Burrata Comes to You: My New Mobile Cheesemaking Classes

As the sun beams through the moody sky outside after this week's early rains, I sit inside smiling, thinking of the upcoming holidays, and big changes. This week I have something I'm overjoyed to share with you. It involves cheesemaking classes in the Bay Area, me, and, you.

I'm launching a mobile cheesemaking class business.

Just in time for the holidays. Though my list of to-dos for launching are long and big changes often evoke fear, the feeling of calm and happiness washing over me assures me I'm in the right place, doing the right thing. Honestly, I feel pretty blissful.

Starting a cheesemaking class business is something I’ve been thinking about since I got back from the Comté region of Jura years ago, when driving around the British Isles, and while visiting artisan cheesemakers from California to Rhode Island. Simply, the cheese and the cheesemakers got under my skin.

When in England and Ireland making cheese, I fell in love with the way the curd feels on your fingers as you scoop it into wheels. The way mozzarella gently gives when you stretch it, pasta filata style. The way buttermilk transforms milk into fluffy fromage blanc, and the way homemade ricotta transforms even the simplest of dishes.

And I’d be honored to share this with you. 

Stretchy mozzarella. Cream-filled burrata. Soft fromage blanc.

Fluffy ricotta. Crumbly snow-white chevre. 

I will travel to your home or Bay Area business to teach you how to stretch mozzarella, make fresh cheeses like creamy burrata or homemade ricotta. Cheesemaking classes ares fun, delicious, perfect for holidays, team building, or parties with friends or family around your kitchen.

A few example classes

Burrata by Hand: Creamy decadence from start to finish

Fresh Cheeses & the Kitchen: Making and cooking with fromage blanc and ricotta

Cheese Lover Gifts: Making chevre, truffles, and candied walnuts for the holidays

Stretch & Sip: Stretch mozzarella curds, and a fresh cheese and wine pairing

And yes, if you’re more wine than cheesemaking-inclined, I'd happily travel with my cheese and wine pairing classes to your next team building event or gathering too.

Expect to see more blog posts and some lovely changes on this site as I refresh a little and hang out more with others. I'm sorry I haven't been writing as much on the blog- I've been preparing to launch! I hope you find it as exciting as I do. Thank you so much for reading and your support. I feel very blessed as I move forward into this new venture.

If you'd like to reach me for questions or discuss booking, please contact me at kirstin@itsnotyouitsbrie.com.

Marinated Olive Recipe: Spring Cheese ♥'s Lucques

There are a few things I keep on hand for the Kitchen Time portion of a dinner party. Kitchen Time, you may wonder, is the time of the night when guests gather in the kitchen and shake me a cocktail while I stir something very important looking on the stove. Sometimes very important stirring requires more time, so the cocktails turn plural. This is my favorite time of the night.

Because I like to be fully present when guests arrive and not worry about what to do next or whether I've chopped enough parsley for the garnish, I always keep a few things on hand that are easy to pull out of the fridge, freezer, oven, and simply serve.

My Kitchen Time snacks are most often seasonal. Gougeres, for example, freeze well and are perfect for winter- just pop them in the oven when guests arrive. Fall calls for roasted sage almonds and Alpine cheeses. Spring?

Marinated lucque olives and fresh goat or sheep's milk cheese. 

Lucque olives are olives turned to 11. Buttery, rich, and sweet, they are the perfect contrast to spring's lively cheeses. Spring is when animals are out grazing and foraging on wild herbs and grasses and the citrusy, herbal freshness of the cheese snuggles right up to the rich notes in the lucques.

On their own, lucque olives are delicious, but paired with fresh herbs and citrus zest, they're addictive. I have people coming in to the wine bar I work asking if they can buy them to-go... we don't do that.

But lucky for the person who can't sweet-talk me into boxing them up, or who lives far away from Albany, Marinated lucque olives are super simple to make at home. And now's the time to serve them. And, yes, they're adaptable. Don't have an orange? Skip it. Have sage but no rosemary? It'll still be delicious. Just serve with a young cheese like chevre, Nicasio's Foggy Morning or Bohemian Creamery's Bodacious that's sweet an fresh.

Marinated Luque Olives

3 cups lucques, in their brine

zest of one orange

zest of one lemon

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

4 sprigs fresh thyme

Put olives in a container that can hold them and their brine. Add the orange and lemon zest, rosemary and thyme to the brine and stir. Marinate for at least two hours and up to two weeks.

That's it!

And if you're wondering where I got that awesome heart in the title, I cut and pasted from Alyssa Milano's twitter page. xoxoxo

Strawberries & fromage blanc, and, France.

France, guard your wheels. "It's Not You, It's Brie" is coming over.

This Friday I'm leaving for France for eleven days. My destinations- Jura and Alsace, with a little pit stop in Paris just in case I haven't had time to inhale all the raw cheese produced in the country while in the west. First priority: Comté. I'm touring some caves, meeting some Montbéliarde cows, tasting the heck out of this beautiful Rhone-Alps cheese, and drinking all the Jura vin jaune I can get my hands on. I'll be busy.  If you want to follow my travels or track my cheese or wine consumption levels while I'm gone, check me out on Twitter or Facebook. I'll be updating somewhat frequently, on some days, if there's internet. I'll also be writing about the trip on this blog and on my (new!) newsletter upon my return.

