I made fresh ricotta last week for the first time in months and was reminded how easy it is. Forty minutes start to finish. I was admiring my handiwork at breakfast the next day when my husband, Doug, said, “Too bad it’s not sheep milk.” Well, yeah. Until we move to Italy (not gonna happen), I’ll have to make our ricotta with cow’s milk, but I’ll enjoy every bite. The result is tender and sweet. But ricotta produced the Italian way, with rich sheep’s milk, is the benchmark for me and—glory be—I just found some in San Francisco.
Read moreSenior-Citizen Cheddar
One of the biggest hits in my World Cheese Tour class last week was Deer Creek’s Imperial Buck, a four-year-old bandaged Cheddar from Wisconsin. It was so creamy, so mellow, so well balanced between savory and sweet. My experience with traditional bandaged Cheddars is that they rarely improve after 18 to 24 months. They start to dry out and lose their allure. How did this cheese manage to stay so moist and inviting for so long?
Read moreTop Cheesemaker Hits Pause
I hate bearing bad news, but Central Coast Creamery has ceased production. This acclaimed California enterprise, launched in 2007, pulled the plug late last year, selling its creamery and everything in it to a paneer manufacturer. If you loved Central Coast cheeses as much as I did, this development is beyond discouraging. So long to Dream Weaver, Holey Cow, Faultline, Seascape, Ewereka and Ewenique, not to mention the award-winning aged sheep cheeses from its sister brand, Shooting Star Creamery.
Read moreWhat's Next for Goat Cheese?
L to r: Erika McKenzie-Chapter of Pennyroyal Farm (CA); Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy (PA); Tamara Hicks of Tomales Farmstead Creamery (CA)
oats are having a moment—especially baby goats, the newest TikTok celebs. One TikTok account, @goatdaddys, has more than four million followers for its videos of kids (the goat kind) doing the goofy things that they do. But it hasn’t always been thus. In the 19th century, goats in America were despised and deplored. They roamed San Francisco and New York City eating people’s hedges and outraging the gentry.
Read moreLittle Dreamboat
If I had encountered this cheese earlier, I would have included it in my recent post on favorite double- and triple-cream cheeses. But this little dreamboat is new to the U.S. and we have only just met. It tastes like a hit. From a blend of cow, sheep and goat milk—plus cream for added plushness—it’s a double-cream cheese by the numbers but comes across as featherlight. How do they do that? The Italian producer specializes in soft and semisoft mixed-milk cheeses and I’m betting you know a lot of them already. This newcomer is currently exported only to the U.S.— grazie! – so let’s show it some love.
Read moreRichly Deserving
I don’t think Planet Cheese readers need the Federal Government to tell them that full-fat dairy is healthy. We know that. But I also think most of us don’t consume artisan cheese for the nutrients. We eat it for pleasure, and there’s little pleasure in low-fat cheese so why bother? Personally, I follow the example of the late Robert Mondavi, who lived—and lived well—into his 90s. “Moderation in all things,” proclaimed the vintner. “Even moderation.” That’s why we have double-cream and triple-cream cheeses. When you crave a little over-the-topness, these luscious creations meet the moment.
Read moreBeaufort to the Fore
If January were a cheese, it would be Beaufort. So meltable, so sturdy, so warming. A good Beaufort—and it’s all good—elevates potato gratin, French onion soup, fondue, even a winter chicory salad. Stylistically, it’s Comté’s first cousin, yet it’s all but obliterated by that cheese’s prominence. France makes at least ten times more Comté than Beaufort, so when I see the latter at a cheese counter, I pounce. Gustiamo, the Italian food merchant, equates January with pasta and chickpeas. For me, cold weather means Beaufort.
Read moreOlympiad of Pasta and Cheese
The Winter Olympics gets underway in northern Italy early next month, with many of the snowy sports happening in the Dolomites and the Valtellina. I have been hyper-aware of this for a while, because Pasta Grannies, my favorite YouTube channel, is all over it. To promote the Olympics, the show has been spotlighting nonnas from these mountain regions making the local pasta specialties, such as pizzocheri—a substantial concoction of fresh buckwheat pasta, Savoy cabbage, potatoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. In the Olympic spirit, I wanted to make pizzocheri (say peetz-OH-care-ee) myself but finding the right flour proved challenging. So—not very Olympian—I cheated. I substituted dried farro pasta and, while I can no longer claim authenticity, I can assure you the outcome does not disappoint.
Read moreStarting on a High Note
Let’s get this year underway with a delicious discovery—a sheep cheeses that left me hunting for superlatives. Aged sheep cheeses are always my go-to on a cheese board, but this newcomer gobsmacked me. It had a warm butter aroma and distinctive sour cream flavor that just reeled me in. Don’t leave me alone with it. It’s 100 percent perfect by itself, in my view, but you could pair it with olives and salumi for an antipasto or serve it at the end of your meal with quince paste or poached quince.
Read moreYear in Review: Cheese Edition
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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