I can’t explain why I’m so smitten with this little goat cheese from northern Italy, but I am. I couldn’t leave it alone. Nocetto di Capra, a bloomy-rind cheese from the Lombardia region, doesn’t have the mouth-filling flavor that usually flips my switch. It’s a subtle little guy, but so unlike any goat cheese we make in this country or any other goat cheese I know for that matter.
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 moreYogurt Today, Cheese Tomorrow
Here’s the easiest cheese recipe I know: Dump a quart of plain yogurt into a cheesecloth-lined colander or a sieve set over a bowl. Put a plate on top and refrigerate. After a couple of hours, stir in salt to taste. Continue draining until the yogurt is as thick as cream cheese, about 24 hours.
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 moreBoost Your Buying Power
Life in Silicon Valley is not all about silicon chips. Sunnyvale entrepreneur Dacia Hsueh makes time for cheese, too. By day, Hsueh consults to data centers on energy issues. But in her off-hours she’s delivering stinky wedges to members of the Silicon Valley Cheese Club, a buying group she launched last year.
Read moreNever Better →
Spring is artichoke, asparagus and fava bean season and prime time for radishes, green garlic and beets. We know that. But which cheeses reach peak flavor in spring? What’s tasting great at the cheese counter now?
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 moreBack in Business →
In early January, California cheesemaker Seana Doughty announced a voluntary recall of all of her Bleating Heart cheeses—among them, the award-winning Fat Bottom Girl and Ewelicious—because FDA testing found evidence of a pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes, in some samples. Recently, she discussed the recall experience with Planet Cheese.
Read moreBritish Bargain
Eight years have passed since I wrote about Sharpham Rustic in the San Francisco Chronicle, and I have hardly seen this lovely cheese since. Why it isn’t more popular eludes me. The price has not budged on this English farmstead beauty. I paid $22.99 a pound then, which probably seemed like a lot, and $22.99 a pound recently, which now seems like a bargain.
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