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.
Read moreOne Thousand Days to Greatness
By a wide margin, guests in a recent class of mine voted the cheese pictured above as their favorite. It bested a luscious goat cheese from one of Italy’s acclaimed affineurs, a tasty farmhouse Cheddar from the UK, the pimiento-dusted Alisios from Spain and several others. Wow—such an impressive showing for a largely self-taught cheesemaker from rural Iowa.
Read moreBound for Glory
If I took my own advice, I probably wouldn’t have bought this cheese. Only after I brought it home and tried it did I notice a key piece of information on the store label. The packed-on date—when the wedge was cut and plastic-wrapped—was more than two weeks earlier. No wonder it tasted stale. Only when I scraped the cut sides did I find the nutty, roasted-onion aroma I was hoping for. Underneath that oxidized exterior was a glorious cheese, but I wouldn’t have found it without deeply shaving the surface.
Read moreCheesy Does It on New Year’s Eve
We’re having fondue on New Year’s Eve and—hooray!—someone else is making it. I’m interested to see what cheeses they use. A couple of years ago, I interviewed Joe Salonia, a past winner of FonDuel, a zany annual competition among cheese professionals. (Get tickets for the 2024 contest here.) Salonia shared his recipe and winning techniques, and I thought you might appreciate a refresher. Any year that ends with melted cheese is ending on a high note.
Read moreLose One, Gain One
Losing a great American cheese is a bummer—especially a cheese that so many loved—but a new arrival can soften the blow. So while I’m still in mourning for Ewereka, a blue-ribbon sheep Cheddar that Central Coast Creamery has discontinued, I’m enthused about its just-released replacement. Unforeseen hurdles compelled the Paso Robles, California, creamery to ditch Ewereka, but just wait until you taste the newcomer (above). Cheesemaker Reggie Jones has the American palate and purse dialed in, and I’d bet a bundle that this value-priced newbie will fly out of cheese shops.
Read moreWelcome Back, Teleme!
Chill the Champagne. We have something to celebrate. Franklin Peluso has resumed making his incomparable Franklin’s Teleme after a five-year pause. Peluso lost his production space in late 2018 (landlord troubles), and for a long while I feared we would never see this California classic again. This third-generation cheesemaker is 78, after all, and entitled to throw in the towel given how many location leads failed to pan out. When he called me recently to tell me Teleme’s rebirth was imminent, I felt like kissing the phone. Even better, he told me that his son, Adam, was working alongside him, assuring a future for this one-of-a-kind cheese.
Read moreCan Cheese Be Sustainable?
Cheese and other dairy products are getting the evil eye these days from many corners. Some voices argue that we need to be eating a more plant-based diet, both for the sake of the planet and for our own sake. I don’t disagree. But I do believe that cheese—a nutritious food that has sustained pastoral cultures around the world for millennia—is compatible with a healthy and low-impact lifestyle. The dairy farmers I know prioritize their animals’ welfare (why wouldn’t they?) and they aren’t ducking environmental concerns. They are seeking solutions.
Read moreBetter Than Ever
I recently led a small cheese and wine tasting for the winners of a charity auction lot. The cheeses were donated by the makers and maybe not what I would have chosen—they weren’t fancy-schmancy—but free is a nice price. So I wasn’t expecting any “wow” moments from this cheese plate but…wow.
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