Robiolina alle Erbe is a very good little fresh cow's milk cheese from Piedmont. It comes plain or with herbs. We have been eating Robiolina all week.It is like a cream cheese, but light and super fluffy with no sticky gums. The herbs are just right and won't give you bad breath. You could even eat this for breakfast on a bagel.

Robiolina has magic powers! I was in a horrible mood the other day and after I ate this cheese, I felt great. In fact, now I can't even remember why I was upset in the first place. The creamy cheese literally "smoothed" things over!

From my Atalanta's Cheese of the Day write-up:

Robiolina alle Erbe by Osella
Robiola Times Two!

Twin pack tubs protect two cubes of herbed Robiola, a soft and delicate cow’s milk cheese. Because of its size, the Italians of Piedmont often call this small cheese Robiolina, or little Robiola. The Robiolina from Osella is popular for its fragrant, sweet taste and touch of tanginess – all the taste of fresh cream and milk combined with the rich aroma of herbs.

Osella has perfected the art of balance in both flavor and texture. Robiolina alle Erbe is firm enough to sit on a plate, but it is free of gums so that it spreads with ease. The herbs are light enough for any time of the day. No need for garlic or onion overload; this cheese speaks for itself!

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

I get to go to the American Cheese Society conference after all! With Atalanta. I'm very excited. Last year I got to meet so many people and it's nice to put a face with a name.

Cheese everywhere...classes on cheesemaking and cheese biz, and then in between the seminars, there are tables set up for cheese tasting. Big cheese competition and cheese show at the end.

Things are looking grim for my trip to the American Cheese Society conference in Chicago this summer. Last year it was in Vermont, so I could drive and save money, but it was still a bit of a luxury even then.

http://cheesesociety.org/

I got on NPR last Wed. I am working on a kosher cheese project and was in a tiny Israeli store in Manhattan called Holyland buying some of our competitor's cheese, Tnuva. There was a lady in there interviewing people. I had no idea I would end up on NPR, but one of my co-workers heard me.

I work with Gad Dairy products from Israel, which are great and the Gad guys are really fun to hang out with. Shlomi is especially crazy! Gad carries Mediterranean style cheeses like labane, fetas, ricotta, zfatit and kashkaval. Their retail feta tubs have a basket within the tub. On the edges are two little stirrups so that you can lift the cheese out of the brine instead of making a mess. Very nice creamy feta.

Same concept with Tnuva's low fat cow feta, except instead of stirrups, there is a little handle that pops up like a market basket. You lift the cheese up by the tiny dollhouse handle. The cheese is firmer than higher fat cheeses and very briny. I like to rinse it with some water.

I also got Tnuva's sheep feta in a block. It comes with some brine, but packed in a flow-wrap type of sleeve. It is good, but has made a huge mess on my desk.

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

Murray's always has so many interesting classes, it's hard to decide which one to take. I have always been fascinated by processed foods -- not just the junky kind, but also the way food stuff(including milk) was preserved before the days of refrigeration. So I signed up for this class. I'm sure Murray's will not be serving cheese in a can!

The Pursuit of Tastiness

06.17.08 6:30 - 8:00 PM Robin Puskas $50.00 Available

In the days before we could throw our leftovers into the back of the fridge to collect (unwanted!) mold, preserving food was a vital way to keep the pantry full through the winter. It also happened to make food pretty delicious. Learn about ancient techniques for drying and salt curing food, preserving food in oils, and (a relative newcomer) canning produce. How were these traditional methods of "food processing" discovered and why have these tasty practices persisted (even with the prevalence of refrigerators)? Join Robin Puskas, Chef and Owner of New York Kitchen Company for a look into old world ingenuity and a tasting of traditionally (and deliciously) processed foods.

http://www.murrayscheese.com

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

An impulse buy! I was at the store last night looking for some crackers and ran across a new spray cheese in an aerosol can, this time made by Sunshine, producers of Cheez-It crackers. Part of the reason I bought it is that it's a really nice package - red like the Cheez-It cracker box, and with a green top. "Made with real Cheddar cheese" it reads in several locations on the can. I got the White Cheddar flavor. There is a picture of a cheese wheel on the front with a wedge cut out. Presumably this missing 8 oz. wedge is what they spun into to the contents of the 8 oz. can.

2 Tablespoons = 90 calories, 6 g of fat and a whopping 540 mg of sodium! Not abnormal for such process cheeses.

When you press the nozzle, it sprays out in the traditional ridged squiggles. The cheese is not orange, but white (though they also have an orange Cheddar version). It has a flavor that is more pronounced, sharper, a little tingly, longer musky, nutty finish that is reminiscent of a sharp white Cheddar...and then you are hit with a ton of salt.

