Allison Hooper, cheesemaker at Vermont Butter & Cheese Company is known for so many great European-style cheeses and also a sea-salted cultured butter in a basket. The creamery was recently featured on Martha Stewart and Allison also has a cookbook out now called "In a Cheesemaker's Kitchen." The website, http://www.vtbutterandcheese.com, is also full of serving suggestions, combinations, and recipe ideas.

In the past, I have heard about this company for its butter and creme fraiche, but yesterday I picked up a little tub of Quark.



I used to eat this type of cheese in Germany. It is made of cow's milk, and the versions I had were curdier and denser than the Vermont Quark, but the texture of Quark varies. The word "Quark" means "curd" in German. This is a creamy, almost bouncy cheese with the curds (I suppose) ground down into something that looks more like Creme Fraiche or Fromage Blanc. Quark is tangy and fluffy. It is good for dips, sandwiches (in lieu of mayo), pastries, and potatoes, but I enjoy it straight out of the tub on rye crackers. It only has 11% butterfat -- 2 grams of fat and 35 calories per ounce. The milk is all from Vermont and is rBGH-free. It's Kof-K kosher to boot!

The Cheese Mistress
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Somebody from England sent me a newsletter for a cheese delivery service in England. I forgot the exact quote, but Oscar Wilde once said something about how the British and the Americans had everything in common--except the language. Now I'm starting to agree! Check out the names of these crazy cheeses on this website: Cornish Crumbly, Trelawney, Miss Muffet, Tornegus, Vulscombe, and Cornish Fiesta. You can also get cheese wedding cakes! http://wwww.thecheeseshed.com



From the Cheese Shed newsletter. I'd love to be lost in this Cheese Triangle, though I don't understand half the language.

In the Bermuda Triangle, skiffs, tramp steamers and Dakota DC-3s disappear without trace. Innocents who wander into our own Cheese Triangle, whose corners are formed by Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet and Yeovil, are in danger of joining the majority of the population and becoming cheesemakers. Lost to their loved ones, they disappear into a world of curd, only to be glimpsed at the occasional farmers' market on a damp Thursday in Frome.

So it was some trepidation that I ventured into the Triangle in search of the Bartlett brothers ...

The Cheese Mistress
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I was given a sample of Cheddar, Isle of Man Vintage Cheddar. Actually, it was supposed to go to a co-worker, but I got anxious and cracked into it myself. It's from the group "Cheeses of the Isle of Man."

Where is this Isle of Man? I think I heard of it once in a Beatle's song. I know of the Isle of Wight, "if it's not too dear" (in the German teuer/expensive sense.)

This Isle of Man is floating out somewhere near Ireland, in the Irish sea between Liverpool and Belfast. To me, it tastes more Irish than West Country British, but is a pleasant blend of both styles and nicely aged.

I'm glad I'm hogging it all to myself! The rep said it was aged at least 20 months, but the web says more like 24+ months. It has all that little tingly crunch that is so great in a creamy cheddar. It seriously melts in your mouth, but leaves little morsels of crystals behind, and it has this flavor of "oh do I feel like being sharp today, or not?" It just hangs out and lets you decide.

For me, today, it's not sharp. It's buttery, slightly grassy, sweet, then almost nutty and smokey, but it doesn't make my ears itch like a burning mountain cheese. This is is one of those cheeses that will make you see tiny flashy visions of lying in the grass peacefully until some hungry bovine comes along and nudges you away--as you may be resting in her favorite feeding bed. Or who knows? You could be awakened by an ancient viking or Celtic druid...or a modern dairy farmer whose English no American can comprehend.



Don't worry. The cow will not only protect; she'll compensate later for your inconvenience with some great cheese!

The Cheese Mistress
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$4.99 for a little 4 oz. tub at Lifethyme on 6th Ave. in Manhattan. It is from Montana and is vegetarian. I picked it up off the shelf where I could swear it said "goat ricotta." I got all excited as I love any kind of quality ricotta, especially goat. I got a spoon at the counter, went out on the street to eat it, but it was the thickest ricotta I had ever had and it didn't taste anything like ricotta. It was dense and ever so slightly gritty when cold, but with a fresh, clean taste. When it comes to room temp, it gets creamy, but still is denser than some other fresh goats. This probably would be good for melting on bruschetta because it wouldn't run all over the place and make a mess.

