Amid the endless jams, honeys, pickled fruits, syrups, crackers and other accompaniments for cheese at last week’s Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, these glamorous Italian mustard fruits (mostarda) stood out. Aren’t they lovely? If you are assembling a cheese board for a special occasion, consider investing in a jar. (They’re not cheap.) Or take a jar to a cheese enthusiast when you’re invited to dinner.
Read moreIn a Bleu Mood →
With Roquefort so dominant in the French blue-cheese niche, it’s hard for alternative French blues to gain traction here. But Roquefort producers have tangled with the FDA in recent months, and some producers are no longer shipping it. That leaves a little more shelf space for delights like Bleu des Causses, a sublime and underappreciated cave-aged wheel from the same region.
Read moreWelcome Back, Mimolette →
After an absence of more than a year, the pumpkin-hued Mimolette is back. I spotted it at Bay Area cheese counters at holiday time—with that screaming orange interior, you can’t miss it—and retailers told me it was selling briskly. But they couldn’t explain why the FDA had apparently softened its stand on this dangerous import.
Read moreCheese Shop Forecast →
What's ahead for America’s cheese counters? As 2014 draws to a close, I asked some leading cheese merchants and mavens to share their insights. I hoped someone would say that American sheep’s milk cheeses were trending, but no one did. So that’s my wish for 2015, if not my prediction.
Read moreAroma Coma →
Last week at the grocery store, I watched a woman casually drop $200 on white truffles. When the clerk weighed them and announced the price, the customer didn’t flinch but I did. I got to enjoy the aroma briefly while the precious nuggets were on the scale, and that’s probably as close as I’ll get to white truffles this year.
Read moreHaving a Meltdown →
I’m not typically a big fan of cooking with fine cheese, but Reading begs to be melted. Made by Vermont’s Spring Brook Farm, this handsome wheel is modeled on Raclette, the alpine cheese so delicious that it has a dish named after it.
Read moreNuts About That Honey →
With a jar of these honeyed nuts in your pantry, you are two minutes away from dessert. Warm the jar in a saucepan of gently simmering water until the honey is just pourable, then serve with a favorite blue cheese or spoon some over ricotta. The honey helps mellow spicy blues like Gorgonzola and Valdeón, and the toasted nuts provide a crunchy complement.
Read moreRipple Effect →
Seasonal and costly but a splurge you won’t regret, the cheese pictured at right is luscious beyond words. I’d like to call it Vacherin Mont d’Or but I can’t. The official name is Petit Vaccarinus, which sounds like a condition that requires antibiotics. But aficionados will recognize it as a Vacherin twin, identical to that sought-after Swiss cow’s milk cheese in almost every way that matters.
Read moreBetting on Alpha
If you’re a guest on Thanksgiving and haven’t yet settled on a gift for your host, put cheese on your short list. An American Cheddar might be the obvious choice, but I’m going to nominate Alpha Tolman, an aged Vermont cheese that any host should be happy to get. It has several features that fit the occasion: an approachable flavor that even children will like; durability (for those all-weekend houseguests); and a nutty character that will enhance the turkey sandwiches.
Read moreMaking Scents →
Mandy Aftel loves cheese. A lot of people love cheese, but I was surprised to learn that Mandy did because, as a celebrated perfumer, she spends most of her day sniffing tuberose and sandalwood. Could the same nose be drawn to cheesy aromas like leaf litter and cow barn?
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