The Cheese Blog
Links du Fromage: News & Cheese Loveliness
Because the world of cheese is wide and vast and I can’t possibly meet all your dairy needs, here are some of my favorite Links du Fromage this month. Feel free to leave links to your own favorites that I missed in this post’s comment section.
If you need even more reading, check out Gordon Edgar's Cheesemonger book. I highly recommend it. I attended a tasting with Edgar and author Laura Werlin at 18Reasons in San Francisco, and loved the selections he choose to read from his book, and that he introduced the class to Cobb Hill's Ascutney Mountain. Cool points. Do taste and read.
News
New Writing on the Dairy Crisis:
Dairy Fundamentals Keep Milk Prices from Rising
Whisky’s for drinkin’, Milk is for fighting?
Cheese Fests:
There are still tickets for the American Cheese Society's Cheese-topia in Seattle, starting August 25th. This is the first year that I'm going, and I am super excited! I've heard the sessions fill up soon, so sign up quick.
If you're in the area, don't miss the Vermont Cheesemaker's Festival this July 25th. No wait, it's SOLD OUT! Congratulations, wow.
The first Cheesemonger Invitational rocked the east coast recently, when mongers from San Francisco to New York gathered in Queens and battled cheese wits. They plated, sliced, wrapped, paired, made sexy eyes at the cheese, and professed their love to the dairy world with style galore. Read more here:
The Cheesemonger Invitational: Cheese Nerds Like to Party Too
The First-Ever Cheesemonger Invitational
Links
Wisconsin Cheesemaker's Calendar, Cheese Underground
La Fête du Fromage - le Pécalou, Chez LouLou
A Dairy Goddess Preparing for Cheesemaking
Cheese is Alive on the new Caveman Blue by Rogue Creamery.
The House Mouse, Review: La Clochette Chevre Affinee Rings a Bell
What did I miss? Add a link in the comment section below!
Lincoln Log: Like Bucheron but Better
Zingerman's Lincoln Log is made in the grand tradition of European goat cheese classics Bucheron and Cana de Cabra, but because Lincoln Log is made in the states, you're going to love it even more.
Zingerman's Lincoln Log is made in the grand tradition of European goat cheese classics Bucheron and Caña de Cabra, but because Lincoln Log is made in the states, you're going to love it even more.
Lincoln Log, Bucheron and Caña de Cabra are foot-long cylindrical cheeses with bloomy-rinds and soft centers. They age from the outside in and have three striking layers: the outer, plush white rind; the soft, velvet ribbon below the bloom, and the soft, crumbly center. Taste each separately, than enjoy together.
Bucheron is a French cheese that makes its way on more seasonal chevre chaud salads than bacon does burgers (or food blogs). Caña de Cabra is pretty much dead on like Bucheron, except that it's made in Spain, so it obviously hangs out way later at night and rocked a mullet before hipsters remembered what they were.
But Lincoln Log tastes better. Why? It's not that little "Made in the U.S.A" tag that's on it (or not on it, whatever), it's because its made close by, spends less time in transportation, so there is a much better chance you'll get it fresher.
And this is a cheese you want especially fresh, when it's lively flavors jump out to say hello and the rind hasn't yet developed a strong ammonia-esque flavor.
Bucheron and Cana de Cabra are great, but Lincoln Log shines at a creamery near you. Try with an un-oaked California Sauvignon blanc or Italian varietal white.
That Cheddar Tang: Fiscalini Farms
It wasn't until I visited Fiscalini Farms one swelteringly hot, fine Modesto spring day that I truly understood the cheddar tang. There at Fiscalini, I witnessed the act that gives cheddar its sharpness, its spicy character, its oomph.
It wasn't until I visited Fiscalini Farms one swelteringly hot, fine Modesto spring day that I truly understood the cheddar tang. There at Fiscalini, I witnessed the act that gives cheddar its sharpness, its spicy character, its oomph.
People often ask what makes cheddar sharp. Although we're used to sheep and goat's milk cheeses like Mahon or Panteleo getting spicy and more tangy with age, many popular cow's milk cheeses like Comté, Fontina, or Joe Mato's St. George, develop a sweeter, deeper buttery character when ripening.
So why is Cheddar, also a cow's milk cheese, so punchy?
Let me tell you a little story about Cheddar.
