This week is the premiere of Favorite Foods with Chef Michael Symon, a new 12-part cooking series presented by Wisconsin Cheese. The first recipe is Pan-Roasted Shrimp with Wisconsin Aged Parmesan.

One of Chef Michael Symon’s original dishes at his restaurant Lola, this rich and full-bodied signature dish features pan-roasted shrimp, white beans, grape tomatoes, lemon vinaigrette and a buttery Wisconsin Aged Parmesan cheese.

“Lemon and seafood is classic together. The lemon is also going to go great with that nutty, salty, delicious cheese,” says Chef Michael Symon.

To watch Favorite Foods with Chef Michael Symon and to get the complete recipe, visit EatWisconsinCheese.com. A new episode of the 12-part cooking series will be posted weekly.

Hungry yet? Imagine making Chef Michael Symon’s favorite foods with new, free Viking appliances. Enter weekly for a chance to win a 3-piece Viking Professional cutlery set, and a chance for the Grand Prize, a Viking range and refrigerator.

Can’t get enough of Chef Michael Symon and Wisconsin Cheese? Follow Wisconsin Cheese on Facebook and Twitter for exclusive photos and updates.

Labor Day Weekend traditionally marks the end of summer – school starts, pools begin to close and the 4^th of July feels light-years away.

As that autumn breeze begins to beckon, it can only mean one thing – football tailgate season – so keep those grills burning, throw on your prized jersey, and bundle up a bit, the cheeseburger isn’t going anywhere.

To celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of fall, we’re giving away 15 Cheese & Burger Society aprons at random.

How to Enter:

We want to hear about your favorite cheeseburger to make when you tailgate. What cheeseburger is the one? The one cheeseburger that you crave. The one cheeseburger that you must eat – at every tailgate, every football party, every time you shout, cheer and scream for your team. The one cheeseburger that is victorious.

Answer the question – What is your favorite cheeseburger creation and what kind of cheese do you use on this cheeseburger?

• 15 entries will be chosen at random.
• Contest ends Friday, September 3 at 5 p.m. EST.
• Winners will be notified by email.
• One entry per household. US only.

For ideas visit CheeseAndBurger.com and coming after the holiday weekend, Favorite Foods with Chef Michael Symon. Premieres September 7 on EatWisconsinCheese.com.

Update: Congratulations to James M., Lou V., Paula S., Cee S., Anne K.E., Jeanne K., Victoria K., Rodger B., Katie P., Dayna F., Kay, Lethea B., Kara S., Jeffery G., and Sandy N. for winning Cheese & Burger Society aprons!

Cheese Curd. Think of it as baby cheese, it’s what a block of Cheddar looks like before it’s pressed and aged. Better yet, don’t think too much about it. Just put it into your mouth and enjoy the flavor. When it squeaks, you’ll know it’s fresh. And be careful, it is addicting.

I’ve found myself reciting this description to those new to the state of Wisconsin on more than one occasion. If you’re from out of state and have visited friends here but were never introduced to the unique flavor and texture of cheese curds, now is a good time to question the validity of your friendship. Kidding, of course (well … kind of). If you’re a local you know that it’s common courtesy to make the introduction at your first opportunity to do so.

Wisconsin Cheese is truly like no other. From the rolling hills and beautiful bluffs of southern Wisconsin to the serene lakes and evergreen forests of northern Wisconsin, each region contributes a unique version to the vast array of cheeses the state has to offer.

I grew up in a small town in southwestern Wisconsin in a family where cheese was a prevalent ingredient in most meals. My passion for all things cheese is something that’s naturally inherent. At one point during my adolescence, upon bringing new friends home, it was commonplace to be forced into watching the history of Limburger Cheese – a public television documentary that my father assumed everybody else would find as fascinating as he did. My sister and I eventually found a loophole and said to our friends, “Tell him he has already shown it to you, and you won’t have to watch it.”

