Cheese and fruit is a pairing for all seasons, but autumn fruit is the hands-down champion—more compatible with more cheeses than winter citrus or summer’s berries. Apples, grapes, pears, persimmons, pomegranates….now is their moment. They add color and juicy sweetness to leafy salads with grated blue cheese, crumbled goat cheese or feta, or shaved ricotta salata. Whisk up a vinaigrette with shallots, add toasted nuts for crunch, and you have a season-saluting salad worthy of a dinner party.
Read moreFreeze This Cheese
People often ask me whether they can freeze cheese. “Sure,” I reply. “But it won’t be the same when it thaws.” Putting cheese in the freezer is almost never a good idea—it alters the texture—although I can think of a couple of exceptions. If you like to stockpile Parmigiano Reggiano rinds for making broth or enhancing a pot of beans, by all means keep your collection in the freezer (although the rinds will also be fine in the fridge). But with the onset of autumn, I’m reminded of a little trick with frozen cheese that I learned from celebrity chef Michael Chiarello.
Read more
Quisque iaculis facilisis lacinia. Mauris euismod pellentesque tellus sit amet mollis.