It turns out it was chevre! It is very good, but I really wanted to try the goat ricotta that they offer. They must have sold out. Here's what the little tubs look like plus their website. It's good for scooping out little spoonfuls for snacks.

http://www.amaltheiadairy.com/AD/


According to the website, these Montana goats are soothed by the music of the wind and entertained by the eagles soaring above and the spectacular mountain view.



Cheese Mistress
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I got sick and didn't feel like posting for a bit, but I have written on Facebook some. Anyway, stay tuned for some more cheese posts!

I had a really good Vermont Butter and Cheese Chevre the other day at Murray's. It was so smooth and creamy, and had a really light flavor. The woman giving out samples put it on a cracker, but I really just wanted to eat it with a spoon! Vermont Butter and Cheese also makes an excellent sea salted cow butter in a basket plus a creme fraiche that is nice. So many of their products have won awards. http://www.butterandcheese.net. Allison Hooper, the cheesemaker, is great!

The Cheese Mistress
http://www.cheesemistress.com

Ile-de-France (http://www.iledefrancecheese.com) is sponsoring a Cheese of the Month campaign this spring along with a recipe contest. The recipe entries are due at the end of May. You can read more about it at the website. April's cheese is St. Andre', the luxurious triple creme Brie.

Since I write so much about cheese, Ile-de-France was kind enough to send me - a free chunk of cheese! I came home one day and there on my stoop was a box. Inside, a quarter wheel in pre-pack wrapping--a gorgeous piece for catering, like a big piece of cake. It was so pretty, I couldn't cut open the wrapping, so I went and bought a slice of St. Andre' from the local shop. I took both cheeses to work and everyone was so excited over the packaging, they didn't want me to open either cheese. Back to the store I go to get another slice of St. Andre'.

I did open that slice. It was every bit as good as I remembered. This is a triple creme brie, meaning it has about 75% fat in dry matter vs. the usual 50-60% of regular bries. It is light and fluffy on the palate, yet heavy at the same time, very palate-coating. This piece seems fairly young. (Some people like it more aged. ) It has a faint flavor of mold, but not overpowering, which means, for me, that this rind will not clash with a sparkling wine.

This cheese is the perfect balance of cream, light mushrooms, butter, and texture. It is dense, yet spreadable, even right out of the fridge. At room temperature, while this piece doesn’t ooze as much as some I have had before (has a firm “core”), it still spreads really well on a crusty, chewy baguette. The yeast flavor is great with the buttery cream in the cheese. When you combine the cheese and this yeasty bread, the result is hazelnuts. The cheese is a little bit tangy and I can feel that it is fatty on my palate, but it is remains delicate. Towards the edges it is oozier and has a mushroom flavor typical of bries, but in the very center, this one is still a tad crumbly.

I put some pear mostarda (Italian pureed candied pears with mustard essence)on the bread with the cheese and it was heaven. This is a great cheese for any kind of fruit preserves. I melted it a little, but it tends to run on bread due to the high butterfat. It is nice gently warmed.

Tonight I'm trying it in a risotto with mushrooms.

The Cheese Mistress
http://www.cheesemistress.com

From Cooking Light. I don't eat potato salad because a mayo phobia, but I found a recipe in an article about Belle Chevre (Alabama goat cheese) with a great potato salad recipe. They substitute goat's milk fromage blanc for mayo. The base is Yukon gold potatoes, and added are wine, onion, parsley, goat cheese, fromage blanc, sour cream, vinegar, tarragon, EVOO, Dijon mustard, and garlic.

Here is the description from Cooking Light:

"Thick, rich goat's milk fromage blanc (fresh soft goat cheese, similar to ricotta) combines with sour cream for the basis of a creamy dressing that stands in for mayonnaise."

