Martini and Manhattan connoisseur Mike of Crescent Bar recently offered an update/correction to a recent BB post that noted he stuffed his Martini olives with blue cheese. He does this himself as opposed to buying off-the-shelf stuffed olives. Definitely a nice touch but it gets better. His update notes that his true specialty is using Cougar Gold cheese to stuff the Martini olives. For those who are not familiar with Cougar Gold, it is a product of Washington State University’s Creamery. Their mascot is a Cougar.
Cougar Gold is a white, sharp cheddar that is aged at least one year. It has a nutty flavor somewhat resembling Swiss or Gouda. Per Wikipedia, approximately 250,000 cans of Cougar Cheese are produced annually, with around 80% of it being Cougar Gold. WSU started making cheese in cans in the 1940s when the US government and American Can Company funded WSU’s research to find a way to successfully keep the cheese in tins. Cougar Gold was developed during this time and was named after Dr. Norman S. Golding, one of the men involved in its production. Cougar Gold Cheese is not made with cougar milk.In 1993, the American Cheese Society awarded Cougar Gold with a blue ribbon, and in 1995, the cheese earned the United States Cheese Champion silver medal. Cougar Gold later received a silver medal at the 2000 World Cheese Awards and a gold medal at the 2006 World Cheese Awards.
WSU Cougars like Mike are fanatically proud of their University at its cheeses. They enjoy noting that rival University of Washington has no such distinguished product. No Husky Hot Dawgs. No Washington Apple Cider. Only a better football team.
Anyway, credit Mike with taking a Martini garnish to the next level of specialization and excellence as no one will argue about the quality of Cougar Gold. Cougars, please note that Cougar Gold makes an excellent Christmas or birthday gift for those annoying Huskies on your list.
Cheers!
– Jet Cannon
Photos courtesy of recipespes.com and WSU
Is it from Cougar droppings?