After driving to two incorrect Fiscalini addresses - first, the family home where the smiling owner pointed a blushing Kirstin in the correct direction, second, to the Fiscalini dairy where a man holding a large baby bottle to feed new calves also pointed me in the right direction (always forward, never straight)- my visiting grandmother Oma and I arrived at Fiscalini cheese, late. Lucky for us, cheesemaker Mariano Gonzalez took pity on an excited cheese geek with worse directional skills than a toddler driving a Big Wheel, and her grandmother who had only ever purchased cheapie cheddars at the supermarket. Although we missed the initial cheese curdling, we were in time to watch the "Cheddaring" process.
Making Cheddar- Lactic Acid Magic
After adding rennet and separating the curds from the whey, the cheesemaker cuts the curds into flat, long sheets and stacks them one on top of each other. Then, he leaves them to sit. As the sheets sit, the lactose (milk sugar) converts to lactic acid.
Throughout the cheesemaking process and ripening, lactose turns to lactic acid. It helps provoke curd and whey separation, and the sugar conversion makes it easier for lactose-intolerant folk to digest aged cheeses - less sugar is left to bother tummies.
In the case of cheddar, lactic conversion is swiftly encouraged within the first hours of cheesemaking. When stacked and left to sit in a room temperature room prior to salting, the sweet sugars in the milk turn sharp sooner. That tanginess in your cheddar? That's lactic acid, inspired.
After the stacked curds have hung out, kicked back, relaxed, acidified sufficiently, the cheesemakers cut the sheets once more into "fingers" (what Wisconsin calls cheese curds). They stir the fingers around and salt them. A lot. Then they take the curds and press them into molds.
Pressing huge wheels of cheddar is a lot of work, and if your grandmother is with you, she will tell the cheesemakers over and over again how strong they are. Note: after a little exposure to making cheddar, this cheese fiend has decided artisan cheddar is romantic not because of its connection to years of beautiful tradition, but because of the passion it requires from someone about to lift a hundred or so pounds of cheese curds one to three times a day for the rest of their life.
Next, the wheels are left to age, and are flipped every day as they mature.
Fiscalini Farms doesn't often give tours, but if the rare chanse arises to see Mariano Gonzalez in action, take it. Cheddaring, and Gonzalez at work are cool things to see. Bonus? If you bring your grandmother, she'll leave understanding why artisan cheese is worth more than the bright orange, rubbery cheddar at the supermarket and may have some waiting for you next time you visit. It's possible. Unfortunately, she will also leave slightly dissapointed because she forgot to ask if the cheesemaker's assistant was single. For you, she says. Sigh. So, seek out Fiscalini bandage-wrapped Cheddar at a cheese shop near you. They take immaculate care of their animals, and their cheddar is one of the best in the country.
What are your favorite domestic cheddars?
Bellwether Farms: Sheep's Milk Heaven
With visions of fluffy lambs jumping over wheels of golden cheese stacked on Sonoma's emerald hills, a friend and I drove with happy hearts to visit Bellwether Farms. Cheesemaker Liam Callahan doesn't normally give tours- his facilities aren't currently set up for handling visitors- so this was a very special ocassion.
With visions of fluffy lambs jumping over wheels of golden cheese stacked on Sonoma's emerald hills, a friend and I drove with happy hearts to visit Bellwether Farms. Cheesemaker Liam Callahan doesn't normally give tours- his facilities aren't currently set up for handling visitors- so this was a very special ocassion. Plus, it was birthing season for the sheep and we were hoping to catch sight of the babies.
For whatever reason- my alarm clock not going off, highway 101 construction on the way to Petaluma, or us kind of getting "lost," we were late. The result? We missed the frolicking baby sheep but experienced one of the best cheese tours of our lives.
Thanks to Callahan, who took time out of his busy Friday to answer my 1,001 questions during cheese production, we were able to see (and understand) how they make their small batches of San Andreas and their coveted sheep's milk basket ricotta. Thank you so much for the tour Liam, and I hope "It's Not You it's Brie" readers enjoy the following photo tour of this traditional, family run creamery. Behind the scenes photos are taken by my cheesemaker tour photographer, Molly, who also captured the cuteness on the "Redwood Hill Kids, Come Home with Me" excursion.
What's the best cheese tour you've been on? Any favorite cheese places you like to visit in your area?
Cheese Busy & Links du Fromage
Been busy, but still thinking of you!
Here's a little update on the cheese haps, and then, Links du Fromage:
In the past two weeks. I've visited Bellwether and Fiscalini cheesemakers, both of which are generally closed to tours, so I'll post some inside info and photos soon. I learned a tremendous amount from visiting both farms, and I think you'll like hearing the low-down too.