The salt is a huge drawback, but seriously, I've tasted worse "specialty" cheese spreads at the Fancy Food Show.

I'm taking this to work. I'm sure my co-workers will make fun of it, but I bet somebody will eat it! I'm going to weigh it on my scale before work and after work to see how much disappears. After all, it is a nice package and there is also the nostalgia aspect of squeeze cheese.

Oh, an added bonus - expiration date of September 3008!!! (Surely they mean Sept. 30, 2008?)

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

Having some Monte Enebro Spanish goat cheese for lunch today. I have been interested in this cheese not only because it is delicious, but also because someone from Spain recently said that a similar-looking goat cheese, Leonora, is the same cheese. I beg to differ! Both are great cheeses, but complete opposites. The only thing similar is that they are both Spanish, both in long log or brick shapes, and both ashed goat milk cheeses.

Monte Enebro - dense, cakey, tangy, a little salty, rustic rind with some blue mold, sad streak near the the rind, walnut flavors. Fights with a lot of the usual table wines, but works well with a sherry.

Leonora - fluffy, tangy, creamy, fatty-tasting in that triple-creme way, but generally light on the palate. Rind is not as funky. Perfect with Spanish Cava!

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

I can't find a video online of it, but on the Today show this morning, there was a brief visit to a cheese shop in the city of Gouda. Matt Lauer was in Amsterdam, so they sent somebody else to Gouda in his place. Lots of wheels on the racks. They looked good. I don't know what brands they were because I didn't see any labels, but they were probably just cheeses from a farm nearby. They were all yellow and buttery-looking.

The oldest Gouda in the shop was 3 years old, and the young one that they were eating was 4 months.

The woman doing the interviewing described the cheese as "nice." I was hoping for something more elaborate, but again, it was a short segment.

I knew there would be a segment on cheese! In fact, I watched that show all morning waiting to see some cheese and was nearly late for work!

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

I went into the city yesterday to hit several new cheese shops and old favorites. I didn't make it uptown, but I got to visit three shops - Murray's, Alleva and di Palo's. At each store I got ricotta!

Murray's in Greenwich Village - We all know this store. They bring in ricotta from Calabro, an Italian-owned cheese producer based in CT, but that sources milk from VT. They also sell mozzarella curds to restaurants and small shops that want to make their own cheese. Murray's sells this cheese either in a 12" or so cheese "tower" or repacked plastic clamshell trays. The one time I got the cheese tower, it came in a narrow metal bucket, but with holes to let the cheese drain. It looked like a big ice cream cone. I woke up the next morning and realized I didn't need that much ricotta since I wasn't going to have time to cook for several days, so I took it to work. The Italians in the office went crazy over it, especially with honey or mixed with some sugar. Calabro has a very milky aftertaste, almost butter-like. Its texture is curdy, but with a good bit of moisture.

Alleva in Little Italy - I had never been here before, and unfortunately by the time I got here, they were about to close, so I didn't get to talk to anybody. I grabbed a small tub of fresh ricotta and a half mozz ball. Alleva, Italian-owned, has been in Little Italy for over 100 years. Their ricotta has smaller curds and is higher moisture than di Palo's or Calabro's. It's also got a lighter taste, probably due to the fact that it's so high moisture and creamy. I measured out 1 cup of Alleva's against 1 cup of di Palo's, and the Alleva weighed 2 oz. more! Again, because of the high moisture. Whichever style you prefer depends on your cooking purposes. I want to go back here and try the Manteche, a mozzarella ball with butter folded and rolled into the center. This is the way Paula Lambert of Dallas Mozzarella Co. makes her Burrata. http://allevadairy.com

Di Palo's Fine Foods in Little Italy - It was a pleasure to speak with Sal di Palo, one of the owners. His brother, Lou di Palo, may be better recognized as the face of di Palo's, but Sal definitely knows and loves his cheese. He let me taste several, including mozzarella, burrata, and of course, ricotta. When he scooped some ricotta onto a piece of deli paper, it was so dense, it didn't budge or ooze. You could just pick up the fluffy clumps with your fingers and eat them like little clouds. Di Palo's ricotta was delicious (of course), and had been recommended to me by a food writer for the Gothamist, Joe di Stefano. Here's his article on di Palo's: http://gothamist.com/2008/01/28/luigi_dipalo_ow.php

