Eat Like an Olympian! Real California Cheese Served to Athletes Competing at Beijing...

Eat Like an Olympian! Real California Cheese Served to Athletes Competing at Beijing Olympic Games

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. & MODESTO, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
19 days. 28 sports. 302 gold medals. 10,708 athletes. 6 cheeses.

In addition to spirited competition and record-breaking
performances, California cheeses will be sharing the center stage on
the winner's platform during this summer's 2008 Olympic Games.

The top headline coming out of the Games isn't just about the
nation with the most gold medals; it's also about eating like a
world-class athlete! For the more than 2,000 athletes traveling from
the U.S., the cheeses will be a familiar taste from home.

California cheeses will be traveling across the globe to Beijing
and will be served at the Olympic Village in August. Athletes will
have the chance to enjoy Swiss from the Rumiano Cheese Company, Gouda
and shredded Cheddar from Joseph Farms, Cottage Cheese from Clover
Stornetta and Ricotta and Ciligene balls from Mozzarella Fresca.

The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) has developed these
recipes to help celebrate the Golden State's "cheesy" Olympic
contributions:

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CHEDDAR-WALNUT BITES
Servings: 30
Ingredients:
3 cups (12 oz.) shredded Sharp California Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mango chutney, finely chopped
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Instructions:
Mix together cheese, chutney and cayenne pepper in a mixing bowl.
Press and form mixture into about 30 small balls. In a shallow dish
combine walnuts and parsley. Roll balls in nut mixture to coat. Cover
and chill several hours before serving.
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SPINACH AND COTTAGE CHEESE SALAD
Servings: 1
Ingredients:
2/3 cup nonfat or low-fat California cottage cheese
1 tablespoon chopped, pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh spinach
2" piece of English cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (plus slices for
garnish)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
Lightly mix together the cottage cheese, olives, spinach and cubed
cucumber. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange cucumber
slices on plate and spoon cottage cheese mixture over cucumber
slices.
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PORT-POACHED PEARS AND RICOTTA
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 cup California Ricotta cheese
Port-Poached Pears:
2 pears, such as Anjou or Bosc, peeled and cored
2 cups Port wine
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions:
1. Place pears, Port and maple syrup in a medium saucepan. Bring to a
boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, turning
pears occasionally, until they are tender when pierced with a knife,
about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let pears cool in poaching
liquid. Remove pears from liquid. Cut a small slice about 1/4 inch
thick from the rounded bottom of the pear so it will sit upright on
the plate. Set aside. Place poaching liquid over medium-high heat and
cook until it becomes thick and syrupy. Set aside and let cool. Cut
each pear in half vertically.
2. For each serving drizzle some of the reduced poaching liquid over
an individual serving plate. Place one pear half on plate. Fill the
pear cavity with 1/4 cup cheese. Reserve remaining poaching liquid
for another use.
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For more recipes, visit www.RealCaliforniaMilk.com.

About the California Milk Advisory Board

The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of
the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the
state's 2,000 dairy families. With headquarters in South San Francisco
and Modesto, the CMAB is one of the largest commodity boards in the
United States. The CMAB executes advertising, public relations,
research and retail and foodservice promotional programs on behalf of
California dairy products, including Real California Milk and Real
California Cheese. For more information on California dairy products,
visit www.RealCaliforniaMilk.com.

CMAB
Tricia Heinrich, 650-871-6459 ext. 304
triciah@cmab.net
or
Ketchum
Sara Kerns, 415-984-6229
sara.kerns@ketchum.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008