My husband and I are planning a trip to South Korea, so we were watching Korean food videos on YouTube one recent evening. In one travel vlog, a young American couple is checking out a popular fast-food chain called No Brand Burger (definitely not on our itinerary). The official motto of No Brand Burger is refreshingly un-American: “Why pay more? It’s good enough.” The frankness made us laugh, but at a cheese tasting the day before, a guest had basically asked me the same question. How much do you have to spend to get good cheese, he wanted to know, and at what point are you spending more but not getting more quality?
Read moreThis Cheese + That Beer
Time for lunch: Ciel de Chèvre, caramelized onions and a Belgian saison
People often ask me when I’m going to run out of cheeses to write about. Not gonna happen. Every time I’m at a well-run counter, I find a cheese I’ve never seen. And that’s the one I want. I know it’s tempting to stick with what you like, but if you take the occasional risk on a cheese you don’t know, you’ll become a better taster. That’s how I discovered this crazy-good washed-rind cheese, which is now a must for my upcoming “Cheese Meets Beer” class. I’ve experienced a lot of memorable matchups in my life, but this meaty cheese with Saison Dupont was Hall of Fame great.
Read moreCheesy Pop Quiz
It felt like a pop quiz that I should ace. “What’s the difference between cottage cheese and ricotta?” a reader asked recently. Anyone can tell them apart in a tasting (right?), but what makes them different is harder to say. The method for cottage cheese is largely, but not entirely, standardized; big producers often take shortcuts. Creameries make ricotta in multiple ways, too. Let’s take a deeper dive into these two fresh cheeses so you know whether they’re interchangeable in recipes and what you can expect when you open that tub.
Read moreWhat’s Better than Great?
Oakland’s Market Hall Foods has been a destination for food lovers since opening in 1987. Originally named The Pasta Shop, it has endeared itself to its affluent neighborhood by supplying top-of-the-line pasta, olive oils, vinegars, prepared foods and—most notably for me—cheese. Under the guidance of cheesemonger Juliana Uruburu, who was 18 when she started working there, Market Hall Foods has become one of the nation’s most influential cheese merchants.
Read moreCave Dweller
Guiding cheese from birth to maturity is a lot like parenting, albeit with less at stake. There’s no school for it, you learn on the job and the desired outcome is not guaranteed. Affinage, as the French call it, is all about keeping your precious charges on track, but every cheese—like every child—needs its own sort of nurturing.
Read moreNext-Level Chopped Salad
I did not know that chopped salad had a celebrity pedigree, but AI just informed me. I went searching for some history on the dish, which I associate with red-sauce restaurants, and learned that it likely originated in Beverly Hills in the 1950s. Chopped salads with chickpeas, salame and mozzarella were a favorite with tony Angelenos, fancied by starlets like Natalie Wood and ladies-who-lunch like Nancy Reagan. Seven decades later, they’re still popular. They’re colorful, crunchy and amenable to improv. Include what you like; omit what you don’t.
Read moreNext-Level Chopped Salad
I did not know that chopped salad had a celebrity pedigree, but AI just informed me. I went searching for some history on the dish, which I associate with red-sauce restaurants, and learned that it likely originated in Beverly Hills in the 1950s. Chopped salads with chickpeas, salame and mozzarella were a favorite with tony Angelenos, fancied by starlets like Natalie Wood and ladies-who-lunch like Nancy Reagan. Seven decades later, they’re still popular. They’re colorful, crunchy and amenable to improv. Include what you like; omit what you don’t.
Read moreAmerica’s Newest Cheese Gems
(l to r) Withersbrook Blue; Jake and Sylvia Stoltzfus of Jake’s Gouda; Shabby Shoe
American Cheese Month is a time for celebration and optimism. So here’s my toast to several new (or newish) domestic cheeses that make me especially proud of our artisan producers and hopeful for their future. In alpha order:
Read moreStuffed Focaccia is a Cheesy Delight
Bread and cheese are my love languages. Hot, crisp focaccia stuffed with oozy Crescenza? I would travel for that. Alas, I still haven’t made it to the birthplace of the fabled focaccia di Recco, but the dish was born again in my kitchen last week thanks to recipe assistance from Lidia Bastianich. After watching a couple of YouTube videos of bakers making this Ligurian specialty on its home turf, I wasn’t convinced I could even get close. But take a look. I’m pretty proud of what came out of my oven, and you won’t be surprised that it vanished immediatemente. If you can track down some Crescenza or Stracchino, you’ve got this.
Read moreAntipasto of My Dreams
My fava beans are happening and a friend just brought me a fabulous Tuscan pecorino. Is that an opportunity or what? Young favas straight from the pod. Nuggets of buttery sheep cheese. Crisp white wine. It’s the antipasto I fantasize about when I plant the beans in the fall, and now’s the moment. Every good cheese counter will have an aged pecorino suitable for pairing with fresh favas—an Italian spring custom—but I am smitten with this new-to-me cheese.
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