Summer Classes: Burrata Saturday & Ricotta 3 Ways w/ Feastly

This Saturday, make burrata (otherwise known as mozzarella & cream dumplings) in Berkeley

Because summer isn't summer without hand-stretched mozzarella and burrata to slice over heirloom tomatoes, I'm amped for this weekend's class in Berkeley. We'll make quick-set mozzarella, stretch our own fluffy curds, then make decadent creamy burrata while sipping a glass of bubbly! There also might be a mini artisan cheese plate involved. A couple spots are still open for this creamy cheese class- registration closes tomorrow.

Stuffing burrata

A couple other events I'm excited about are July's Ricotta & 3 Recipes with Feastly (photo of what we'll make heads the blog post) and California's Unsung Cheeses and Wines at 18 Reasons in August. In the first we'll make our own whole-milk and cream ricottas, then turn our cheese into 3 summer-friendly recipes like herbed pea and ricotta crostini in a short 2-hour class. In Unsung Heroes, I'll reveal some of my favorite under-the-radar wine and cheesemakers of the Golden State, and introduce you to some of the most exciting cheese made in our state today- it's a good time to be a Californian (there's a lot to discover out there and I'm happy to do the dirty work).

July and August public classes follow. As always, classes fill up fast- consider reserving your spot early. If interested in a private class for your friends, party, or employees, please email me at kirstin@itsnotyouitsbrie.com!

Summer Events and Classes

Mozzarella & Burrata By-Hand

July 8th, Saturday 2-5pm, Berkeley, Potliquor

In this delicious 3-hour class, learn how to make decadent mozzarella and burrata by-hand! After a splash of cheesemaking science, we'll make quick-set mozzarella, then transform it into burrata- mozzarella’s cream filled cousin. We'll end the class by enjoying the cheese we just made together with a glass of bubbly. Good for beginners and advanced cheesemakers both.

Cheesemaking: Ricotta & 3 Summer Recipes

July 22nd, Saturday 11am-1pm, Russian-Hill San Francisco, Feastly

If unimpressed by grocery store ricotta, prepare to meet an entirely new cheese. In this small, 2-hour class, "It's Not You, It's Brie" author and cheesemaking teacher Kirstin Jackson will teach you how make rich ricotta worthy of an Italian grandmother's lasagna, or just eating with a spoon.   After a breezy cheesemaking lesson and ricotta tasting, you'll make your own cheese with whole milk & cream, then turn it into 3 easy dishes perfect for summer parties! Expect a lively, delicious class.

Rosé & Cheese Pairing

July 24th, Monday 6:30-8:30pm, San Francisco, The Cheese School

Not to be confused with the jug wines of yesteryear, the beauty and delightful flavor of pink wines can be enchanting. Wine and cheese expert Kirstin Jackson will explore how rosé is made and discover the flavors of strawberries, minerals, rose petals and cocoa powder that characterize the very best of this style. Pair the pinks with carefully selected cheeses and you have the perfect formula for outdoor summer entertaining.

Basic Cheesemaking: Chevre, Marscapone and Ricotta 

August 20th, Sunday 11- 2pm, San Francisco, The Cheese School

Chevre, mascarpone, and ricotta are the cheeses that make appetizers and main courses sing. In this hands-on class, cheesemaker Kirstin Jackson will teach you how to make the cheeses that will become staples in your fridge for many more meals to come. You'll try your creations in class and bring some home to share, or not.

California's Unsung Cheeses and Wines

August 23rd, Wednesday 7-9pm, San Francisco, 18 Reasons

With its trophy cabernets and castle wineries, Napa draws more tourists than Bi-Rite Creamery's lines on a summer’s day. Down a winding road (or two) is Sonoma and Marin - home to the legendary creameries that put our state on the dairy map. Past the shiny surfaces of these celebrated regions, bottles, and wheels, you’ll find a California that, while less glittery, is packed with gems that make wine and cheese geeks swoon.

Mozzarella & Burrata

August 27th, Sunday 11-2pm, San Francisco, 18 Reasons

Mozzarella on nearly every aspiring home-cheesemaker’s to-do list. Yet, it’s not easy to get it right. Why won’t your curds form a ball? When you do get the ball to form, why is it hard enough for a game of hacky-sack? These are the mysteries of mozzarella. In this class, your instructor, who is also a cheesemaker, will not only demystify the mozz, but also get you on the road to making perfect ovalini and bocconcini just in time for all that wonderful summer produce. But wait! There’s more! We’ll use our curds to make everyone’s favorite cheese, burrata. Hope to see you around!

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.

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.

Baked Ricotta: For the Vegetarian Lunch Date

Coming back from traveling and straight into the holiday craze at the wine shop where I work at has been good- distracting, lively- and then just plain busy. Falling asleep within minutes of eating a 10pm dinner after working the wine bar and writing kind of busy. Since the holidays have hit, I've been focusing on cooking meals that require low output- aiming for several meals that last for days, or cooking tasty dishes that inspire, quickly. So when my good friend Jesse came over for lunch/ business meeting this Sunday (yay, projects!), I wanted to keep it simple. And vegetarian, per her meatless preferences. So what did I do? Mmm hmmm… I bet you can guess. I went cheesy.

Baked ricotta is one of my go-to, low fuss, dishes. And cooking it just makes me happy, especially when I'm working with such lovely product as Bellwether's sheep's milk ricotta. Bellwether was the first certified sheep's milk dairy in California (I focused on their San Andreas in my book) and they make some of the most gorgeous ricotta I've had. But if you can't find them near you, just go with whatever other delicious local sheep's milk one you have. Fruition Farms makes a lovely one, too.

Sheep's milk ricotta provides more of a savory, earthy flavor than cow's milk that emerges once the cheese is baked, but if all you can is a find good cow's milk version near you, that's fine. The ricotta doesn't need to be true ricotta made from whey for this recipe, either. In fact, it's probably best if you can't find a rich sheep's milk version, to go with whole cow's milk cream-added ricotta instead. It would provide a richness that shines once baked. Salvatore Brklyn, here's looking at you.

Serve with whatever tasty sides you have around. I served with a pomegranate citrus salad, olive bread and sliced watermelon radishes. If I weren't going veg, I'd slice a local salami or two and serve with warmed olives.

Baked Ricotta

For two

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

3 cups ricotta (really, it shrinks once cooked!)

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

freshly ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoons chopped parsley

Place ricotta in a shallow baking dish that's table-friendly. Flatten slightly. Drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Top with freshly ground pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top is lightly golden. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and parsley and serve.