Our summers rarely passed without the annual multigenerational family road trip to Monroe, Wisconsin. It is in this part of the state that we frequent the Chalet Cheese Co-op, the last traditional Limburger cheesemaker in the United States, and Baumgartner’s restaurant, whose main attraction are sandwiches featuring the distinctive-smelling cheese.

My passion and obsession for delicious cheese has transcended my youth and carried into my adult life. At every chance available, I frequent the Dane County Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings. In addition to fresh produce and homemade baked goods, it’s there you can find and sample some of the state’s tastiest cheeses.

Another event I look forward to is Cheese Days. It happens in Monroe, Wisconsin, during the third weekend of September in even-numbered years. If you’ve never gone, it’s your lucky year. I invite you to explore the Swiss heritage the community has to offer.

If you’ve been curious but never courageous enough to try a new type of cheese, now is the time. From Gouda and Havarti to Gruyère and Mascarpone, there’s a whole world of cheese waiting to be discovered.

Celebrate Wisconsin Cheese with the Top Three Wisconsin Cheeses to Taste.

Artisan

If you’re looking to impress guests at a dinner party or simply want to indulge in a delightful cheese, I recommend Pleasant Ridge Reserve. It’s an Alpine-style cheese crafted at Upland Cheese Company just outside of Dodgeville, Wisconsin. This cheese is full of incredible flavor unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, thanks to the farm’s grass-fed cows. If you find that you like this cheese (and you will), check out Fromagination the next time you’re in Madison – a chic yet charming artisan cheese shop just off the Capital Square.

Organic

My number-one recommendation for organic cheese is Organic Valley’s Muenster Cheese. Located in La Farge, Wisconsin, Organic Valley offers a variety of cheeses, all of which are excellent, but the Muenster Cheese is exceptional. It’s a soft, salty cheese with a smooth texture and a tasty, edible rind. It’s perfect on grilled sandwiches, as it melts into the most mouthwatering, cheesy, gooey, salty satisfaction your taste buds have ever known. If I had to describe this cheese in one word it would be: addicting.

Curds

When it comes to cheese curds, the most important thing to keep in mind is that not all cheese curds are created equal. To truly experience the flavor they have to offer, be sure to find cheese curds that were made within the last 24 to 48 hours. The best cheese curds are those that have been left at room temperature. I recommend Carr Valley cheese curds from La Valle, Wisconsin. This Wisconsin Cheese company is over 100 years old. They deliver fresh cheese curds to local vendors throughout the southern part of Wisconsin and know what they’re doing when it comes to cheese. You might ask, what about fried cheese curds? My favorites are at the Old Fashioned Restaurant in downtown Madison.

I challenge you to discover unique Wisconsin Cheeses. Pick up a few wedges the next time you’re in the grocery store, and invite your friends over for a wine and cheese or beer and cheese pairing (yes, beer goes great with cheese). To get an idea of which cheeses and libations pair best, visit CheeseCupid.com. What are you doing to discover cheese? Share your ideas, recipes and party plans here on this blog!

The annual American Cheese Society conference and competition took place in Seattle, Washington, August 24 – 28.

Best of Show went to Extra Aged Pleasant Ridge Reserve by Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. Pleasant Ridge Reserve is a farmstead alpine-style artisan cheese made with raw milk from grass-fed cows, in the summer, while the cows are on pasture. Highly acclaimed, it was recently featured in an Outstanding in the Field, farm-to-table dinner, which cheesemaker, Andy Hatch, attended and spoke about the cheese.

This is the third Best of Show win for Uplands Pleasant Ridge Reserve at the American Cheese Society competition, having previously won in 2001 and 2005. Pleasant Ridge Reserve is the only cheese in the history of the American Cheese Society competition to win Best of Show three times.

Extra Aged Pleasant Ridge Reserve is aged for over a year and available in the fall and early winter. Uplands Cheese is getting ready to introduce a “winter” cheese in November, available through February, called Rush Creek Reserve.

