Tag Archives: pairing

Queso Diego October Virtual Meeting Announcement

Back by popular demand, we are having another pairing (Whoo Hoo!); this time we’ve expanded it to include meat. Our tour guides for this pairing event will be no other than Jenny and Mike Eastwood of Smallgoods during the October QD meeting (zoom info at the bottom). As many of you know, Jenny is a Certified Cheese Professional and together, Jenny and Mike are the cheesemonger and meatmonger (is that a real word?) of Smallgoods (and owners). They are well versed in pairings and pre-COVID were doing pairings around town at the different wine and beer establishments. Check out some of the pairing plates that they prepare weekly on facebook, https://www.facebook.com/smallgoodsUSA. They will discuss the individual cheeses and meats and how they pair together and with your beverage of choice(s). You will hear about the textures, aromas, flavor profiles, etc. and some interesting tidbits about their sources.

The plan is to have four cheeses and two cured meats. Below are the cheeses and suggested pairings. Most of the pairings will probably go more with beers but a few alternate options have been included for those that may prefer a different beverage. As before, we will each find our own beverage (places to look are in your frig, “cellar,” local wine, beer, spirit store). There are no rules, so if your beverage of choice is not listed, bring your favorite beverage(s).

Cheeses and Suggested Beverages :

– Ashed Chevre – Rose? something bubbly?
– Aged raw goat milk tomme (dry & crumbly) – Cider & Ale’s
– Aged raw cow milk Gouda (crunchy & butterscotch) – Stouts & Porters
– Aged cow milk Cheddar (big, rich, nutty) – Ciders & IPA’s

Oh, can it be Tuesday, yet? I can almost taste the cheese……………

So, where’s the meat?? The meats are a surprise but will play well with beers & ciders (and the cheeses) – Fear not! It’s not mystery meat; the meats will be revealed during the meeting though you can look at them and guess when you pick up your plates 😉.

So, here’s how it will work:

Beverages – members provide their own (see recommended beverages above for the selected cheeses)

Cheese and Meat Plates –

Cheese and Meat plates for members are $15, a 25% discount off the regular price (club is covering the other portion).
Members will pick up PRE-ORDERED (see below) cheese/meat plates at Smallgoods (7524 La Jolla Boulevard La Jolla, CA 92037) on Saturday (10am – 5pm), Sunday (10am – 2pm [CLOSES AT 2pm]), or Tuesday (10am – 5pm). *
It is super easy to get to their shop; on the weekends quickest to go into La Jolla by around 10:30am and on Tuesday between 10 – 11:30am and 2-3pm.
DIRECTIONS: From I-5 or 52, take La Jolla Parkway; keep straight on to Torrey Pines Road; Left on Girard Avenue; Right on Pearl Street; and Right on La Jolla Boulevard

** Pre-Orders are now closed **

Queso Diego July Virtual Meeting Announcement

Members have been asking for a cheese and wine pairing and so, we will be lead through a worldly pairing by Rob from Venissimo for our July QD meeting (zoom info at the bottom). Rob leads the Academy of Cheese for Venissimo and is well versed in pairings and presentations. He will pair, mix-and-match, discuss flavors/texture, etc, and he always has some interesting history or background to share.

The meeting is on Tuesday, July 22nd via Zoom
6:30 – social hour
7:00 – pairing presentation

The following wines were selected for the cheese pairing:

Sauvignon Blanc
Pinot Noir (alternate would be a Merlot)

Note: If you don’t have these already at home or would prefer different styles of wine to try with the pairing…….there are no rules 😊

The following cheeses were selected to be paired:

Queso Leonora – goat – Spain – soft ripened bloomy rind goat cheese
Holey Cow – cow – California – Alpine
Rustic Red – cow – England – Cheddar
Roquefort – sheep – France – Blue

So, here’s how it will work:

Wine – members provide their own (see recommended wines above for the pairing with the selected cheeses)

Cheese – there are two options:

