1.  Beer, Bourbon & BBQ – May 11^th, Symphony Park at SouthPark Mall

Admission grants you an all-you-can-taste sampling of beer and bourbon at this hugely popular event. Contests, live music and all types of barbeque are offered throughout the day. People attend this event faithfully every year, so be sure to buy your tickets early.

2.  Food Lion Speed Street – May 23^rd-25^th, Uptown Charlotte

For those who can’t get enough of Charlotte’s NASCAR scene, save the date and watch the streets of Uptown Charlotte transform into a celebration of music, food and speed. Expect NASCAR celebrities and show cars along with great entertainment. Best of all, it’s free!

3.  Taste of Charlotte – June 7^th-9^th, Tryon Street from MLK Jr. Blvd. to 6th Street

For a real slice of Charlotte cuisine, music, attitude and atmosphere, stroll along the city streets at this local festival. Free admission allows you to bring the whole family and choose your favorite foods to sample. Watch out for the Char-Broil Live Grill Tour which will have free burger samples, demos, games, and prizes.

4.  July 4^th Spectacular – July 4^th, Charlotte Memorial Stadium

If you’re feeling spry, plan to support The Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte by running a course through the Elizabeth neighborhood. Register today and start training for the 4 Miler or 1K Fun Run on Independence Day.

5.  Soul Food Festival – July 7^th, Uptown Charlotte

Enjoy a display of soul in music, food and history to benefit learning environments for underprivileged youth and young adults. Purchase a ticket to support the cause and liven up your summer plans!

6.  Carolina Balloon Festival – October 18^th-20^th, Statesville Regional Airport

It’s a truly unique and awe-inspiring display when you watch numerous hot air balloons fill the sky. Pick a spot on the lawn to view the scene or wander around the grounds to watch take-offs and landings up close.

Whether or not meatballs are still trendy (The Meatball Factory closed, The Meatball Shop expanded – you be the judge) they are always an easy, versatile option to make at home.

You can serve them as a snack, appetizer or a substantial meal. Each type of meatball (or meatless ball) has a wide range of options depending upon your mood.

First, select your meat or vegetable of choice—richer meats like lamb or beef make for hearty dinner recipes, while vegetable or turkey meatballs have lighter flavors. More options include chicken, pork, venison or bison. We recommend combining two types of meat for a more complex flavor.

Next, choose your seasonings and your format.  Here are some ideas that we love:

Take a trip around the world:  The flavors of almost any cuisine can be infused into a meatball, so let your imagination roam the globe for unique spices and ingredients. Enchilada Meatballs will please the kids, while our Lamb Meatballs with Bergkase Cheese are a sophisticated twist for the adults. Hearty Greek Venison Meatballs use healthy bulgur wheat instead of bread crumbs. A large bowl of Finish Beef Meatballs would be perfect on a buffet table. For a dim sum-inspired snack, stuff Hoisin Meatballs into soft white buns.

Taste something famous:  Meatball Sliders are the signature dish at The Little Owl restaurant in New York. They also might just be the best meatballs ever. Check out the recipe here and try them for yourself!

Make ‘em Meatless:  For a vegetarian option, make Lentil and Mushroom Meatballs—they have great flavor and you’ll have room for more!

Change up the format:  Meatballs can be eaten plain, but they are also great in pasta, sandwiches, and soups. Chicken and Ricotta Meatballs in Broth are delicious and light; for a sandwich, try a Honey-Chipotle Turkey Meatball Pita.

How do you like your meatballs? Leave us a comment below!

Lamb Meatballs with Bergkase

Lauren Campbell

  

We recently discovered the internet radio website 8tracks.com, which offers thousands of user-curated mixes to explore and share. You can search through existing playlists or create your own. It’s also available through the 8tracks Smartphone App on iPhone and Android, so you can stream new music wherever you go. Happy listening!

1. “Le Petit Dejeuner” – Songs for When You’re Craving Paris

In the mood for some smooth, jazzy music? This playlist has a lovely selection of calming and mellow pieces that will put you in a reflective mindset. Close your eyes and imagine yourself at a Paris café, sipping on a cup of rich cappuccino, taking a careful bite of your buttery croissant. Perfect, non?

2. “Life is Too Short to Even Care at All” – Songs to Keep You Cookin’

Busy chopping vegetables and a little bored by the repetitive motions? This collection of upbeat and satisfying indie pop music is sure to get you moving again. Maybe you’ll even be inspired by the music and add a pinch of whimsical spices to the veggie stew you’re making!

