If you aren’t familiar with Pastoral, this European-inspired specialty cheese, food and wine shop offers an amazing array of delicacies from around the globe. They have multiple locations in Chicago, the newest of which is connected to Appellation– a 75 seat bistro serving all of the finely curated savory delights you love in a comfortable yet chic atmosphere. I was fortunate enough to interview their wine buyer and head cheesemonger, both of which are sharing their top picks and tips for making your holiday an epicurean spectacular!
I approached Mark Wrobel, Pastoral’s Wine Buyer, and asked him what he recommends for the holiday season. Pastoral offers wines at multiple price points- from approachable to premium- and carries approximately 200 great-tasting, small production varieties.
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| Appellation’s Wine Bar offers 20 wines by the glass |
Q: There are so many options when it comes to pairing wines with Thanksgiving dinner! What would you recommend that most would enjoy?
Mark:
Sparkling wines are perfect for the holidays because they are celebratory and pair so well with everything on the table
·Furlan Prosecco – Just a touch of residual sugar but with enough to acidity to keep things fresh. $18.99
·Champagne Camille Saves –
Every day should call for Champagne but sometimes people need a special
occasion. Not just for the connoisseurs; this is the perfect way for
everyone to celebrate family and friends coming together. $59.99
White Wines
Riesling is a great option because it is such a diverse varietal. It can be sweet, dry, highly acidic or fruity.
·Keller Riesling Trocken (Trocken
is German for dry) – This bone dry Riesling is ideal because it can
liven up over cooked turkey but also has the acidity to cut through all
the gravy. $22.99
You can go heavier or lighter when it comes to red wines and Thanksgiving
On the heavier side:
·Field Recordings ‘Fiction’ –
This should be on every table whether it comes in a bottle or a CAN. It
is juicy, spicy and robust but it has just enough acidity to keep it
from being flabby. The higher ABV is helpful because sometimes its your turn to be the drunk relative at thanksgiving. $19.99
On the lighter side the safe bet is Pinot Noir:
·Brooks ‘Runaway Red’ Pinot Noir – A great introduction to Oregon PN that maintains cherry fruit but also a touch of savory cooked mushroom. $19.99
I also had the chance to gather excellent advice from Pastoral’s Head
Cheesemonger, Jordan Edwards. Pastoral offers an incredible selection
from near and far.
Q: When selecting items for a charcuterie platter, are there general guidelines for variety that you recommend?
Jordan:
You always want to select a range of charcuterie when planning out your
platter. It’s a good idea to choose a few different styles and textures
so that there is something for everyone. I recommend Tamworth
Prosciutto by La Quercia, which is cured pork shoulder with great marbling from a good
Midwestern company. I also like West Loop Salumi’s ‘Nduja, which is an
Italian soft-cured spreadable salami that contains tasty peppers and
spices.
Smoking Goose Meatery from Indianapolis uses some adventurous combinations,
like its “Gin N Juice” salami which is sourced from Midwest farms and
contains juniper, orange zest and black pepper. To finish your platter
up, you want to add a pate or terrine, such as a country paté. At
Pastoral, we offer a great viariety of charcuterie for an easy-to-make
platter.
Q: Are there food styling tricks to assembling a gorgeous, Instagram-worthy platter at home?
Jordan:
Cheese and accompaniments are always gorgeous, but you can make any
cheese plate especially attractive by selecting different styles of
cheeses and accompaniments that vary in color, and by placing them on a
slate cheese board. For example, brightly colored jams, mustards and
tapenades like those we offer at Pastoral are not only great to pair
with cheese, but their color really pops against a slate board.
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| Pastoral Andersonville offers rotating French mustard on tap from Maille |
Another good tip is to make the cuts of cheese the same size and arrange
in fun patterns to really make it look nice. Some cheeses I recommend
for a pretty plate are a Bavarian Mountain Cheese called “Lola Montez,”
which is named after a beautiful Irish woman who ended up married to the
King of Bavaria in the 1800’s. The cheese is covered in herbs and
wildflowers, which makes it look very unique on your cheese plate.
Another idea is Roelli Cheese Haus’ Red Rock Cheese, which is a natural
rinded cheddar spiked with blue veining- its strikingly red with blue
streaks like a a bleu cheese, but tastes like cheddar.
