A debut from Jasper Hill Farm is always newsworthy on Planet Cheese, but this recently launched blue could be a supernova. The Whole Foods monger who alerted me to it called it “lovely to say the least” and cradled the package in her arms like a baby. Even my husband enjoyed it, which, when it comes to blue cheese, is not a bet I ever make. It’s fruity, winey and moist, with an offbeat shape and novel packaging. Everything about this Vermont newcomer screams “holiday cheese boards.”
Read moreSwiss With a Twist
I don’t quite get it, but not everyone loves the same cheeses I do. Those beefy, concentrated alpine cheeses I adore can strike some folks as over the top. “Too much flavor” is one critique I’ve heard but could never imagine saying myself. If you tend to like cheeses that show a bit more restraint, this Swiss beauty may be for you. It’s a little younger than many comparable mountain cheeses, and while I don’t find it remotely lacking in aroma or flavor, it’s not as in-your-face as some.
Read moreConfessions of a Bargain Hunter
My husband and I spend way too much money trying to find inexpensive wines we like. Sometimes, after three $15 disappointments, I’ll think, “We could have bought a $45 wine.” Rummaging around for a bargain is often a false economy, and a recent endeavor with Cheddar reinforced this. My objective was to identify a few Cheddars that over-deliver for the price
Read moreHauntingly Good
When I lose cheeses in the back of my fridge, they rarely emerge the better for it. Once or twice, I’ve unintentionally improved an uncut wheel by forgetting I had it, but I generally prefer to leave the aging to the experts. Even they can be surprised by what happens. The Swiss cheese pictured above was a happy accident. Wheels misplaced in the creamery’s cellar and discovered months later had evolved in spectacular fashion. The cheese didn’t get dryer, as one would have expected. It got creamier.
Read morePlaying Favorites
Recently I did a presentation on West Coast cheeses for a group of visiting chefs from Asia. After a guided tasting of the dozen cheeses I had selected, they had questions. The only one that stumped me was, “What’s your favorite West Coast creamery?” I didn’t have a ready answer but, in thinking about it afterward, one producer did keep coming to mind for its back story, its values and the consistent high quality of its cheeses. I could never name the favorite among the many worthy creameries on the Left Coast, but Cascadia Creamery is definitely on the short list.
Read moreThat Slippery Slope to Cheese
It’s not the first time I’ve heard that buying a pet goat was the prelude to owning a cheese business. Goats are adorable; we know that. But if you take home a pregnant goat, which is what India Loevner did on impulse (actually, she bought two), there is goat milk in your future. And probably more goats. A decade after Loevner introduced the prize-winning pair to her small Pennsylvania family farm, the herd numbers about 140 and the family’s cheese is racking up awards. The cheese pictured here is the breakout star, for good reason. Shave it with a plane and you’ll think you’ve never tasted a creamier cheese.
Read moreMeet the New Sour Creams
Being a big fan of Good Culture Cottage Cheese, I had to try the company’s sour cream when I spotted it recently for the first time. I rarely use sour cream, but I plowed through this tub. What a smooth, luscious texture and mellow flavor. I reheated some leftover roasted Yukon Golds with a big spoonful of the sour cream, mashing everything together in the skillet and adding cracked black pepper and chives. Not the healthiest lunch but….wow. When I went back to the store for more, I discovered yet another new sour cream that, like Good Culture, has a lot of feel-good features. Both are made with organic milk from grass-fed cows, contain live probiotic bacteria and no stabilizers and had me licking the spoon.
Read moreRare Treat for Cheese Fans
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 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 moreHall of Fame Name
On my short list of favorite cheese names, I would surely include Ewe Calf to be Kidding (a three-milk blue cheese from Hook’s in Wisconsin); Triple Play Extra Innings (another ménage à trois from Hooks, with extended aging); Bleu 1924 (a good back story); Moser Screamer (because it’s worth shouting about); and Mary dans les Étoiles (a loving tribute to a departed colleague). Wordplay aside, they’re all superb cheeses. So is the wedge pictured above, which I might have purchased for its name alone, but a sample in the shop sealed the deal.
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