For the next two weeks on this blog, however, I'm going to feature some of favorite spring cheese and produce recipes. The first: Strawberry and fromage blanc crostini, pictured above.

Strawberries and fromage blanc are a classic of pairing as Sonny and Cher, and since spring announces its sunny arrival by gifting us the best of the berry and dairy world, it’s our blessed duty to honor this seasonal pleasure. I like to serve this for brunch with a side of scrambled eggs and sausage, or for a light lunch with an arugula and toasted walnut salad.

Since fromage blanc and spring strawberries are already so naturally sweet, it’s not necessary to sweeten them up with much more but a touch of sugar. Adding a little lemon zest to the fruit highlights it and the fromage blanc’s lively flavors citrus notes, and melted butter brushed atop the crostini adds sweet-savory nuances. Feel free to use day-old bread for this. Choose a sturdy-style bread with a tight crumb that can handle being topped with cheese and berries once toasted.

Strawberry & Cream Crostini Makes 6 crostini

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cup strawberries, washed, and sliced 1 tablespoon sugar ½ teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated or chopped 2 ½ tablespoons salted butter, melted 6 slices bread, sliced ½ an inch thick at an angle 8 ounces fromage blanc, room temperature Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine the strawberries, sugar and lemon zest in a bowl and stir. Let sit for 30 minutes to 2 hours at room temperature.

Use a pastry brush to evenly distribute the melted butter over the tops and bottoms of the bread slices. Place the bread on a baking sheet and bake for ten to fifteen minutes, or until golden. Let cool.

When ready to serve, spread the fromage blanc over the crostini, top with the strawberries, and serve.

Updates soon!

A Few of my Favorite Goat Cheese Things

I'm not one to turn down anything with goat cheese, anytime. On a boat, with a goat, in the rain, in a train, in the dark, in the summer, in the winter, whenever, wherever, is just fine with me. But hands down, spring is my favorite season for goat cheese.

Spring is when goat milk tastes its brightest. The goats are off jumping around in the green, green hills, eating the delciousness that is spring vegetation, and the mamas are possibly, perhaps, just naturally a little more glowy after watching their adorable young prance about (we're going with the happy dairy animals producing good milk theme here). For a little more info about milk seasonality, here's an article I wrote for Edible East Bay a few years ago, called Tasting the Seasons in Cheeses. I wish I could claim coming up with that title.

With that in mind, this post is a little devotional to spring goat cheese, with pictures of a few of my preferred goat cheese pairers. Some link to recipes. The "recipe" given at the end of the post uses fresh chèvre, but I'm down with any old kind of goat cheese. Keeping in mind that the cheese will taste of the season when the milk is procured with pastured animals, explore.

Chevre and salmon on rye "recipe" (header photo)

Thinly slice rye bread, pumpernickel, or rustic whole wheat and lightly toast. Let cool. Spread thickly with fresh chèvre (go local if you want to taste those green hills near you). Top with smoked salmon or lox, then cucumber rounds. Garnish with fresh chervil. If going big, consider drizzling with creme fraiche. Serve with an unoaked white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Verdejo, or a Savoie white.

Party Cheese: The book ball is officially rolling

As the date for my book release grows nearer (Nov 6th is soooooo close), I'm keeping myself busy. The book ball, my friends, is round and rolling. It's a fierce ball too. Picture a vintage bowling ball, light blue, heavy as a lead pipe, with a little glitter. Once this baby gets going, it just ain't stopping.

Final copy edits are in. The book cover is set. Promotional copies are printing. Pitches have been sent out. Events are arranged, more are arranging, classes are planned, and .... I'm ready for a power nap. You know, one of those naps where you get a good 5-10 minutes of sleep because you can't help but spend the rest of the time trying to figure out what your life will be like once you wake up. Anyhow,... disco naps- I'm your biggest fan. Give me 25 minutes and I'm a new girl.

But I'm also taking time to revel in the deliciousness of life. Taking a day off here and there to host friends, visit museums, go to Willie Nelson concerts (thanks, Mom & Dad!). Or, when I don't have time to do that, I'm at least making sure I walk around the block once or twice before I sit down to type. Breathing and moving your body- I hear it's good for you.

The Sunday before Labor Day I had some of my favorite folks over for a little detox. Work detox, that is. There was plenty of mezcal, mojitos and wine. When the point of a party is to relax with friends, I like to keep the appetizers I serve easy. One of my go-to apps is roasted fruit and cheese.

