I recently watched a cheesemonger cut open a new wheel of this cheese, and I didn’t need a sample to know I wanted some. For starters, the wheel was gorgeous—hefty and symmetrical, with a handsome caramel-colored rind. Then I saw the inside. Just look at that golden hue. Milk from grass-fed cows, for sure. Guests in my classes often ask me whether diet really makes a difference, and the image above is your answer. This exceptional American mountain cheese occupies a niche that seems to shrink every year: farmstead, raw milk, produced only when the cows are on pasture. Taking a piece home felt like a rare privilege.
Read moreRemembering Kiri Fisher
Photo: Douglas Fletcher/Planet Cheese
The driving force behind the San Francisco Cheese School, who grew it from its modest beginnings in a North Beach flat to an internationally recognized enterprise in Ghirardelli Square, Kiri Fisher passed away from cancer on April 26. She was 45.
Read moreTwo Salads for Cheese-Loving Moms
Doug and I celebrated a recent wedding anniversary with a brief getaway to California’s Anderson Valley and the delightful Boonville Hotel. The hotel’s chef, Perry Hoffman, is the grandson of Sally Schmitt, the founding chef of The French Laundry. Hoffman grew up in that legendary Napa Valley kitchen, but he now has his own place and his own style and it’s right up my alley. I savored every bite of our height-of-spring dinner, but of course the two cheesiest dishes made the biggest impression. If you’re the chef on Mother’s Day, consider adding one or both to the menu.
Read moreBorn in the U.S.A.
Needless to say, it’s never not American Cheese Month at my house. But in May it’s official. This is the month when cheese merchants give American cheeses extra love—with tastings, cheesemaker appearances, special pricing and other incentives to get you in the store and buying domestic. Keep your eyes out for any festivities or promotions where you shop.
Read moreAre You Tempted?
Typically, at the end of a cheese class, I’ll ask guests to vote for their favorite. It helps me understand where people’s palates are. By now, I know that creamy usually wins, but I’ve rarely had such a lopsided result as I did in a class last week. Among a field of strong contenders, the creamiest cheese prevailed in a landslide. The victorious French beauty pictured above was new to me—I had never tasted it until I served it—and you can bet I’ll be bringing it back for an encore. My own vote went to the aged sheep cheese (L’Estaing), but the people have spoken.
Read moreIt’s a Wrap
I’ve been enchanted by this dramatic spring appetizer forever, since first encountering it at a Persian restaurant in Berkeley. The restaurant closed eons ago but the memory lingers. A platter of sabzi khordan --which translates to “herbs for eating”—is omnipresent at Persian meals, I have learned, and it’s more about the herbs than the feta. But this is Planet Cheese, so there’s feta at the center of my sabzi khordan. A block of feta would be more traditional, but whipped feta spreads better. And that’s the idea: You take a piece of flatbread, slather it with feta, tuck in something crunchy like toasted walnuts and then a soft handful of mixed herbs. It’s magical.
Read moreBlended Beauties
Mixed-milk mastery: (l to r) Tomales Farmstead Teleeka, La Casera Nerina, Campo de Montalban
I’m told there’s an old Spanish saying that goat’s milk is for drinking, cow’s milk is for butter, and sheep’s milk is for cheese. Indeed, the three milks are quite different. Goat’s milk is the easiest to digest. Cow’s milk separates, yielding cream for butter. And sheep’s milk tops the charts for fat and protein, the main components of cheese
Read moreTough Calls in Cheese Land
Do plant-based products belong in a cheese competition? As we cheese lovers learned in January, a plant-based entry was a finalist in the Good Food Awards’ cheese category. That’s a first. Many people, including me, weren’t even aware that non-dairy foods could compete in the category, which specifies that the entries be “made with milk from animals raised using good animal husbandry.”
Read moreSimply Delightful
I was intrigued to read that superstar baker Dorie Greenspan is working on a book on simple cakes. Simple cakes are the best! You can have a nice slice for breakfast without feeling like you’ve gone off the rails, then another piece in mid-afternoon with a cup of tea. A little sliver before bed with a wee dram of Madeira? Oh, yeah.
Read moreBuild a Better Bagel
Spring = fresh cheese. At least that’s the math at my house. Light, fluffy, spreadable cheese to drizzle with honey or top with chives. It’s what I want on a bagel instead of gummy, clingy cream cheese. It’s what I want on bruschetta topped with roasted asparagus. Now that spring is official, consider exploring some of the fresh cheese options where you shop. Spread the cheese on crostini, top with a drizzle of peppery olive oil and a sprinkle of dukkah—the perfect accompaniment for all the new rosés that are headed our way. Being in a spring frame of mind, I’ve gathered a half-dozen of my favorite schmear-worthy cheeses to inspire you.
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