brave the caves

I first heard of Formaggio Kitchen at the Brasstacks anniversary party, and knew I would have to visit their shop, as they specialize in artisinal jams and cheese (the best two edible bits in the world in my opinion). Sunday night, we headed over to the Brave the Caves class, aka cheese spelunking. We had front-row seats to the oldest man-made cheese cave of it's kind in the US (unfortunately there aren't any natural caves in Cambridge, MA...)...with Julia Child even being at the opening of the older cave!

 

 

 

For $55 per ticket, we learned all about the cave, aging cheese & caring for the cheese. We also enjoyed plates of charcuterie, jam, and cheese paired with wine & beer...all while learning! We saw the oldest compte in the US and were able to test some of the strangest looking cheeses before they were sealed back up with butter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mmmm cheese. After the educational part of the class, we were able to mosey around the store and pick up some supplies. I found my two newest obsessions, an onion confit and a pear marmalade from this company. Obsessed. This jam of the month club is now number one on my Christmas list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   
With the mother-store located in Cambridge, and the younger store in the South End, Boston is one lucky city. There is also a branch in NYC, but if you're not nearby, you can also order supplies online! Happy stocking shopping!

 

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brasstacks one-year anniversary party

Last night I went to the Brasstacks Pop-Up One-Year Anniversary Block Party at Frommagio, in Cambridge. Brasstacks is a secret supper club that hosts lottery-invite-only dinners on a bi-monthly basis around Boston. Comprised of alumni from No.9 Park, Menton & Radius, Brasstacks focuses on locally-sourced seasonal ingredients prepared in basic ways with a few twists thrown in. Upon arrival I was greeted with 2 goats on a spit and an endless supply of beer from Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project & wine from Olmstead Wine Co. After receiving the beverages, I began to feast upon the cheese and charcuterie spread (no pictures...too tasty). A bunch of seasonal sides were served along with sections from the whole pig (and later parts of goats were served as well).

 

 

 

As chef Marc Sheehan was dividing up the goats, the dessert was beginning to be plated. After a night of savory tastiness, the dessert of boiled gingerbread & hard cider curd (with seasonal berries) was a nice change of pace! Tickets for this event sold out within hours, so fingers crossed for the facebook-lottery invite-only dinners. Unfortunately for us, their facebook is now up to 1,450 friends trying to get into one of these highly-coveted dinners! Overall, the food and ambiance was superb (and the weather was unbelievably beautiful, to boot)!


Here is a list provided by Brasstacks of all of the sides and mains served:

Whole Roasted Yorkshire Pig

Whole Roasted Kid Goats 

Green Tomato Marmalade, Spicy Plum Chutney, Mokum Carrot Relish, Bean Pot Onions

Grilled Sweet Corn with Goat Butter and Maine Sea Salt

Harvard Beets with Goat Yogurt, Anchovy and Fermented Shallots

Roasted New Potatoes with Mustard Greens, Young Garlic, and Fermented Asparagus

Grilled Radishes with Coppa, Pickled Clams, and Fines Herbes

Marinated Cucumbers, Ginger Vinegar, and Anise Hyssop

Grilled String Beans, Mushroom, Almond, and Egg Yolk

Raw Kale with Piermont, Fermented Sausage, and Pickled Currants

Maine Buckwheat with Grilled Zucchini, Smoked Peppers, and Shad Roe 

Steamed Gingerbread Hard Cider Curd, Grilled Peaches, Summer Berries

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