Oh, Hello Goat Cheese: I'm Back, Oozing Wheels & ❤️ Shapes

Oh, hello there! It's been a while, cheese lovers. Goat cheese lovers, this post is for you. 

I'm sorry I've been away from this blog for so long (hopefully you've had your dairy needs met in other ways), but I promise I've been away for an amazing reason.

My cheese class business has been as busy as a hummingbird in spring.

As always, I've been teaching public classes at places like 18 Reasons and Preserved (<-- a new one for me, love it), but in the past few months, my private class business has ramped up to 11. It's been wonderful and I'm very lucky! So while I've talked about cheese, paired it, and made it, because I've been doing it so much front of other people, and working on my next book, I haven't had time to blog my heart out here.

Luckily, I just hired a couple wonderful people for inspiration and to help me with the nuts and bolts of the business (oh, hello invoicing and newsletter links). Meaning I'm back!. I'm excited to tell you about what I've been doing while away, too.

I'm been making those oozing goat cheeses! And the little heart shaped one? Yup, made that too. I ❤ making ❤ cheeses (the next time you can learn how to make something like this with me is at 18 Reasons later this month, or in a private class).

I hadn't played around with goat's milk much since I taught a queso fresco fundraising class at Tomales Farmstead (I got to use their own milk, yay!) so I've been having a blast. Using what I learned from making cheese with Sleight Farms, and reading books and testing recipes from some of my favecheesemakingbooks, I developed these little guys here. Of course there was a lot of research and tasting.

Did I mention they ooze? They do. I maaaaay have forgotten one in my cheese cave (otherwise known as wine fridge) for a week too long. Oops.

I was also excited to make these cheeses because it's an amazing time to use goat's milk. Those green hills around California from all the rain = tons of delicious grasses and herbs for the ladies to snack on.

This also means it's a great time to buy goat cheese because many goats around the country are likewise getting their nibbles on. My northeastern friends, we've got your back until your goats can prance outside. Stay warm please.

A goat cheese or two I'd give 5 starts to are those made by Stepladder, Capriole's Sofia or Wabash Cannonball, Bonne Bouche, Prodigal Farms beauties, and Ruggle Hill's gems. Just to start. There's a lot of exploring to do, my friends.

Pair with Sauvignon Blanc, unoaked whites and sparklings, Gamay, or Cabernet Franc, and enjoy in front of a fire or Burning Log watching it rain or snow.

Ricotta & 3 Seasonal Recipes: New Cheese Making Class, Berkeley

Cheese Making Class: Two Ricottas + 3 Easy Seasonal Recipes

July 9th, 3:00-5:30pm, Potliquor, Berkeley

I'm pleased to announce my first public Berkeley cheese making class!

After months of teaching ricotta, feta, and burrata cheese making classes all over San Francisco, I'm broadening my public cheese making class circle to Berkeley. Hello, Berkeley!

My first cheese making class is all about ricotta. But not just ricotta made from milk and cream. Traditional, true ricotta, made from whey, too. And three seasonal ricotta recipes from the cheese we made.

The class will kick off with us making fluffy ricotta from whole milk and cream (always, cream). With its clean and rich flavors, ricotta is a perfect cheese to have at your fingertips for easy summer entertaining.

Then we'll make -ricottone- also known as true Italian ricotta from our own ricotta whey.

I'm excited to show you howto make whey ricotta in a cheese makingclass- mainly just whole milk ricotta is the focus. Dense and rich, this ingenious cheese has long had my heart.

Next we'll make 3 easy, seasonal dishes that are perfect for summer entertaining with the cheese we just made.

• Spring green salad and baked ricotta

• Herbed green pea and ricotta crostini

• A simple Italian dessert of fresh ricotta, local nuts, candied fruit and zest

Then we'll eat them together at the end of class!

I hope you can join me for this fun workshop! Don't hesitate to reach out with questions, my cheese making classes can fill up fast.

The Book Release, The Election, Cheese.

The week has arrived. Starting this week, this Tuesday in fact, you can both a) Vote for president in a polling booth, and b) find my book and hang out with me at a book signing while eating cheese. Mmm hmmm.....

Excitement!  Now, the first source of excitement in terms of the book for me was getting the actual book deal. Then, there was a bit of stress, work, writing, eating, happiness and all that in between. The second step of excitement was feeling the above book in my hands. Yup, it's real. The third step was having the official publication date arrive. That means not only did I get to write the book, people are going to read it. This realization takes a little longer to settle in than one might think.

The feeling that this realization evokes is similar to the one felt when walking into your first candy store and realizing that someone has put thousands of candies all together in one room. For you. All in one room. In front of you all at once. Candy. It provokes a feeling of astonished bliss, and sometimes, because you don't know which candy barrel to run to first, you just kinda hang out in the middle of the room, immobile, with a smile on your face. It's excitingly nerve-wracking.

I will continue to blog about cheese, post recipes and interviews with cheesemakers here, but I'll also be writing a lot about the book and book events too. A blog, almost by default, gives you a little look into the life of the blog's writer. And I'd be lying if I told you my life wasn't all about this book right now, and trying to fit in a yoga and pilates class here and there to get the kinks out from writing. Dating? Hanging out with friends? I've heard of these things....

So keep posted for event info and special announcements here. And of course, some down and dirty cheese talk. Looking forward to posting about holiday cheeses and plates, new cheese recipes, gift guides, and more, too!

If you'd like to come visit me at a book event, scroll to the end of the post. 