This is how the simple fruit and cheese ball app rolls:

Take a luscious seasonal fruit. Figs, persimmons, peaches. Whateva. Slice it into portions that are easy to pick up and put in your mouth so your guests don't get that oh-my-god-is-everyone-watching-this-hard-to-eat-salad-fall-out-of-my-mouth feeling. Lightly sprinkle with salt, freshly ground pepper, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Roast the fruit for 10 minutes in a 375-degree oven. Or, if it's a crispy, apple-kinda seasonal fruit, just slice. Top with cheese. I used queso fresco. Any cheese may apply. Serve to good friends.

By the way- new classes are up at The Cheese School of San Francisco. There are some mighty fine ones this semester!

Hope to see you at one of mine (looks like there's a little space in my Pink & Beyond class on Sept 18th, hint, hint), and I'll announce book events soon!

Burrata Plea: Consider Fall. And Winter. And Finter.

As the weather grows colder in the rest of the country (the San Francisco bay area just seems to be getting hotter, let's leave us out of this), I've been reminded of one burrata thing. Burrata is not seasonal. Believe it or not, my summer caprese salad lovers, people make burrata in the fall. Even the winter. Sometimes even in that period between the two, known as finter.

This post is a plea to keep the burrata love going.

Burrata, a fresh cheese from Southern Italy, is mozzarella on another level. It is a freshly stuffed sheet of mozzarella wrapped around mozzarella curds mixed with cream. Yes, cream. It is a great big fun ball of delicious creaminess. It is nearly impossible not to like. Most who do not like burrata also do not like puppies or kittens, even if they don't have to take care of them.

Over the summer I've had some great burratas around town- this is the time that chefs seem to serve it. Burrata loves tomatoes. Tomatoes love burratas. But a good burrata also likes other foods not in the nightshade family.

Three of my favorite burratas (all local- burrata is so fresh that it can go bad within days, so I get it as near home as I can) complete this post. But first, here are a few suggestions on how to keep the burrata love going past the summer season. Because it deserves it. Don't pull away.

In general, I'm okay with putting almost anything delicious with burrata as an appetizer. But always keep this cheese itself simple. If you doll up some veggies to go with it, spice the veggies, not the cheese. Just drizzle the burrata with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. It is easily overwhelmed. This goes for all pairing suggestions below.

Figs- Either use fresh figs or reconsitute dried figs in wine poaching liquid (see picture above).

Roasted root vegetables- Serve burrata over a bed of warm roasted butternut sqaush and carrots cooked with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and thyme.

Bruschetta- Spoon over grilled or toasted bread rubbed with olive oil and a garlic clove.

Persimmons- Top a persimmon-frisée salad dressed in a tarragon and lemon vinaigrette with this cheese. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds for crunch.

Garbanzo beans- Top chick peas dressed with rosemary, time and garlic with oil-cured black olives and burrata.

Three of my faves:

Gioia: The first local one I tried, from San Diego. A thin mozzarella sheet wraps the curds in tight. Comes in a one pound tub. Yes, you can eat all of it.

Maplebrook: Pictured above, from Vermont. This one has a thicker mozz shell than the Gioia and a slightly looser curd, and is just as delicious. Comes packed in water.

Di Stefano It also oozes in the right places. From southern California

How do you like serving your burrata? Any locals that you love?

Kitchen Curds: Farmers Cheese

Let's start off with a warning. If I hear about any of you stealing cheese from a farmer, you will be expelled from all KItchen Curd activity. Unless, that is, the farmer has a daughter who appreciates that sort of thing. Then you have my blessings.

With this in mind, the next Kitchen Curd assignment is ..... Farmer's Cheese.

Like Mozzarella, this is a fresh, unripened cheese, made in vast quantities on farms (and, according to the internet, by many sweet Polish grandmothers). Why is it called Farmer's Cheese? Because this fresh cheese requires little attention, is easy to make and is something farmers often make at home when wanting to put their fresh goat, cow or sheep's milk to good use without having to worry about aging or storing the cheesy results for long periods of time. They can just eat it.

Although the type of Famer's Cheese whose recipe many of us will be following in the Home Creamery book is simply listed as "Farmer's Cheese," both chevre (like the Poitou Chevre pictured above) and Neufchatel fit into this genre too.

Like in most Kitchen Curd events, I’m using recipes from the  Home Creamery book by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley, but you can use any recipes you’d like. The Farmer's Cheese recipe can be found on page 66.

Kitchen Curds Guidelines:

1. If you’re interested in making the pre-selected dairy good (always open to suggestion) at home, and can do so by the selected due date, then….
2. Make the choosen dairy product at home (your home). Warning: Check your recipe at least 2-3 weeks prior to beginning your cheese. Few (like Farmer's Cheese) require products, such as rennet, that generally need to be special ordered.
3. If you have a blog, send me the link to the post where you talk about your Kitchen Curd experience - good, interesting, funny, delicious or just plain bad. I’ll post your link on the assigned “Its Not You, it’s Brie”  cheesemaking post. If you don’t have a blog, share your experiences in the comment section of the the post where I list the links to the Curd blogging adventures (this post won’t emerge until about a wk. after the links due date).
4. Send me your links by the last day in September.
5. Have fun!