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.
Read moreIt’s a Rave
My husband and I spent a memorable few weeks on Corsica several years ago, and I fell hard for the island and its cheeses. For good reason, it’s known (in translation) as both the Isle of Beauty and the Island of Shepherds. But when I tried to find similar Corsican cheeses at home, I largely struck out. I might occasionally score some Fleur du Maquis—a lovely creation, although Corsicans don’t eat it—but the rest of the island’s production was nowhere to be found. Until now.
Read moreCorsican Treasure
My husband and I spent three weeks in Corsica a few years ago (do it!), and our visit happened to coincide with a two-day cheese fair celebating the island’s shepherds. We ate a lot of rustic and wonderful sheep cheese and I met at length with Catherine Le Beschu, then the director of an organization that was trying to protect these vanishing cheeses. She told me, to my surprise, that Corsicans don’t eat the herb-coated sheep cheese that is the island’s most famous export. Fleur du Maquis (pictured above) and Brin d’Amour—so similar they’re often mistaken for each other—are insanely delicious so I don’t get why Corsicans disdain them.
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