The Cheese Mistress
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'Tis the season for eggs! I ran across an interesting sounding recipe by Paula Deen from the Food Network for deviled eggs. I don't like mayo, so I have never eaten a deviled egg, though they always looked good.

This recipe includes mayo, but thanks to the creamy goat cheese, the mayo could be left out. It is a swirly blend of chutney, chevre, finely chopped pecans, finely chopped celery, and chopped parsley. Then you put it in a pastry bag and fill the eggs. Garnish with parsley.

The Cheese Mistress
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My very non-kosher friend in TX - who happens to love gefilte fish - takes the fish balls straight out of the jar and dips it in chile con queso with jalapenos. He also recommends making it into patties and frying it in bacon grease! Serve with ketchup.

The Cheese Mistress
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What a day. For the second time in my life, I cried over food.

The first time was a cheese I bought at Artisanal Bistro when I was visiting New York, before I lived here. Stupidly, I forgot its name! I believe it was a Robiola la Rossa little cow's milk cheese soaked in macerated cherry leaves, or something similar. It was February. I kept the cheese chilled in the hotel by leaning it next to the window. I remember sitting there in the window watching the snow, looking at the big buildings, and eating this beautiful cheese, and I shed a tear or two!

Today's crying was much different. I'm in a weird town in New Jersey. I am sick with the "office bug," but not too sick. Just can't eat, yet I had an early writing deadline for a salesperson this morning. I was up at 5 a.m. writing about anchovies, tuna, and when it came to the babyback ribs, I just started crying. I couldn't make it through half a sentence. I actually can't write about it now or the feeling will come back. It's not the food's fault.

It is getting better. Now I want some light cheese. I wish somebody would bring me some fresh Italian buffalo ricotta and a big wine glass full of sheep's milk. Oh...nothing fancy.

The Cheese Mistress
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I'm sure anyone who has worked in the cheese biz on whatever level has encountered cheese swipers! I just don't get it. These are never people who are homeless or poverty-stricken or necessarily hungry. They just like to steal cheese.

I won't say when, where, how, and how many times, but it happened again. I did a volunteer cheese tasting last night on my own dime. I had delivered the cheese beforehand to the location and then half of it was gone!

The same thing happened somewhere else about a year ago. Apparently at this one establishment, there was an elderly man who liked to hoard food. Bits and pieces would show up in the corners of the building, and it was causing a mouse problem. We think he is the one who took my cheese then - and also tore into a lady's homemade cheesecake!

I don't know who stole my cheese last night or why, but seriously, if they had asked for a piece of cheese, I would have given it to them. I always have extra cheese. Sometimes I buy too much or pick up too many leftover scraps and samples from work. There is always cheese!!! I have so much cheese. It breaks my heart when I have to throw it away, but even stirs me up more when somebody steals it!

There are also the trade shows. When you run a booth, you constantly have to watch for "cheeselifters." My co-workers have literally run down the aisles to chase down cheese swipers. At one show, people took so many NOT free samples off a British guy's table, he had to leave the show. He had nothing left to display.

Because of "homeland cheese security issues", I will not disclose my methods of predicting a cheese incident, but I can tell when somebody is about to swipe. A lady was trying to steal a half wheel of Manchego in Florida last year. She displayed all the signs. I saw it coming.

I placed my hand on the wheel, right alongside her shifty paw, and I made her stand there through a 20 minute speech on Manchego, D.O. name protection in Spain, different breeds of sheep, raw vs. pasteurized milk for Manchego, esparto belts, Arabic and Jewish influences on food in Spain and how that affected rennets used, Don Quixote and mentions of cheese in literature and how that has helped food historians determine the timeline of the development of certain cheeses. When I got into the differences of natural mold-rinded Manchegos versus the use of differently colored light waxes for various ripenings, she left the table, bored to death -- and without the precious cheese!

If a thief is going to take a cheese, he or she must earn it! They should be hungry! Or, at least they should know the value of the cheese they steal! I hate to think of a very precious cheese being taken by an unappreciative moron.