In addition to Uplands Cheese’s success, cheesemakers across Wisconsin were victorious at the competition.

Out of the 1,462 total entries from 34 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico, Wisconsin cheesemakers won 98 awards, approximately 1/3 of the total awarded, including 29 firsts, 36 seconds and 33 third places.

Congratulations to all Wisconsin cheesemakers for an outstanding performance at the 2010 American Cheese Society competition. For a complete list of Wisconsin  winners reference the lists below. For more information about Wisconsin Cheese at the American Cheese Society competition visit EatWisconsinCheese.com. For a complete list of American Cheese Society competition winners visit CheeseSociety.org.

First Place Wisconsin Cheese Winners

Second Place Wisconsin Cheese Winners

Third Place Wisconsin Cheese Winners

This year, the American Cheese Society (ACS) Conference and Competition and the Festival of Cheese are taking place in Seattle, Washington, August 25–28. Master Cheesemaker Sid Cook, of Wisconsin’s Carr Valley Cheese, in La Valle, will be attending the event and submitting several of his prized artisan cheeses. Wide awake and as cheery as always, Cook, the most awarded cheesemaker in the country, took a morning out of his summer vacation to chat with us about his experiences with cheese and the ACS competition.

Tell us about your experiences with the American Cheese Society Conference and Competition.

Attending the cheese competition is an amazing experience. We’ve been there for several years. This year, it is in Seattle, so to do something different, we plan on catching the train in Wisconsin Dells. It should be a fun trip. It’s beautiful to go across the country and see everything on the way. Rail is an interesting way to do it. You get to go through everyone’s backyard and see the countryside and so many farms.

We’ve submitted a cow’s milk cheese and mixed-milk cheeses.

It’s always a little nerve-racking, because we’ve done extremely well for 10 years.  Sooner or later, you’ve got to think … *Laughs*

How did you start working with cheese?

I was just a little kid. When you grow up in a cheese factory, you really don’t know any better. It’s just the way it is. I guess that’s the best way to say it—you just don’t know any better.

I’m a fourth-generation cheesemaker. When you opened our kitchen door, the cheese factory was right there. That’s how it was. I was out there, standing on a 5-gallon pail.  You just did anything you could to help out. It’s like kids growing up on farms. They had chores to do and helped around the house.

Of course, since it was a generational thing, all of my aunts, uncles, and great aunts and uncles, were cheesemakers, too. Anytime the family got together, you know what they talked about? Cheese. That’s what I experienced growing up, and that’s the way I’ve known it all my life.

Where does the milk for your cheese come from?

The cow’s milk comes from local farms around the cheese factories—about 30 to 35 farms. We have our own trucks that go out and pick up the milk. When we need extra milk, we buy it from the local co-ops. It’s all local milk.

How did you start making such unique cheeses at Carr Valley Cheese?

While I was growing up at my dad’s plants, we made about five to six different cheeses. After I bought the Carr Valley plant and we started making cheeses over there, we had a cheese store at our fingertips. So we had the opportunity to make more cheese and different types of cheeses because we could sell them right in the store.

What is your favorite thing about making cheese?

That’s a hard question. I really see what we’re doing now as an adventure. We make Cheddar every day, and it’s our lifeblood. Yet it’s great to throw other things into it. It becomes an art—to get different flavor profiles with the same ingredients. Like when you’re making spaghetti sauce.

The aging of the cheese, adding different cultures, and mixing different milks—it adds a whole new dimension.

I like to tell people that in my “first lifetime,” I made commodity cheeses—bulk cheeses, big bricks for mass purchase. In my “second lifetime,” I made specialty cheeses—Fontina cheese, creamy cheeses. Now I’m in my “third lifetime,” and it’s artisan cheeses—really playing with flavors and mixing different types of milk.

Working on any new and interesting cheeses?

New things are in the pipeline of course, but we like to keep those things to ourselves. *Laughs*

What’s next for Carr Valley Cheese?

