Posted in Cheese, Cheesemaking, Education, Italy, Travelogues, tagged casaro, Cheese, cheesemakers, cheesemaking, Cravero, curds, DOP, food, Italy, parm, Parmigiano Reggiano, ricotta, whey on November 26, 2011 | 1 Comment »
On a recent trip to Italy, I had the opportunity to visit a co-op that makes Parmigiano Reggiano. It was a first for me – I have witnessed the cheesemaking process before and have even tried my hand at making chèvre but I had never before observed the making of a hard, aged cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano. (more…)
Posted in Beer, Beverages, Cheese, Pairings, tagged Beer, Bink, Brouwerij Kerkom, Cheese, Dorset, food, Kerkom Bink Bruin, Magdalena Captein, Stilton on November 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The first Saturday I had off after BBQ season finished, I finally got around to trying Brouwerij Kerkom’s beer Bink Bruin. It is phenomenal. I had it with dinner, a grilled salad sort of thing: grilled steak tips (medium rare) on my own garden arugula with grilled tomato and apple slices, Stilton chunks and a blue cheese mustard vinaigrette. And the beer was a perfect match. (more…)
Posted in Cheese, Thanksgiving, tagged Brebis du Haut-Bearn, Charmoix, Cheese, Chevrin, Comté, food, Palet, Piramide di Capra, Robiola Roccaverano, Strach'in, Tronchetto di Capra on November 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Comté Extra Grand Cru
A couple of days ago, we checked in with Kurt, lead cheese buyer at our Cambridge shop, to find out what he was recommending for these chilly autumn days and, more specifically, for Thanksgiving. Always a tough question for a lover of cheese (how to choose?), we managed to eke out the following recommendations. (more…)
Posted in About Us, Catering, tagged buffet, Cambridge catering, catering, catering menu, Cheese, dinners, food, hors d’oeuvres, lunches, menu, parties, platters on November 4, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Blue Cheese and Asparagus Rolls - Crispy asparagus spears rolled in buttery brioche and blue cheese, then baked until golden brown.
As one might easily suspect, cooking at a gourmet retail shop like Formaggio Kitchen is unlike cooking in any other professional kitchen. If you’ve ever been in to visit our cheese caves, you would have walked through our cooking space – blink and you’ll miss it (or fall down the stairs!). A number of amazing things come out of such a small space: Chef Eduardo’s nightly meals are delicious and comforting, Eric’s award-winning BBQ attracts crowds that fill the sidewalk, Julie’s carefully crafted charcuterie is in a league of its own and our sandwiches – weekly paninis, Sunday mini sandwiches and Saturday Reubens – rival those from the best delis around. And, as the Catering Manager, I get to be right in the middle of it all! (more…)
Posted in Cheese, Italy, Travelogues, tagged Bra, Caggiano, Cantine Ascheri, Caseficio Caggiano, Cheese, Comté, enkir, food, Giorgio Cravero, Italy, Jason Hinds, Marcel Petite, Maria Caggiano, Matteo Ascheri, Mulino Marino, Neal's Yard Dairy, Parmigiano Reggiano, Philippe Goux, Randolph Hodgson, Romano Levi on October 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Every two years, the biggest festival in the cheese world happens in Bra, Italy. The event is known simply as “Cheese.” Cheesemakers, cheesemongers, journalists, food lovers and folks lucky enough to live close by, descend on the small town of Bra to sample, sell and eat literally tons of cheese. This year at the biennial festival it was no different. With one exception. The thermometer hit a whopping 90°F. (more…)
Posted in Cheese, Education, Food History, Italy, tagged blue cheese, Cheese, food, Gorgonzola, Gorgonzola a due paste, Gorgonzola antico, Gorgonzola del nonno, Gorgonzola Dolce, Gorgonzola Piccante, PDO, Penicillium gorgonzola, Protected Designation of Origin, Roquefort, Stracchino, transhumance on September 28, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Gorgonzola Dolce (front) and Gorgonzola Piccante (rear)
Lombardy is a region in the northernmost part of Italy, sitting on the country’s Alpine border with Switzerland. The terrain is varied, ranging from plains in the southern part, to the Alpine heights of the Valtellina in the north. Lakes stretch out along the countryside and rivers criss-cross the verdant landscape. Lombardy is a part of Italy that is home to many well-known cheeses: Taleggio, Mascarpone, Provolone, Grana Padano and Gorgonzola. If you were to follow the Po River, heading west out of Lombardy, you would arrive in the Piedmont, another rich cheese-making region. The town of Bra, home to possibly the most widely respected cheese festival in the world, is situated in this part of Italy. Like their neighbors in Lombardy, cheesemakers of the Piedmont make Taleggio and Gorgonzola. Among the many cheeses in their canon, are other familiar names like Raschera, Robiola di Roccaverano and Castelmagno. (more…)
Posted in About Us, Cheese, Food Science, Local, Producer Profile, Travelogues, United States, tagged Ascutney Mountain, Bayley Hazen Blue, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Cellars at Jasper Hill, Cheese, cheesemakers, cheesemaking, Constant Bliss, curds, food, Jasper Hill, Jasper Hill Farm, Landaff, Moses Sleeper, Oma, rennet, whey, Winnimere on September 9, 2011 | 2 Comments »
TOP ROW (L-R): Cabot airing, Bayley Hazen salting, Bayley Hazen pH graph + rocks under the cheese racks help with moisture control. BOTTOM ROW (L-R): Moses Sleeper in 20% brine, Landaff cheese and Bayley Hazen in its forms.
Some weeks ago, I made an immensely informative and inspiring trip to Jasper Hill Farm and The Cellars at Jasper Hill in Greensboro, Vermont.
The Jasper Hill enterprise was started by two brothers, Andy and Mateo Kehler. The determination that they have towards revolutionizing and solidifying the cheese-making industry in their state and in this country is unmatched in its political, scientific, and pastoral fervor. As a result, I want to share a bit of what got me so excited! (more…)
Posted in Cheese, Food History, France, tagged Cheese, chevre, food, France, goat cheese, Loire, Loire Valley, Sainte-Maure Belgique, Sainte-Maure de Touraine on August 19, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Sainte-Maure Belgique
There are a few things one learns pretty quickly as a cheesemonger. Among them are that brebis generally come from the Pyrenées and small-format goat cheeses are closely associated with the Loire Valley. Of course, there are exceptions but, as general rules, these guidelines have served me pretty well. (more…)
Posted in Cheese, Main Dishes, Recipes, tagged Chällerhocker, Cheese, cheeseburgers, food, melting cheese, Smuttynose on June 29, 2011 | 1 Comment »
The Chällerhocker
“Simple” is the operative word to use when making a good cheeseburger.
There are really only a few items you need to assemble the perfect backyard burger. The number one ingredient is good company. If you follow that first simple rule, you will never fail. So, call a friend. If you don’t have any friends, make one immediately. Then, grab some good ground beef, a few well-made buns, salt, pepper, a little A1 sauce and, of course, CHEESE*. (more…)
Posted in Cheese, France, Producer Profile, tagged Cheese, food, France, Haute Tarentaise, Joseph Paccard, Paulette Marmottan, Persillé de Tignes, Savoie on June 11, 2011 | 4 Comments »
It’s sad to say, but farmstead cheeses are disappearing in France. As the cheese buyer for Formaggio Kitchen, I do what I can to make sure this does not happen. This is why I feel compelled to highlight the last remaining producer of Persillé de Tignes and to share my love of this cheese. (more…)
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