.

Prince La Fontaine is a true match for fine chocolates, Ficoco Fig and Chocolate Spread, as well as, Carlino’s Chocolate Infused Balsamic Vinegar.  Add a wheatmeal cracker or Carlino’s Fruit and Nut bread and notice the looks of awe.

Just Arrived: Carlino’s Handmade Belgium Cranberry-Enrobed Honey Goat Hearts

Our cheese specialists have designed and made these beautiful and delicious treasures.  The Belgium fresh goat cheese is molded into a heart, and is creamy and rich with the sweetness of natural honey.  The heart is hand-enrobed with the plumpest of dried cranberries and topped with Madagascar cinnamon.  Carlino’s Cranberry-Enrobed Honey Goat Hearts are an exotic way to win the heart of that prospective Valentine or wow the palate of your beloved guests.

Cheese Goes With: Carlino’s Chocolate Infused Balsamic Vinegar

This vinegar provides a distinctive taste experience. A chocolate lover’s fantasy, it has a rich and velvety sweet flavor and is perfect for dessert.

Prince La Fontaine and the triple crème family of cheeses are the perfect match for chocolate infused balsamic and spreads with a chocolate dimension.  Spreads such as Ficoco, a fig and chocolate puree, and Nicciolato, an organic hazelnut spread with cocoa, are perfect partners for triple crème cheeses. Pair them with Prince La Fontaine for a fairy tale ending to your Valentine’s Love Feast.