I stopped into our local market City Feed this evening foraging for salad fixins’ and I came across a super cute little wooden box of cheese called “Hannahbells”. Honestly, I don’t know anyone that could resist “tiny hand made cheeses” that look like little thimbles. Well, except for my lame lactose-intolerant friends, but they suck. In the cart!
I decided to toss fresh pea shoots in the same vinaigrette I made a few nights ago, slice some steamed beets and add a few Hannahbells. Obviously I needed to sample first…
My first thought was that it was a bit strong–but I think the honey-balsamic in the salad tempered it a bit; however, talk about flavor… this is amazing cheese. Ordinarily I wouldn’t get so excited about a cheese’s flavor profile but this reminded me of Willy Wonka’s thanksgiving gobstopper. Every second a new aroma exploded one after the other. Maybe I am crazy but I almost got a woody oak taste at the end.
From the Shy Brother’s Farm website:
Hannahbells are tiny artisanal cheeses hand made by the very shy Santos brothers from their third-generation dairy farm in Westport, Massachusetts. Some folks call them thimbles. The French call them “boutons de coulottes”, or “trouser buttons.” The brothers call them Hannahbells, after their mom!
I’m really hoping to try some of their other Hannabells specifically the Shallot and Rosemary.
2 Comments
I thought you were going to say you almost got a woody at the end… which, you must admit, would be an interesting if not slightly idiopathic reaction to cheese. But hey, whatever turns you on. Hope all’s well in your slice of paradise these days. Cheers, amigo.
Your comment made me riotously laugh! What’s new Mr. Pollock? Hope you are well also…