Hello again. It’s now May; we hope you’re hanging in there. We’re seeking all the comfort we can right now. We’ve found solace from our community, and the continual videos that come from our producers really do help lift our mood. We have a few more beautiful messages from the makers of Lametia Olive Oil, Mahon, and La Dama Sagrada®. It’s hard for us to stay put for so long, but seeing their farms and aging rooms do bring us closer to the places we wish we could be right now.
We are also taking great comfort in good food, from the simplest cheese plate (read: one cheese sliced on a cutting board), to tackling new cooking challenges and being creative in the kitchen. On that note, keep reading for a sweet recipe from our sales rep Alison, who came up with the frosting of our dreams. So find your comfort where you can, and stay safe and healthy!
Mariangela, Lametia DOP Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Calabria, Italy
Mariangela says hello from her organic olive farm, where she makes her Lametia DOP extra virgin olive oil. She grows Carolea olives for this mono-cultivar oil on her 148 acres of groves in the Lamezia Terme valley.
Here’s the latest from Pedro on the verdant island of Menorca, which is basically every cow’s dreamland. He makes the classic Spanish cow’s milk cheese Mahon, known for its square shape and characteristic orange rind. We carry his 4 month and 1 year aged versions.
Fátima, Maker of La Dama Sagrada®
Castilla La Mancha, Spain
Fátima makes La Dama Sagrada®, a 6 month aged raw milk goat cheese, as well as Romao®, an aged sheep’s milk cheese with a rosemary-coated rind. “This is the aging room, and we have La Dama Sagrada, which is rubbed with olive oil to get this appearance. It is ages in here for six months preparing to be sold. We also have other, older cheeses, both of goat and sheep’s milk. We hope to see you soon, and hope everything is OK, and that this passes in the best way possible.”
Our sales rep Alison has been busy baking during her time at home, and created this recipe for frosting using OroCacao®, our Marcona almond butter with cocoa. We haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since! Her recipe is below – she used it to frost this cake but it would be great with any kind of chocolate cake or even banana bread.
Recipe: OroCacao® Frosting
This makes enough to generously frost one 6″ two-layer cake, or between the layers of an 8″ two-layer cake, or top only of a 9×13 sheet cake, or about a dozen cupcakes. Work with the pans you have!
1/2 cup (1 stick, 213g) butter (or vegan butter), softened 2 Tbsp milk or cream (or vegan milk), plus a little more reserved 1 pinch salt 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional but delicious) 2 cups (230g) powdered sugar 1 jar OroCacao®
1. In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat together butter, sugar, salt, extracts, and 2 tablespoons milk until well combined. It will be pretty stiff at this point. Scrape down the bowl, making sure to get any lumps at the bottom.
2. Add contents of one jar OroCacao® and mix thoroughly. Scrape down the bowl and mix at medium high speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. You may need to add a tiny bit of milk to get it to spreading consistency.
3. Spread the frosting over the cake, and enjoy!
As we receive them, we will continue to post more updates from our producers on our Instagram Stories (@forevercheeseco) and our website. If you missed our last round of producer videos, check them out here. We’ll continue to send out important updates from here, too.
We donated cheese last week to The Center for Discovery, a facility in Monticello, NY offering residential, medical, clinical, and special education programs to over 1,200 children and adults with complex medical conditions. Our friend and producer, Chef Cesare Casella, is the chief of their Department of Nourishment Arts, which focuses on nutrition and the therapeutic power of whole foods. Their chefs and residents got creative in the kitchen with cheeses like Cacio di Roma®, Taleggio, and Lou Bergier Pichin. There is nothing like good cheese to nourish the body and soul!
