Thank you to Honest Cooking and Castello for sponsoring this post!
Though I do try to exercise self-control, I’m a bit of a cheese addict. Growing up in Europe with regular access to the world’s best cheeses rendered me into something of a cheese snob. I can’t help it. The ability to appreciate fine cheeses was cultivated within me from childhood. From my geographical vantage point in southern Germany, I could jump in the car and, within just a few hours in any direction, could be tasting cheese in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hungary, Switzerland, etc. Then, when I moved to England, I fell in love with English cheddar (what cheddar is supposed to taste like) and a whole variety of cheeses from the British Isles. So when I was offered the opportunity to sample some cheese from Castello, a Danish family-owned dairy, and to post about my “Castello Moment,” I readily accepted. Castello is the producer of the #1 premium blue cheese in the U.S., the winner of dozens of international awards, and I couldn’t wait to try their Alps Collection.
Something that especially got me excited was seeing the following words on the back of the cheese labels: “Product of Germany.” I was liking it already. All three of the cheeses I had the pleasure of sampling were from the area I grew up in and comprise Castello’s Alps Selection. In order of mildness and texture, there was Weissbier cheese, Classic cheese, and Hirten cheese. All three delicious and all three from southern Germany. Oh, how I love Germany. I love and miss its landscape, its culture, customs and traditions, its architecture, its food. And so with some exquisite German cheese on hand, I decided to make a recipe that I would have enjoyed eating in Germany on a warm summery day.
Come join me on a picnic in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, an area I chose to settle down in, in large part because its climate and landscape are so similar to what I know and love from Germany.
Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, Washington is one of my favorite places in the South Puget Sound area. A gorgeous pine forest complete with a rain forest atmosphere, a quaint and friendly zoo, a vibrant and colorful rose garden, an enchanting Japanese garden, a sweeping beach along the Puget Sound, and pristine views of the water, islands, and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. What better setting for a summer picnic?
A view of Gig Harbor, another favorite place.
Todd and I have a special little spot that we love. It’s hidden away and offers the perfect view of the Puget Sound. Elevated up on a ledge that juts out over the water, this secluded spot is the perfect place for a sunset picnic. We try to set aside Friday evenings as date night. My parents watch the kids and while they get their “grandparent fix”, Todd and I take off to enjoy some alone time. This was our date night and dusk was approaching. My favorite time of day.
Gorgeous views from our picnic spot.
And so, with the mood and the setting complete, we pulled out our German Picnic Salad along with some authentic German pretzels from a nearby German bakery. Todd and I chatted and reminisced about Germany and the various places we’ve visited in Western Europe. Our Castello Moment was wonderful.
And then the cutest thing happened. It was perfect timing and I was so glad I had my camera out to capture it!
Just as we were getting ready to put the rest of the food away and pack up to leave…
Who could resist such a plea? And so we shared.
Thank you, Castello, for your wonderful cheese, for the walk down memory lane, and for the opportunity to enjoy a special moment in time.
Be sure to also check out my recipe for Fresh Roasted Tomato and Herb Bread, it’s perfect served with butter and cheese!
Bursting with the fresh flavors of garden herbs and roasted tomatoes, this bread is perfection in a loaf. And what made it truly heaven was the addition of some fine cheese.
And now, finally, for that German Picnic Salad you’ve been waiting for!
A fresh, healthy, flavorful and colorful summer salad that will serve as the perfect accompaniment to your evening meal or garden picnic. Packed full of 6 different vegetables, beans, corn and – the crowning touch – cheese! I used Castello’s Weissbier cheese for this recipe, but could have easily used their Classic and Hirten cheese as well. Choose a cheese based on your strength preference.
Use about 6 ounces of flavorful mild to medium cheese.
Cut the cheese into 1/2 inch cubes.
Place all the cut up veggies, beans, corn, and the cheese in a large mixing bowl.
Chop up some fresh chives, parsley and marjoram.
Note: Fresh herbs are a must for this dish.
Whisk the oil, cider vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, and mustard in a bowl until emulsified and then add the fresh herbs.
Pour the vinaigrette over the salad.
Stir to combine, cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (the longer the better), stirring occasionally.
Remove the salad from the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy it as a side dish or as a main course served with some crusty bread.
