Receiving a new sheep cheese wrapped in grape leaves was all the excuse I needed to fire up the Green Egg. But receiving cooking instructions from the cheesemaker made the decision inevitable. “I recommend grilling it for 5 to 6 minutes, until it gives when you pick it up with tongs,” says the maker. “I love grilling peaches with it.”
Read moreEight Great Values
Just when you think there are no bargains left at the specialty cheese counter, I’ve rounded up eight selections that consistently over-deliver for the price. In my view, these beauties outclass comparable cheeses that cost a lot more. “Value” doesn’t just mean you paid a low price; you can always find inexpensive cheese at the supermarket. Value means you got more than you paid for.
Read moreCanada Rocks the Cheese World
Winning wheel: Raclette de Compton au Poivre/Photo: ACS and Valerie Tobias Photography
For the first time in its 38 years, the American Cheese Society competition’s Best of Show is Canadian. Not only that, but the runner up is, too. Both winning wheels were made in Quebec, by different creameries, and they topped 1,600 other entries from North America. Fortunately, a Washington State cheese placed third to prevent a Canadian sweep of this prestigious annual judging.
Read moreNewcomer at a Nice Price
A cheese shop owner told me recently that he now prices his inventory by the half-pound instead of by the pound. The sticker shock was just too much for some customers and hardly anybody buys a pound of cheese anyway. I get it. At least for me cheese is a deductible expense, but I’ve been watching the climbing prices with alarm. Good cheese should be an everyday pleasure, not a pain point. Which is why I was eager to devote a session in my World Cheese Tour series to products that over-deliver for the price. The class is sold out, but pictured above is one of the amazing values I discovered as I researched the best selections for the evening. I’ll share the entire class lineup in next week’s Planet Cheese post, but this highly aromatic little guy will be on the plate. What a bargain!
Read moreYour Best Pesto Starts Here
We made the summer’s first pesto from garden basil last week. Doug and I enjoy pesto year-round from frozen basil (more on that later), but nothing compares to the version made with those first tender, sweet leaves. They get tougher and spicier with summer heat, so the next three or four weeks will be a relentless Pesto Fest around here.
Read moreMake it the Tastiest Independence Day Ever
Photo | Sara Remington Photography
If you’re looking for some fresh ideas for the Fourth of July—whether you’re the host or a guest—I hope you’ll find some inspiration in this recipe roundup. It’s heavy on ice cream because…ice cream. But you’ll also find a yummy dip, a famous potato salad, my favorite burger, grilled corn salad Mexican style and more. These tested recipes should have you ready to party all summer.
Read moreRelearning Greek Salad
I’ve been to Greece enough times to know that a Greek salad never contains lettuce. Or almost never. Doug and I ate a lot of Greek salads on our recent vacation and only one—a deviant—had leafy greens. As familiar as I am with this iconic summer dish, I did learn a few more do’s and don’ts on this trip. In fact, when I asked one of my hosts about an ingredient that most Americans include, her eyebrows shot up in alarm. She all but shuddered. So, in the service of authenticity and international relations, here are a few observations about how to make an unimpeachable horiatiki that won’t dismay any Greeks.
Read moreThat Slippery Slope to Cheese
It’s not the first time I’ve heard that buying a pet goat was the prelude to owning a cheese business. Goats are adorable; we know that. But if you take home a pregnant goat, which is what India Loevner did on impulse (actually, she bought two), there is goat milk in your future. And probably more goats. A decade after Loevner introduced the prize-winning pair to her small Pennsylvania family farm, the herd numbers about 140 and the family’s cheese is racking up awards. The cheese pictured here is the breakout star, for good reason. Shave it with a plane and you’ll think you’ve never tasted a creamier cheese.
Read moreMy Kind of Cheese Cake
The strawberry farmstand near my house is in full swing right now, with berries so fragrant you can smell them from the parking lot. Fortunately, I know a dessert worthy of them. In French it’s a vacherin but I call it a macaroon torte: layers of crunchy almond meringues, whipped ricotta cream and juicy strawberries (or peaches in season). In just a few hours, the meringues soak up the juices and soften enough that you can cut neat slices. It’s one of the first desserts my husband ever made for me. (That list is short.) Doug brought a small collection of cookbooks to our marriage, and this recipe was in one of them. If he made it for other women before me, I don’t want to know.
Read moreMeet the New Sour Creams
Being a big fan of Good Culture Cottage Cheese, I had to try the company’s sour cream when I spotted it recently for the first time. I rarely use sour cream, but I plowed through this tub. What a smooth, luscious texture and mellow flavor. I reheated some leftover roasted Yukon Golds with a big spoonful of the sour cream, mashing everything together in the skillet and adding cracked black pepper and chives. Not the healthiest lunch but….wow. When I went back to the store for more, I discovered yet another new sour cream that, like Good Culture, has a lot of feel-good features. Both are made with organic milk from grass-fed cows, contain live probiotic bacteria and no stabilizers and had me licking the spoon.
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