Besides home-made fresh ricotta and mozz, Di Palo's also carried imported "Cap" Burrata, Cooperativa Allevatori Putignano in Bari. On the top shelf of the deli case were three fat burratas wrapped in real leaves. The Cap burrata is one of my favorites so far! Sal sliced it open with an ultra sharp knife. It kept its shape so that you could peer deep inside, almost like looking at science class drawings of the layers of the earth -- a big round ball with a glowing, molten center. It was perfectly curdy, stringy and layered. I have never seen such a beautiful burrata. Sal said that burrata originated as a way to use up the mozzarella scraps. The cheesemakers dressed these mozzarella bits in cream and then rolled them up inside a mozzarella sheet like a beggar's purse. This burrata was not the least bit acidic or dehydrated as you sometimes find with those that have pushed their shelf life a bit. Even though its sell-by date was a week away, Sal would not let it stay on the shelf for anywhere near that long, just to make sure it had the perfect freshness. This way, Americans can enjoy burrata in true Italian style.

Here's how good di Palo's burrata is: This morning I opened the fridge and a cascade of cheese came tumbling out. My precious burrata popped out of its container and landed on the floor! I ate it anyway!

I have so much ricotta now. I'm not complaining, but I'm going to take it to the office and share.

Sometimes I go to Little Italy and am sad because it doesn't look at all like what you would expect - Chinese people who don't speak Italian or English selling Italian souvenirs to tourists. Chinatown is huge, and great if you are looking for a Chinese experience, but if you want true Italian and Italian-American cheeses, it's nice to know that the heart of Little Italy still beats at di Palo's and Alleva.

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

A delicious new cheese from Piedmont! Little cow's milk rounds with red pepper, herbs or truffles, marinated in oil.

I love fresh cheeses. Even though they aren't considered the most complex in the world, they are charming. It's especially exciting to find one that is a little off-beat. Marinated goat cheeses, mozzarellas and fetas are common these days, but I don't see as many cows hanging out in the oil. In the office yesterday, we had the truffle tomini out and I couldn't stay away. The cheese was light, fluffy and even a little tangy, but rich and smooth from the oil and the Piedmontese milk. Somehow, in spite of feeling so light on the palate, it had an intense flavor of cream. The truffles did not overpower it at all.

My co-worker from Italy, Andrea Berti, suggests serving these whole on top of a sald or putting them on a pizza. Here's what I wrote about them for Atalanta's Cheese of the Day:

Tomini in Oil - Truffles, Herbs or Red Peppers? Your Pick!

These little tomini seem to have styled themselves after fresh goat cheese! Incredibly creamy and bordering on tangy, they are both rich and refreshing. They come in three flavors—truffles, herbs and red peppers—and are packed in sunflower oil for an extra smooth texture.

Tomino is a traditional style of fresh, soft cow’s milk cheeses from the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. According to an Italian law from the beginning of the century, to be called high quality milk, the suppliers of the milk have to meet certain parameters with their product including a high content of fat (the more fat content, the better it is.), high protein content and the purity of the milk with regards to bacteria count. The tomino is so named for its small size. These tomini are completely rindless. Their young age and creamy milk, along with the oil treatment, makes them ideal for spreading. They are excellent served alongside a salad, as a snack with crackers or bread, or as topping for bruschette or grilled meats. In a pizza bianca, they make an interesting substitute for ricotta.

Since they are so delicate, it is best to pour them out and drain them in a colander so they do not sacrifice their shape to a stabbing spoon. The remaining sunflower oil makes a great dressing for the cheeses! To retain the oil, put a plate under the colander before straining.

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

As usual, very busy lately, but I did squeeze in a visit to Casellula Cheese and Wine Cafe' at 52nd and 9th Ave with my NYC Cheeselover's Club, a meetup.com group I formed. Besides a menu of borderline obscure cheeses (some even stumped me!), they have cold cut flights, appetizers and desserts.

These appetizers come highly recommended:
Truffled Cheese Fries with Fontina Val d'Aosta and Wild Mushrooms
Stuffed Peppadew Peppers/Buffalo Mozzarella/Speck (mild little stuffed peppers wrapped in speck and baked!)
Hapy Waitress - Grilled Camembert, Mixed Greens, Tomatoes and Bacon

Some cheeses I've had there, some I've had before, some not:
Chabis Feuille
Bergkaese Heublumen
Nisa
Barilotto raw buffalo
Cashel Blue from Ireland
Teresina goat from Piedmont
Beehive Cheese Co. Barely Buzzed cow rubbed with coffee and lavender
Beemster X.O.

There are so many cheeses and the menu changes daily, so you have to keep going back. Also, be warned that this place takes no reservations and is constantly packed. It's inconvenient at times, but worth it. I would suggest going in around 9 p.m. They don't open till 5 p.m.