I'm teaching a rosé and cheese pairing class at the San Francisco Cheese School this Wednesday and have a Wine and Cheese Pairing basics course there coming up in August. Next week, I'll head to my favorite beer bar for an excursion in cheese and beer pairing and will write about my findings. I've also been working, typing, editing, re-editing, pitching, interviewing and querying for possible cheese articles (which is quite the humbling experience). I've learned a lot these past couple of weeks and am looking forward to sharing it with you in the future. I just need an hour or two to sit down to do so!
In the meantime, I've been reading some great articles and blog posts lately. I hope you enjoy them too.
Lastly, "It's Not You, it's Brie" got mentioned in the latest Culture magazine. Thank you!
Notes from a Diary Anti-trust Meeting in Upstate New York, Green State Fair.
New Uplands Cheese, Cheese Underground.
Washington State Cheese (ohhh.... oozy buttery goodness), Gordonzola.
Cheese and the Art of Waiting, Know Whey.
Smokin Sheep's Ricotta: Marcelli Formaggi
Great ricotta used to only be available in Italy. In fact, tasting fresh ricotta's when in Sienna or Tuscany could be a __ because you knew that what you could get at home would only pale in comparison. Those vibrant flavors and textures were only available to you as long as you stood on foreign soil and held Euros in your pocket.
Great ricotta used to only be available in Italy. In fact, tasting fresh ricottas when in Sienna or Tuscany was bittersweet, because you knew that what you could get at home would only pale in comparison. Those vibrant flavors and textures were only available as long as you stood on foreign soil.
Now, fresh, delicious ricotta runs abundantly and freely through the blood of American cheese shops and recipes for homemade ricotta are easy to find and make.
But there is still one ricotta that is particular to Italy. Unlike the best fresh sorts that are also made domestically, Marcelli Formaggi ricotta is specific to the rolling hills of Abruzzo.
The Marcelli family makes many different types of ricotta, the bounties of which are covered in the new issue of Culture cheese magazine, but my favorite is their Ricotta al fumo Ginepro. It is made from the milk of Sopravvissana sheep who graze the Abruzzo hills surrounding a village of 300 people. The ricotta is a firmer style that, because it is aged just beyond 60 days, makes it across North American borders in a raw-milk state.
Like most professional cheesemakers, the Marcellis make their traditional ricotta with the whey remaining after they make their pecorinos. Then -here's the kicker- before they leave the ricotta to mature for two to three months, they smoke it.
Now, before you wrinkle your nose remembering the smoked "goudas" of your yesteryear and write off this dear cheese, consider that smoking cheese is an ancient practice that extends its life and one that is deeply rooted in tradition. Unlike some supermarket goudas that have been doused with artificial smoke flavoring, this cheese has been cold-smoked over juniper wood. The gentle smoking lends the ricotta delicate woodsy flavors that mingle expertly with its sheepy, nutty flavors and slicable texture.
"It's Not You, it's Brie" cheese club members will be blessed with some of this ricotta in their May club, but if you're not in the San Francisco Bay Area and are unable to drop by to pick your club up (must sign up 2 weeks to a month ahead of time), you can pick some up on the Marcelli website.
For cheese plate consumption, serve with a side of toasted walnuts, walnut-wheat bread and small-batch honey. On its own, drizzle with a high-end olive oil and freshly cracked pepper. In a salad, this cheese couldn't be happier than it is paired with the earthy sweetness of roasted beets, although in summer time, I could imagine it rocking a salad of grilled corn cut from the cob and heirloom tomatoes.
Lastly- just a sneak mention, here are some of my favorite fresh, domestic ricottas (but try all you can, the more local it is, the fresher it is, and fresh ricotta is best consumed young): Bellwether sheep, Bellwether Jersey cow's milk and Salvatore Brklyn.
"It's Not You, it's Brie" readers, do you buy ricotta, or do you make your own? Any local ricottas whose names you'd like to share?
France: Cheese by Wine by Cheese in Photos
France treats a food and wine lover right. Of course occasionally there is a hang-up, like when a train that was taking you to a Chinon winery you were aching to visit is cancelled due to country-wide strikes. I like to think of this side of the country as a much-needed practice in letting things go. After all, there will always be an almond croissant, fantastic bottle of Chenin Blanc, or thick wedge of raw-milk cheese waiting to offer you comfort around the corner.
- Comté aging at Marcel Petite
- Raw-milk Époisses
- Croissants for breakfast in Montrachet, Burgundy
- Cherry custard tart, Domaine Quenard, Savoie