foodwineclick

Shake Up Your Routine
As we enter our last few weeks of summer, you might be ready to shake up your normal burger or brat routine.  How about ditching the bun and enjoying your meal with a different take on a summer salad?

Shake up your brat routine: skip the bun, serve with a traditional salad from Alsace. Wash it down with your favorite dry rosé

Emmi USA Cave Aged Kaltbach Le Gruyère Cheese
The folks at Emmi USA thoughtfully provided samples of cave aged artisan cheeses from Switzerland with a request to experiment with some summertime pairings.  I love artisan cheeses, so I was only too happy to help out. Today, I’m featuring Kaltbach Cave Aged Gruyère in this post. In searching around for some ideas, I happened upon this recipe from Food & Wine magazine back in 2005. A traditional dish from Alsace, tomato gruyère & red onion salad would typically be served with a local sausage.  A spicy, savory brat serves admirably.

A refreshing lunch on a hot summer day

Wine Pairing
There’s nothing better or more refreshing on a hot summer day than a nicely chilled glass of dry rosé. Bone dry and refreshingly acidic, rosé quenches the thirst and pairs beautifully with almost anything you might enjoy at lunch. The rosé contrasts the rich, savory spiciness of the bratwurst, and has sufficient acidity to pair beautifully with the tomatoes in the salad. Perfect for sitting underneath the patio umbrella as you take a break during your day.

Two Shepherds Grenache Rosé: bright fruit and bone dry

Two Shepherds Grenache Rosé 2014 ($22 direct from the winery)
Eye: Almost clear, just a hint of haze, bright, intense strawberry color.
Nose: Bright, ripe strawberries bright fruit. in the background, a hint of herbs and earth.
Mouth: Vibrant strawberry fruit, tart acidity, very dry.

William Allen is the winemaker and owner of Two Shepherds Winery in Santa Rosa, CA.  He crafts a variety of wines from the family of grapes used the the Rhone.  I enjoy all his wines and I’m a happy Two Shepherds wine club member.  His beautiful Grenache rosé must be the most intensely colored rosé I’ve ever had!  I can assure you it is still quite dry and refreshingly acidic.

Emmi USA brings us classic cheeses

Emmi USA Cheeses
Emmi imports artisan cheeses from Switzerland.  Classic mountain cheeses, these are products made only in specific regions to particular standards. In addition, many of their cheeses are cave aged for additional taste and texture before coming to the US.

The Gruyère cheese was provided by Emmi USA as a sample for this blog post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Minneapolis / St. Paul Cheese Resources
If you have never tried cheeses beyond American mass-market brands, you’re missing out!  Stop in at your local market and take home some artisan cheese, you’ll never go back to the big brands.

• Surdyk’s Cheese Counter – best cheese and charcuterie selection in the Twin Cities
• France 44 Cheese Shop – good selection of cheese and charcuterie
• Linden Hills Coop – good cheese counter
• Sunshine Harvest Farm – tasty brats from pasture raised livestock

Here’s how the salad comes together (click on any photo to view as a full size slideshow)

Start with vine ripened tomatoes, from your garden or the farmers market.

Add a healthy pinch of salt and pepper

Top with a generous portion of shredded gruyère cheese

Add plenty of very thinly sliced red onion

Garnish with flat parsley leaves

Drizzle with equal parts apple cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, add your brats and go for it!

Lunch is ready!