3. “Midsummer Drive” – Songs for Your Summer Road Trip

Whether you’re on an epic road trip or just running errands, you need cool music to break the monotony of your drive. This mix is an eclectic combination of rock and alternative songs, made for your driving pleasure! Hum along, roll down the window

4. “Midnight Music” –Sounds for a Soothing Midnight Hour

Bring out your best wine and cheese – it’s time to let go of your worries after a long day.  Settle yourself in your favorite armchair, and let the soft tunes on this list play. This charming, blues-focused selection is best enjoyed with a wonderful book on your lap. We recommend you turn off your cellphone (unless you’re streaming!) and simply let the time go by.

5. “I Dream of Elsewhere” – Songs for an Afternoon Reverie

Waiting for your delicious cake to bake? If you’re in the mood for some chill, relaxing music, then this mix is for you. In fact, we encourage you to take a small nap on your couch. The songs have a fanciful, luring quality that is sure to give you sweet dreams. Just don’t let the cake burn!

We spoke with Christina at Very Vera to get the inside scoop on how they are preparing, what the event highlights are, and what’s on the menu!

Very Stewart, founder of “Very Vera”

Q:  Very Vera is a local treasure that has received national accolades – tell us a little about your company’s history.

A:  The company was started in 1984 by Vera Stewart in Augusta, Georgia, and the business really took off in 1995 when it was featured in Southern Living. We began selling our signature pound cakes and frozen casseroles online and in Saks, Neiman Marcus, Costco, Bloomingdales, and HSN so people around the country could experience our homemade food. Recently, Vera was on a carrot cake Throwdown with Bobby Flay (she won!) and you can catch her locally on the Very Vera show. We also opened a café in 2002 where you can try some of the great dishes that we serve at Masters.

Q:  How long has Very Vera been working with Masters? What have you learned from catering events in the past?

A:  Very Vera has worked with The Masters for over a decade–we also cater weddings, university events, private home parties, fundraisers, events for organizations, etc. Every event is very personalized, and the hardest part is getting to know our customers so that we can get everything to their tastes. We have worked with some of our customers for 10-15 years, so we know who their favorite staff is, if they prefer beef over chicken, etc. These strong personal relationships are the foundation for our business.

For Masters, we have a staff that has been working the event for years. We also know which were the most popular dishes, and we always bring the favorites!

Q:  You will be serving breakfast and dinner every day of the week-long event. How do you begin to plan the menus?

A:  Planning begins months in advance. We look at previous menus and notes from the coordinators. After so many years we have a pretty good idea of what we will be doing, and people always love the nostalgia of Southern food, but we try to update it every year. It’s going to be a buffet, so we plan dishes that will work well for that style. We always send our clients the menus for approval and incorporate their feedback during planning.

Q:  So what’s on the menu?

Breakfast will be a warm continental breakfast, with scrambled eggs to order and smoked salmon. At dinner, we’ll serve favorites from previous years:  rosemary pork tenderloin, Southern-style shrimp and grits with andouille sausage, collard greens, and tomato pie (a café best-seller.) We’ll also have fried chicken, herb-baked chicken, creamed spinach, and mac and cheese. We bake all of our breads from scratch. And of course, we’ll be bringing our decadent Southern desserts:  caramel layer cake and grilled pound cakes with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

Tomato Pie is a favorite at The Masters every year

Q:  How do you prepare all of that?

We do some of the prep work at our own facility. When you’re cooking for so many people you need to save time, so anything that can be prepared beforehand is done early. But things like steaks, grilled vegetables, and salads are put together at the event location so that they are fresh. Fortunately, our staff includes Very Vera employees who work in our Gourmet to Go section, as well as seasoned staff that always works for us during Masters week. These people know the routine and have the basic recipes down, so we can cook quickly and efficiently.

Q:  Where will we see Castello Cheese?

A:  We’ll be using Castello Aged Havarti in our signature macaroni and cheese and as a topping for our twice baked potatoes. Soft Blue will be featured in our salads, and you can have Castello Cheeses added to your scrambled eggs at breakfast. Before dinner, you can snack on Aged Havarti, Hirten, and Soft Blue along with a variety of fruits and crackers.

Q:  What are you looking forward to?

A:  In addition to the food, every year it is just a really fun event. It’s fairly casual and everyone hangs out outside. Vera Stewart herself will be there walking around the hospitality tent – be sure to say hello if you see her!

Want a taste?  Visit the Very Vera website for great recipes that you can make with Castello cheeses, such as Pecan Havarti Quesadillas!

