This year marks the 10th anniversary of Mark and Johnna’s annual cheese party. And just like cheese, it gets better with age.
I’ve had the honor of attending the cheese party for the last five years. Unfortunately, the 2010 and 2011 party were pre-blog days, so I don’t have good documentation of what amazing food was prepared or what witty jokes were made. However, the 2012 and 2013 parties are well captured, and you can see our progression.
Usually, the party is held in September, but this year Mark and Johnna waited until their new house in Oregon, WI was finished. And what better housewarming party is there than a cheese party? It was worth the wait.
I usually do a bad job of capturing all the glorious details of everyone’s dish (and trust me, there are plenty of important details), so this year, I asked each cook to jot down their description so nothing was missed. The photos don’t do the deliciousness justice. Sorry about that.
So here it is, course by glorious course.
Amuse-bouche
Green grapes with fresh pecorino and olive oil snow*. Made by Mark.
*If you’re wondering what olive oil snow is, it’s a molecular gastronomy trick that turns olive oil into a powder-like substance that tastes like olive oil but has a completely different consistency.
Appetizer
Apricots with goat cheese and basil topped with almond and honey; pear with pancetta and goat cheese topped with ground pepper and honey. Made by Dan and Beth.
Salad
Grilled radicchio marinated in Malbec BBQ sauce, dressed with homegrown pesto, aged Vermont goat cheese and roasted hazelnuts. Made by Nate and Melissa.
Soup
Split-pea soup made with coconut milk and curry topped with bacon bits and fried paneer. Made by Jason and me. I’ll post the actual recipe tomorrow.
First Course
Goat cheese tart with heirloom tomatoes and jalapeño honey drizzle. Made by Tim.
Main Course
Pork, veal, and cheese meatballs with marscapone stroganoff sauce. Made by Mark.
Cheese Course
A Wisconsin cheese plate with: Amsterdam gouda, soppressata, brie with a pear and cinnamon butter, chevre goat cheese with Door County cherry preserves, and Wisconsin Farmer’s gouda. Made by Sarah.
Dessert
Brunkow cheese with strawberries, chocolate ganache, and cookie crumble. And…a grilled peach with gorgonzola ice cream and pecan pralines. Made by Johnna.
The other highlight of this year’s party is that everyone mastered the portion size. Mark’s rule is that everything in each course must be finished before we can move on to the next course, and I believe it was the 2011 party that we had to break this rule and go for a walk before moving onto the main course because the portions were out of control.
To quote one of the guests, “This year felt like a privilege and not a challenge.”
And also, Dan and Beth upped the ante by wearing the world’s most appropriate cheese party shirts.
[…] Yesterday, I shared the line up at Mark and Johnna’s 10th annual cheese party. […]
writes Curried Split Pea Soup with Fried Paneer and Bacon - Things I Made Today[…] On Sunday I attended a cheese party. The rules to the party are that everyone brings a course, and before you can move from one course to the next, every bite of the previous course must be finished. Here are some pictures of my favorite courses, courtesy of Vicky. To see the full description and each dish check out her post here. […]
writes i-cupcakes[…] Every year, we bite our nails with anticipation, worrying whether it’s even possible to top last year’s menu (or the year before that, or the year before that.) But every year we pull it off, and the party […]
writes Mark and Johnna's Annual Cheese Party 2015 - Things I Made Today2wherewithal
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