{ Janet Fletcher / Food Writer }
PPI by Industry | Cheese Manufacturing
Yet again I’m hyperventilating about the rising price of cheese. I handed over $50 for a piece last week, and it wasn’t that big. Who can spend this kind of money? I’m not blaming cheesemakers. I’m not blaming retailers. I’m not blaming anybody. But I wanted to understand why some cheeses cost 30 to 50 percent more than they did a year ago.
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The world’s first carbon-neutral Cheddar is landing in U.S. stores this month, just in time for your first autumn cheese board. It’s made in the English county of Somerset, where most of the best British Cheddars originate. If you’ll be watching the funeral ceremonies for Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, you might want a little British snack for the occasion. Alas, this new arrival is not the Cheddar that holds the Royal Warrant —we don’t get that one in the U.S.—but it’s easy to love and from a producer with big environmental goals.
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Fromagerie Laurent Dubois, Paris/Photo: Susan Sturman
Ever wondered what cheeses you can legally bring back from Europe? Would you take a risk on any of the French cheeses pictured above? Maybe you would bury a couple of beauties in your suitcase and “forget” to declare them? I’ve covered this ground before, but with so many people traveling internationally again, it’s worth a refresher. Even a cheesemonger friend of mine who’s headed to Switzerland soon didn’t know the regs.
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Mozzarella is a flavor sponge. It readily soaks up good stuff like extra virgin olive oil and garlic, so why not give it a little bath on Labor Day? Ciliegine, the cherry-size balls, are perfect for marinating. They’re bite sized, you can serve them whole so they don’t release whey, and it doesn’t take long to infuse them with seasonings. (Say chili-eh-GEE-neh.) I add dried oregano, parsley, Aleppo pepper and capers, but you do you. Taken to a potluck or at your own backyard barbecue, these juicy, garlicky one-bite wonders will vanish before the burgers are done.
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Is it cheese…or is it cake? Or is it cheesecake? Baked lemon ricotta is a modern creation produced by a small family enterprise in Puglia, but there’s plenty of tradition behind it. In Sicily and Puglia, shepherds long ago figured out that they could bake their ricotta in their wood-burning oven and extend its lifespan. Thirty-five years ago, the Donvito family took the practice in a new direction, creating a line of sweet, sliceable baked ricottas flavored with lemon, coffee, cocoa and pistachio. The lemon version—the bestseller by far—turns up at American cheese counters occasionally and I’ve been eyeing it, but not trying it, for years.
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It’s peach week in Napa Valley. My husband and I were struggling to keep up with the fruit from our own tree when a friend gave me some of hers. I was feeling a bit desperate about all our softening peaches when I saw this glistening conserve in my Facebook feed. The woman who posted it, an acquaintance who has attended my cheese classes, said she made it to go with cheese. Bingo. She sent the recipe, I made it immediately and now I’m eating the conserve straight from the jar. What a super companion for fresh chèvre or aged goat cheese (that’s Stepladder Creamery Ventana in the image), Cheddar, Gouda or blue cheese. In fact, if there’s a cheese this divine conserve won’t complement, I can’t think of it.
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I only recently learned that the most famous lines in The Godfather (“Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”) were not in the script. Actor Richard Castellano ad-libbed them. Movie critics have debated the meaning, but to me it’s obvious. What kind of Italian-American would leave cannoli behind, even fleeing a crime scene?
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The Cheese Board, Berkeley
Have you noticed changes at your favorite cheese counters? I have. So many cheeses are now pre-sliced and vacuum-sealed—cheeses that merchants used to cut to order, so you could have just the amount you wanted. The selection has narrowed. There are gaps on the shelves. All these changes are pandemic related, but how long will they last? Will cheese counters eventually be as robust as they used to be and cheese shopping as interactive as before?
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For the fourth time in 16 years, a cheese from Vermont’s Jasper Hill Farm took Best of Show at the American Cheese Society’s recent competition. This time it’s Whitney, a new creation, in the winner’s circle. A raclette-style wheel made from raw cow’s milk, it topped 1,400 entries of all types. You can view all the category winners by reading the post.
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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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