Try an Italian cheese called Il Nocciolo, which is a cow/goat/sheep
cheese the size of a hazlenut and comes in a cube with a pretty wrinkled
rind that looks great on a cheese plate (and is easy, give you can
unwrap it an place it directly on the cheese plate).
A few
more ideas are the O’Banon, from Capriole, which is wrapped in chestnut
leaves, or a washed rind cheese whic can be pink in hue. Try Von Trapp
Farms’ (as in The Sound of Music!) “Oma,” which is bright orange on the
outside and butter yellow on the inside. Finally, don’t be afraid to
use ramekins and bowls to give some height and make it pretty- put some
mustard on a measuring spoon and place it on the plate, or jam in a
ramekin. Mix it up!
Q: EVERYone gives wine as a gift, which is quite lovely, but are there some other unique gifts you think people might enjoy?
Jordan:
One of our favorite gifts this time of year is a slate cheese board.
Not only is it a great way to serve cheese, it really makes the entire
presentation look amazing. A slate board isn’t something most of us
think to buy for ourselves, so you’ll usually surprise and excite the
person you give it to.
At Pastoral, we have a few
different sized slates for sale, so you can really personalize the gift.
I really like our “Serving Essentials” Gift Set, which includes a
bamboo cheese knife, a cheese plane (for creating ribbons of cheese), a
slate and a cheese paper and cheese journal (helps you keep track of the
cheese flavors you enjoy and helps you match flavors).
We also have a “Cheese Survival Kit,” which includes a cheese pocket
knife from France, cheese paper and a cheese journal. Think of it as a
camping set with cheese!
Q: Craft beer is all the rage- are there types of cheese that pair particularly well with specific beers?
Jordan:
Cheese pairs really well with beer- and I would also add craft cider-
because the flavor profiles really complement each other. In fact, some
of the cheeses at Pastoral are actually washed in beer and cider before
they are packaged and sent to us. Cheese washed in beer and cider helps
to bring out some of the sweetness and cut the salt in cheese. A cheese
that Pastoral offers that I think goes really well with craft beer and
cider area “Good Thunder” from Alemar (which is washed in an oatmeal
stout and goes well with a dry cider). IPAs and cheddars pair well too,
and Quickes from England makes a fine goat cheddar that is amazing (goes
well with porters and stouts too).
Also, my favorite pairing is tripel karmeliet Belgian Beer (which
is on tap at Appellation) with Challerhocker, a cheese that tastes like
French Onion Soup and is made by hand by Walter Rass, a top producer in
Switzerland. Challerhocker also goes really well with Bell’s Best Brown
Ale from Kalamazoo. I really like the fact that the company that imports Lola Montez and Challerhocker is Columbia Cheese, which takes a “maker
to monger” approach to sourcing, meaning it imports the cheese it gets
right into the shops. It’s a great family ran company that been around since
the 1940’s and also pushes cheese education.
Q: What is one easy appetizer that is your go-to, sure to be a crowd-pleaser every time?
Jordan:
As a cheesemonger, I would of course recommend an amazing cheese plate.
At Pastoral, any of our cheesemongers are happy to help you pick out a
few great cheeses, but also some amazing accompaniments that you may not
have tried yet, or not thought to put on a cheese plate.
Our
housemade tapenades, spiced almonds, and other sweets give any host or
hostess the ability to make a great cheese plate appetizer. Personally, I
like to buy Prairie Fruits Farm Fresh Chève, or Hidden Springs Farm’s
“Driftless” sheep’s milk cheese (the cheesemakers name all of their 500
sheep!) and stuff it inside our peppadew peppers (we also sell
pre-stuffed jars of them). The peppers are available at all retail
locations- serve them in a bright bowl and watch your guests become
addicted (be sure to buy enough to satisfy your hungry crowd).
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| Appellation has a cheese melter- divine! |
Another appetizer I like is fondue using the Swiss Vacherin Fribourgeois
Crepi (THE original fondue cheese), which is handmade. Melt over low
heat (low enough that you’re able to keep your finger in the pan- under
200 degrees). Add garlic into pan with a dash of white wine until the wine cooks off, then add in water and small handfuls of shredded cheese at a time; stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Just add bread and other goodies for
dipping.
Look for more Appellation info and photos as I head there next month to
dine. Thank you to Mark and Jordan for their wealth of knowledge- I
can’t wait to plan my next party selection with you!
