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For "Foodies" Only...

This page is dedicated to all the"Foodies" out there. You know who you are...
Awesome Sauce

Lake County is a rural community surrounding Clear Lake, California's largest natural body of water, which is known for its bass championship competitions and recent fires. The county has many gems within it, from the cleanest air in the state, to its rural hills studded with large oak trees.  The area has drawn attention by vintners and grape growers alike.  Up in the High Valley AVA, Ceago del Lago, Jim Fetzer's biodynamic vinegarden sits on lakefront property.  Brassfield Estates also holds acreage within this AVA.  (Wines from both properties can be found within our wine department).

 

For the Hue Delaroque family, it was the peaceful landscape and outdoor adventure that ultimately brought Roger Hue Delaroque, a native of Normandy, France to the area.  It is within the High Valley AVA that he settled on a 27 acre ranch along with his wife, kids, and two ranch dogs.  Here, former chef Roger, began to turn his property into a farm, from which his family harvested organically produced fruits and vegetables for their product line, Hue de Laroque Farms, which are primarily sold at farmers' markets up north, and now offered at Scotts Valley Market. 

Molly Tragni is Scotts Valley Market's Full-Time Cheese maven. She is an expert in all things cheese!

We feel that their products are memorable, and have asked them to create a special product for us. The result is our very own Artichoke in Merlot Spread, which can be found in our Specialty Cheese section.  This spread is made from products primarily grown by Lake County Farmers, and is mouth wateringly delicious on a bruschettini, crusty bread, or along with your favorite cheese. What makes their spreads, jams, and mustards unique is the skill and passion from the Hue Delaroque family.  People can taste the love and passion that goes into each jar, and come back for more. 

 

Scotts Valley Market now also carries Hue DeLaroque Farms' Yellow Bell Pepper Jam, which is gorgeous with a goat chevre.  Additionally, we offer  two of their  mustards, Herb de Provence Mustard, which is lovely with an Emmantaler cheese along with a little Serrano Ham; and Green Olive Mustard, which we smear on sandwiches, and our Market's sausages. 

For This Local Cheese Artisan, we say: "Ride 'em Cowgirl!"

A customer asked us the other day, "Is there a local cheese that truly stands alone?"  While we can't say that we have a favorite cheese, we can certainly say that as a collective, Cowgirl Creamery cheeses have a good thing going. 

 

Brought back to Scotts Valley Market's Specialty Cheese Section by popular demand, Cowgirl Creamery has quite a reputation.  The reputation behind the name, rests on the shoulders of two women in Northern California, who both hold a passion for the amazing foods cultivated within the area, and a vision for  great cheese.  Their story is quintessentially the American Dream, which began in 1994, when Sue Conley and Peggy Smith founded Cowgirl Creamery. 

Both cheese and wine are shrouded in romance, as something remarkable can result from the simplest ingredients, in the instance of cheese, they  are namely milk, bacteria culture, and salt.  With careful study and optimum conditions, the end result can become greater than the sum of its parts, as in the case of a good wine.  It is perhaps not coincidental that wine and cheese are such a great partnership, and that both great wine and cheese come from Northern California.   For the Cowgirls, they began with local organic milk from Straus Family Dairy and John Taverna's Chileno Valley. 

 

At Scotts Valley Market, we salute the success of these pioneers, and are happy to be able to offer their beautiful cheeses to our customers.  We proudly offer Mt Tam, a stunning triple cream brie; Red Hawk, a pungent wash rind cheese made with the wild bacteria from the Pt. Reyes Area; Pierce Point Cheese, a summer cheese coated with calendula and Thai Basil; and lastly Fromage Blanc, which may be used in place of cream cheese. 

We've got the "Blues" bad... And that's Good!

The newest addition to Scotts Valley Market's Specialty Cheese Department has us singing the blues!  Pt. Reyes' Bay Blue, a local cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk, sets itself apart from its predecessor, Original Blue, a bold raw cow's milk cheese which is aged for 6 months, by not only its production method, but also by its flavor.

 

A delicate rind encases this fudgy textured cheese.  Aficionados will love its depth of flavor, with a salty-sweet entry, similar to salted caramel, followed by a mellow, earthy blue flavor.  Pt. Reyes' Bay Blue has been awarded 2nd place in 2014 Annual American Cheese Society Conference. 

Serve this cheese in a cheese course along with toasted hazelnuts, sliced stone fruits, and crusty toast points, or crackers.  It's flavor also complements mushrooms on a pizza or pasta, and is in harmony with an earthy pinot noir, full bodied Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, and port. 

The "King" of Hard Cheese...

At Scotts Valley Market, we have an assortment of aged imported and domestic hard cheeses to choose from, all grated in-house.  One of our most popular offerings is a high quality domestic parmesan that we blend with a second Italian cheese to create our own Proprietary Blend.  We also carry Parmigiano Reggiano, the King of Cheese, which is a special unpasteurized cow's milk cheese, protected by the Italian government under PDO (Protected Destination of Origin).  It is the benchmark of parmesan cheeses, against which, all others are rated.  It's flavor suggests a fruity and somewhat salty nuttiness, and due to its naturally occurring glutamate, gives the diner an umami experience.  This cheese is delivered to us in 80 pound wheels, with the beautiful markings of its 700-year old history branded on the exterior rind.  We do save the rinds!  If you are interested, just ask.  They are wonderful for fortifying homemade minestrone or pasta sauce.  

 

We also carry Asiago and Pecorino cheeses.  The latter, whose name is used in Italy to denote a cheese made of sheep's milk, is one of the world's oldest cheeses, and Pecorino Romano is the grating cheese of choice for southern Italy.  We have also developed our own Proprietary Pecorino Blend, which  combines the peppery, salty, unique flavor of sheep's milk, along with additional cheese to provide more depth of flavor and complexity.

 

With a great line up such as this being exported from Italy, it is perhaps not surprising that Italy exports three times more cheese than France.  

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