Drought. Wildfires. Record-breaking heat. Not to mention a pandemic that’s upended the supply chain. For dairy farmers and cheesemakers on the West Coast, this is one tough summer. Triple-digit temperatures and lack of water are stressing pastures and dairy animals. If such conditions are the new normal in California and Oregon, is dairy farming even viable? David Gremmels of Oregon’s Rogue Creamery and Reggie Jones of Central Coast Creamery in California shared their thoughts on these trying times. I have edited their comments for brevity and clarity.
Read moreAs Gouda as It Gets
If you’re a Gouda fan, add this crystalline beauty to your must-try list. Produced by an Amish couple in upstate New York with the milk from their 200-acre farm, it has everything I want in aged Gouda: a seductive toffee and pineapple aroma, a creamy interior dotted with crunchy bits and a deep, salted-caramel flavor. Some Goudas are so cloying that one bite is enough, but this cheese I couldn’t stop nibbling.
Read moreRisotto Meets Burrata
I have been making zucchini risotto forever but had never thought to plop a piece of burrata on top until I saw such a dish on Principato di Lucedio’s Instagram. This historic farm in Piemonte grows fabulous Carnaroli rice—I visited years ago—so the Lucedio Instagram is a rich source of risotto ideas. The zucchini risotto was photographed at Balin a restaurant near the farm, and the chef used stracciatella, not burrata. But stracciatella is the creamy filling inside burrata, and burrata is easier to find. It’s zucchini season. It’s cherry tomato season. What are you waiting for?
Read moreWandering the Backroads
My dream job—and maybe yours, too—would be traveling the backroads of Europe as a Cheese Explorer, hunting for undiscovered cheeses at local farmers’ markets and in off-the-beaten-path bistros. I don’t get to do this but, fortunately, others do. That’s how American distributors keep receiving exquisite, unusual wheels from Europe that are hardly known there. This goat’s milk beauty comes from a scenic part of western France called Venise Verte (“Green Venice”). Did you even know this lush, canal-laced region existed? I didn’t, but I intend to go at the first opportunity. Maybe I’ll stumble on more goat cheeses as fabulous as this one.
Read moreYour Rosé Cheese Tray
Rosé sales are soaring, and I certainly have something to do with that. On warm summer nights, when the sun doesn’t set until we’re well into dinner, it’s the wine I want. U.S. sales volume for rosé climbed 1433% (you read that right) between 2010 and 2020, according to data from bw166, a market research firm. Some attribute this phenomenal spike to the rise of Instagram. What’s prettier than pink wine? Well, pink wine with a cheese board, if you ask me.
Read moreLove Mozzarella? Meet Crescenza
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.
Read moreBest Dip Ever?
Where has this pistachio-feta dip been all my life? I found it online a couple of years ago (thank you, Tasting Table) and have since made it frequently for dinner guests and potlucks. It’s easy, unusual and always gets raves. Wish I could say I invented it, but New York’s Shuka restaurant gets the credit. With all the colorful fresh vegetables at farmers markets right now, you need this dip.
Read moreStar Power
This little French beauty has a charming name and a touching back story. But more important, it’s delightful and just right for warm-weather cheese boards. Add a leafy green salad with lots of chopped fresh chives, a baguette and a bottle of Sancerre. Acclaimed affineur Hervé Mons had a hand in this cheese’s creation, so you know it’s sublime.
Read morePecorino & Favas Last Call
Fava bean season is winding down where I live. Time to make one of my favorite salads before the beans vanish. Favas and sheep cheese, sweet and salty, in the soft folds of butter lettuce. A sharp shallot vinaigrette brings it all together. Choose a sheep’s milk cheese you can shave with a plane. If it has peppercorns in it (like Bellwether Farms’ Pepato), so much the better.
Read moreYou’re Grilling What??
Whatever else you’re planning to grill on Memorial Day, make room for cheese. Yes, you can grill it, and any non-meat eaters at your table will thank you. Halloumi, the sheep and goat cheese from Cyprus that doesn’t want to melt, has little personality until you warm it in a frying pan or on the grill. Then it blossoms. Serve it on toast (or lemon leaves, if you have them) with chopped fresh thyme and a drizzle of honey. A squeeze of lemon brightens it.
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