During my trip to New York last week I met up with my clients (who are also my friends) from casual game and advergame developer Arkadium. Kate and I have been working with Arkadium since they were founded in 2001 and we have watched them grow from a team of three to more than 80 employees in both New York and the Ukraine.
Kenny and Jess, the co-founders, love to eat and have actually brought on a number of other foodies to help run and also grown the company. Tina, the director or marketing, who is our daily contact and now great friend is another lover of all things epicurean. She and I are constantly comparing notes on recipes and new restaurants and have cooked together a number of times.
So to help celebrate the success of the year Kate and I try to do something food related for the Arkadium team. Last year we brought in sushi for the office and this year we cooked for Kenny and Jess and plan on taking Tina and her husband Jake out for some great food next time we are all in the city.
For Kenny and Jess' dinner I served an appetizer that is so simple to make it and tremendously delicious. They loved it and vowed to add it to their arsenal of favorite appetizers.
The appetizer is made with dates (I chose Medjool) and Camobozola cheeese.
Cambozola is a cow's milk
cheese that is a combination of a French soft-ripened triple cream cheese and
Italian Gorgonzola. It was patented and industrially produced for the world
market by large German company Champignon in the 1970s. The cheese, was invented
circa 1900 and is still produced by Champignon. In English-speaking countries,
cambozola is often marketed as blue brie.
It goes very well with sweet fruits and tastes great when drizzled with honey and served over bread. For this recipe I served the cheese with dates.
- 8-10 Medjool Date
- 3/4 lb. slice of Cambozola Cheese
Slice the dates in half length-wise and remove the pits. Place a small dollop of cheese onto the date halves and arrange on a platter. Serve.
These dates are best served with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. We went for a Graton Ridge 2008 Graton Ridge Estate Sauvignon Blanc. When you take a bite of the date and cheese immediately sip on the wine and you will experience a flavor explosion in your mouth. It is truly incredible and something I recommend everyone try.
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