I recently celebrated another birthday. Which is scary. It’s really interesting to look back. I remember when I was a new guy on the block. I was 22, 23. I had bought my dad’s plant, and you had all these old guys around, looking at this new kid. Now most of them are gone, and I’m the “old guy.” *Laughs*

Life’s always been a ride. I just let it take me where it goes. Just take the ride.

Update: Results from the 2010 American Cheese Society competition are in. Cook came home with 18 ribbons. For a complete list of winners download the American Cheese Society results brochure.

On a humid, sunny, early-August evening food enthusiasts from around the Midwest gathered at Troy Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin.

The occasion – Outstanding in the Field – a farm-to-table traveling dinner series established to, “reconnect diners to the land and origins of their food and honor the local farmers and artisans who cultivate it.”

All the event’s delicious dishes were made from local ingredients sourced from Wisconsin farms and made by local artisans, including a few courses featuring Wisconsin Cheese.

Founder, Jim Denevan talks to the group about the farm-to-table community.

The first course featured a shaved kale salad, with kale directly from Troy Gardens, toasted hazelnuts and Wisconsin Ricotta.

Dinner featured Troy Gardens’ heirloom tomatoes with Driftless Organics sunflower oil, pesto and sprouted lentils.

The maincourse highlighted grilled rabbit saddle, pork loin and beef loin, with oven-reduced chutney and herb roasted potatoes; and cocktails made with Death’s Door Spirits – a basil-cucumber cooler and summer punch with peaches, blueberries and tarragon.

Dessert included corn cakes with blackberries and chocolate tartlets with salted caramel filling – coffee and chocolate were both sourced from fair-trade Santa Anita Farms in Guatemala. The star of the dessert course, however, was a pairing of fresh plums and Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Upland’s Cheese in Dodgeville, Wisconsin.

Andy Hatch, the cheesemaker at Upland’s Cheese, enjoyed the farm-to-table dinner and discussed the well-known cheese with guests.

Outstanding in the Field director, Leah Scafe and Upland’s Cheese cheesemaker, Andy Hatch

Upland’s Pleasant Ridge Reserve is a unique Wisconsin Cheese as it is only made with milk from cow’s grazing on spring pastures, which leaves the cheese with distinct grassy notes.

Two green thumbs up to Troy Gardens for hosting the event and to The Underground Food Collective for cooking a deliciously artful farm-to-table meal!

For more information about Wisconsin Cheese, visit EatWisconsinCheese.com.

I love quesadillas for so many reasons. They are not only delicious, but they are so versatile too.  Their versatility stems from the various ways they are made and for the variety of ingredients that can be paired with the tortilla and the cheese. They can be grilled on the grill or the griddle, baked in a baking sheet or cooked in a skillet, or flattened and goo-ified in an electric quesadilla maker.

While quesadillas have a Mexican origin, I enjoy experimenting with other non-Mexican ingredients and flavors too. They can be made with bacon and eggs for a breakfast treat, or with chicken and spinach for a main meal or appetizer, or with grilled vegetables and fresh herbs for a savory summer treat. Plus, they can be dipped in salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole or sour cream.

I love using Wisconsin Queso Quesadilla Cheese for two reasons. For one, it melts so beautifully and glues the tortillas and the ingredients together. The other reason I will always use quesadilla cheese is the taste. The Wisconsin Queso Quesadilla Cheese is perfectly blended to give just the right boldness and flavor that every quesadilla deserves!

Got a single leftover chicken breast from a recent barbecue that you are not sure what to do with?  Problem solved! Make these delicious Chicken and Spinach Queso Quesadillas – one of my favorite non-Mexican quesadillas!