- 6 ounces Castello Weissbier cheese, or your favorite firm and flavorful cheese, cut into ½ inch cubes,
- 1 large onion, chopped
- ½ cucumber, diced
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- ½ yellow bell pepper, diced
- 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 cups finely chopped iceberg lettuce
- ½ can drained kidney beans
- ½ can drained corn
- For the dressing:
- 5 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil (I use avocado)
- 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons German or yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
- Combine the vegetables, kidney beans, corn, and cheese in a large mixing bowl.
- To make the dressing, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper and mustard until emulsified. Stir in the fresh herbs.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, cover, and refrigerate at least 3 hours (the longer the better) before serving. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy with some crusty bread.
Thank you to Castello for sponsoring this post.
Kimberly, it’s Michele again! I subscribed to your blog today and was so pleased to see this one when I checked my mail a few moments ago! To say that I love it would be ridiculous! It brought me to tears, quite literally! The combination of the description of your German heritage and your love of the Pacific Northwest (and the photography!!!) touched my heart!
About Germany… we lived and worked in the Frankfurt area and Bad Homburg. Pros and cons there, but I lost my heart in the Allgaeu, specifically in the little village of Bolsterlang!!! Many vacations there over the years, all etched in my memory forever… And THE best cheese on the planet… Alpenkaese! 🙂
As for the Pacific Northwest, my younger son and family live in the Seattle/Redmond area. I was able to visit them about a year ago and lost my heart again. Soooooo beautiful! And yes, it reminded me of a great many things I loved in Germany also.
I didn’t intend to write a book, but when I “connect” with someone to this degree, it is not to be ignored. Thank you for doing what you do so very well! It’s truly a pleasure to follow your blog and FB page. xoxo 🙂
Michele, I am so touched by your kindness and the generosity of your compliments! It’s so wonderful to come across someone who shares not only my passion for good food, but my love of Germany and beautiful landscapes in general. I could write an encyclopedia worth of thoughts about the different towns and areas of Germany I love, let alone all the beautiful places in the world! My mom is from Bavaria, I grew up in Stuttgart (Swabia), and those will always be my favorite areas in Germany in terms of food and landscape. I also lived west of Frankfurt for a while as well as near Hamburg, and each area has its unique beauty and charm. I get so homesick just thinking about it! I guess that’s one of the reasons I live here in WA. The somewhat similar surroundings help ease the longing for my other home.
I am SO happy you’ve subscribed to my blog!! That’s what makes the time and effort that goes into blogging so worth it – knowing that there are people like YOU reading it! 🙂
Where can I buy the cheese?…Thanks for the new recipe..i have been waiting!! 😛
Hi Candy! You can find the info on the cheese and a store locator of where to buy it on their website at houseofcastello dot com. And be sure to click on the Castello banner (just before the recipe instruction pics) to enter a drawing to win some free cheese!
Oh that sounds and looks so delicious, what a wonderful post!
Thanks so much, bakeaffairs!!
I love Cheese, this recipe is going in my book! Oh and I’m a local so I know Pt. Defiance quite well with great sentiment. I had a beautiful small wedding in the corner of the rose garden near the lodge. I joked even the roses knew what color to bloom. 🙂 So glad I found your blog!
Hi Andrea! I’m always so happy to meet other locals! I’m so glad you found my blog, too 🙂
your picnic dinner looks so scrumptious! . . .what a cute little visitor you had, too 🙂 great pictures of point defiance park. It looks sooo beautiful!!!!
Thanks so much, southernroses! 🙂 I know, the raccoon was so adorable!! I couldn’t believe my luck capturing those perfect little poses, too! It’s funny, because as soon as that one came out, we started seeing them everywhere – like 5 more! I think they all must have smelled the cheese and came out by the herd 😉
I remember the Pudget Sound area… it is very beautiful if you can handle the smell. Did you make the pretzel or did you buy it to accompany the salad? I have been looking for the sodium hydroxide that is used to make the browning on German pretzels but have not had any luck here.
I bought these particular pretzels from nearby German bakery. Ah yes, the “Tacoma Aroma” 🙂 You know, the smell really hasn’t been around in years. The smell was produced by the paper mills (the smell of would being made into paper), and I actually didn’t mind it at all. As for the lye for making pretzels, it’s readily available overseas but I’ve never looked over here. Let us know if you end up finding any!
