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Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 4182
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 6, 2006 - 10:17 pm: | 
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Stopped by today hoping for some help from Steve Crane with a dangerous assignment: putting together a cheese course for an upcoming gourmet dinner being given at the Bergen County home of my longtime friend & his food nazi wife. The dinner is to be by and for three couples: our hosts are making most of the food, another couple is selecting the wine, and Mrs. Soda & myself will be bringing the cheeses and dessert(s?).
A bit of context:
My bud (let's call him Melvin) used to be lotsa fun, but over the past twenty years or so his uber-organized tight-••• of a spouse has bullied him into total submission on nearly all things, especially anything food-related. She used to be a vegan when they were dating, but mellowed (?) once they wed, and now merely plans and shops for an entire week's evening meals (invariably healthy -- albeit usually tasty -- low-carb, low-fat fish/chicken/tofu-type stuff) every Sunday. They're both very busy professionals, and I completely understand her desire for some order in her non-working life, but she just takes things way too far. I mean, he has to go out to eat with me (with a week's notice to wifey, natch) to enjoy a pastrami sammich...
The third couple: She and my wife are old friends, and they live a couple of blocks away from the Melvins in one of those (tear-down) towns near Alpine. Plenty of disposable income. They travel globally. Everywhere. You name it, they've been there. Twice. She's a great gal, and a swell cook. Her hubby (Murray) is an obsessed wine-lover, and will undoubtedly be bringing five or six vintage bottles (apart from a couple of choice dessert wines) to the dinner. He and Melvin work in the same industry, and his wife puts up with Mrs. Melvin cause she has to, being a friend&neighbor&all...
Then, there's US: I like to eat (duh), as does my honey. We're not fashionably lean (or utterly stressed-out) like the Melvins. We both enjoy a nice libation, but are hardly driven wine-mavens like the Murrays. So, when we were told by Mrs. Melvin (while the six of us dined at the incredibly noisy Cafe Matisse in Rutherford last month) that the cheese&dessert for this meal were our responsibilities, I guess we were relieved not to have to do much of the heavy culinary lifting. But now the dinner's four nights away, and the pressure is on. Mrs. Soda is gonna try and locate some cinnamon ice cream. And I'm assigned the cheese course. Hence my visit to Crane's...
Well, Steve wasn't there. But David was. Thank God. Inside of twenty delightful and delicious minutes, he'd helped me pick out six fabulous cheeses, and as I left, I silently congratulated myself on choosing Crane's instead of Whole Foods.
Moral: These guys are big-league cheeseheads, and are patient, generous, and gracious with their wares and expertise. So thank you, David. Yea, as I walk through the valley of the food and wine illuminati, I will fear no Edam, for thou art with me.
-s.
BTW: The cheese prices at Crane's are very competitive. You should go. (and yeah, I'll report about the dinner next week.) |
doulamomma
Citizen
Username: Doulamomma
Post Number: 1826
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 6, 2006 - 10:34 pm: |
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love the story - good luck!
I've never made cinnamon ice cream but have made cardamom & it was easy & great...
if you don't want to make it, maybe Verjus would sell you some of their creme fraiche ice cream (which is amazing)!
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Latrel Spreewell
Citizen
Username: Spreewell
Post Number: 2
Registered: 8-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, September 7, 2006 - 7:21 am: |
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cranes is awesome....i try to make it in a few times a week. Steve is great. |
Kevin
Supporter
Username: Kevin
Post Number: 852
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 7, 2006 - 11:47 am: |
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It's a bit more pedestrian than Verjus creme fraiche, but Boulder Ice Cream makes a cinnamon ice cream. Whole Foods carries pints. I'm not sure if they have cinnamon, but noticed that the Mexican Chocolate has cinnamon in it as well.
I'm not a fan of cinnamon (or chocolate ice cream) - so I can't say if it is any good.
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Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 4184
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, September 7, 2006 - 4:43 pm: |
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Thanks, kevin! It was on sale!
-s. |
Boomie
Citizen
Username: Boomie
Post Number: 474
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, September 7, 2006 - 6:31 pm: |
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I dont want to take anything away from Cranes, and I am inspired to try them now, but I also want to give a MAJOR shout out to the Cheese shop at the Wine Library in Springfield. They too are dedicated, patient and loving, as well as very generous and knowledgeable and they have provided delightful cheese courses for many of my get togethers. |
Hank Zona
Supporter
Username: Hankzona
Post Number: 6218
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 7, 2006 - 6:45 pm: |
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Id rather give my cheese money to Steve Crane than to Gary Vaynerchuk at Wine Library. |
Boomie
Citizen
Username: Boomie
Post Number: 475
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, September 7, 2006 - 8:35 pm: |
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I don't know either so Im not qualified to make that kind of value judgement. |
Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 4190
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, September 8, 2006 - 11:05 am: |
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Better either of them than the union-busting swine who own Whole Foods...
...er, except in the case of, say... cinnamon ice cream...
-s. |
Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 4206
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, September 10, 2006 - 9:11 am: |
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I am so hung over. Murray ambushed us with bottles so luscious that the six of us hardly paid attention to a quite excellent seven-course repast (mostly prepared by -- I'm shocked to reveal -- the Melvin's cleaning lady, Mercedes!). My six-cheese platter, though, was a great success, even though I forgot to bring carckers. Thank you, David. Thank you Steven.
-s. |
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