Chicken & Spinach Quesadillas with Wisconsin Queso Quesadilla Cheese

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

1 grilled chicken breast ($.83)

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes ($.75)

2 handfuls baby spinach ($.50)

2 cups Wisconsin Queso Quesadilla Cheese ($1.50)

8 whole wheat tortillas ($1)

Sour cream for dipping ($.25)

Cooking Directions:

1. Dice the grilled chicken breast and quarter the cherry or grape tomatoes.

2. In a large mixing bowl, toss the diced chicken, quartered tomatoes, baby spinach and Wisconsin Queso Quesadilla Cheese.

3. Lay out a tortilla on a clean, flat surface and arrange the chicken, spinach and cheese mixture onto the tortilla.

4. Add another tortilla to the top of the quesadilla and heat it on a lightly greased griddle or skillet over medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until cheese has melted through.

5. Remove quesadilla from the griddle or skillet and cut with a pizza cutter. Let cool slightly before serving.  Serve warm.

6. Serve Chicken and Spinach Queso Quesadillas with sour cream for dipping.

Cost $4.83

This grilled cheese features steak, shallots, garlic and herb butter, and a particular steakhouse feeling. I couldn’t really get away from that.

But steakhouse grilled cheese just didn’t really ring for me. Fortunately, a food blogger from Austria, Sasasunakku, recently acquainted me with the fact that grilled cheese where she lives are instead referred to as toasties.

And that’s the thrilling story of how my steakhouse toasties were born.

So let’s make a few. About four. Maybe five. Mostly depending on your bread.

Steakhouse Toasties with Wisconsin Fontina

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

Tuscan style bread (fresh from the bakery preferred, of course)

8-10 oz of steak strips (you can use sirloin, skirt, flank, etc.)

1/2 bottle Cabernet

2 cups shredded Wisconsin Fontina cheese

6-8 prosciutto slices

1/4 cup diced shallot

6-8 large leaves fresh basil

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Garlic and herb butter

Cooking Directions:

If you want to go all the way with this recipe, the first thing you’ll have to do is make the herb butter. I often try to have some of this around the house because it goes really well on biscuits, bread, muffins, all kinds of baked goods really – and it’s very simple to make, but needs to be done a day ahead of time.

Leave a stick of butter out in a bowl for a few hours until it gets soft and mushy. Meanwhile, chop up an assortment of your favorite fresh herbs (for this iteration I used parsley, rosemary, and basil) and mince two cloves of garlic. Combine herbs, garlic, and butter in a bowl and mash well together. Spread the butter on a piece of parchment paper and roll up to seal. Refrigerate overnight.

You won’t all of the butter for your toasties so you should have plenty left over to use as you see fit.

You don’t absolutely need the herb butter, but bear in mind that the cheese and the butter are two of the most primary ingredients in any grilled cheese creation, so it’s not the best area in which to skimp.

About two hours before you’re ready to make the toasties, marinate the steak strips in the red wine. You don’t need to break the bank with the wine by any means, but a good strategy when cooking with wine is to use only what you would also enjoy drinking by itself – you’ll get back what you put in.

In a large skillet, sweat the diced shallots in a small splash of olive oil on medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the steak, just a little of the wine they’ve been marinating in, and cook over medium 5-7 minutes (or to whatever rareness/doneness you most prefer).

While they are cooking, shred the Wisconsin Fontina cheese (it helps if you throw your cheese in the freezer for 20 minutes before grating). Shredded cheese works best on toasties since it melts most evenly.

I used the grill for these, but you can use a skillet just as easily. Bring either one up to medium heat and start assembling your sandwiches – butter the outer sides of bread, add cheese, steak, basil, prosciutto, more cheese and bread. Repeat until you’re out of materials.

Place sandwiches on grill at an angle for 4-6 minutes. Rotate 90 degrees for another 4-6 minutes for authentic cross-hatching. Flip sandwich and repeat.

Your steakhouse toasties are ready.

For more grilled cheese or toastie recipes visit GrilledCheeseAcademy.com.