Lauren Campbell

  

Whether you wrap it in pastry, puree it in a soup, or mash it with butter, the humble potato is a team-player, improving almost any meal. But when you pair it with cheese, it gets even better! You can use the potato-cheese combo to make pizza, gratin, cheesy mashed potatoes…all great meals for any time of year!

1. Cheeseburger Soup by The Kitchen Life of a Navy Wife

Are you sick of chicken noodle soup? That’s the only sickness that more chicken noodle can’t cure. Try this bowl of cheesy, creamy, potatoes-and-meat-filled goodness instead. It’s a family favorite (just mention the word “cheeseburger.”)

Photo Credit: The Kitchen Life of the Navy Wife

2. Beef Stew with Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes by Clawson Live

Spice up your classic beef stew with mashed potatoes instead of your typical potato chunks. Mix our signature Crumbled Danish Blue into the potatoes for a special touch! This crock pot meal is convenient, flavorful, and worth the extra time.

Photo Credit: Clawson Live

3. Bite-Size Potato Tarts with Wild Mushrooms and Hirten Cheese by Castello

This dressy appetizer combines earthy mushrooms with salty Hirten cheese on a puff pastry square. It’s easier than you might think, and the Hirten adds a unique flavor that your guests will savor—in fact, you had better make a few extra.

5. Twice Baked Potatoes by A Family Feast

It’s got two kinds of potatoes and two kinds of cheeses—it’s even baked twice! Creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside, this baked potato doesn’t just look good, it tastes delicious too. Try mixing in some Havarti for a super creamy filling!

Photo Credit: A Family Feast

Enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day!

How to make crostini:

1.  Select a type of bread and cut into slices.

The experts are conflicted when it comes to the optimal crostini bread. It’s mostly a vehicle for flavorful toppings, and you can’t really go wrong, but choosing the right bread can help you complement your other ingredients. Pick ciabatta for a sweeter, softer taste or sourdough for a crunchier, stable transport. When in doubt, a trusty crusty baguette works for almost any recipe.

2.  Brush the slices with olive oil. Place in the oven or on the grill until the bread turns crispy.

Many appetizers and more substantial recipes call for garlic in addition to oil. A classic Spanish style preserves old bread by rubbing the surface with a clove of garlic, grating a ripe tomato on the garlic face and dipping in olive oil—no baking required. As the Barefoot Contessa says, how easy is that?

3.  Add your favorite toppings and serve.

Depending on the course (appetizers, dinner or dessert) choose a combination of flavorful meats, cheeses, veggies and herbs to finish the crostini. For appetizers, something light: prosciutto and figs, smoked salmon with dill havarti, or blue cheese and roasted tomato. If you would like the toppings to be warm, place the crostini back in the oven for a few minutes before serving.

If you want dessert, try sweeter options: almond butter and pine nut, honey and walnut or mascarpone with raspberries.

Looking for inspiration and quick crostini recipes?

Our newest crostini recipe is Bacon and Weissbier. Weissbier is a buttery cheese with a faint taste of Bavarian Weissbier, a perfect match for savory smoky bacon. We would definitely serve this crostini with a glass of German Hefeweizen!

We also love the combination of blue cheese and caramelized onions on raisin bread, which we call “Buckleberry Blues.”  To make this a real crostini, just remember to bake the bread until it’s crispy before adding toppings.

We caught up with Matt to learn more about creating the perfect beer and cheese pairings and where to find his favorite beers. Want to become a beer expert too? We’ve got Matt’s tips!

What do you think about when creating a beer and cheese pairing?

When creating food and beer pairings, I think about beer styles and their flavor and aroma profiles, rather than specific beers. For example, traditional blue cheese is funky, pungent, and aromatic. A great pairing is a beer with earthy hops and a bitterness to cut through the creaminess–something like an English Pale Ale.

Why do you like beer and cheese pairings better than wine and cheese pairings?

Beer is a much better pairing for food than wine is, and people are starting to realize it. The main reason is that the CO₂ in the beer’s foam lifts the fat off the palate, which allows for a more full sensory experience. Champagne does this too, but there is a smaller range of flavors and styles to pair with.

We sometimes think of pairing blue cheese with something sweet, like preserves or honey. Would it pair well with a sweeter beer?

You could do it, but sweeter beers are more risky, so I wouldn’t recommend using them if you are looking for a definite crowd-pleaser. Whenever you are at the extreme ends of a style profile you risk overpowering the food. Think of the combination of beer and cheese as being more balanced than contradictory.

What was your favorite beer and cheese pairing?

I loved the blue cheese pairings, especially the soft blue cheese and Saison beer. Saison goes great with everything but this was a fun pairing because the blue is so sharp and funky.

