Irish cheese platter

Well, it's almost St. Patty's Day, so I am in for a few Irish-themed posts. Today is one that doesn't involve any cooking, but it might involve some drooling.

I received an e-mail from Pastoral Artisan Bread, Wine & Cheese today, and I can never resist what they sell. They touted a trio of Irish cheeses, combined with a black and tan kit with killer beers. I was in.


I bought some toasted bread slices and the full trio, from left to right at the top of the plate: Coolea, Ardrahan, and Cashel Blue.

The Coolea was a Gouda-style cheese, although it was a little harder than I like my Gouda. That one was Dave's favorite.

The Ardrahan "tastes like barnyard," as my cheesemonger said, and I can't disagree with her, but it was some fabulous barnyard indeed. It tasted so wonderfully grassy, and it was just what I needed in this gray, bleak time of year in Illinois. It tasted like I imagine this barnyard must smell (in a good, pastoral way).

The Cashel Blue was a very sharp, bright blue cheese that my cheesemonger described as having a very "mineral" taste. I thought the Ardrahan was my favorite, but after a few more bites of the Cashel, this one was probably my favorite. So delicious, and I can't wait to try it on a bit of salad.

And, the best part is that all of them came from Neal's Yard Dairy in London! We went there in September 2009 and had a blast looking through their delectable cheeses.

I served the cheese after a dinner of a simple salad and black-eyed pea salad. We didn't bust out the black and tan kit yet, but the kit came with instructions about which ale went with which stout, so I'm excited to try combinations of that, as well. (Although I am not a stout fan, Dave was really impressed with the beer in the kit.)

Luck o' the Irish to you!