Nearby is a new cheeses shop -- a set of wine and cheese stores called Ninth Avenue Vintners. One store is all cheese with a little cafe' in the back. Next door is the sister wine shop. I'm not sure, but I think you can drink wine in the cheese cafe'. They just opened. They had plate after plate of cheeses out for demo - at 9:45 at night! Most of them were Gouda styles, and most very pricy. Beemster X.O. was $18.99 lb.! I bought a tiny slice of Ewephoria, a sheep Gouda that I always love, and also some of Cypress Grove's Midnight Moon goat Gouda. Although Cypress Grove is in CA, this particular cheese is made for them in Holland.

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

Here is the latest Beemster cow video on Youtube. Every spring, the Dutch cows of the Beemster polder come bursting out of the barn doors to eat the first grasses of spring. They are so excited, they jump around and "dance," kicking their heels around like mules. This year, I was told, it was chilly outside, so they weren't jumping around so much, but they do some other weird things in the video to make up for the lack of dancing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie12MeDjoWQ&feature=email

This first milk of the spring will go to make a young cheese called Graskaas which should be on the U.S. shelves in June.

Some cows are wearing blankets in the video. These are the Caring Dairy logos, a sustainable dairy farming program. Both Beemster and Ben and Jerry's ice cream are made from Caring Dairy milk.

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

No time to post much...just got back from working a great event at Pennsylvania Restaurant show in Pittsburgh (http://www.pennmac.com was my booth) and then a distributor show at J. King for Atalanta and Menu from Italy with Chef Aldo! Cheese cheese everywhere. More on Penn Mac and all the folks I met at J. King later!

Here's what I'm attending tonight at Murray's. A bit Jewish. Not kosher (for those concerned), but no meat served.

The Kabbalah of Food
04.10.08 6:30 - 8:00 PM Yaron Milgrom-Elcott $50.00 Available

What can we say? We love to learn about the history and origins of our food. This time around we're delving into the world of Kabbalah to experience and understand the food we eat and how we eat it. Yaron Milgrom-Elcott, doctoral student in Medieval Jewish Mysticism at NYU and first rate food lover, explains the esoteric offerings of the Zohar (The Book of Splendor) and the food that inspired it. Not to mention we'll taste cheese, oil, wine, bread, pastries and more.

Today. That's about all I have to say. No time...lots of cheese, though.

Tonight! (I missed Martin Johnson's class last night on cheeses of the northeastern U.S., but at least tonight I can make this one with Sue Sturman.) This stinky cheese class sold out immediately, so there's a waitlist. This is definitely an event you need to bring your S.O. along with because you will probably be a bit "aromatic" by the end of the night! Murray's should be offering this class again in the fall.

Only the Strong Survive

03.26.08 6:30 - 8:00 PM Sue Sturman

If you've been wondering why all of your cheese-fanatic friends get so excited about smelly cheese, join Sue Sturman, former Assistant Director of the Paris Ritz-Escoffier cooking school, as she skips through the stinkies with you. Learn what makes these washed-rind cheeses exactly so stinky and taste how their pungent aromas give way to fruity floral flavors and a meaty mouthfeel.

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

Lots of fun last night at the Flea Market with cheeseheads Marie Fromage, Ernesto Manchego and Joe di Stefano (plus my own Patrick). Here's my general re-cap of Raclette. The raclette contraption we had at the bar looked like a Belgian waffle maker.

Move Over Fondue!

If you are looking for an interactive party cheese, Raclette is it. This cheese is more fun than a game of Twister! Along with Emmentaler, Gruyère and Fontina, cow’s milk Raclette ranks as one of the world’s most famous melting cheeses. It is produced in both the French and the Swiss Alps, and exhibits typical mountain cheese characteristics; it comes in a large wheel, has a semi-soft interior with tiny holes, and is protected by a slightly aromatic, inedible rind. Because of its natural ability to melt, Raclette lends itself to great creativity in the kitchen. The name derives from the verb racler, meaning “to scrape.” In the alpine tradition, locals set a half-wheel of Raclette next to the fireplace. Once the edge starts to melt, they scrape the soft cheese onto a plate of boiled potatoes, cornichons, pearl onions and charcuterie.

