As a cheese enthusiast and blogger and the author of a yogurt cookbook, I’m never happy to see dairy foods get slammed. Cows have sustained us for millennia, yet they are increasingly under scrutiny for their role in climate change. The New York Times recently published a Q&A-style feature on the environmental impact of our food choices, and I’m sure the takeaway for many readers was, “Eat less cheese.” Some people will go further and ditch dairy foods entirely. I wondered how the many progressive dairy farmer/cheesemakers I know are grappling with these issues so I reached out to one of the industry’s wise men, Andy Hatch.
Read moreParmigiano Reggiano Deep Dive
Parm by breed: (left to right) Bruna Alpina, Razza Reggiana, Bianca Modenese
One thing (among many) that I love about cheese is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to taste the gold standards. A cult Cabernet Sauvignon can cost more than a round-trip ticket to Europe, but anyone with ten dollars can get a sizeable taste of a cult cheese. And that’s what I would call the three Parmigiano Reggianos pictured above. They are costly, acclaimed, rare and sought after by in-the-know cheese fans. Are they more compelling than the everyday Parm you’ve been using? Well, it won’t cost you much to find out.
Read moreSpring Look for Insalata Caprese
My friend Joanne Weir, the television personality, came up with this genius idea for a spring riff on tomato and mozzarella salad. After all, it’s not tomato season. It’s asparagus, fava bean and pea season. So leave those mealy, flavorless red orbs for someone else and give your Caprese salad a fresh look for spring. What a light, simple salad for Easter and spring dinner parties to come. Thank you, Joanne!
Read moreCheese Cake for Wine Fans
Maybe it’s because my culinary roots are in France, but so many dishes sound better to me in French, or even Franglais. That’s certainly true of cake salé, my new favorite appetizer. I doubt I could interest you in a slice of salted cake, but you definitely want to try this warm, savory, crumbly, utterly addictive hors d’oeuvre. With the fresh rosés from last year’s harvest showing up in stores, this tender loaf makes an irresistible nibble.
Read moreAll Aboard for Cheeselandia
If you want a break from current events, imagine a peaceful nation whose citizens just want to get along, make friends and eat cheese. Such a place exists, if you can believe it, and it’s called Cheeselandia. I just learned about it and I have a passport already. If you like Wisconsin cheese, or at least want to know more about it, the border patrol will let you in.
Read moreBest Cheese You Don’t Know
Maybe you know this exceptional Swiss cheese, but probably you don’t. I rarely see it at retail counters. It doesn’t get much press. Yet it’s a benchmark cheese, in my view, made by ultra-traditional methods that are vanishing. Even in the rarefied world of Swiss alpine cheesemaking, it stands out for the stringent rules that govern its production. My favorite book on Switzerland’s cheeses, Swiss Cheese by Dominik Flammer and Fabian Scheffold, calls it “the most aboriginal of all Alpine cheeses.”
Read moreRaclette Your Way
When I asked Swiss cheese importer Caroline Hostettler whether she ate raclette as a child in Switzerland, she had no trouble resurrecting a memory. “Everyone had raclette machines at home but us,” recalled Hostettler, sounding still a bit aggrieved several decades later. Her mother refused to make it (she preferred fondue), so the annual raclette at an aunt’s house was the highlight of the year. Hostettler still remembers being almost overcome with excitement.
Read moreGruyère Fights Back
Switzerland’s most famous cheese took it on the chin recently when a U.S. judge ruled that Gruyère is generic. American dairies have made Gruyère for years, he reasoned, so how can the Swiss claim the cheese is theirs? “The factual record makes it abundantly clear,” the judge wrote, that American consumers think of Gruyère as a type of cheese, not a product from a specific place. The Swiss will appeal, so the matter isn’t settled, but it’s a setback for those who believe we should respect European names like Asiago and Fontina. I wondered how the ruling was going down with people who sell both imported and domestic cheese.
Read moreSticker Shock in a Good Way
We’re all experiencing sticker shock at the grocery store these days. Prices are nuts. Plus, we have December to pay for. So it’s a good time to prowl the cheese counter for selections that over-deliver for the price. Bargains do exist, and here are three that you ought to find easily. I’m so grateful to these producers for making cheese that we can enjoy and afford.
Read moreAlsatian Tart is Crisp and Cheesy
When the recent cream cheese shortage sent me scrambling for alternatives, I discovered a dreamy spreadable goat cheese from Norway. Maybe you’re already a fan of Snøfrisk. Or maybe, like me, you’ve noticed its wedge-shaped package next to other fresh cheeses but never bothered to give it a try. I’m making up for lost time now. I love this stuff. It’s perfect for tarte flambée, the paper-thin Alsatian pizza, which is getting to be a New Year’s Eve tradition at my house.
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