A cheese shop owner told me recently that he now prices his inventory by the half-pound instead of by the pound. The sticker shock was just too much for some customers and hardly anybody buys a pound of cheese anyway. I get it. At least for me cheese is a deductible expense, but I’ve been watching the climbing prices with alarm. Good cheese should be an everyday pleasure, not a pain point. Which is why I was eager to devote a session in my World Cheese Tour series to products that over-deliver for the price. The class is sold out, but pictured above is one of the amazing values I discovered as I researched the best selections for the evening. I’ll share the entire class lineup in next week’s Planet Cheese post, but this highly aromatic little guy will be on the plate. What a bargain!
Read moreTruffle Cheese is the Answer
The question at our house last week was how to revive our flagging interest in cauliflower. I’ve been gardening forever, but I still haven’t learned that when you plant a dozen cauliflower seedlings at once, they all mature at once. I wasn’t sure I could get another cauliflower risotto past my husband unless I changed it up. So I did. With a little digging online, I turned up a new method that produced the creamiest risotto I’ve ever made. The truffled pecorino I had in the fridge put it over the top. I knew I’d nailed it when my husband amped up his usual praise—from “this is good, hon” to “this is really good, hon.” I couldn’t agree more.
Read moreGoat Cheese for the Big Leagues
Gran Capra—"big goat cheese”—is certainly that. You rarely see goat cheeses in large formats, nothing close to an 80-pound Parmigiano Reggiano or Gruyère. But “rarely” doesn’t mean never, and here’s proof that hefty goat cheeses are technically possible. Weighing in at about 50 pounds, this one may well be in a league of its own and, flavorwise, I can’t think of another cheese quite like it. Some shoppers may look at Gran Capra and see a grating cheese—an alternative to Parmigiano for people with cow’s milk allergy or intolerance—but I view it as a compelling table cheese, especially with a few drops of fine balsamic vinegar.
Read moreRobiola Roundup
I can usually tell which cheese will be the People’s Choice in my classes. If there’s a squishy one—like the newcomer here—it will almost certainly come out on top. Everyone loves creamy, and while I lean toward harder cheeses myself, who wouldn’t fall for this sexy thing? It would be a head-turner on any cheese board, and before it hits the table it will totally stink up your fridge. In a good way.
Read moreHow Sweet It Is
I used to think of Gorgonzola Dolce as a “starter blue”—the white Zinfandel of blue cheese. It’s so moist, mellow and likeable, perfect for people who are wary of blue cheese and don’t enjoy the spicier types. “They’ll get there eventually,” I would think, just as pink-wine drinkers usually advance to more complex reds at some point. But there’s a reason Dolce (“sweet”) outsells traditional Gorgonzola by almost ten to one. It’s a pleaser and, to be honest, I often prefer it myself. On polenta it’s sublime.
Read moreGive That Cheese a Bath
Mozzarella is a flavor sponge. It readily soaks up good stuff like extra virgin olive oil and garlic, so why not give it a little bath on Labor Day? Ciliegine, the cherry-size balls, are perfect for marinating. They’re bite sized, you can serve them whole so they don’t release whey, and it doesn’t take long to infuse them with seasonings. (Say chili-eh-GEE-neh.) I add dried oregano, parsley, Aleppo pepper and capers, but you do you. Taken to a potluck or at your own backyard barbecue, these juicy, garlicky one-bite wonders will vanish before the burgers are done.
Read moreBaked Lemon Ricotta is a Slice of Puglia
Is it cheese…or is it cake? Or is it cheesecake? Baked lemon ricotta is a modern creation produced by a small family enterprise in Puglia, but there’s plenty of tradition behind it. In Sicily and Puglia, shepherds long ago figured out that they could bake their ricotta in their wood-burning oven and extend its lifespan. Thirty-five years ago, the Donvito family took the practice in a new direction, creating a line of sweet, sliceable baked ricottas flavored with lemon, coffee, cocoa and pistachio. The lemon version—the bestseller by far—turns up at American cheese counters occasionally and I’ve been eyeing it, but not trying it, for years.
Read moreThe True (Maybe) Origin Story of Insalata Caprese
This summer marks the 96th birthday of the insalata caprese. A near-century of mozzarella, tomatoes and basil—the salad that sends fresh mozzarella sales spiking in summer. Someone had to invent this beloved combination, and if you believe the story I’m about to recount, the dish was conceived as an act of rebellion.
Read moreSix Ricotta Dishes to Make Before Summer Ends
We’re having a pesto marathon at my house. Tonight…and tomorrow night..and the next night. The garden basil is out of control and it’s now or never for the year’s sweetest pesto. I had made pesto for decades before discovering what a spoonful of ricotta does for it. So creamy! Fred Plotkin, the author of the bible on Ligurian cooking (Recipes from Paradise: Life and Food on the Italian Riviera), assures me that ricotta is a legitimate addition, although he would probably say I use too much. (I live on Planet Cheese, after all.) Try my way and let me know what you think.
Read moreParmigiano Reggiano Deep Dive
Parm by breed: (left to right) Bruna Alpina, Razza Reggiana, Bianca Modenese
One thing (among many) that I love about cheese is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to taste the gold standards. A cult Cabernet Sauvignon can cost more than a round-trip ticket to Europe, but anyone with ten dollars can get a sizeable taste of a cult cheese. And that’s what I would call the three Parmigiano Reggianos pictured above. They are costly, acclaimed, rare and sought after by in-the-know cheese fans. Are they more compelling than the everyday Parm you’ve been using? Well, it won’t cost you much to find out.
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