Whoever has my stolen cheese from last night, I hope it's really a cute little mouse or rat because animals are much more refined than humans. Anybody see Ratatouille?!

The Cheese Mistress
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I took my meetup.com cheese group http://diningout.meetup.com/474/ (where you can see more pictures and activities)...the group went to Murray's for a smoked cheese class with Zoe Brickley, cheese affineur extraordinaire!

I know, a lot of people think smoked cheese is just junk, but it is nonetheless irresistible, especially when done well. Idiazabal, Quickes, Capri Smoked, Rogue River Oregon Blue...

One of my latest favorites is the award-winning River's Edge Chevre, Up in Smoke, from Oregon. It was pricey, but worth it. $13 for a little round, but much more complexity than I would find in most wines of that price range.

It is a gorgeous goat round, smoked and wrapped in leaves. I can't tell what these leaves are. The small brown one is obviously maple, but the other was confusing. I think it's an enormous green-brown maple leaf.

Here is Murray's description from the label, info also available at http://www.murrayscheese.com:

"When Murray's called cheesemaker Pat Morsford to get some info on the Alpine goats that are milked for this cheese, she asked, 'Do your goats go out on pasture?'

Pat replied, 'They're on the coastal mountain browse.' Meaning: these goats wander the crassy coast of Oregon and eat whatever they please. During the winter, when there is a shortage of food growing in the damp air, the goats nosh on dehydrated pumpkin, pumpkin seed, and grass hay. With this milk Pat makes Tillamook Burn. The name refers to the two-part process of smoking, first of maple leaves, and the of leaf-wrapped fresh chevre, that gives the cheese its signature aroma and flavor. Swathed."

The Cheese Mistress
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Yes, I'm still alive! I have been super busy, lately with a few social activities. From my NYC Cheese Lovers Club meetup group at http://diningout.meetup.com/474/, we have two events coming up. One is tonight at Murray's, and it's pretty much sold out at this point, I believe.

Zoe Brickley is teaching. She is also going to be getting my 4 ft. 60 bottle wine fridge to take to the Murray's caves! There the fridge will serve as a mini laboratory for new cheese curings. The other rooms of the caves are for the currently "official" Murray's cheeses that don't need aromas mixed with experimental cheeses. I haven't been cellaring wine in a while and don't have room for this fridge, but can go visit it now at Murray's, and hopefully taste some of the things that come out of it. http://www.murrayscheese.com

Below is the class I'm attending tonight at Murray's plus Martin Johnson's Blue cheese class next week. For more info on that, go to my meetup page: http://diningout.meetup.com/474/

Smoking Permitted

In the chilly winter months, nothing quite hits the spot like the rich, warm, earthy flavor of smoked cheeses. (Believe you me, we're not talking about supermarket smoked Goudas that taste like a couple swigs of Liquid Smoke.) We keep a variety of subtle, nuanced, and truly artful smoked cheeses that are sure to keep you warm this winter. Zoe Brickley, Murray's Affineur and American Cheese Buyer, will teach you all you ever wanted to know about this bold bevy of cheeses. Bilingual class taught in both Standard American English and North American Indian Smoke Signals.

When: 01.20.09
6:30 - 8:00 PM

Instructor: Zoe Brickley

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tuesday January 27 at 7 at 10 Degrees, 121 St. Mark's Place
Blue Blue Blue!!!
Our third annual survey of six (maybe seven) of the finest blue cheeses in the world balanced by six (again, maybe seven) non blues that will match the sweet whites and ports that are recommended with these superb cheeses. The tasting will take place in the newly redecorated salon room at 10 Degrees.
Tickets are $40, $35 in advance via Brown Paper Tickets
https://www.brownpape...

The Cheese Mistress
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My in-laws sent us a box of cheese from Whole Foods in, I suppose, Pittsburgh. It came with an ice pack in a little lunch cooler. The cheese survived, but kind of stunk up the lunch container! Which I suppose doesn't matter as that cooler will be carrying stinky cheese anyhow. Roquefort, real French Muenster, Danish Blue, Ibores, and Robusto, an Uniekaas Dutch gouda style that I haven't sampled yet. It looks in the Old Amsterdam/Rembrandt family.

