The calendar says summer is imminent (the weather says it’s here) and I’m already lightening up. More salads, more Muga rosé and definitely some fresher, lighter cheeses on the table. Mozzarella and burrata, of course, but what I really crave in summer is the lively, lemony tang of fresh goat cheese. Sometimes I warm it until it’s as soft as custard. Or I spiff it up it with fruity olive oil and chopped thyme or pink peppercorns. I recently found a new fresh goat cheese to love (it’s Italian) and reacquainted myself with another favorite from France that smells like a hillside in Provence.
Read moreSpain On Your Plate
Our recent trip to northern Spain was as much a seafood deep dive as a cheese journey, but I did visit two top-tier creameries in Galicia and two impeccably curated cheese shops in Madrid. It was torture to encounter so many tantalizing cheeses and not be able to bring them home. But you should know about these must-see shops in case Madrid is in your future.
Read moreAmerica, You’re Rocking It
Photo: St. James Cheese Company
American Cheese Month is winding down but I hope your appetite is ramping up. You’re about to meet eight domestic cheeses deemed outstanding by the experts—two West Coast mongers who agreed to assemble a fantasy cheese plate for Planet Cheese readers. I requested “all American” and “not too obscure.” Even so, I don’t know a couple of these selections. So you may have to hunt for some of these cheeses, but at least you know you’ll be rewarded.
Read moreWhen Pros Make the Cheese Plate
American Cheese Month—that would be May—is your chance to show our nation’s cheesemakers how much you value what they do. Of course, our creameries need your business year-round but showcasing them this month reminds us how far we’ve come. Remember when American cheese was a laugh line? We now produce cheeses that compete (and win) on the world stage, and we can boast cheesemongers as knowledgeable and passionate as any in Europe
Read moreReality Check
View from the trenches: Jenny Eastwood
You never need an excuse to eat cheese, but May is a good time to show American-made cheeses some extra love. It’s American Cheese Month—that’s official—so I’ll be shining the spotlight for the next few weeks on some of our nation’s finest. To kick us off, I turned to Jenny Eastwood, who sells exclusively American cheese at Smallgoods Cheese Shop & Café, the business she operates in Jolla, CA, with her husband, Mike.
Read moreMake it Cheesy for Mom
I never had the chance to cook for my mom on Mother’s Day. From the age of 18, I lived more than 1,500 miles away. It’s too late now, but I’m certain these recipes would have pleased her (eating them, not cooking them). All five dishes have cheese in common—surprise!—but they’re light, quick to make and foolproof. If you have a mother or mother figure to cook for, grab an apron and seize the day.
Read moreFromage without Flinching
Finally, a French cheese to love at a price we can like. It’s been a while since I’ve bought artisan cheese from France without flinching at the checkout counter. Of course you can find affordable Brie and Camembert at the big-box stores, but these cheeses are typically industrial, with quality on par with their cost. This beauty is a distinctive raw cow’s milk tomme, with a rustic natural rind, abundant aroma and an uncommon “double-textured” interior. The reasonable price is just one more of its many admirable features.
Read moreRicotta Salata, Where Art Thou?
Why is it so hard to find ricotta salata these days? This salted and pressed Italian sheep cheese used to be more present, and I almost always had some on hand for shaving into salads—especially spring salads with fava beans, asparagus or beets. It’s a must for pasta alla Norma but I grate it on pasta sauced every which way. It’s moister than pecorino romano so it makes the dish creamier. Now it is scarcer than it should be, given that it’s neither costly nor rare.
Read moreTwo Thumbs Up
I went a little crazy at the cheese counter the other day and came home with more than I usually buy at one time. So, at the end of a simple dinner that night, Doug and I had an over-the-top cheese course. Miraculously, we had the same favorite. A new import from Spain, it had all the features I seek: captivating aroma, pleasing texture, proper salting. That it played well with the red wine on the table earned it some more points.
Read moreFrench Cheese from a Master
The notion that cheeses have seasons is less valid than it used to be, but springtime still says goat cheese to me. On small French farms run the traditional way, goats give birth in early spring. Once the kids are weaned, there’s abundant milk for cheese—for all those delicate fresh chèvres and, a few weeks later, lightly aged creations like the one pictured above. Breeding advances and sophisticated aging rooms have altered this pattern, but I still associate the warming weather with creamy, tangy goat cheese…
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