FOOD/TREND HALLOUMI CHEESE It squeaks when you eat it, doesn’t melt and is indigenous to Cyprus. So how did a small Idaho cheese maker come to make an awardwinning version of this very weird cheese? “They experimented with it at a cheese-making training we went to in Wisconsin. It was awful,” said Stacie Ballard of Ballard Family Dairy and Cheese. The folks at Ballard spent two years trying to perfect the stuff. Judging by the cheese’s popularity, it worked. Traditional halloumi is made from sheep and goat milk and is cooked to about 180 degrees (Ballard’s version is made with cow’s milk). Its higher melting point means it can be fried or grilled, leading to some creative dishes. Cubed and fried halloumi is a chewy, slightly salty addition to tossed salad. One chef serves the cooked Cypriot cheese in place of mozzarella in a caprese salad. Ballard has seen it grilled and skewered with fruit or served veggie burger-style on a bun with barbecue sauce. For an easy snack or appetizer, slice halloumi a quarter-inch thick and lemons as thin as possible and fry or grill both. Berryhill and Co. and Bittercreek Ale House serve Ballard’s version, called Golden Greek, as do restaurants in Jackson, Wyo., Sun Valley, Coeur d’Alene and Moscow. Golden Greek won a first-place award at the American Cheese Society meeting in 2007. “It’s been a fun cheese. People get really attached to it,” said Ballard. Find local or imported versions of the “fun cheese” at Boise Co-op or at Thana’s Little World Market at 4101 W. Overland Road. —Whitney Rearick
FOOD/BEER GUZZLER
BREAKFAST BREWS OK, they’re not really for breakfast, but all three of this week’s selections are coffee-infused porters. I’m not typically a fan of tricked-up beers, but a deeply flavored porter with a coffee element sounds like just the thing to beat back this icy winter weather. And while it might not be something I’d want to drink everyday, all three make for a nice change of pace. BIG SKY BREWING COWBOY COFFEE PORTER This beer pours an opaque ebony with a thin, dark tan head. It reminds me of a well-pulled espresso with a nice crema. The aromas are fairly light, colored by biscuit, coffee grounds, a touch of tobacco and mild mocha. On the palate, the coffee flavor is subdued, blending nicely with toasty malt, caramel and bittersweet chocolate. It’s a well-balanced effort from this Missoula, Mont.-based brewery. BRIDGEPORT CAFE NEGRO COFFEE INFUSED PORTER From Portland, Ore.’s first craft brewery, this is another dark pour but with a thicker, more persistent froth. It smells like a creamy cappuccino with a nice shaving of dark chocolate. Again, the coffee element has a light presence, just coloring the smooth malt and lightly bitter hops that come through mostly on the finish. There’s also a bit of a citrus tang along with hints of soft plum and cocoa. KONA PIPELINE PORTER This limited release from the Aloha State is brewed with 100 percent Kona coffee sourced from a neighboring plantation. It’s dark brown in color with a thin froth that collapses quickly, while the aromas are a mix of light coffee and malt with an intriguing wood element. This beer is very smooth in the mouth and is laced with dry malt and herbal hops. While coffee sets the tone, it lurks mostly in the background. The finish echoes the flavors of a chocolatecovered espresso bean. —David Kirkpatrick
40 | FEBRUARY 9–15, 2011 | BOISEweekly
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