the Friday Feeding; VOL. 59

What does this Saturday at the store and the north of us have in common? Christian, cheese from Quebec and Mrs Claus!! 

Kids, come by this Saturday from 9-11 to grab your donut & visit with Mrs Claus and her head elf.  Then at 1:00 kids of all ages are invited to come by to mind-travel to medieval Alpine Christmases and taste some traditional melted cheese served over sausage and potatoes and grilled veggies.  We might even have an appearance from the Geezers—Dudley, Frank and Rivkah—playing traditional Quebecois fiddling music.

And as Dudley asked,  “This food is for free?!”  You bet.  We want you to try our cheese.

Say cheese.

Melted cheese? Yes, please.  Most of us know about the Alpine dish, fondue; a firm “Swiss” cheese cooked with a little white wine, perhaps thickened a bit, that bread is sopped into. Raclette, like we are featuring this week-end, is another type of melted cheese dish made with another type of “Swiss” cheese aged softer, thus meltier, so as to readily pour over cooked foods.

These melted cheese dishes originated centuries ago in the Alpine regions of Europe where it gets very chilly in the winter and cozy warm food that sticks to the ribs is mandatory.  A traditional post-skiing meal or post-sheep-tending meal or post-anything-outside meal, it was a way to use up that preserved milk [in the form of cheese] while nourishing the body.  And today it serves up as a Sunday type supper or celebratory meal. 

So we offer you this idea for Christmas and the means to taste it this Saturday.  Our raw milk organic Raclette cheese comes from a family farm in Quebec, Canada in a region that is famous for its cheese.  You cannot find this cheese in grocery stores.

Saturday, December 14 from 1-3pm

Say cheese.

The big tree in the green was photographed a few hundred times last Friday night as the holiday lights burst on. Like a well poised celebrity it just smiled and swayed and said “cheese”.  As did so many of you who stopped in the store afterwards to have a cup of hot cocoa with us.  We LOVED this evening…we LOVED you coming in.

Say cheese. In baking?

We think of cheese as a flavoring in baking—like cheddar scones or cream cheese filled pastry—but it also can serve as the “butter” in your holiday baking.  Cheese is fat [the technical bakers term for the “short” part of a recipe required for tenderness] so in certain instances you can substitute the butter, margarine or solid shortening with cheese in a recipe to create a new taste. Cream cheese and jack cheese are great substitutes for butter.

But try these no bake balls for an easy-cheesy treat. Protein forward and less sugar, you could serve these as an accompaniment to a crisp greens and fruit salad OR just as a holiday candy.

Lemon Pistachio Date Balls

Combine in a food processor until combined but still a bit chunky:

• one 8oz package of whole pitted dates. (Don’t use the pre chopped ones; they are coated with an anti-caking powder that does not let them break down).
• 2/3 cup shredded grocery store Mexican cheese mix (cheddar and jack)
• 1 tsp orange blossom water – we have this at the store
• 1/4 tsp essential oil of lemon – we have this at the store

Add to the processor and chop until nut pieces are broken up in medium/small pieces:

• 1/3 cup shelled pistachios, raw or roasted/salted.

Turn out the mix and roll into 16 one inch-ish balls. For a sweet candy type confection, roll in powdered sugar. To serve with a meal or on a salad, roll in flaky sea salt – we have this at the store. Very yum.

Click here for next weeks Plan-Ahead menu

Like last year, we are offering our own steamed Figgy Pudding by special order. Complete with a butter rum sauce, you can easily reheat it or freeze both for later use. $24.50 Available from the 21st onward. Call to reserve your set, 603-783-9933

See you soon,

Jane and Dave

Calling all artists of any age and any skill leve1. Our next art show in the Feed Loft opens January 6. Enter Deadline is the 29th of this month. Click here to read about it and download an entry form.