Fine Cheese & Charcuterie November 2013

As we approach the mother of all food holidays, I’ve been thinking about the symbolic nature of our traditional Thanksgiving dishes, indigenous foods like turkey, sweet potatoes and pump- kin pie. Adding to my musings have been the sightings of the wild turkeys that live up in the Berkeley/Oakland hills making forays down into the neighborhoods, strutting about, turning heads and blocking traffic. It seems like a dangerous time for a turkey, wild or not, to be roaming around unprotected, but they don’t seem to be afraid. Despite the popularity these days of turkey meat in the deli, the idea of roasting one at home seems to be reserved mainly for the winter holidays, and perhaps that’s because it’s not a very exciting bird. I’ve often thought the best thing about most of the usual Thanksgiving foods is having them for leftovers, especially turkey pot pies. One year, dreading the idea of roast turkey, I went so far as to cook an authentic paella feast for Thanksgiving. Except for a mishap while making flan that involved a pan of caramelized sugar flying off the stove and shellacking the kitchen floor (fortunately, no one got burned), it was a great meal, and everyone seemed to enjoy it even though they looked a tad confused. Fortunately, after much trial and error, we’ve fine-tuned our methods for cooking turkey in my house, and ours is now a succulent and juicy bird that even I look forward to (well, almost as much as to the pot pies).

Speaking of holidays, it’s the time of year when many people like to entertain. We’ve devoted this month’s feature to show how to make your store a destination for party planning of all kinds. Most potential hosts need a lot of help to put together a buffet of foods that can fuel a party and complement the libations. Being ready to help your customers do this is fun and can boost the bottom line in the process.

Happily, my job takes me to Paris with some regularity, and when I’m there, I seek out many of the cheeses that are forbidden fruit here in the United States, principally the delectable raw-milk varieties of chevre, brie, Camembert and various washed-rind cheeses, not because they are necessarily better but because they are different enough to pique my interest and my palate. And, yes, because they are forbidden. Because of my Francophilian cheese adoration, I was very pleased to discover Kathe Lison’s delightful new book, “The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese.” It’s a fascinating book and I offer a complete overview of it in this month’s cookbook review. Everyone who loves good cheese – French or otherwise – should check it out, and I would also put a stack of them on the cheese counter.

In her regular column, Margaret Eckert addresses a proposed bill to overhaul the nation’s food labeling laws. It’s a topic on which every association, politician and group of manufacturers have an opinion, and it’s going to generate a lot of debate. She also informs us about the government’s efforts toward seafood food safety and new gluten-free labeling rules. We’re all very pleased to have Margaret writing for us, and I’m happy to say she will con- tinue keeping us up-to-date on rules and regulations in 2014.

I’d like to wish everyone a joyous holiday season. I’ll be hoisting a wedge of cheese and a glass of Champagne as a toast to a successful end of year for all. Good luck and I hope to see many of you here in San Francisco this January for the Fancy Food Show. Happy New Year!

James Mellgren 

Managing Editor, Fine Cheese & Charcuterie 

jmellgren@gourmetbusiness.com