Celebrate 'The Luck Of The Irish' With Fabulous Beer And Cheddar Pairings From Cabot® Creamery Cooperative

News provided by

Cabot Creamery Cooperative

Mar 13, 2013, 10:44 ET

CABOT, Vt., March 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sure you can color your St. Patrick's Day beer leprechaun green with a few drops of food coloring, but how much fun is that? Wow your St. Patrick's Day party guests with a Beer & Cheddar Cheese pairing party and turn your friends green with envy! 

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The farm family owners of Cabot Creamery Cooperative have put together a complete lineup of delicious cheddars paired with local, regional and national brands of beer to dazzle your palate and make you the toast of the town this St. Paddy's Day.

"When considering cheese pairings, many folks used to think immediately of wine," say the husband and wife team Steve Lidle and Nancy Wright of Hinesburg, VT. "But nowadays the fun and satisfaction of cheese and beer pairings is on the rise. There are countless options, from small craft brews to national brands which pair beautifully with cheddars ranging from mild to quite sharp."

As pairing experts and spokespersons for Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Steve and Nancy have worked decades in pairing wine and cheese, and have taken their art to beer because of their appreciation of small-scale breweries.

"Beer and cheese can be a wonderful combination," Nancy says, "but obviously not every beverage and food go well together." To avoid bad luck on St. Paddy's Day, Steve and Nancy recommend a host of beer and cheddar pairings. These are certain to be crowd pleasers and are easy to pull together for informal affairs or the most serious St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

"To pair cheese with beer, it helps to focus on similar basic styles," Steve says. "For example, beer with a lighter style couples nicely with a younger, milder cheddar. And a hearty stout, which carries not only big flavor but also some bitter undertones, is balanced by a well-aged cheddar which has natural buttery sweetness."

Here are a few specific pairing suggestions from Steve and Nancy, including several regional microbrews. If a certain beer is not available in your area, seek out a brew of similar style local to you. Half the fun is the adventure of trying out new combinations.

With Cabot Sharp Light Cheddar – a cheddar with firm texture, clean flavor, and light acidity, which delivers half the calories of a standard cheddar and pleases the palate – consider:

With Cabot Horseradish Cheddar – a cheddar with smooth rich creaminess married to tangy horseradish – consider:

With Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar – a cheddar that makes your tongue do a jig. Begins with earthy butter, blossoms into strong acidity, and finishes with the two in beautiful balance – consider:

With Cabot Clothbound, Cave-aged Cheddar – an old-World style cheddar, made one vat at a time. The complex flavor profile is at once sweet, savory, nutty, and tangy – consider:

Of course, there is no need to be restricted to these pairings. Experiment and discover your own favorites. In the end, the best advice is to crack open a beer, enjoy it with a quality aged cheese, and have a great time.

And lest we forget a good meal, what St. Patrick's Day party would be complete without some traditional Irish cooking?  Look no further as the farm family owners of Cabot Creamery have a host of options to please your party guests including Cabot's famous Potato, Cabbage and Cabot Cheddar Casserole and Cabot's Cabbage, Apple and White Cheddar Slaw.

For more delicious recipes featuring Cabot products, visit: http://www.cabotcheese.coop/pages/recipes/

Potato, Cabbage and Cabot Cheddar Casserole 
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
5 cups peeled and thinly sliced russet (baking) potatoes (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons Cabot Salted Butter
6 cups thinly sliced Savoy cabbage (about 1 small head)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 ounces Cabot Sharp Cheddar or Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, grated (about 2 cups)*

Directions:

1. Bring large saucepan of water to boil. Add potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Drain in colander and set aside. 

2. In large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add cabbage, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring often, until cabbage is wilted, about 5 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 8-by-8-inch or similar baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange one third of potatoes over bottom of dish. Scatter one third of cheese over potatoes. Top with half of cabbage. 

4. Add another third of potatoes and another third of cheese. Top with remaining cabbage.

5. Arrange remaining potatoes on top. Set remaining cheese aside. Cover baking dish tightly with foil. 

6. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with reserved cheese. Return to oven briefly to melt cheese.

Cabot's Cabbage, Apple and White Cheddar Slaw 
Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients:
Dressing:
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons light sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, preferably sea or kosher, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salad:
1 medium cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (about 8 cups)
4 apples (any variety), cored, peeled and cut into matchsticks
3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 celery stalks, cut into matchsticks
4 ounces Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Directions:

1. To make dressing: In blender, combine vinegar, sesame oil, honey, mustard, soy sauce and cinnamon; blend until smooth. While blender is running, slowly add olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. 

2. To make salad: In large bowl, combine all salad ingredients. Add enough dressing to coat salad well and toss together until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. 

ABOUT CABOT CREAMERY COOPERATIVE
Cabot Creamery Cooperative has been in continuous operation in Vermont since 1919, and makes a full line of cheeses, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese and butter. Widely known as makers of "The World's Best Cheddar," Cabot is owned by the 1200 dairy farm families of Agri-Mark, the Northeast's premier dairy cooperative, with farms located throughout New England and upstate New York. For more information on Cabot, visit: http://www.cabotcheese.coop

Cabot Creamery Cooperative is the world's first cheese maker and dairy cooperative to achieve B Corporation Certification, a validation of its attention to environmental and social impacts on stakeholders

Contact: Bob Schiers
(888) 214.9444 or [email protected]

SOURCE Cabot Creamery Cooperative

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