Tag: kase
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A Wisconsin Cheese Journey: Part 3
[This is the final post in a three-part series on the Cheesemonger Invitational winners’ trip to Wisconsin in October. You can read the first part here and the second part here.] My third full day in Wisconsin started off by jolting me with the hard, cold reality that I had already acquired a lot of…
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It’s Been a Long Summer!
If you follow this blog, you haven’t seen a new post since May. Somehow five months passed and October has crept up on us. Summer is over, which means the high cheese season is getting ready to hit full swing. I am sorry for not posting in so long. There have been plenty of topics…
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Fantello Farmstead Creamery: A New Washington Cheesemaker to Know
It was a grayish, early spring day in western Washington when I set out to spend my day off doing what I do best: getting cheesy. I drove from my home in Federal Way through the town of Auburn and into an agricultural area beyond that I had never before explored. The space between Auburn…
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Lost Peacock Creamery: From #ThatFarmLife to Fabulous Farmstead Cheese
In a recent post, I briefly explained the difference between artisanal and industrial cheeses. But among artisanal cheeses, there are also differences. There are cheeses that boast of being ‘farmstead’ cheeses, and there are those that are simply ‘artisan’ or ‘specialty.’ Artisan cheeses should be made by hand, or with as little help as possible…
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How to Tell if a Cheese is for Cooking or Just Eating
Here’s a conversation that happens at least once every hour at the cheese counter: Cheesemonger: “Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.” Customer: “Yeah, I’m looking for a cheese that will go well on crackers.” Cheesemonger: “Well, you’ve come to the right place. Everything you see is good with crackers.” [Customer…
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How Blue Cheese is Made at Twin Sisters Creamery
Looking at a wedge of blue cheese with lines of blue mold rippling through it, you might assume that the mold got there by being injected into the cheese. I have heard this from time to time as an explanation to children or from one adult to another, of how this family of cheeses is…
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8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 7
One of the qualifying factors for a cheese to be considered a “celebration cheese” is its availability. I’ve talked about some cheeses that are more difficult to get because of how they are imported, and I have mentioned that other cheeses are only seasonally available. When you eat what is in season, when it is…
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There’s White Stuff Growing on Your Cheese That Isn’t Mold
Two weeks ago, one of my best friends and ex-cheese comrades, Chelsea, brought our old mentor/boss-lady, the illustrious Kim Martin, into the shop. Neither of them had visited us before, and it was pretty exciting to show them around our little corner of the co-op. As they were getting ready to leave, Chelsea pulled me…
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What do you ask a cheesemonger?
“Where’s your bathroom?” – That’s the No. 1 question I answer all day, every day at work. Despite the mundaneness of turning people back to the front of the store from whence they came, it is but one of many questions a cheesemonger anticipates every day. Often times, people walk right up to you with…
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What is the Difference Between Chèvre and Goat Cheese?
“Where’s your goat cheese?” I answer this question at least three times a day at work; my response is usually not immediately helpful to the person asking. “Here is our goat cheese section in the cheese case, and over here we have two shelves of goat cheese on this wall. Is there a specific type…
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Alp Blossom Smells Like Heaven
If I could only smell one scent for the rest of my life, it would probably be the scent of Alp Blossom. This stunning cow’s milk cheese from Sennerei Huban is a celebration of springtime. Decorated with a rind of flowers and herbs from Alpine Meadows, the cheese is made in Austria and aged in…
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The Cheeses Every Home Must Have
This has been a big year for The PhCheese so far. Not on the blog front so much, unfortunately, but in more personal arenas. Things have been rather silent on the blog and social media because my fiancé and I succeeded in doing something we felt would be impossible in the Seattle metro area—and yet…
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Parmesan vs. Parmigiano: What’s the Difference?
I grew up consuming Parmesan that came out of a green shaker. It was grated, it was white, and it went on top of spaghetti, lasagna, manicotti, cannelloni, and pizza. As a child, I was fearful of tomato-based foods. (I have no idea why; I just knew mom was trying to poison me every time…
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Why You’ve Gotta Try Garrotxa
It’s the cheese that nobody knows how to pronounce in our goat cheese section. How do you even ask a question in English about a cheese that ends with “txa”? First of all, I recommend holding a wedge up to the cheesemonger so that he or she can see the name on the label and…
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What You Need to Know About White, Fuzzy Rinds
The other day, a mother and her pre-teen daughter were in the shop buying cheese. In our soft-ripened cow’s milk section (which is not labeled as such), the mom picked up a small wedge and put it in their basket. “Mom, why does it say Bloomy?” the daughter asked, peering at the cheese’s label. “I…