{ Janet Fletcher / Food Writer }
Limited edition: Jasper Hill Harbison washed with Champagne
Some good things happened for cheese lovers this year, and some not so good. But isn’t that the way every year unfolds? As I think back on the past 12 months, I find much to celebrate, but I also see some gathering clouds.
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With phyllo and feta you can hardly go wrong, but this crinkly pie is in a league of its own. Perfect for a warm holiday appetizer or, when the parties subside, for a simple dinner with a green salad, it’s unlike the Greek cheese pie you probably know. You make it by scrunching the feta-topped phyllo sheets, accordion-like, as you place them in the baking dish. A topping of beaten egg and butter binds the layers and makes the exposed pastry crisp and flaky, while the interior is more custardy. All credit to Diane Kochilas, the Greek food authority who demonstrated the dish on her excellent TV series, “My Greek Table.”
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Thinking back on the year in cheese puts me in an uneasy mood, to be honest. Independent cheese shops are struggling or shuttering. Importers are grappling with tariffs and paralyzing uncertainty. Retail cheese prices are giving me heartburn, and I worry that consumers will start trading down or just doing without. On the other hand…great cheese continues to deliver so much pleasure and value, a ready-to-eat shareable artisan food that elevates everyday meals. Here are a few—not all new, but new to me—that made the biggest impression this year.
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Who better to ask about the year’s best cheeses than the country’s top mongers? I eat a lot of cheese, but they eat more. They’re the gatekeepers. They select the best—or what they believe they can sell—from their suppliers, and they delight in introducing customers to the next life-changing wedge. So let’s hear from a few of these expert palates on the cheeses that rocked their world this year.
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Oh, really, you shouldn’t have. But if you did, I think any cheese lover would be happy to receive one of these gifts. I don’t believe you need a lot of gear to enjoy great cheese, but it’s nice to have an elegant set of knives for your board, or the most exquisite dried fruit and nuts to complement your selections. There are now dozens of subscription cheese clubs vying for your dollars, but one in particular stands out to me as a great value. And, naturally, I have some merch of my own to suggest. Here’s hoping you’ll find just the right gift among these options for the curd nerds on your holiday list.
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We’re all drowning in Thanksgiving tips and to-do’s but here’s one more and it’s only three words: mascarpone whipped cream. I bet you’ll never again put plain whipped cream on your pies after you sample this luscious alternative. It’s not only a tastier dessert topping, it’s more stable, so you can whip it up hours ahead and it won’t weep. I add a splash of Jamaican rum for its brown-sugar flavor, but you can stop with vanilla extract if you prefer.
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Do you make the same Thanksgiving menu every year? Well, stop that. Even this holiday meal, so rooted in ritual, deserves the occasional refresh. You can’t develop new traditions if you never incorporate anything new. Here’s a curated selection of recipes from the Planet Cheese archives, all of them tested and retested over years of enjoyment.
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Now here’s a find: 36-month-old alpage Sbrinz from Gourmino, the celebrated Swiss affineur. The word “alpage” should get your attention. It means the cheese was made in the Alps during the brief summer grass season, not in a valley dairy with winter milk. Only 5 percent of Sbrinz production is alpage. In this case, the producer is a loner who lives on Alp Chüeneren year-round and makes his Sbrinz with raw milk from his brother’s herd. “I love the seclusion,” says cheesemaker Andreas Gut.
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We are big polenta eaters at my house, especially in cool weather. I tend to make it on the lean side, without gobs of butter and cheese, but there’s no denying how tasty it gets when you stir in some calories. Years ago, my husband and I often ate dinner at a late-night café near our house where all the food was prepared on a hot plate. Even with this limitation, the cook made fabulous polenta with roasted tomatoes on top and Gorgonzola melting in the crevices. I recreate it at home on occasion (minus the hot plate) but my new obsession is polenta taragna—part buckwheat flour, part cornmeal. It’s not for dainty people, but with fresh butter and a fragrant Italian melting cheese like Primo Pascolo (pictured above), this rustic dish achieves Michelin star status—at least in my eyes.
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A super-smelly Camembert (in a lidded box, no less) is the alpha male of my fridge right now. I close the door quickly but there’s no containing that scent. It’s for an upcoming tasting, where it will be divisive. The quieter little guy pictured above is better behaved but, if you ask me, just as enticing, with extra credit for being perfectly ripe. Just look at that texture. The aroma is impeccable, too—a subtle fragrance hinting at butter-cooked mushrooms and yeast. If you want a Camembert that comes out swinging, buy the other one. If you appreciate a more mannerly cheese that plays nice with wine, this one’s for you.
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