If you follow my Twitter feed you may have noticed that I recently attended the Colorado Cheese Festival. I’m a big fan of cheese and blessed that I have access to so many locally made cheeses and well stocked cheese shops.
However, many people they don’t have that where they live. Or maybe it’s a long drive to go somewhere like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s for cheese and your local grocery store’s selection is pretty sad. Luckily for cheese lovers who want a little more than store brand cheddar and Swiss, there is Alouette®and Chavrie®. Let’s call it cheese for the beginner cheese connoisseur. After all Alouette Baby Brie® received the 2008 American Culinary ChefsBest® Award for Best Tasting Brie, so it’s a good cheese appreciation start.
Cheese for healthy eaters?
Yes, you can watch your weight and eat cheese since Chavrie goat is only 1 Weight Watchers POINT for 2 tablespoons and Alouette’s light varietals are only 1-2 POINTS. Also, all Alouette’s spreadable cheese line went “all natural” over the summer, so I decided to give it a try thanks to the sample coupons Alouette sent me.
I picked up a variety of Alouette products at two of my local grocery stores – the Alouette Soft Spreadable Cheese - Light Garlic & Herbs, the Alouette Baby Brie Hickory Smoked Wedge, and the Alouette Goat Cheese Crumbles.
First, was the Alouette Soft Spreadable Cheese. This was my least favorite. Yes, it was tasty and only 1 Weight Watchers POINT for 2 tablespoons. I used it in a flatbread sandwich with lettuce and a turkey slice. While it initially went on thick, it soon broke down into kind of a melty goo both in my wrap and in the container. While it didn’t affect the taste, which was just OK in my opinion, the look of the spread after it was spread was a turnoff.
I enjoyed the Alouette Baby Brie Hickory Smoked Wedge and would put small slices in my wrap sandwich. The smoked flavor was subtle but enjoyable. However, this is NOT a health food, but an indulgence. Enjoy in small doses.
My favorite was the Alouette Goat Cheese Crumbles. My husband put this on our salad, which is the perfect way to enjoy it. The flavor is strong enough that you can forego salad dressing, too. Even though 1/4 cup is only 1 Weight Watchers POINT, a little goes a long way and you won’t need that much on your salad, even if it’s a large one.
With the holidays, Alouette cheese is sure to be on sale, so we’ll be stocking up on the goat cheese crumbles and trying them out on other dishes. Check out www.alouettecheese.com for recipes, wine pairings and entertaining tips, too.
Alouette and Chavrie's First Annual Facebook Fan Recipe Contest
If you like creating recipes with cheese, check out Alouette’s and Chavrie Facebook Fan Pages for their recipe contests. The winning recipes will receive a $100 gift card from Cooking.com. Your recipe must be entered by December 4, 2009 and all the information on how to do that and the rules are on their Facebook pages.
