Add this ice cream to the short list of good things to emerge from this unrelenting pandemic. When truckloads of crème fraîche started returning to Vermont Creamery in March 2020 because supermarket warehouses were closed, creamery leadership got creative. “We had two weeks to move it or lose it,” recalls Adeline Druart, the company’s president. So they moved it. Joining forces with a nearby company that operated an ice-cream truck, they debuted Maple Crème Fraîche Ice Cream, sending all proceeds to the Vermont Foodbank. Dumping the crème fraîche would have been easier, but that’s not how they roll in Vermont.
Read moreParm Arm
Cheesemongers call it “Parm arm,” the itchy rash they sometimes get from breaking down a whole wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano. I’ve never had that experience, but Parmigiano Reggiano and some other aged cheeses can make my tongue burn. Ouch. It’s really unpleasant. And I’m not alone in this reaction. My husband never feels the burn, but others do, and last week I learned more about what causes it.
Read moreAs Gouda as It Gets
If you’re a Gouda fan, add this crystalline beauty to your must-try list. Produced by an Amish couple in upstate New York with the milk from their 200-acre farm, it has everything I want in aged Gouda: a seductive toffee and pineapple aroma, a creamy interior dotted with crunchy bits and a deep, salted-caramel flavor. Some Goudas are so cloying that one bite is enough, but this cheese I couldn’t stop nibbling.
Read moreLove Mozzarella? Meet Crescenza
Nothing against mozzarella, but as we enter insalata caprese season, maybe you want to switch up your game. Crescenza—from Italy or the U.S.—is a worthy alternative with sliced summer tomatoes (coming soon!) or on a pizza. And it’s a much more compelling cheese on its own. Mozzarella is springy; Crescenza slumps on a plate and feels like custard on your tongue.
Read moreHello Gorgeous!
Could cheese get any prettier? This new beauty from Jasper Hill Farm gets top marks for appearance (from me, at least) and extra credit for being made with raw milk. Plus, it’s a mixed-milk blue—half cow, half goat—a rare taste experience. Jasper Hill has already proven its blue expertise with the exquisite Bayley Hazen. Has this Vermont creamery nailed yet another one?
Read moreTop Cheese Merchant Looks Ahead
Anne Saxelby/Photo: Christine Han
She’s a superstar of American cheese, sourcing the best from around the country for her acclaimed Manhattan shop and wholesale business. Pre-pandemic, Anne Saxelby supplied cheese to almost every New York City restaurant that cared about serving the best. But what a year. “Our two biggest revenue streams just disappeared overnight,” says Saxelby, the founder of Saxelby Cheesemongers. Given that May is American Cheese Month, I wanted to hear her views on how the pandemic has changed the cheese landscape. And, of course, I asked her to curate a cheese board featuring three American cheeses she’s loving right now.
Read moreNot Quite Cannoli
I’ve always loved cannoli filling but the fried outside? Not so much. Bakeries refrigerate this perishable pastry, and the crunchy shell loses all its appeal. So I just make the inside—basically, a whipped ricotta mousse with chopped bittersweet chocolate, toasted pistachios and almonds, and candied orange peel. Lately, I’ve used Seville orange marmalade to sweeten the mousse and eliminated the candied peel. So easy. If you’re treating Mom to a homemade meal on Mother’s Day, here’s her dessert. Or her breakfast in bed. What a luscious way to start the day.
Read moreThe Creamy One
If I were giving an award for “Most Likely to Succeed,” this Swiss beauty would be a contender. A relative newcomer, it has already taken root at cheese counters nationwide, and it’s a reliable audience favorite when I serve it in classes. Creamy, nutty and balanced, with alluring aromas, it’s a people-pleaser at an inviting price.
Read moreCheese Without Borders
Immigrant roots: San Joaquin Gold (left) and the Giacomini family’s Point Reyes Original Blue
American cheese without immigrants would be…well, it wouldn’t be. The richness and diversity of our current cheese scene owes everything to Italian, Swiss, Dutch, Portuguese and German immigrants who brought their cheese recipes and traditions to a country that didn’t have any. In Northern California, where I live, the list of Italian and Italian-Swiss names behind our greatest cheeses is lunghissima: Bianchi, DeBernardi, Fiscalini, Giacomini, Lafranchi, Rumiano, Vella, Viviani. The immigration debate rages in this country, but the contribution of immigrants to our cheese boards is indisputable.
Read moreCheese Meets Matzo
The matzo brei I grew up with did not have cheese in it. Just eggs, soaked matzo, salt and pepper. That was my mother’s way, and she wasn’t inclined to experiment. But I’m in charge now. At my house, matzo brei can have green onions and asparagus, and it most definitely can have cheese.
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