The holidays are offically upon us, bringing with them gatherings with friends and family. At the Market Cheese Shop we can help with your entertaining plans in many ways. We are proud to offer an incredible selection of local, domestic and imported products for you and your guests to enjoy. We carry over 300 varieties of cheese alone, along with meats, pates, nuts, fruit preserves and specialty crackers.

Some favorite local products include:

Cheese – La Mariposa, Fern's Edge, Willamette Valley Cheese Co., Fairview Farms and The Rogue Creamery

Nuts – Candied walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts from Albina City Nuts

Meats – Olympic Provisions and Chop

Preserves – Fruit spreads and paste from Oregon Growers And Shippers and Pepper Jellies from Rose City Pepperheads

If you are in need of a custom cheese tray or gift box, do not hesitate to ask your Market Cheese Steward for advice and guidance. Together, we can make a sometimes daunting task seem effortless. Come in and see all that your Market Cheese Shop has to offer!

Happy Holidays!

For me, the change of seasons is always centered around food. As we enter into fall and all it brings with it (cooler temperature, falling leaves, Oregon sunshine), I start craving hearty comfort foods such as roasts, homemade soups and stews, and fall and winter vegetables. Here are two recipes to help you welcome the fall season to your table.

Cheese Gratin With Root Vegetables

Serves 4

Ingredients
-3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/8" slices
-2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into 1/8" slices
-1 small rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1/8" slices
-1 cup of grated Comte or Gruyère cheese
-1 1/2 tbl flour
-1 1/4 cup of heavy cream
-1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
-salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
Boil parsnips, turnips and rutabaga in salted water for 4-6 minutes until tender. Drain and dry well. Arrange a layer of vegetables on the bottom of a buttered 9x9 baking dish. Sprinkle a bit of flour, salt, pepper and cheese. Repeat for a second layer. Layer the remainder of the vegetables on the third layer, then pour the cream evenly over the vegetables and sprinkle on the nutmeg. Cover with foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 40 minutes more, until golden. Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Squash, Potato And Fontina Cheese Gratin

Ingredients

-4 small to medium yukon gold or red potatoes
-2 medium zucchini or yellow sqash
-4 oz grated Fontina cheese
-1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
-3 tbl olive oil
-1/4 cup whole milk
-salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a chef's knife to slice vegetables in to very thin slices. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the olive oil. Drizzle olive oil into a 9x9 " baking dish amd spread it around evenly. Place 1/3 of the vegetables in the bottom of the dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top this with 1/2 of the Fontina cheese. Repeat this for a second layer of 1/3 of the vegetable, salt and pepper and 1/2 the Fontina cheese. Layer on the final 1/3 of the vegetables, salt and pepper. Pour the milk evenly over the entire dish and top with the parmesan cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove and let rest for 10-15 minutes, then serve.

One of my all-time favorite foods is, of course, cheese. My favorite summertime food is hand down a fresh, ripe tomato. Here are two recipes that feature both. Enjoy!

Caprese Salad

Serves four as an appetizer

1 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced into thick slices
4 lg tomatoes, sliced into thick slices
1/2 c loosley packed basil leaves
Sea salt and black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar

Alternatley layer the tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. Between each layer, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. These ingredients also work well for pizza toppings or as a pannini.

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Roasted Tomato Tart

Serves 6 as a side dish or appetizer

2 lbs of plum tomatoes halved lengthwise
2 T plus 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c shredded Gruyère or Comte cheese
3 1/2 t chopped fresh thyme
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut out a 10-inch round using a dinner plate. Transfer round to baking sheet and chill until ready to use. Toss tomatoes with 2 T olive oil, 2 t thyme, 1/4 t salt and 1/4 t pepper in a bowl until well coated. Roast tomatoes in one layer with cut side up in another foil lined baking pan in the middle of oven for 1 hr. Brush pastry round with 2 t oil and sprinkle with 1 t thyme. After roasting tomatoes 1 hr, move pan to bottom rack of oven and place the pastry in the middle rack. Bake pastry and tomatoes until the pastry is browning and the tomatoes are browning around the edges, yet still juicy, aprroximately 12-15 min. While pastry is still warm, sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over it. Top the cheese with the roasted tomatoes cut side down and in one layer. Sprinle evenly with the remaining thyme, salt and pepper to taste.

The origin of feta cheese (feta means “slice” in Greek) is found in an area that now includes Greece and Bulgaria. It was first made with sheep or goat's milk, but today can be made with cow, sheep or goat's milk or any combination.

Since 2002, feta has been a protected designation of origin product. This means that according to the current EU (European Union) legislation, feta must be produced in a traditional way, from sheep's milk or a blend of sheep and goat's milk, on the Greek mainland or on the island of Lesbos. Salted and cured in a brine solution for weeks or months, feta has a high salt content and tangy flavor.

These days, it is possible to buy feta made in Eastern and Western Europe, and countless brands are made in the United States.

5 Ways to Use Feta

1. Sprinkle over a salad

2. As a pizza topping

3. In omelets or frittatas

4. Crumbled over sliced tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper

5. Crumbled with chunks of watermelon and fresh mint leaves

Feta and Chickpea Salad

4 c drained chickpeas

4 T chopped, flat leaf parsley

8 T feta

4 T olive oil

4 garlic cloves, diced

2 lemons, juiced

salt and pepper to taste

In one bowl add beans, parsley and feta. In another bowl, add olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk together. Pour over chickpeas, add feta and stir well. Makes 6-8 serving.

Come and browse our feta selection at your Market Cheese Shop!