Inaugural Cheese Crawl + Roast Chicken

My friend Olivia calls me the anxious chef, so when I decided I had to try the delicious sounding roast chicken recipe Samantha Lowe shared with us in the last post, I knew I would need moral support. So I asked Elina to come over and help me cook, then we started talking about cheese wrapping paper, you know, like people do, and I had the brain wave to go on our very first Cambridge Cheese Crawl before dinner!

We started at Formaggio Kitchen in Huron Village, where we picked up some Camembert Fermier, made with cow milk in Ile de France. We also got some fresh green almonds, which are an awesome alternative to grapes on a  cheese platter. They are crisp and refreshing like the grapes, but astringent rather than sweet. Plus it is fun to eat things that are fuzzy. We reluctantly passed up some wild boar salami, which looked delectable. If you have not been to Formaggio, you must go. We wandered around dazedly for a while, and if they hadn’t been closing, we would have stayed forever. Everything is delicious-looking. Meat, veg, amazing mushrooms. And of course so.much.cheese. We also purchased the cheese wrapping paper that was the inspiration for this whole trip. I shopped around a little bit, and decided to get it at Formaggio because they sell 25 sheets for only $2.50. What a steal! You can also buy it in their online store for a teeny bit extra: $2.95.

Here is Elina enjoying the flowers. Did I mention they sell fresh flowers?

Our next stop was at my beloved Central Bottle, which has an amazing selection of wine, cheese and specialty foods and also an awesome wine bar every Thursday, where you get delicious snacks, and find out about great wines. There we got a recommendation on a great rose, which you see hear partially consumed (and those are the fresh almonds on the right, in a beautiful little jug made by Olivia Herschensohn).

And, of course, cheese…we were directed to a deliciously ashy goat cheese to complement our wine. It was a St. Maure de Tourane, from this town in the Loire, and it was $15 for a huge magnificent baton. We were there not only for food, though. We were also there to buy a nifty wooden box they sell that helps your cheese stay at just the right level of humidity in the fridge, so it doesn’t dry out and go bad.

At Central Bottle you can also buy a different type of cheese wrapper. The product they sell is also available online at Formaticum. The Formaticum paper is $9 for 15 sheets, and it comes with 30 sticky labels. There is a fee of $5.70 if you ship it directly from the retailer to Massachusetts. You can also get it for only $8 at Central Bottle, and no shipping!

Our final stop was at the Whole Foods conveniently/fiendishly located directly next to my house. They have a fantastic cheese selection, and we got a yummy cheddar, for my SO, who has mixed feelings about soft cheese. We also got the ingredients for the recipe.

Now, I know this is hard to believe, but, then we ACTUALLY made the chicken! The recipe was quick because I got a tiny little chicken, incredibly simple, and beyond delicious. The only snag we ran into was that I chose a kosher chicken, which was of an excellent quality, but still had a few little feathers that took a second or two to pluck.

Here are some before and after shots of our little chicken. He got a little bath, while Elina chopped up some herbs, then we stuffed him with tasty things, roasted him until he was golden brown, and then gave thanks for his deliciousness. The baking dish is the best thing ever, by the way. The shop carried it from Ginori, and it was part of my registry (Thank you, Auntie!). The pattern is fun little swatches of paint, with the Pantone number doodled on, and the material is this incredible industrial grade porcelain that is safe for the oven, the microwave and even open flame. It also cleans up beautifully.

And here is Yan enjoying some cheese for breakfast, in the foreground is that cheese box we got at Central Bottle. Yan is skillfully plying a pewter cheese knife we carry in the shop. I believe Bravo is on in the background, but that’s just an educated guess.

How you do you store your cheese? Tell me in the comments!