Posted in Cheese, Cheesemaking, Local, Producer Profile, Travelogues, United States, tagged Cheese, Debora Wickart, food, Inspiration, Mt. Mansfield Creamery, Stan Biasini on April 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
L-R: Stan Biasini and Brad
I recently had the great fortune to visit with Stan Biasini and his family at Mt. Mansfield Creamery in Morristown, Vermont. I arrived bright and early, just as Stan was pooling the milk from the morning milking into a heating vat to begin making his cheese: Inspiration. Here at the shop, we only began carrying Inspiration this year – it is a washed-rind cow milk cheese based on a Corsican recipe and has quickly become a staff favorite. (more…)
Posted in Cheese, Main Dishes, Recipes, tagged Cheese, food, grilled cheese, sandwich, sandwiches on April 12, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Grilled Cheese: Comté and Fieschi’s Confettura di Cipolline Borretane
Grilled cheese sandwiches are classic American fare. Many of us associate this archetypal melty sandwich with childhood and/or with camping trips. I recall one particularly memorable camping trip when, after a hard day of canoeing, we finally reached our camp site. Situated on a beautiful Maine lake, the spot was picturesque and well-poised for swimming. We were hungry when we arrived but absolutely famished by the time we got camp set up. First thing on the agenda? Dinner. We made grilled cheese and tomato soup and, boy, did it taste like the best thing ever! That was the day when I became a firm believer in the saying, “hunger is the best sauce.” However, our enjoyment was also, undoubtedly, due to the inherent deliciousness of grilled cheese itself and the classic pairing with tomato soup. (more…)
Posted in About Us, Cheese, Meats & Charcuterie, United States, tagged Cheese, cheesemakers, CSA, food, local farms, Meats & Charcuterie, Vermont on April 4, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Julie’s freshly linked Italian sauasges.
I first joined Formaggio Kitchen as an assistant to Julie, our charcutière. As she taught me to make the shop’s range of sausages, pâté, and other cured meats, she talked a lot about sourcing—what she buys from farms in Connecticut, the turnaround time needed for an order of rabbit from Vermont, the best uses for bellies from Massachusetts-raised Berkshire hogs, and the like. For Julie, small, local farms are a natural and non-negotiable part of her work. (more…)
Posted in Appetizers & Hors d'Oeuvres, Cheese, Recipes, tagged Cheese, food, Lee brothers, Pimento Cheese, Pimiento Cheese, recipe, snack, Southern cuisine on March 15, 2012 | 2 Comments »
In the run-up to this year’s Super Bowl, there was a lot of talk in our kitchen and around the Cambridge shop about spectator snacks. Many of us took home our barbecue favorites – grillmaster, Eric, did a one-off, out-of-season BBQ especially for the big game – and there was talk of dips, spreads and nibbles. One result of these discussions was a culinary collaboration between Head Chef Eduardo and our charcutière, Julie: Pimento Cheese. (more…)
Posted in Beer, Beverages, Cheese, Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge, Ireland, Pairings, St. Patrick's Day, tagged Ardrahan, Cashel Blue, Cheese, Coolea, Crozier Blue, Dick Willems, Dicky Willems, food, Helene Willems, Jane Grubb, Louis Grubb, Mary Burns, Sinead Willems, St. Patrick's Day on March 6, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Ardrahan
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate than with an Irish cheese plate? Our team at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge have put together a selection of some of our favorites and Eric, our Cambridge beer buyer, has given us a list of fantastic beers to pair with them. Best wishes for a safe and happy St. Patrick’s Day. Éirinn go Brách! (more…)
Posted in Cheese, Cheesemaking, Food Science, Local, Producer Profile, Travelogues, United States, tagged Cellars at Jasper Hill, Cheese, cheesemakers, cheesemaking, curds, food, Jasper Hill, Jasper Hill Farm, Landaff, rennet, whey, Winnimere on January 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Last year, I visited the Cellars at Jasper Hill and had the opportunity to participate in the Winnimere cheesemaking process. It was a very educational experience as there are some interesting new developments going on at Jasper Hill. I thought I would share a little about the cheesemaking process, as well as give a sneak peek into a couple of new cheeses:
Flocculation is a test conducted with a rounded knife. The knife is put into the renneted milk. When the milk starts to curdle and grab onto the knife, an experienced cheesemaker is able to determine the exact time to cut the curd. (more…)
Posted in Cheese, FAQs, tagged Cheese, food on January 5, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
When we started this blog, one of our main goals was to answer some of the questions we most regularly get on the cheese counter. As our blog’s archive has grown, we realize that some of these posts are becoming a little bit difficult to find so, here, under one header, we bring together the answers to some of those commonly asked questions!
We hope that these posts continue to help folks understand and love cheese as much as we do. As always, please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any questions!
Posted in Cheese, New Year's, tagged Champagne, Cheese, cheese plate, food, goat milk, New Year's Eve, raw milk cheese, sheep cheese, sheep milk, sparkling wine on December 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Strach'in
We checked in with our lead cheese buyer, Kurt, to see what he was recommending for this New Year’s Eve. He put together a selection that hits all major milk types – cow, goat and sheep – while covering a range of textures and cheese styles. And, they all pair beautifully with sparkling wines! (more…)
Posted in Gift Giving, tagged Cheese, food, gift guide, treat on December 18, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Rabbit Pâté
We have already shared a few of our top picks for gifts this season. However, sometimes it’s nice to treat yourself. Here are five “don’t miss” goodies that we think you will enjoy! (more…)
Posted in Cheese, Cheesemaking, Producer Profile, United States, tagged burrata, Cheese, cheesemakers, cheesemaking, food, Massachusetts, mozzarella, Mozzarella House on November 29, 2011 | 3 Comments »
Erin (left) and Rosa (right) Shaping Mozzarella
It’s a rare day on the cheese counter that we mongers don’t dip into our bucket of fresh mozzarella from the Mozzarella House at least a couple of times. This small operation in Everett supplies Formaggio Kitchen with most of its fresh cow’s milk mozzarella and burrata. My fellow cheesemonger, Jess, and I recently dropped in for a visit to their cheese room. While we never pass on a chance to match faces, places, and processes to our products, we had an additional motive behind this visit to Mozzarella House. Jess, who’s worked as a cheesemaker in France and Washington, is teaching a series of cheesemaking classes in February. Our time with the pros at Mozzarella House gave her a chance to refine the mozzarella technique she’ll use in the course. Mozzarella House owner, Giuseppe, was kind enough to let us have a look around the facility, as well as share some background on their process. (more…)
Buy cheese online.
|
