By now you’ve probably heard that the first night of Chanukah falls on Thanksgiving – a phenom that hasn’t happened since 1888.
If you’re interested in choosing the ideal cheese for this hybrid holiday, here are a few ideas:
1. Top sweet potato latkes with kosher crème fraiche from Vermont Creamery.
2. Make a night out of Point Reyes Blue, a kosher blue from California.
3. Pair glasses of Manishevitz with a firm, salty cheese like Midnight Moon, which is made from vegetarian rennet (not kosher certified).
4. Create kosher cheese appetizers by spreading matzo with Vermont Creamery Mascarpone and Tishbi Onion Cabernet Jam.
5. Offer a sampler of cheeses made with vegetarian rennet: Purple Haze, Hudson Valley Camembert, Midnight Moon, and Point Reyes Blue.
6. Explore cardoon rennet in a big way with La Serena, Cardo, and Azeitao – these are very traditional European cheeses that shepherds developed using thistles.
Kosher Products To Know About
A few months back, I asked cheesemonger Ian Peacock to give me the 411 on kosher products.
Wasn't I surprised to learn that many specialties – like the store’s house-brand olive oil – were kosher?
In the cheese case, I also found out that a few of my favorite cheese companies make kosher cheese, like Cabot Creamery and Point Reyes. However, you need to special order these online direct from the companies since these cheeses can’t be opened in a non-kosher environment – with all the meat and cheese that mingle at the Di Bruno counter, it’s a no-go.
Di Bruno Bros. does carry one line of fabulous kosher cheeses and butters, however. Look for tubs of
Vermont Creamery cow’s milk products, like crème fraiche, mascarpone, and quark, and you’ll see the kosher label. Vermont Creamery also sells superlative butters that are kosher.
These products are made by Allison Hooper, a pioneer in the American cheese world. Her cinnamon maple mascarpone has become my waffle topper of choice.
For more hybrid holiday ideas, visit Madame Fromage.
