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Janet Fletcher

180 Stonecrest Dr
Napa, CA, 94558
(707) 265-0404
{ Janet Fletcher / Food Writer }

{ Janet Fletcher / Food Writer }

Janet Fletcher

  • Home
  • About
    • About Janet
    • Media
    • Client List
    • Contact
  • Planet Cheese
    • Planet Cheese Blog
    • Planet Cheese Signup
    • Cheese Library
  • Store
    • All Items
    • World Cheese Tour
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    • World Cheese Tour Classes
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Not Done with Burrata

September 19, 2023 janet@janetfletcher.com

Photo: Mari Havens

The tomatoes are winding down in my garden (except for the never-say-die Sungolds). The calendar says summer is ending, yet I still haven’t had my fill of tomatoes with burrata. Or Greek rusks with tomato, capers and feta. Or fried green tomatoes with mozzarella. Or braised peppers, tomatoes and onions with baked goat cheese. Or tomato, watermelon and feta salad. If you feel the same, seize the moment and grab these tomato-centric recipes.

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Tags tomatoes and cheese, farm to table cooking, garden to table cooking, Caprese salad, insalata caprese, burrata, dakos
8 Comments

The True (Maybe) Origin Story of Insalata Caprese

July 19, 2022 janet@janetfletcher.com
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.

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In Milk: Water Buffalo, From: Italy Tags insalata caprese, caprese salad, Hotel Quisisana, mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
10 Comments

Spring Look for Insalata Caprese

April 12, 2022 janet@janetfletcher.com

My friend Joanne Weir, the television personality, came up with this genius idea for a spring riff on tomato and mozzarella salad. After all, it’s not tomato season. It’s asparagus, fava bean and pea season. So leave those mealy, flavorless red orbs for someone else and give your Caprese salad a fresh look for spring. What a light, simple salad for Easter and spring dinner parties to come. Thank you, Joanne!

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In From: U.S., Milk: Cow, From: Italy, Milk: Water Buffalo Tags mozzarella, insalata caprese, caprese salad, Easter recipes, spring salad
2 Comments

Love Mozzarella? Meet Crescenza

June 22, 2021 janet@janetfletcher.com
Planet Cheese 10 _DSC4400.jpg

Nothing against mozzarella, but as we enter insalata caprese season, maybe you want to switch up your game. Crescenza—from Italy or the U.S.—is a worthy alternative with sliced summer tomatoes (coming soon!) or on a pizza. And it’s a much more compelling cheese on its own. Mozzarella is springy; Crescenza slumps on a plate and feels like custard on your tongue.

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In From: Italy, From: U.S., Milk: Cow Tags Crescenza, Stracchino, Italian cheese, Bellwether Farms, insalata caprese
2 Comments

Baby Burrata Takes the Stage

August 3, 2020 janet@janetfletcher.com
Planet Cheese 58 _DSC1723.jpg

I’m loving the new Gioia mini burrata. At four ounces—half the usual size—it’s just right for two, and that’s all the people I get to cook for these days. A whole burrata is a commitment. Once you cut into that oozy interior, you have to finish it.

A Napa Valley winery chef turned me on to the combination of burrata, tomatoes and peaches. I’d been seeing versions of this salad online, but his rendition has some appealing refinements.

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In From: U.S., Milk: Cow Tags burrata, Gioia cheese, Italian cheese, insalata caprese, Di Stefano cheese, B Cellars
4 Comments

Blockbuster Cheese

August 28, 2018 janet@janetfletcher.com
Planet Cheese 198 _DSC5529.jpg

You’re not imagining it. Burrata is everywhere.  A cheese that almost nobody knew 20 years ago (even in Italy) is now summer’s blockbuster. Retailers struggle to keep it in stock, and chefs have taken it well beyond the predictable insalata caprese. What else can you do with this dreamy dairy queen?

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In From: Italy, Milk: Cow, Milk: Water Buffalo Tags burrata, Market Hall Foods, Della Fattoria, insalata caprese, Nancy Harmon Jenkins, Puglia
4 Comments

Switching It Up

September 5, 2017 janet@janetfletcher.com
PC-01 _DSC1227.jpg

Fresh mozzarella sales soar in summer, and we all know why. Just look in people’s shopping carts and you can tell what’s on the menu: insalata caprese. Again. At every dinner party, insalata caprese. On every buffet, insalata caprese. I enjoy the dish as much as anyone—especially with homegrown tomatoes—but sometimes I just want to switch it up. With hardly any more effort, you can make some juicy bruschetta for a dinner-party appetizer or quick lunch.

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In From: Italy, From: U.S., Milk: Cow Tags Mozzarella, insalata caprese, Mimi alla Ferrovia, Gustosella, Point Reyes Farmstead
2 Comments
 

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Welcome to my world: a fragrant, fascinating universe devoted to great cheese. In this and future Planet Cheese posts, you’ll find profiles of the world’s best cheeses plus insights into everything cheese: shops, recipes, interviews, pairing discoveries, classes, videos, travel. If you haven’t already done so, sign up here - it’s complimentary - and join me in learning something new about cheese every week.


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     Photographs: Douglas Fletcher, Ed Anderson, Megan Clouse, Faith Echtermeyer, Eva Kolenko,
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