OPTION 1 – Order a cheese plate that will contain 4 of the 6 cheeses listed (I will have to get back to you on which 4 cheeses will be on the plate) and accouterments for the pairing. Cheese plates for members are $15, a 25% discount off the regular price (club is covering the other portion). Members will pick up the cheese plate at Venissimo; we are working on a pickup for the Del Mar store on the weekend (no promises) and at Mission Hills on Monday and Tuesday (the days these stores are open)……stay tuned. So, keep some time open on these days to pickup your cheese plate. I will send deadlines tomorrow for ordering but the following will be how it works

Step 1) Send Marci an email, mjrhjm@hotmail.com, stating how many cheese plates you want by the deadline of 5pm on Friday 7/17. Please specify whether you want to pick up at Del Mar (Sat/Sun) or Mission Hills (Mon/Tues)

Step 2) I will send a response with the pickup time and location. If I do not respond, that means I did not get your email.

Step 3) Pick-up your cheese
Members can pickup at Venissimo in Del Mar, Sat or Sunday 10-3
Members can pickup at Venissimo in Mission Hills, Monday or Tuesday 10-3

Step 4) Save the cheese for the meeting.

I have had some of the cheese plates from Venissimo and they come with a nice volume of cheese and accouterments.

OPTION 2 –

Take the list of cheeses to your favorite local cheese shop and purchase the ones you want.

Buy styles of cheese, as listed above, where you shop. For example, perhaps you can not find the “Rustic Red” but you could purchase a different English cheddar.

……….again, there are no rules, except to eat cheese; So, however, you obtain your cheese is perfectly fine.

I apologize that all the details are not included but we wanted to get the info out to the members for planning. Look for another email, tomorrow.

Zoom meeting link and password were sent out to the members email list.

Queso Diego May Virtual Meeting Announcement

We miss being together to enjoy cheese, as it is a communal food. So let’s meet and share what we’ve been doing with cheese. This will be a casual but interactive meeting so bring one or more of the following to enjoy while we show, share (visually), and discuss:

A dish made with cheese (e.g., quiche, casserole, dessert)
Cheese pairing (e.g., cheese & beverage; cheese & song; cheese & meat; cheese and outfit….you pick the pair)
Cheese board – make one and show it, you’ll make us all jealous

You’re free to tell us as much or as little about what you bring.

Meeting connection info was sent out to the club email list. If you didn’t receive it, please contact the officers.

No Regular February Meeting – Anniversary Event

Bubbly and Cheese

In place of the regular February meeting, we are holding our annual “Bubbly and Cheese” anniversary pairing event to celebrate 9 years as a club. This special members-only multi-course pairing event is sold out, so if you missed your chance to buy tickets, make sure to purchase your tickets early next year. This event is held at a different location that is better suited for a sit-down pairing, so we will not be at AleSmith.

We will resume regular meetings next month with our March 17th meeting at AleSmith. Check back for additional details.

Queso Diego January Meeting – Bubbly and Cheese Pairing

Every January, we celebrate Queso Diego’s anniversary and the new year with a bubbly and cheese pairing. This very special event is only open to members and their guests and requires pre-registration. To join and attend the event, please contact the officers at officers@quesodiego.org. Regular meetings will resume in February.

Queso Diego January Meeting – Special Anniversary Meeting

Queso Diegans,

In January we will be celebrate our Anniversary and the New Year in style with a Cheese and Bubbly pairing.

We will explore a variety of pairings with cheeses and sparkling beverages such as sparkling wines, cider, and beer.

Please Note: This is NOT at City Farmer’s Nursery.

We selected a special location for this meeting to better accommodate the format of the meeting and to allow everyone to be seated at tables.

EVENT DETAILS:

Queso Diego Bubbly and Cheese Anniversary Party

Tuesday, January 20th 2015
6:30pm Arrival
7:00pm Start

First Unitarian Universalist Church
4190 Front Street, San Diego, CA 92103

$5 for paid members
$10 for guests (However if they join Queso Diego this drops it to $5)

Timely RSVPs are very important for planning and purchasing purposes.
This is a special annual event and a really good value.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1l4WluysW2p3Ms2FDNIl7NCCk1NWGVT3DTsqXGmKQWYM/viewform

There is No need to bring cheeses or beverages to share.

Parking can be found on the street or in the back of the USCD parking lot for $5.
Ridesharing is always encouraged.

Wearing your New Year’s Festive wear is also encouraged.