The in-laws thought they were being sneaky by tearing away the price of the wedges from the stickers, but they left the price per pound! I haven't been to WF in a while and I was curious what the cheeses were going for over there. It looked like average pricing.

Always a luxury to have Roquefort.

An awkward day at work. I have been working really hard on a product book for my company. I finally got it finished and printed, and it's been stressful to the point of lack of appetite.

I took it into my boss' for final approval and he said, "Looks great, except you misspelled Atalanta." He was joking, but I had been so stressed from marketing co-workers - and by chance had just taken a bite off a slice of celebratory Ricotta Salata that I was holding - I choked and coughed out a piece of cheese right on my boss' desk! I didn't know what to do, so I just picked the cheese up and said, "Sorry."

What else are you going to do?!

He was very genteel about it. I figure he won't make that joke again!

Anyway, Ricotta Salata. Southern Italian. Not a super complex cheese, but I like it. Sheep, whey cheese. Creamy crumbly. I actually like it on watermelon as some people do feta, but it usually shows up cubed in salads and pasta salads. It is a nice alternative to feta and seems not as salty. It's spongy and can absorb sauces and oils.

The Cheese Mistress
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I'm taking the cheese club on a field trip to Artisanal Bistro in Manhattan on Sat. We are going to order fondue, of course.

Here is a handy cheese/wine pairing guide that I found on the Artisanal Cheese Center's online store site today.

http://www.artisanalcheese.com/pair_wine/

I needed a cheese for a little photo shoot, and at Atalanta, someone just happened to be cutting up a big wheel of somewhat generic red wax gouda. I picked the most attractive piece, took it home to use for photos. Gouda photographs very well. Anyway, I came home yesterday and my husband had hacked the whole front nose off the cheese and eaten it! So now the cheese...well, I won't say it's ugly, but it's not camera ready anymore.

Someone at work also gave me a rather photogenic chunk of Swiss-looking (but not tasting) Dolomitenkoenig mountain cheese from the Alto Adige. A delicious cheese that looks mild, like it's going to taste like a baby Swiss, but has a much more complex flavor similar to that of a light Gruyere and hints of animal in it. It's a good cheese. I will post the fairy tale that goes along with it later. It would be delicious in fondue.

The Cheese Mistress
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I spent Thanksgiving at home alone by choice. I realized today that I went the entire day yesterday with no cheese! The only thing I ate all day, in fact, was a little popcorn - which did have some cheese powder on it. The terrorist news just generally made me sick, and since I didn't have to eat, I didn't.

Today I broke the cheese fast with some melted Beemster on rye.

My cousin did tell me about a cheese recipe that she made for Thanksgiving instead of a big turkey. It was flattened chicken breasts rolled and stuffed with cream cheese and shallots (cordon bleu style), and tied with a ribbon of bacon. All baked, of course.

In case anybody is awake right now, on the History channel, est, is the Modern Marvels Series show on Cheese. It's really good. Lots of cheese, Redwood Hill, Fairway, Cheese Shop of Beverly Hills...so far.

I have it recorded, but I'll watch it again since it's on!

The Cheese Mistress

For work, I get to taste some Celebrity International goat cheeses that are firm. Unfortunately, these aren't available in the U.S. and I don't know if they will be, but they are good - Cheddar, Mozzarella and Feta. These firm goats are popular for people with allergies to cow's milk (esp. kids) who want to eat "regular" dishes like mac n' cheese, lasagna, tacos instead of the more exotic appetizers that call for fresh goat cheese like fancy bruschetta or chevre-stuffed peppers. What 10 year old kid wants to serve butternut and chevre tartelettes at his or her birthday party? (except maybe me at that age...)

This is my unofficial, casual review, but for work, I have to write this up in a prettier way.

