People often ask me whether they can freeze cheese. “Sure,” I reply. “But it won’t be the same when it thaws.” Putting cheese in the freezer is almost never a good idea—it alters the texture—although I can think of a couple of exceptions. If you like to stockpile Parmigiano Reggiano rinds for making broth or enhancing a pot of beans, by all means keep your collection in the freezer (although the rinds will also be fine in the fridge). But with the onset of autumn, I’m reminded of a little trick with frozen cheese that I learned from the late celebrity chef Michael Chiarello.

I had the good fortune to collaborate with Michael on a couple of his cookbooks more than 20 years ago. By the time we launched work on Michael Chiarello’s Casual Cooking, he was in a new relationship with a woman who would later became his wife. Eileen was related to the family that had recently launched Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese, so it wasn’t long before some Point Reyes Original Blue—the creamery’s debut cheese—surfaced in Michael’s kitchen.

Susie Heller, who managed Michael’s book projects, had a clever technique for grating a moist blue cheese like Original Blue. If you froze it first, you could grate it superfine with a Microplane and it would look like a snow flurry on top of a salad. So pretty. The “snowflakes” melted in your mouth and made this tangy blue more approachable because you weren’t biting into a big chunk.

I love using this technique on fall salads with shaved apples, pears, beets or persimmons. Point Reyes Original Blue with its buttermilk flavor is ideal for this treatment. Mingling with a vinaigrette, it tastes like ranch dressing, only better. Other tangy blue cheeses would also work, like Roth’s Buttermilk Blue or Maytag Blue. Be sure to freeze only the amount you need for the salad. That way you can enjoy the remaining cheese at its best.

Frisée and Radicchio Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Pears and Blue Cheese

Adapted from Michael Chiarello’s Casual Cooking by Michael Chiarello with Janet Fletcher. If you don’t enjoy bitter greens, substitute mixed baby greens. You can also replace the pears with Fuyu persimmons, golden or Chioggia beets or apples.

Dressing:

• 1 medium shallot, finely minced

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, plus more as needed

• Kosher or sea salt

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon walnut oil (or replace with another tablespoon of olive oil)

• Freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

• 2-ounce chunk of tangy blue cheese

• 1 /2 large head radicchio, halved again, cored and thinly sliced

• 2 loosely packed quarts inner leaves of frisée, in bite-size pieces, or other baby lettuces

• 1 small pear, ripe but firm, quartered, cored and very thinly shaved lengthwise

• ½ cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts, plus a few more for garnish

Make the dressing: Combine the shallot, vinegar and a large pinch of salt in a small bowl and let stand 30 minutes to soften the shallot. Whisk in the oils and several grinds of pepper. Taste and add another splash of vinegar if desired.

About 1 hour before serving, wrap the blue cheese loosely in foil and put it in the freezer.

In a large bowl, combine the radicchio, frisée, shaved pear and walnuts. Add enough dressing to coat the salad lightly and toss gently. Taste for seasoning, then divide the salad among individual plates. Using a rasp grater (such as a Microplane), grate the blue cheese thickly over each salad. Scatter a few more walnuts on top and serve immediately.
Serves 4