From the Planet Cheese archives, these six recipes may inspire you to bring something new to the Thanksgiving table. At least that’s my hope. Most are portable, in case you’re a guest. For pre-dinner nibbling, set out a creamy goat cheese dip imbued with fried shallots—an elevated take on the sour-cream classic—or smoky pimento cheese, an unusual recipe from the baker who makes the Obamas’ Thanksgiving pies. For traditionalists, I’ve got the recipe for Zingerman’s famous pimento cheese, courtesy of the beloved Ann Arbor shop.
Read moreFour-Star Farmer Cheese
I hadn’t thought of farmer cheese as craveable, the sort of cheese you keep devouring after you’ve clearly had enough, but that’s before I met this one. “Six of us inhaled essentially the whole pound with honey and toasted walnuts,” a friend texted me. “I am obsessed.” And now I’m in the cult, too. Farmer cheese this tasty would make an awesome bagel schmear, but it really deserves to be the center of attention.
Read morePumpkin Cheesecake Encore
The definition of eternity, they say, is two people and a ham. I’m recalling that wisecrack as I contemplate the Thanksgiving menu for my bubble of two. Cenk Sönmezsoy’s luscious pumpkin cheesecake has become a holiday tradition at our house, but it serves a dozen at least. My husband and I could polish it off, I have no doubt, but I’d rather take that option off the table. So I wanted to try to cut the recipe down—for my own sake and for those of you who might also be having a smallish gathering this year.
Read moreEver So Grateful
As we head into the holiday season, I want to express my gratitude for my readers, my students, my cheese community and all those who make, sell and appreciate great cheese. Despite threats from regulation and industrialization, I think we cheese lovers live in a Golden Age. We have so many choices—a burgeoning American cheese scene and a bonanza of imports—but we have to choose quality or traditional methods won’t survive. Tomorrow, before my guests and I sit down to the turkey, I’ll offer thanks for my family, my friends, my health. But just between us, here are a few other things I’m grateful for:
Read moreYour Next Favorite Cheesecake
Spoiler alert for my Thanksgiving guests: We’re having cheesecake for dessert. This cheesecake, which could be the best cheesecake ever. From the most beautiful baking book ever. Last month, 13 pastry chefs came to my house with desserts they had made from this stunning new book, and I heard the most raves for the pumpkin cheesecake. If I can make it—and I did for this photo—so can you. What’s Thanksgiving without pumpkin? And what’s a meal without cheese?
Read moreCheesecake Heaven →
Finally, a cranberry dessert I like. Could that be because it’s mostly cheese?
I’ve been waiting for the right occasion to share the recipe for this fluffy cheesecake, and in the meantime the berry season has slipped by. But wait: we have cranberries. They wouldn’t have been my first thought as an accompaniment, but they do make a gleaming ruby sauce that really does cut the richness.