"cheeses" news and stories

Labor Day is less than a week away and is the last big grilling day of the summer season. It is a weekend of picnics and barbecues, which means that hot dogs and hamburgers will be popping up on everyone's menus. These hamburgers already made an appearance on my grill, but I'm sure that I'll be cooking up a few more over the weekend. I used sharp cheddar and provolone (except for the lone cheese-less burger topped with bbq sauce in the back), adding the cheese during the last few seconds of cooking, keeping the burgers on the grill just long enough to melt it onto the patty.

Cheese is just the start of a good burger, though. Some of my favorite toppings are basics, like lettuce, tomato, onions and avocado, though bacon, pickles, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and barbecue sauce are always out alongside the grill for anyone who wants them. You can't go wrong with those options, but what else do you put on your burgers to make them the best they can be?

At the annual World Cheese Awards, which were held this month in London, California cheesemakers proved that the California Milk Advisory Board's slogan "California: it's the cheese" is true. The state took home 13 awards, including 3 gold medals, 3 silver and 7 bronze - more than any other state in the country. Among the winners were:

• Marin French Cheese Company, Petaluma, for Petit Dejeuner (Gold), Wild Blackberry Quark (Gold), Garlic Brie (Bronze), Pesto Brie (Bronze) and Petit Creme (Bronze)
• Fiscalini Cheese Company, Modesto, for San Joaquin Gold (Silver) and Bandage Wrapped Premium Cheddar (Bronze)
• Mozzarella Fresca, Benicia, for Fresh Mozzarella -- Acid Set (Gold) and Fresh Mozzarella -- Cryovac (Bronze)
• Bravo Farms, Visalia, for Western Sage Cheddar (Silver)
• Cantare Foods, San Diego, for Whole Milk Mozzarella Boconcini (Silver)
• Bellwether Farms, Petaluma, for Carmody Semi Hard Cows' Milk Unpressed (Bronze)
• Winchester Cheese Company, Winchester, for Sharp Gouda (Bronze).

Over the past three years, California has won a total of 24 awards at the WCAs, and the increase this year means that California cheeses, like California wines, are gaining international recognition.

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Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is a hard, dry cheese made in Italy. In fact, the name is trademarked and only cheese from a certain region - mostly around the areas of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna and Mantua in Italy - can officially be called Parmigiano Reggiano. Similar cheeses made outside this area are called simply parmesan cheese. The cheese has been produced in the same way for the past 800 years. The Consorzio del Formagio Parmigiano Reggiano has published a "multimedia journey" on their website that takes you through the steps of making this cheese. To summarize the process, however, a blend of whole and part skim milk is cooked in huge copper kettles, to which a cultured whey starter is added. This starter contains the precise bacteria needed to start the development of the cheese and is refreshed every day from the prior day's cheese making. Rennet, a thickening enzyme, is added and the cheese mixture is heated gently to expel water from the curds. The partially dry cheese is molded, salted and finally set to age. Parmigiano Reggiano should age for over 24 months to develop optimum flavor and texture, though the minimum aging is 12 months.