Cornelius Cheese

Most of you probably know by now that I love cheese and wine. In my world, there is nothing better than sitting down on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon with a nice bottle of wine and platter of a couple of cheeses, crackers, dried fruit and nuts. In fact that's exactly what happened at our house this weekend. 

My husband was on dinner duty and decided that a nice bottle of Port Phillip Estate Pinot Noir would go down perfectly with a Yarra Valley Dairy Black Savourine (an ashed white mould goat's cheese) and a chicken and pistachio pate. It was an absolutely lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Usually we buy our cheese from the market or from our local IGA, which stocks a really good range of Australian and international cheeses. As much as I love to go to the market, sometimes it's just not that easy to head into the city to pick up a few pieces of cheese.

When I first heard about a new cheesemonger opening in Brunswick, I was super excited because it meant that I might not have to make the trek to the city to pick up some cheese. I have been excitedly  following Cornelius Cheese on Facebook and watching their development. Today they opened their online cheese store. Yay!

This morning I dropped in to say hi to owner and self-confessed cheese nerd, Matt Steele. He very generously showed me around the cheese room and let me taste a couple of the cheeses on offer. The Brillat Savarin was chalky, but creamy, and absolutely delicious. The Beaufort D'Alpage, from the Savoie region of France, was smooth and creamy, made from raw cow's milk.

Image courtesy of Cornelius Cheese

Cornelius Cheese does not actually have a retail store, so I was very lucky that Matt let me have a look around.  He selects the best cheeses on a weekly basis and that's what's on offer through the store. Some lavosh are also available to go with the cheeses and Matt is hoping to have a small selection of other cheese-matching produce available in the near future.

All cheeses can be cut to specified sizes, of if you were catering for a large crowd, you could have a whole wheel. The cheese can be picked up directly from the 'cheese cave' in Brunswick or delivered to your home or work-place. 

Not only do Cornelius Cheese deliver beautiful cheeses to you, they will also create cheese platters for catering or cheese 'cakes' as an alternative to a wedding cake for your special celebration.

Image courtesy of Cornelius Cheese

If you live in Melbourne, I urge you to visit www.corneliuscheese.com.au to check out Matt's range of beautiful cheese. You certainly won't be disappointed!

So Much Spinach!

We have so much spinach in the garden at the moment that it's getting ridiculous! Over winter there wasn't much growing, but spinach and rainbow chard were the two things we definitely didn't have a shortage of. I've made pies, spinach daal, lamb saag, salads and a variety of vegetable dishes, but still it keeps growing. I've given away bags and bags of the stuff to friends, family and local cafes and restaurants, but we have more and more and more!

What to do with it all??

When we were kids, Mum used to make cheese and spinach pie all the time. It was probably the Aussie version of spanakopita, that amazing Greek pastry. We would gobble it down and there were hardly ever any leftovers.

I have modified Mum's recipe a bit - taken away the filo pastry, added extra herbs and more cheese. It's probably less pie now and more frittata. Whatever you want to call it, it tastes delicious as a light dinner with a salad and can also be served cold to take to a picnic. For nibbles at a party, try cutting it into small squares and putting a dollop of a tomato chutney on top. Your guests will love it!

Cheese And Spinach Slice

A bunch of fresh spinach or other greens

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

500g cottage cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, plus extra for the top

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup mint, chopped

6 eggs

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Wash spinach well to remove any dirt and shake dry. Finely chop and place in a microwave safe container with a lid.

Microwave for 2 minutes so that it starts to wilt. Drain well in a colander, pressing to remove extra water. Allow to cool.

Combine all other ingredients in a bowl, mixing well.

Stir through spinach when cool so it doesn't start cooking the egg.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remember that the cheese is salty, so you might not need much.

Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 20x30cm baking dish and smooth the surface.

Sprinkle the top with extra grated cheese to cover.

Bake for approx 45 minutes, or until the filling is set and the cheese on top is golden and bubbling.

Serve with a simple salad or some vegies.