This month we’re celebrating Capriole’s 30 anniversary and what an adventure (and misadventure) it’s been! 

cap·ri·ole  \ ˈka-prē-ˌōl 

1: a playful leap : caper 2of a trained horse : a vertical leap with a backward kick of the hind legs at the height of the leap

Washed for days in brine and/or beers and ale, these bathing beauties develop a distinctive orange rind of Brevibacterium Linen (B. Linens), along with an even more distinctive, funky nose. Its this nose that's ‘the feet of angels’ to some and disgusting enough to others to get these cheeses banished from restaurant cheese boards. 

Thankfully, American charcuterie is catching up to American artisan cheeses in quality and quantity. Meat has become the love child of every chef determined not to waste a single cut, from jowl to tail! It's sexy, delicious, and becoming very, very American.

Cheese and charcuterie are also a natural combination. The aging and ripening process for many dry cured meats resembles some aspects of cheese fermentation, and as a pair, they make a truly dynamic duo. In a balance of contrast--fatty meats against the acidity of most cheese, especially fresh and ripened goat cheeses—the Italians have it down. But charcuterie is a French term, and as such, usually refers to cooked meats like pates. In the U.S. it's rapidly becoming a catchall  term....