I think the cheddar is my favorite. It's got a tangy, slightly sharp cheddar flavor, but you can also taste the goat on the finish, and it's kind of a sweet, flowery goat. It's tangy in two ways -- from the goat's milk and from the cheddar recipe. It's a white cheddar that slices and is very creamy, but also has a crumbly mouthfeel, maybe a little more crumbly than cow cheddar. It melts well. The label is black with a cartoon of a goat wearing a black top hat.

The Mozzarella goat is wearing a black beret with an Italian flag on it. This is a low-moisture mozzarella, 45% moisture and 25% m.f., so this is the type of mozz you would shred for lasagna or pizza. At work, the Italians complained that you can't call this mozzarella. Maybe not in Italy, but in the U.S., most people associate mozz with the firmer blocks, not the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana. The first questions out of everybody's mouth were, "Does it melt? Does it get stringy?" Yes it does. I think it is maybe a little less rubbery than cow mozz when it melts, and is possibly a little runnier, but it definitely makes a nice gooey string. It has a light goat flavor, not tangy like the cheddar but more mellow, and then it seemed saltier than the cheddar, though each has the same sodium content - 170 mg per oz.

Lastly, there is the Feta. We've all seen goat fetas floating around, so this is no groundbreaking cheese, but what is different about it is that it is not packed in brine and it has much lower sodium. It comes in a plastic-wrapped block, and when you open the plastic, just a little brine comes out. I've had other goat fetas packaged like this, but this one I liked more because it seemed less salty. It only has 210 mg of sodium. I have some brined feta in the fridge and it is a whopping 400 mg per oz. Thus, the Celebrity feta is something you could sit and snack on (not just use in salads) without feeling overwhelmed with salt. It was smooth, but crumbled well. When I melted it, it got soft, but stayed in shape more or less, so it would be good on a Greek pizza. The feta goat character is wearing a little Greek-inspired collar and a crown of leaves on its head.

These are all animal rennet free. The other soft goat cheeses that ARE available in the U.S. (cranberry, rum raisin, fig, dill, garlic/herb, plain) are also vegetarian, and they all just went COR kosher and Halal except for the fig. I'm doing a presentation on them at Kosherfest Tues. and Wed. this week in Secaucus, NJ. http://www.kosherfest.com. Atalanta booth 230, if anybody wants to come taste some cheese. I'll have these chevres plus Royal George English cheeses, Kirkeby Sol cheeses from Denmark, Barkanit from Israel, Gad from Israel, and some Canadian Bries by Eiffel Tower.

The Cheese Mistress
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My cheese has not been traveling well lately. The other week, I did two cheese events in Hoboken. One was kosher cheese for a sukkah party, and the other was a presentation on "How to Taste Cheese" at a PTA meeting.

For the kosher cheese, I had already bought some cheese, but also my co-worker at Atalanta gave me some from Israel to take. I was carrying too many bags on the train and when I got to Hoboken, I left my bag of cheese, which also had my favorite cheese apron in it. As soon as I realized I was missing a bag, I ran back to the train right as it pulled away. I called lost and found, but no one returned my bag. I at least wanted the apron back.

Since 9/11, up here there are ads on the trains and in the stations for "See something, say something." Usually the ads show a suspicious abandoned duffel bag in the subway. I wonder if somebody was scared of that cheese bag! The cheese had a bunch of Hebrew writing on it and it could have easily been stinking by the time it was discovered! I wonder if they tried to detonate it!

Luckily, The Garden of Eden in Hoboken has a good selection of kosher cheeses, including some of the ones I had gotten from work, so I was able to replace most everything for the party.

The next night, when I went back to Hoboken for the PTA presentation, I made sure to hold on tight to the cheese, but then the train broke down! I was stuck there in the dark with my cheese, surrounded by the usual creepy thugs until they could pry the doors open to let us out. Then we had to wait for the next train at a stop I'm not too fond of as there was recently a stabbing there during morning rush hour. I was not too scared, though, since I had my knife set on me.

But I made it to Hoboken - an hour late.

The Cheese Mistress
http://www.cheesemistress.com