I’ve always loved cannoli filling but the fried outside? Not so much. Bakeries refrigerate this perishable pastry, and the crunchy shell loses all its appeal. So I just make the inside—basically, a whipped ricotta mousse with chopped bittersweet chocolate, toasted pistachios and almonds, and candied orange peel. Lately, I’ve used Seville orange marmalade to sweeten the mousse and eliminated the candied peel. So easy. If you’re treating Mom to a homemade meal on Mother’s Day, here’s her dessert. Or her breakfast in bed. What a luscious way to start the day.
Read moreBurrata Grand Slam
© Meg Smith Photography
It’s a good thing the Clif Family’s Bruschetteria is not closer to my house or I would have to hit the rowing machine even harder. Anything served on oil-rubbed garlic toast is already a home run. If burrata’s involved, that’s a grand slam. In spring, Bruschetteria chef John McConnell tops the burrata with peas and tender roasted broccoli florets, stems and leaves. I can’t imagine a more tempting lunch or antipasto with a glass of rosé.
Read moreThe Creamy One
If I were giving an award for “Most Likely to Succeed,” this Swiss beauty would be a contender. A relative newcomer, it has already taken root at cheese counters nationwide, and it’s a reliable audience favorite when I serve it in classes. Creamy, nutty and balanced, with alluring aromas, it’s a people-pleaser at an inviting price.
Read moreDid You Smell That?
Stinks so good: Patacabra
I was preparing dinner the other night and washing dishes at the sink when a foul odor seemed to come out of nowhere. “What is THAT?” I shrieked. “What is what?” responded my husband, who was in the kitchen but behind me. “That horrible smell. Where is it coming from?” I turned toward my husband, who was laughing. “I just took some cheese out,” he said. I spotted the cheese, a favorite of mine, and almost instantly the offensive aroma became appealing. How did that happen? I figured Harold McGee, author of Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World’s Smells, would know.
Read moreCheese Without Borders
Immigrant roots: San Joaquin Gold (left) and the Giacomini family’s Point Reyes Original Blue
American cheese without immigrants would be…well, it wouldn’t be. The richness and diversity of our current cheese scene owes everything to Italian, Swiss, Dutch, Portuguese and German immigrants who brought their cheese recipes and traditions to a country that didn’t have any. In Northern California, where I live, the list of Italian and Italian-Swiss names behind our greatest cheeses is lunghissima: Bianchi, DeBernardi, Fiscalini, Giacomini, Lafranchi, Rumiano, Vella, Viviani. The immigration debate rages in this country, but the contribution of immigrants to our cheese boards is indisputable.
Read moreCheese Meets Matzo
The matzo brei I grew up with did not have cheese in it. Just eggs, soaked matzo, salt and pepper. That was my mother’s way, and she wasn’t inclined to experiment. But I’m in charge now. At my house, matzo brei can have green onions and asparagus, and it most definitely can have cheese.
Read morePetite Treat
The oldest cheese in America also happens to be one of the youngest. The fresh little guy pictured here is only three to four days old when packaged, but the creamery has been making it since 1865. Correct me if you know better, but I don’t believe any domestic cheese has been in commercial production longer. More to the point, it’s delicious: moist, mild and milky, the perfect segue to spring.
Read moreFeta Dresses for Spring
Nobody’s a bigger feta fan than I am, but I’m getting a little tired of that baked pasta/tomato/feta recipe that won’t go away. Especially because it’s not tomato season. Now’s the time to be pairing feta with artichokes, asparagus, leeks, beets, radishes, green garlic…all the tender spring crops that are at their peak right now. Although I can’t go back to my favorite Greek restaurant quite yet, I can make the restaurant’s sublime roasted asparagus with feta. And so can you.
Read moreWelcome Aboard
When the pandemic picked up steam last spring, Ray Rumiano found a whole new gig. His family’s century-old business, Rumiano Cheese, was doing just fine, producing the mid-priced jack cheeses that supermarket shoppers were stockpiling. But Ray knew that some of his friends who made artisan cheese were in dire straits as their restaurant and catering sales plummeted. What could he do to help them through this crisis?
Read moreWhey Gets a New Look
Upcycling. It’s the word of the moment. Can we create something useful out of stuff we usually throw away? In the cheese business, whey is a headache. For every pound of cheese, a creamery has roughly nine pounds of whey to get rid of. Sometimes a neighboring farmer will feed it to livestock or spread it on fields. But solutions for whey fall far short of the need. What if, as one young entrepreneur proposed, you could distill it?
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