Cheese Course

Are Raw-Milk Cheeses Safe?

by Max Shrem, Posted Nov 11th 2010 @ 12:00PM

Raw milk cheeses Photo: kaight_ashbury, Flickr

Are raw-milk cheeses healthful? Recent findings of Listeria monocytogenes, the bacteria that causes Listeria, in cheeses from Montesano, Washington's Estrella Family Creamery in Missouri's Morningland Dairy unequivocally suggest the contrary. Both dairies, which were inspected by FDA (Food and Drug Administration) officials within the past few months, are going to have a particularly hard time defending their raw-milk cheeses, especially since it's just the latest raw-milk scare. Just last week, health officials found 25 E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to Bravo Farms' raw-milk Gouda being sold at Costco stores in Colorado.

When it comes to raw-milk, the conflict between cheesemakers and the FDA is not new. Many cheesemakers view the FDA as an organization of government officials with little or no experience on dairies. Sunday, the Pacific Northwest Cheese Project released a series of cheesemakers' reactions to the recent recalls of raw-milk cheese. One of them states, anonymously, of course, "I am concerned about any potential surprise investigations, because the investigators usually don't have any experience with farms at all," the cheesemaker told the Cheese Project. "The ones who recently visited here had never even been on a farm before; not a good thing in my opinion." Apart from revealing the incompetence of the FDA, their anonymous responses indicate that the health risks do not involve raw-milk, on its own.

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Five Best American Cheese Shops - Cheese Course

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by Max Shrem, Posted Oct 1st 2010 @ 4:00PM

Cowgirl Creamery in San Francisco CA Photo: niallkennedy, Flickr

Finding the crème de la crème of American cheese shops is no easy task. We did it, however, by carefully considering the variety, distinctiveness, and quality of cheeses that hundreds of them carry, as well as the extent to which they've promulgated the availability of handmade artisanal cheeses. Check out our five picks after the jump.

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Pairing Cheeses with Apples and Pears - Cheese Course

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by Max Shrem, Posted Sep 22nd 2010 @ 4:00PM

Photo: Alamy

Deliciously juicy crisp apples and pears – just some of the fruits we associate with autumn – make especially tasty cheese pairings. Their crunchy texture and sweet taste enhance the flavors of many cheeses, ranging from spicy creamy blues, like Vaquero, to nutty Alpine cheeses, including Gruyère and Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Since this blend of tastes and textures works so well, it would seem as if the cheese options were limitless. However, after eating a large number of cheeses, we discovered that the ones which work best are those with complex flavor profiles that do not overwhelm the palate.

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How to Choose Cheese for Pizza - Cheese Course

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by Max Shrem, Posted Sep 15th 2010 @ 5:00PM

sausage and arugula pizza with Fior di Latte cheese Photo: avlxyz, Flickr

Selecting the appropriate cheeses for a pizza involves finding the perfect balance of textures and tastes between all the ingredients, whether vegetables or meats. Apart from the standards like mozzarella, the options are limitless, ranging from Swiss Gruyère to Italian Gorgonzola Dolce. We spoke to pizza masters Jim Lahey, owner of Co. and NYC's renowned Sullivan St. Bakery, and Andrew Feinberg, owner of Franny's and Bklyn Larder, to find out where to begin.

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Five Must-Buy Cheeses While in France - Cheese Course

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by Max Shrem, Posted Sep 7th 2010 @ 11:00AM

French cheese plate Photo: cwbuecheler, Flickr

In Paris, the end of summer means that some of the best cheese shops, including Fromagerie Barthélémy and Fromagerie Trotté, will re-open their doors for business after being on holiday for several weeks. American tourists and gastronomes alike should take up this opportunity to taste France's most celebrated cheeses -- varieties that are either unavailable stateside or poorly represented in American food stores. Here are five must-buy French cheeses travelers should try next time they're in France.

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Grana Padano - Cheese Course

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by Max Shrem, Posted Aug 31st 2010 @ 5:00PM

Photo: Di Palo Selects

It's easy to understand why Grana Padano is Italy's most popular (and most consumed) hard cheese. Whether eaten on its own or grated over pasta and salad, its deep golden color, fruity aroma, firm texture loaded with deliciously crunchy amino acid crystals (concentration of calcium lactate) and sweet caramel-like taste make it irresistible.

Grana Padano's rich history is reflected in its complex array of flavors. The cheese dates back over a thousand years, to the 10th century, when Cistercian monks reclaimed the region around the Po River Valley in Northern Italy (often referred to as the "bread basket of Italy"), and, decided to produce a cheese that would stand the test of time. To learn more about this cheese's current production, we spoke to Lou Di Palo, owner of Di Palo's, the legendary Italian specialty food store, located on Grand Street in New York City.

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Mexican Corn on the Cob - Cheese Course

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by Max Shrem, Posted Aug 24th 2010 @ 1:00PM

Photo: josewolff, Flickr

Corn is in season which means there's no better time to relish the sweet flavorful kernels Latin American-style with a dash of fresh mildly-salty cheese. From New York City's Café Habana to Austin's La Condesa, Mexican-style corn on the cob covered with Cotija cheese has become a popular dish, one that balances the juicy sweetness of maize with the spicy-savory taste of Queso Fresco. Fortunately, this cheese-coated snack is easy to make at home.

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Zigorome - Cheese Course

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by Max Shrem, Posted Aug 17th 2010 @ 3:00PM

Photo: Murrayscheese.com

What happens when cheesemakers blend the best of goat's milk and washed-rind cheeses? Imagine the sweet grassiness of a soft-ripened chèvre, like Andante's Acapella, combined with the gaminess and spiciness of a washed-rind cheese, like Sablé de Wissant.

Ziegenhof Leiner's Zigorome is just such a cheese hybrid from Sulzberg, Germany. This washed-rind goat cheese, just 150 g (5.5 oz), is brushed with a brine (a combination of water and salt) during a four-week-long aging process that gives the rind its light orange-like color and sticky touch.

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Macaron de Chèvre - Cheese Course

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by Max Shrem, Posted Aug 10th 2010 @ 2:00PM

Photo: Max Shrem

In France, cheese is typically eaten at the end of the meal, and many restaurants even serve it as a dessert. So it's not shocking that when developing a cheese and vegetable (shallots and chives) dish, Fromagerie Foucher's Hugues Foucher would look to the ever-popular macaron for inspiration.

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Krotovina - Cheese Course

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by Max Shrem, Posted Aug 3rd 2010 @ 5:00PM

goat cheese and sheep cheese layered with ash Photo: mkorcuska, Flickr

The black-greenish powdery film of vegetable ash that runs through the middle of cheeses is often mistakenly identified as mold. In cheeses, such as Humboldt Fog, this layer of edible ash is purely aesthetic. But, when it comes to Morbier, a French cow's milk cheese, it's all about giving the impression of preserving tradition. Hundreds of years ago the line of ash separated the morning milk from the afternoon milk; sadly, that's no longer the case. Interestingly, this custom is being revived and reworked by an American dairy, Prairie Fruits Farm in Champaign, Illinois. In their pyramid-shaped Krotovina (shown above), vegetable ash divides the cheese into two distinct parts – goat's milk and sheep's milk.

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