Brad Sinko has already earned his place in the cheesemakers’ hall of fame with his creation of Flagship, Flagship Reserve and Flagsheep. These Cheddar-style wheels, which he developed for Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in Seattle, have won heaps of critical acclaim and awards, including American Cheese Society Best of Show for Flagsheep.
Read moreRicotta Sweet and Savory
Last week at the Napa farmers’ market, I stared for a long time at a pint basket of figs. They looked so plump and luscious, like the fruit in a Dutch still life, but I couldn’t handle the price. Dumb. Next time I’m caving, and I’m making a favorite summer dessert: whipped ricotta, halved figs, honey and poppy seeds. Adding raspberries, blackberries, apricots or peaches—all abundant right now—would only make the dessert more inviting. You can arrange everything on a platter—ricotta on the bottom, fruit, honey and poppy seeds on top—or assemble in a martini glass or footed compote.
Read moreIsland Gem →
Are you up for a quiet island vacation in a natural setting with few other tourists around? After hearing Manual Maia describe Terceira, one of the nine islands in the remote Azores, I put it on my bucket list. “There are more cows than people,” says Maia, whose company, TradiFoods, imports Portuguese specialties.
Read moreMais Non, It's Not Morbier →
If you’re a fan of Morbier, you need to taste Spring Brook Farm’s Ashbrook. This new Vermont cheese, a Morbier lookalike, leaves many examples of the well-known French cheese in the dust.
Read moreThe One and Only Monterey Monterey Jack
For years, I’ve thought of Monterey Jack as the White Zinfandel of cheese. It’s easy to like, reasonably priced, available everywhere and—I would hope—a bridge for cheese consumers to more interesting choices eventually.
Read moreSix Cabernet All-Stars
I’m vaguely aware that my husband, Doug, maintains a list of cheeses that go well with Cabernet Sauvignon. You might imagine that I would be the one with that list, but no, he’s the go-to source. He’s the winemaker, after all.
Read moreEmbrace the Raw
If you enjoy Parmigiano Reggiano, Bellwether Farms San Andreas and Pleasant Ridge Reserve, now’s the time to show them the love. All three are raw-milk cheeses—a shrinking category both here and abroad—and on Saturday, April 18, the spotlight is on them.
Read moreHoly Jacob, Batman →
A new Swiss cheese in the U. S. market is always something to celebrate, especially if the importer is Florida’s Quality Cheese. Caroline and Daniel Hostettler, who run the company, got their start 17 years ago with the impeccable cheeses from Swiss affineur Rolf Beeler. They made Beeler into a rock star here (he was already acclaimed in Switzerland) and have since expanded their line to include many other gems from their native Switzerland.
Read moreLittle Stinker →
I hope you like strong cheese. This sweet-looking little guy had to move into the isolation ward at my house when it threatened to stink up everything in sight. I enjoy that decaying-mushroom smell at dinner time, but not when I open the fridge to hunt for breakfast. My husband couldn’t take it, either, so he put the cheese, still in its cardboard box, inside another lidded container and banished it to the outdoor fridge.
Read moreWelcome Back, Mimolette →
After an absence of more than a year, the pumpkin-hued Mimolette is back. I spotted it at Bay Area cheese counters at holiday time—with that screaming orange interior, you can’t miss it—and retailers told me it was selling briskly. But they couldn’t explain why the FDA had apparently softened its stand on this dangerous import.
Read more