If there’s one question I can count on getting in every cheese tasting I lead, it’s “Can you eat the rind?” I used to have a convoluted answer. Then Mateo Kehler, the wise man behind Vermont’s Jasper Hill Farm (along with his brother Andy), distilled it. “Rind your own business” is Kehler’s concise version of what I was trying to convey: Try the rind. If you like it, keep eating it. If you don’t, cut it away. Kehler also told me that he works harder on achieving a perfect rind than on any other aspect of his cheese.
Read moreCorsican Treasure
My husband and I spent three weeks in Corsica a few years ago (do it!), and our visit happened to coincide with a two-day cheese fair celebating the island’s shepherds. We ate a lot of rustic and wonderful sheep cheese and I met at length with Catherine Le Beschu, then the director of an organization that was trying to protect these vanishing cheeses. She told me, to my surprise, that Corsicans don’t eat the herb-coated sheep cheese that is the island’s most famous export. Fleur du Maquis (pictured above) and Brin d’Amour—so similar they’re often mistaken for each other—are insanely delicious so I don’t get why Corsicans disdain them.
Read moreGoat Cheese for the Big Leagues
Gran Capra—"big goat cheese”—is certainly that. You rarely see goat cheeses in large formats, nothing close to an 80-pound Parmigiano Reggiano or Gruyère. But “rarely” doesn’t mean never, and here’s proof that hefty goat cheeses are technically possible. Weighing in at about 50 pounds, this one may well be in a league of its own and, flavorwise, I can’t think of another cheese quite like it. Some shoppers may look at Gran Capra and see a grating cheese—an alternative to Parmigiano for people with cow’s milk allergy or intolerance—but I view it as a compelling table cheese, especially with a few drops of fine balsamic vinegar.
Read moreKhachapuri at Any Cost
What’s your personal inflation marker? For a lot of folks, it’s the price of gas or, these days, the soaring price of a dozen eggs. In the Republic of Georgia, I was amused to learn, it’s the cost of khachapuri, the gooey cheese bread that is a daily staple in this small nation.
Read moreCook Something Cheesy!
Given that I own at least a thousand cookbooks and have files stuffed with recipes I intend to make “one of these days,” it can feel like a guilty pleasure to revisit a recipe. I should be expanding my repertoire, or scrolling Tik-Tok to see what’s trending. Instead I’m looking back and recalling some favorite spring dishes—with cheese, of course!—that have entered my personal Hall of Fame.
Read moreBurrata Gets a Spring Look
Are we tired of burrata yet? Nah. This luscious cheese keeps tempting us to find new ways to use it. With California asparagus season underway and spring imminent (at least the calendar says so), I’m reminded of a terrific burrata preparation that I enjoyed in—of all places—a beer garden. Asparagus loves cheese.
Read moreEat It or Toss It?
A Planet Cheese reader asked me recently about ammoniated cheese. What causes that unwelcome smell and can anything be done about it? I call it the death rattle because it’s usually a sign that the cheese is not long for this world. Most cheeses give us clues when they’re flawed or heading south; learning to recognize those sensory signals can avert a purchase you may regret. So in this journey to the dark side, let’s take a look at some not-so-nice cheeses and analyze what may have gone wrong.
Read moreGhee Whiz
Every so often, I purchase ghee for an Indian recipe, then the jar migrates to the back of the fridge and I forget it’s there. It’s just not my go-to cooking fat, but this tasty California ghee may change that. Since I first tried it a few days ago, I keep adding to my mental list of how I’ll use it.
Read moreRobiola Roundup
I can usually tell which cheese will be the People’s Choice in my classes. If there’s a squishy one—like the newcomer here—it will almost certainly come out on top. Everyone loves creamy, and while I lean toward harder cheeses myself, who wouldn’t fall for this sexy thing? It would be a head-turner on any cheese board, and before it hits the table it will totally stink up your fridge. In a good way.
Read moreCheesemaker on a Mission
It’s probably a good thing that the artisan cheese world doesn’t have cult creameries and cheesemakers—at least, nothing like the wine world, where the fandom can be insidious. That said, I’m starting to think Connecticut cheesemaker Brian Civitello deserves a fervent following. He is so capable and so thoughtful about his cheesemaking, and I love what he does.
Read more