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.
Little Seductress →
One of the trends I’ve spotted in American cheeses recently is the growing use of beer to wash cheeses. You have probably tasted Epoisses, the Burgundian cheese brushed with marc de Bourgogne (grape-pomace brandy), and Spain’s Murcia al Vino (also marketed as Drunken Goat), which is steeped in red wine. Oregon’s Rogue River Blue ages in grape leaves soaked in pear brandy. And then there’s the irresistible Tome d’Aquitaine (aka Clisson), a French beauty bathed twice: first with Muscadet, then with Sauternes.
Read moreCheese for All Seasons →
Your eyes tell you something about these Comté samples, but what exactly? I thought I could distinguish winter cheeses from summer ones on paste color alone (the paste is the inside), but I learned otherwise on a trip to the Jura last June.
Read moreHungarian Rhapsody →
My husband, Doug, the crazed baker, assigned himself a new challenge this summer: Danish rye bread. His model was the fabulous house-made loaf at Tørst, the hip beer bar in Brooklyn. It’s a dense, dark, moist brick studded with flax and sunflower seeds, and it’s meant to be sliced thin, toasted and topped with butter and radishes or smoked fish.
Read moreA Sheep at the Wheel →
For years I ignored Fiore sardo, the Sardinian sheep’s milk cheese, because I considered it too salty, smoky and sharp. Then, this past summer, I went to Sardinia, where you can’t ignore it.
Read moreCheddar for the Ages →
The crunchy heirloom apples at the farmers’ market last week put me in the mood for a piece of Cheddar, and I found a superb one. From Canada, of all places. We receive so few cheeses from our northern neighbor that I’m always drawn to the ones I do find. The other feature that lured me was the age. When was the last time you had a 7-year-old cheese?
Read moreWhy the Big Smile? →
If your cheesemonger has a little broader smile these days, it could be because he or she has just passed the CCP exam. Like a bar exam for the cheese industry, the CCP (Certified Cheese Professional) quiz is a rigorous test of knowledge. Modeled loosely on programs like Master of Wine and Master Sommelier, the three-year-old credential encourages professionalism among the people who market and sell specialty cheese.
Read moreMade in Marin →
A few years ago, I went to visit a friend with terminal cancer. Ira knew his prognosis, but he was in good spirits that day and eager to tell me about his new doctor, a thoracic surgeon who owned a goat farm in West Marin and wanted to make cheese. Alas, the doctor could not do much for Ira, but I remembered his name and eventually began hearing about his cheese.
Read moreTry Before You Die →
Six Cheese & Beer Pairings Not to Miss
I don’t have many regrets in life, but one would be that I didn’t discover beer sooner. I mean the good stuff, of course—the world’s great craft brews, which have so many flavor affinities with artisan cheese. I’m making up for lost time now and, like many converts, I want to share my epiphanies. Looking back through tasting notes, I selected a half-dozen peak experiences that, truly, you don’t want to miss.
Sleeper Cheese →
A friend in the wine business asked me a cheese question recently that stumped me. “What is the one thing that all the great cheesemakers have in common?” he wanted to know.
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