I am curious how are you going to get around the spirits needed for some German recipes (like Beef Rouladen)?
I don’t get around it – I use it. Not all Rouladen recipes call for red wine and those that do typically use about 1/2 cup or so. If you’re concerned about cooking with alcohol, wine has a relatively low alcohol content (10-12%). If you figure the amount of alcohol that’s burned off through the cooking process, then divide the recipe up by 4-6 people, each person ends up getting less alcohol than they would from, say, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (which is often 70 proof, like whiskey).
I just made this and wanted to tell you the salad is excellent.
I made just a few modifications. I added a clove of finely minced garlic and omitted the lettuce. I knew we could never eat the salad in one meal and knew the lettuce would wilt a lot by the next day when we had the remainder of the salad for lunch.
I never had marjoram so used fresh oregano from my garden. I did use the chives and parsley and added some fresh basil as well.
So good.
Thx for a great recipe.
Jeanette, I’m so happy you made this and that you liked it!! You know, I thought the same thing about the lettuce when I saw that there were going to be leftovers, but I was happy to find that the lettuce still maintained some of its crisp and the salad overall was even better as the flavors had more time to blend. Another favorite German salad of mine is Wurstsalat – a vinegar/mustard based salad with slices of ham or good quality bologna, Swiss cheese, and onions. Eaten with fresh crusty bread. So good! Again, thanks so much for making this and for your feedback!
Sounds wonderful, and I LOVE the raccoon shots! So cute! I shared this on What a Girl Eats, Pay it Forward Friday, today! Hope you get lots of new likes! 🙂
Christina, thank you so much!! And thank you also for visiting! I know, that raccoon was so cute – the little guy showed up just in time and gave me all the perfect poses 🙂
Such pretty photos! Your picnic is lovely, and the food looks wonderful. I am a total cheese addict too! 😉
Thanks, Faith! The setting at Pt. Defiance Park was absolutely perfect.
What a beautiful salad! Great setting and I want this and that pretzel right now.
Thanks! I know, I’m pretty much always in the mood for pretzels 🙂
wow! that salad looks like an entire meal in a bowl! Great picnic dish!
Sounds delicious! I don’t blame the raccoon either. If I smelled/saw this salad, I’m sure I’d walk over to see what was going on 😉
The entrance of that raccoon was the perfect timing, Brandon!
That Japanese garden is beautiful and looks so peaceful! Looks like I might have to put it on the list of places to visit next time I’m in the area! That salad looks simply delicious, definitely perfect for a picnic.
Point Defiance Park is one of the prettiest in the nation. Definitely worth a visit, Susan!
Beautiful photos! I’m hoping to visit Germany one day and I’ll have to peruse the rest of your blog for more stories and tips!
Clearly I’m biased, Anita, but Germany is without question one of the most beautiful countries in the world 🙂 I hope you get to visit someday!
Hi!
This is your African/Austrian friend again…
Living in Kenya and not having access to this terrific cheese, will any good imported softish cheese do?
Keep it up, I do so love getting your e-mails.
Hello Hildegard, thank you so much and warm greetings to Kenya 🙂 You can use any cheese for this as long as it’s firm enough to dice into cubes and hold shape in the salad. I prefer a medium to strong-flavored cheese in this salad but you can use any strength of cheese you like. Liebe Grüße, Kimberly
This looks great. I love German-inspired recipes. I am having a BBQ on the weekend and will definitely serve this. Thanks!
Terrific, thank you and I hope you enjoy it!
Like Michelle your talk about your childhood brought back many, many happy memories of my own. My husband, Wolfgang, was born and grew up in a small village called Neu Hausen near the Stuttgart airport. Along with our two girls we visited there many times to see his family. I grew up in Australia and insisted our girls learn German so that they could speak with their Grandparents. My mother-in-law taught me to cook many of my husband’s favourite recipes. Some I still make to this day….38 years later! Since my parents-in-law have died we have not been back. I long to see Germany again. I love everything about that beautiful country. Love making your recipes. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Suzanne, and I hope you’re able to make it back to Germany again soon!