Are you doing as many virtual Happy Hours as I am? I’m enjoying how easy it is to “meet” friends for a drink, but the bar menu is pitiful. My husband and I hoarded pistachios when this madness began, but I’m getting a little bored with them. Knowing how desperate our cheesemakers are to sell their fresh cheeses, I decided to challenge myself to make some bar bites with ingredients on hand. I did have to purchase the cheese, but all the toppings were foraged from the fridge, garden and pantry. You can do this.
I used Nicasio Valley Foggy Morning for my toasts because it’s made near me and my local cheese shop had it. Look for a moist, spreadable cheese that doesn’t have a rind. If it’s made locally, so much the better because it will likely be fresher and fluffier. Ricotta is a great option, as is a fresh, lemony chèvre. I’ve offered some suggestions below but, really, use what you can find. During these times, it feels right to improvise and make do.
My toppings:
Fava beans with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and coarse sea salt
Grated carrots dressed with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and salt; topped with K. L. Keller Dukkah
Roasted golden beets, extra virgin olive oil, coarse sea salt and Aleppo pepper
Foggy Morning blended with minced chives, mint, tarragon, and grated garlic
Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend
What will your home foraging yield? Tapenade, chutney, leftover roast vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes, smoked fish? Repurpose them as toppings and let the happy hour begin.
As for cheese options, consider these:
Pennyroyal Farms Laychee
Bellwether Farms Fromage Blanc: Made from Jersey cow’s milk, this fresh cheese won its category last year at the American Cheese Society competition.
Vermont Creamery Fromage Blanc: a fat-free version from cow’s milk
Calabro Hand-Dipped Ricotta: When it’s fresh, it’s my favorite readily available ricotta—milky, delicate and sweet.
Cowgirl Creamery Cottage Cheese: tender curds in a creamy, tangy dressing
Green Dirt Farms Fresh Sheep Cheese: a lactic, light-on-the-tongue sheep’s milk version of fresh chèvre
Karoun Dairies Labne: smooth and tangy yogurt cheese. You can make it yourself by draining Greek yogurt in cheesecloth and seasoning with salt.
Laura Chenel Fresh Goat Cheese Original: The California goat cheese that launched a movement is a clean-tasting and likeable as ever.
Pennyroyal Farms Laychee: At this time of year, this tub-packed fresh cheese is typically about 85% goat’s milk and 15% sheep’s milk. When fresh, it’s fluffy and lemony.