It also feels important right now to address Hurricane Sandy and the devastation its brought to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, not to mention the havoc it has wrecked in the Caribbean. I'd of course encourage people to do everything they can to help those living in Sandy's aftermath, but because this is cheese blog, and we have friends who have suffered in the community, it feels especially right to talk about them here. If you're on twitter, however, consider following @occupysandy . It's great place to find out how to help.

We all know that parts of NYC were/are without power for days. People in Long Island, Staten Island, and probably New Jersey and beyond are still without power, and of course there are the hundreds of communities that have been drastically affected about which we haven't even heard. Well, it may seem small with all the problems people in the region are now facing, including injuries, death, lost family members and much more, but I also want to point out that people can make significant differences in various ways. One way is to support business and cheese companies in the aforementioned regions right now.

No power, no sales, means an incredible amount of food and cheese loss. Food and cheese without proper storage dies, and this means a lot of pain and financial hardships for cheesemongers, restaurateurs, and the people that work in food service establishments. Days without sales are devasting to the food industry, and we all know how important the food industry is to our well-being, and, economy. If you buy cheese or other foodstuffs via mail order, please consider buying from business who are coping with such loss- financial and beyond- as a result of Sandy. Many cheese companies ship. Check out my friend's blog, Cheese Notes, he lives in New York City and covered this subject too. Some of my faves just in NYC that ship (although it may take them a bit to get back to normal shipping schedules) are: Lucy's Whey, Bedford Cheese, and Artisanal, but spread the food love where you will, if you haven't already.

We're thinking of you.

And...  those book events I mentioned for this week:

The first two below include cheese and readings. The last include cheese and, me drinking wine (see, I can't read when I'm sipping because I need to hold the glass.). Hope to see you at one of these events!

Book Passage, San Francisco Ferry Building, Wednesday, Nov 7th, 6pm, with cheese from Cowgirl Creamery!

Book's Inc, San Francisco, Marina, Thursday, Nov 8th, 7pm - with the awesome Seana Doughy BLEATING HEART!!!

Book Release Party, Solano Cellars, Albany, Saturday CA, 3:30-7pm

More on the classes page tab.

"It's Not You, It's Brie" Book Events!

The Book.

Well friends, I must say that when I got my first email a couple months ago from a book store manager asking me if I would like to have a book event with her, I was more excited than a cheese geek in a Roquefort cave. They were asking me? My week was made.

Well the pleasure produced from book stores being interested in my work has not subsided. I'm an avid reader and imagining something I wrote sitting even across the shop from books written by my favorite authors, well, it's humbling. My parents used to drop me off at libraries when I was young (maybe with a little trail mx or something to nourish me) and I was happy to stay there for four, five, six hours. I um.... will still do this on occasion today. So being invited to places that house so many  of books that I adore, well, it's more than flattering. My book geek heart is ecstatic.

More events are in the works, but here is a list of places that I'll be visiting to promote the book. They're not until October and beyond, but hey, doesn't hurt to know ahead of time. I hope you see you at one or more! And yes, there will be cheese!

And,.... I'm happy to announce that "It's Not You, It's Brie: Unwrapping America's Unique Culture of Cheese" is now on Amazon and at Powell's for pre-order. It publishes Nov 6th, and if you're willing to wait, you'll also likely find it at your lovely local book shop! Support the locals too!

EARLY EVENT ANNOUNCMENTS: 

Pasta Shop Foods, Berkeley, California, Saturday Oct 20th 1-4pm

October is American Cheese Month, and we're putting together an event around the month that highlights the cheesemakers in my book. And by the way, I used to work behind the cheese counter here....    There will be festivities, cheesemakers sampling their goods, and me, signing book copies for the first time ever. The book's officially released Nov 6th, but there just might be a copy or two available....  Plus, Pasta Shop will be cooking recipes from my book an entire week before the event to promote it. How cool is that? Yes, I'm super excited!

Books Passage, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California, Wednesday Nov 7th, 6pm

I'll be signing books, possibly reading a lil' something something, and, serving a Cowgirl Creamery cheese and beyond for you to sample. Ain't it cool to have an event in the same building as Cowgirl Creamery?

Books Inc, Marina, San Francisco, California, Thursday Nov 8th, 7 pm

Tasting, Signing, Drinking. Good times! I'm super happy to announce that Seana Doughty of Bleating Heart Cheese will be here tasting a delicious wheels too (this awesome lady is featured in my book). I'm a lucky girl!

Solano Cellars, Albany, California, Saturday Nov 10th 3:30-7 pm

This is my official book release party. Tasting, Singing, Drinking, all. You are invited! Darren from Cream and the Crop distributors (one of my faves) will be sampling his cheeses, many of which are featured in my book too.

18Reasons, It's Not You It's Brie! American Cheese & Beer Class, San Francisco, CA, Nov 27th, 7pm

Cheese author and educator Kirstin Jackson joins 18 Reasons for a night of fermented glory. After visiting creameries and interviewing more than 48 cheesemakers for her recently published book "It's Not You, It's Brie: Unwrapping America's Unique Culture of Cheese," she's ready to tell the stories of some of her favorite domestic cheeses, while holding a pint glass. The selected artisan cheeses will be explored in unison with American beers, most local. We will taste through 6 cheeses and 6 beers!

Books will be for sale and Kirstin will have a pen handy for signing after cheese consumption.

Omnivore Books, Signing and Tasting, Wednesday, Nov 28th, San Francisco, 6-7pm

Tasting, Signing, Drinking. Good times! At an entirely food focused book store -be still my heart! I'll guide you through making the perfect holiday cheese plate. Then we can eat it together.

More events in the works!

Murray's Cheese- Dec 3rd! More info soon.

The Cheese School - TBA

Chicago/Wisconsin- TBA