Year: 2021

Incredible Mountain Cheese from Eastern France

Writing about grief, as I did last week, always calls up particular memories for me. A loss may have happened a long time ago, but the feelings can still come back as if it were just last month. For me, it’s the passing of my parents, of my pup Jelly Bean, and of my uncle. And the far too early death of my friend Daphne Zepos in the summer of 2012. When we think back to those we have lost, their memories often bring up other things with which we associate them. It could be memories of music, meals, places, holidays. With Daphne, more than anything I think, my mind comes first to Comté cheese. Comté was her passion project; she loved the cheese, and she went to great lengths to bring some of the best of the best to the U.S., and in particular to us at Zingerman’s. While Daphne died nearly ten years ago, both her memory and the supply of this exceptional French mountain cheese are still very much alive.

Referencing her in the writing last week reminded me to go over to the Deli to get a bit of Comté. Comté has become a bit of edible elegy for Daphne. Every time I eat some I think back fondly on our friendship. It brings a bit of both joy and sadness in every bite. As David Whyte writes, “An elegy, a good elegy, looking at it from the poetic point of view, is always a conversation between grief and celebration. The grief of the loss of the person and the celebration that you were here at all to share the planet with them, you know?”

Comté is one of France’s oldest cheeses and one of last strong bastions of traditional cheese making. A great Comté like what we get through the connections Daphne created for us in the years before she died, will be buttery, softly nutty, intensely excellent without going over any edge. All our Comté comes to us from Marcel Petit, the firm that’s been maturing cheese in what’s known as the “Fort St. Antonie,” for over fifty years. Our Staff Partner and longtime Mail Order cheese specialist and warehouse manager, Lisa Roberts, says:

Recently I travelled to Marcel Petit’s Fort St. Antoine in Jougne, France where they age Comté cheese. This was a dream come true for me. Everyone acknowledges that the French make great cheese and Comté is king in France. Comté from Fort St. Antoine is the crown of the king and a trip there is like a cheesemonger’s haj. The Fort is special because it’s an ideal environment for very slow maturing of the wheels. It was built into the side of a hill in the 1800’s and abandoned after it failed at its job stopping Germans in World War II. Inside it, the cheese can develop and express its individual flavors. I think it’s just about perfect. It’s a wonderful balance of flavors that include hazelnut, brothy French onion soup and butter. It has the most delicate hint of sweetness and a super long finish.

Our “regular” Comté, aged inside the stone walls of the Fort for about 18 months, has a fantastic flavor that melts in the mouth. It’s gentle and intense at the same time in an intriguing and eminently enjoyable way. A light nuttiness, with just the tiniest whisper of smokiness. I could honestly eat this cheese all day! Give me a good salad, a thick slice of Country Miche bread from the Bakehouse spread with a bit of cultured butter, and slices of this Comté laid on top. I’ve been making a spread of grated Comté, a bit of mayo, a good amount of freshly ground Tellicherry pepper and some Domaine de Terre Rouge Walnut Mustard (you can also sub in some good Dijon). Great on toast or on egg noodles!

At the Deli we also have our annual arrival of Extra Aged Comté! If you’re into mature mountain cheese even half as much as I am, do NOT miss it! We have two wheels made in June of 2019, well before the pandemic began. Intense and exceptional without being at all over the top, it’s pretty darned terrific! Powerful in its quiet way it sets you back and makes you take notice in a way that’s wonderfully unforgettable.

You can get the Comté at the Deli, Cream Top Shop, and at Mail Order. The Extra Aged Comté is only at the Deli right now; we’re happy to ship you some though—just email us at [email protected].