At each of our pairing events, the local chefs prepared their own unique dishes with our featured cheeses. Which were your favorites?

The Reubenette from Boston was a standout (check out the recipe here), even though the chef made a last minute switch from Havarti with Garlic to Havarti with Caraway. I also really loved the steak tartare with blue cheese at the Boston event.

Do you have a favorite brewery?

None specifically, but my advice for others is to stay local, at least at first. Although I do like many of the breweries in San Diego because they have a long history and are good at what they do.

What advice would you have for someone who wants to become a beer expert?

The easiest way to learn a lot about beer is by tasting a lot of beer (tough job!) Read as much as you can, but don’t just limit it to reading. Invest in a homebrewing kit and give it a try. Home brewing is sort of like golf:  it’s not hard to do, but it is hard to do well. I’ve won blue ribbons for home brewing and it gave me credibility early in my career.

Another great way to learn on the spot is to use my Beer Expert app. You enter the beer’s UPC code and the app will give you the beer’s commercial description, a.b.v. (alcohol by volume), style and several user reviews. It’s currently available for android – learn more here.

Want to see what pairings Matt came up with for our cheeses? Check out the beer and cheese pairing guide.

Lauren Campbell

  

What does it take to have the winning burger recipe at the NYC Food & Wine Festival Burger Bash? Is it procuring the perfect custom blend of Pat La Frieda meats? Is it using a flavorful cheese that complements that meat? Is it serving a milkshake on the side (wait a minute…)?

Or is it not so much about the ingredients as the concept–reimagining the burger as, say, a buffalo chicken sandwich or a dipper for fondue?

This year, Castello was at the Burger Bash in to sample some cheese, taste some burgers, and answer these questions. Here’s a look at some of our favorites.

The Top Burger Recipes

Save the best for…first! We kept thinking about this nicely balanced burger

The Gotham Bar and Grill Burger had Plymouth cheddar, braised short rib, Niman Ranch bacon, and pasilla pepper aioli. It sounds fancy but it tasted like a perfect version of the classic, comforting burger. This was the first burger we tasted but we kept thinking about it all night.

Move over hot wings! This saucy burger was a big success

The 21 Club Burger was one of those reimagined burgers. Cheddar cheese, fried onions, and…buffalo sauce? Turns out chicken wings have some competition:  this combo was delicious on a burger!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A fried cheese patty was this burger’s secret sauce

 

Artisanal’s burger was, true to their restaurant concept, all about the cheese. On top of the meat was a cheese “fondue” croquette which oozed upon the first bite. For cheese lovers like us, this was the champion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Good Stuff” indeed

 

Top Chef Star Spike Mendelson from Good Stuff Eatery brought this Brit burger, made with smoked English cheddar, caramelized onions, and horseradish mayo. The sticky toffee shake on the side didn’t hurt its chances of being crowned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Side Dishes and Sweets: Castello Cheese and Jacques Torres

 

In between burgers attendees swung by our Castello table for tastes of our new Alps Selection cheeses. Did you know you can use these cheeses to make gourmet burgers at home?

Castello Cheese Table All Ready for the Burger Bash!

On the sweet side, Jacques Torres had a chocolate cream and choux “burger,” but we preferred their signature chocolate chip cookies. And even on a stomach full of burgers it was impossible not to stop at the Doughnut Plant table.  Cake doughnuts go down surprisingly easy after several hours of meat.

A sweet burger from Mr. Chocolate, Jacques Torres

 

The Winning Burger Recipes

 

At the end of the night there were two winners. Burger and Barrel won the People’s Choice Award for the third time, even though we thought their burger was underwhelming and heavy on the pickle flavor. Ai Fiori won the Critic’s Choice for its “While Label” Burger with nueske’s bacon, American cheese, and black tomato. Sadly, we didn’t try this one. Our stomachs are only so large, and Ai Fiori is an upscale Italian restaurant-who knew they would throw down so hard? On further research, it appears that this burger could be the nemesis of the Black Label Burger at Minetta Tavern, a legendary dish in its own right.

So upon leaving the event, we left with some inspiring ideas for the new great American burger: buffalo sauce, short ribs, and fried cheese (together?)

But we also left with some lingering questions. Where was Rachel Ray for most of the event? Is Burger and Barrel stuffing the ballot box? And will Minetta Tavern show up next year for a white versus black battle of the label burgers?

We’ll take one of each.

Burger & Barrel display their 2011 People’s Choice Trophy before winning this year’s prize

 

Lauren Campbell