On a warm summer day, I love to move the kitchen outdoors. Chopping vegetables next to the sizzling grill is a memory that keeps me warm throughout a cold winter. Summer days are made for simple living, stress-free dinners and relaxing time with family and friends. It’s also time for gorgeous fresh produce – which is the basis for my cooking. The fresh vegetables of the season are also the inspiration for this simple burger topped with scrumptious Wisconsin Feta cheese and spiced up with chili and lime.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

1 pound ground turkey

7 ounces Wisconsin Feta

1 cup sweet corn

1 zucchini

2 shallots

2 garlic cloves

1 red chili pepper

olive oil for cooking

coarse salt & pepper

juice of 1/2 lime

4 fresh buns

fresh basil

sour cream for serving

Cooking Directions:

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. You can also cook the turkey patties outdoors on the grill for a summertime barbecue. Season the ground turkey with salt and pepper and shape it into four good sized and firm patties. Brush lightly with olive oil. Grill the patties on both sides until nicely browned and cooked through.

While the turkey patties are cooking, chop zucchini and shallots into small cubes. Cut a chili pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Finely chop the chili and peeled garlic cloves. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add corn and all the chopped vegetables in the pan. You can use freshly cooked or frozen corn. Fry until the vegetables are gently colored for 3-5 minutes. Season to taste and squeeze in lime juice.

Place a turkey patty on top of halved bun and spoon the vegetable mix on top. Top generously with sliced or crumbled Wisconsin Feta, touch of pepper and chopped basil leaves. Serve with sour cream.

For suggestions on cooking with Wisconsin Feta visit EatWisconsinCheese.com. For more burger recipe ideas check out CheeseAndBurger.com. Happy summer cooking!

As a cocktail blogger in New York City, I often attend parties on weeknights, immediately after leaving my day job. (Hey, it’s hard work, but someone’s got to do it!)

I jokingly tell my friends that dinner for me is usually a cheese plate or a smattering of hors d’oeuvres, all served with a bevy of cocktails. It’s never a good idea to drink on an empty stomach, but sometimes it’s difficult to find time to squeeze in a full meal when I’m attending more than one event per night.

We all know that cheese is usually served with wine, and even beer, but it’s a wonderful complement to cocktails as well. For easy summer entertaining, make a cheese platter for your guests to go with a pitcher of sangria or punch. I like to make punches for my guests because everyone can be served as soon as they arrive. Punch is basically a single cocktail recipe batched for a large group.

Take a look at your liquor cabinet and decide which spirits you want to choose to anchor your punch. For the modifying spirits and juices, think about some of your favorite cocktails—choose crowd-pleasing combinations that will appeal to various types of drinkers.

Use seasonal fruit and herbs for the freshest flavors, and always use fresh-squeezed juice when possible. It’s also a great idea to infuse spirits or sugar syrups in advance with fruit, spices or herbs.

Oh, and don’t forget the ice—I like to put a bread pan filled with water in the freezer a couple nights before a party to make block ice. The larger the chunk of ice, the slower it will melt.

Sharp Wisconsin Cheddar and mild earthy cheeses, such as Wisconsin Fontina, will contrast the bold and acidic flavors of punches that include fruit juice. See the following two punch recipes that were a hit at one of my recent events! Both punches serve 30 to 50 guests. Adjust accordingly.

Punched by a Baroness

45 oz dry gin

15 oz Crème Yvette (or substitute Crème Violette or Crème de Cassis)

15 oz lemon juice

7.5 oz blackberry-infused agave nectar*

30 oz seltzer

*Mix equal parts agave nectar (or sugar or honey) with almost-boiling water in a sanitized, airtight canister. Add blackberries, close container and shake. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Tease Me Punch

60 oz bourbon

15 oz Earl Grey iced tea

30 oz lemon juice

22.5 oz mint and cardamom-infused agave nectar*

15 oz seltzer

*Follow the same instructions as the recipe above, only use 8 to 10 fresh mint sprigs and 2 teaspoons of dried cardamom.