Year: 2021

A beautiful brew that can turn any day into a holiday

a bag of Zingerman's Coffee Company Holiday Blend

If you’re thinking about what to drink when you dive into a nice bite of pie from the Bakehouse, this seasonal brew from the Coffee Company is the perfect pairing. We’ve been doing an annual Holiday Blend for over a decade now—the 2021 vintage maintains the tradition of marvelous flavors while still bringing its own personality to the flavorful fore! This year, Steve, Matthew, Chris, and everyone at the Coffee Company have put together a trio of terrific beans: half Espresso #1, and a quarter each of our Peru Corral de Piedra and our Costa Rica Willows Special Reserve. Matthew says:

When we developed this year’s Holiday Blend, we paired two of our favorite estate coffees from Hacienda Miramonte in Costa Rica and Daterra Estate in Brazil with beans from the ASPROAGRO co-op in Peru. We have been sourcing each of these coffees for many years and are proud to have shaken hands with the producers. These relationships will last many more years to come—the attention and care of the producers are reflected in the flavor of each cup! This blend is rich, layered, and silky smooth with hints of cocoa.

The 2021 Holiday Blend has been tasting terrific in every form I’ve tried, but I was particularly happy with the Chemex brewing method. The “dark chocolate” in it came out nicely and it made for incredibly smooth sipping. However you prepare it, I feel confident that you’ll be happy to have some of this year’s Holiday Blend! Here’s to good things to come!

At the Coffee Company, Deli, Roadhouse, and Mail Order!

Year: 2021

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Year: 2021

The most wonderful time of the year is coming, and we could use your help shipping food across the country.

Zingerman’s Mail Order is now hiring full and part-time, seasonal crew, no experience necessary, for a fun, fast-paced holiday season.

Full or Part-Time // Day or Night shift // $15/hr minimum // + Perks!

Find Out More & Apply Now at zingermansjobs.com.

Why Work With Us
All Zingerman’s Mail Order jobs include these great benefits and perks!

How We Work Safely
We’ve always followed food safety guidelines to the letter. Here are measures we’ve added to keep our staff as safe as possible during these challenging times.

For more jobs around the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, like brownie baker, sandwich maker, and coffee brewer, visit zingermansjobs.com. 

Year: 2021

Start your day at the Roadhouse

If you’re thinking of going out for breakfast to eat something you probably never cook at home, you might want to swing by the Roadhouse and order Eggs Benedict. The Roadhouse kitchen crew’s rendition of this classic American recipe is splendid. A buttermilk biscuit cut in half, thin slices of Nancy Newsom’s twenty-month-old (at this time of year) hickory-smoked country ham from Kentucky, a couple of freshly poached eggs, and a homemade Hollandaise sauce. Rich and delicious would be a severe understatement. The breakfast potatoes on the side are terrific too!

In case you’re curious (I was) about where Eggs Benedict came from, the quick answer is, no one seems to really know. There are a series of conflicting origin stories, most all of which go back to New York City sometime between the middle of the 19th century and the middle of the 20th. Legend has it that a hungover Wall Street broker named Lemuel Benedict brought the dish into the world, so his story (as told to The New Yorker in 1942) was that he was hungover and needed help!

While the homemade Roadhouse Hollandaise often wins the headlines, I will say here that the Newsom’s ham alone is amazing. Nancy Newsom is one of the only woman ham curers in the country, and her family has been in Kentucky almost as long as the Gingras family has been in Quebec. She’s one of the last curers who still works only with the traditional seasonal hog slaughter in winter, and ages her hams only with ambient natural temperatures. Her small, artisan, third generation ham curing business is down in Kentucky’s southwest, in the tiny town of Princeton. Nancy came up to speak at Camp Bacon many years ago, whence I started thinking of her as the Lucinda Williams of country ham; a powerful, poetic, strong woman who’s a leader in her field, making a product that, once one experiences it, you’ll have a hard time getting it out of your mind. Same goes for this dish. Right now, as I said, the ham is coming up on two years old!

Once you have the Eggs Benedict for breakfast, the odds are high that you’ll be back for more. And, by the way, if you just want to take home a few slices of the ham, the Deli has it in stock at the cured meat counter.

It’s some seriously good eating!

Check out the Roadhouse breakfast menu!

Year: 2021

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