When a fireplace is not available, Raclette grills step in to save the day. Three basic types exist on the market. One is a large Raclette holder with a mini heat lamp. A wedge or a half wheel of Raclette sits tilted in a clamp, allowing the cheese to drip onto a plate of accompaniments. Another style is a rectangular oven with rows of small cast iron skillets called coupelles. Each pan holds a serving’s worth of vegetables and meats with a thick slice of cheese on top. The mixture broils under the grill altogether and arrives at the table piping hot, to be eaten directly from the skillet

The most “sociable” grill, especially popular in restaurants and at parties, is a double-decker mini-broiler designed for tabletop use. It comes with a set of tiny coupelles which are just big enough for a slab of Raclette. Each diner puts the cheese directly onto the pan, heats it inside the grill, and then pours it over his or her own personal selection of vegetables and meats.

Although Raclette is traditionally a cold-weather cheese, it can be served year-round. It is especially refreshing—melted or not—with sliced pears and a glass of crisp white wine.

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

Tonight I'm going to the Flea Market French restaurant in Manhattan with a group of cheese lovers - blogger Marie Fromage of http://www.mariefromage.com, Joe di Stefano who writes food articles for the Gothamist, and a mysterious character known as Ernesto Manchego!

We are going to try the raclette. I have had raclette before in France. It's a mountain cheese traditionally served melted over vegetables such as potatoes and pickles, but it goes with just about everything that a Gruyere would. In the olden days, the locals took a half wheel of cheese and sat it next to the fire. As the cheese melted, they scraped ('racler' in French) the cheese onto plates of vegetables. As I had it in the French Alps, it was served in tiny cast iron skillets of vegetables and meats which had been heated with the cheese under a fancy French raclette broiler. We'll see what happens tonight!

Here is the link to one of Joe di Stefano's latest articles on cheese -- grilled cheese! What's not to love? http://gothamist.com/2008/01/29/hot_off_the_pre.php

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

Something silly I wrote for Atalanta's "Cheese of the Day" today:

Gaperon - A Home Run Cheese!

Billy Crystal may have struck out with the Yankees last week, but this baseball of a cheese will always be a hit! With a flowering rind and round shape, Gaperon looks and tastes like spring baseball fever. However, at 350 grams, it borders on softball heft.

Gaperon comes from the Auvergne region of south-central France. It takes its name from the dialectal word gap or gape, meaning buttermilk, a reminder of the way it was produced in the past; the milk left in the butter churn was mixed with fresh milk.

No other cheese in France combines as many diverse cheesemaking elements as Gaperon. It comes in an unusual ball shape tied with a thin yellow ribbon. Its rind is hard and white with hints of mold, but underneath, the paste is soft and dotted with garlic and ground pepper. For an extra jolt of flavor, Gaperon hangs over a fire by a hook to cure. Its affinage lasts one to two months.

Gaperon is lower fat than most cheeses—made with partially skimmed milk for a total of 30 to 45% fat in dry matter.

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

Cheese Mistress defeated at John Street Bar!

I didn't think it could ever be done, but I think I've met my match! I had the cheesiest cheese quesadilla last night at a bar/restaurant in lower Manhattan. It was almost too much cheese for me! This mega cheesy quesadilla was a quesadilla in the truest sense of the word. It was pure cheese, not cut with vegetables or sauce like some quesadillas. The cheese was big and thick, almost as if the cook had taken a couple of half-moon cheese slabs and panini-pressed them in between two tortillas.

The bar was dark, but when I tore the quesadilla apart, the strands stretched into thin flat sheets that shone in the light of the beer signs. The cheese looked to be a blend of Cheddar and Jack, super melted and smooth. I think it was that type of two-toned cheese or a blend of the two. Here is the menu description:

Quesadilla: with cheddar jack cheese, served with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.

I have never seen so much cheese. http://www.johnstreet.com It's a quirky low key bar with an even quirkier mix of people, different on any given night. The first night I went there, it was goth night. The second time, business people and tourist night. Last night was bachelorette party night.

I can't say I didn't like all that cheese, but it would seriously take me a week to eat through that quesadilla! Luckily my cheesier half was there to share it with me.

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

Demo today at Murray's at Grand Central Station.

Here's what they wrote on their site.

http://www.murrayscheese.com/stores.asp

FORMAGGIO DI FOSSA
Friday March 7th 3-7pm

IL FORTETO FORMAGGIO DI FOSSA
Buy a half pound or more and enjoy a free Il Forteto honey!
The Cheese Mistress will be on hand to celebrate this crazy cheese! It is not for the faint at heart—Placed underground in August, the cheese lies wrapped in straw bag until it is unearthed on St. Catherine's Day, November 25. In a short three months, the cheese acquires an extraordinary woodsy, refined flavor. So well known is the Fossa cheese that it was immortalized in Dante's L'Inferno. We temper it with honey that this same cooperative makes.