Tag: phcheese
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The Non-Melting Cheese That Should Be a Staple in Your Kitchen
One of my favorite cheese puns is a joke about Halloumi: “What does cheese say when it looks in the mirror?” “Hallou-mi!” I’m not just a fan of this pun because it teaches you how to pronounce the name of a cheese that is obviously sassy and feeling itself, but also because it is about…
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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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How to Pair Cheese & Chocolate for Valentine’s Day (or Any Day)
Cheese and chocolate pairings don’t always work. But when they do, the combination can be magical. I will admit that I haven’t always been a fan of putting cheese and chocolate together (in fact, I have admitted it before). But here I am, a person who co-teaches cheese and chocolate pairing classes at Theo Chocolate…
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What It’s Like Competing in the Cheesemonger Olympics
Last month, on January 13 and 14, I competed in the olympics of cheesemongering. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen posts about the Cheesemonger Invitational (#cmisf). The invitational usually happens twice a year, during the Fancy Food Show. The winter edition is in San Francisco in January, and the…
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8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 8
We have made it to the end of my “8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses” series—and subsequently to the end of 2018. If, like me, you are scratching your head and wondering where the time went, just know that it tends to fly when you are having fun—as you should be when cheese is a part…
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The 12 Days of Cheesemas
[Originally published on December 18, 2016; revised December 12, 2017.] In honor of the holiday season that surrounds us, I give you the gift of poetry and music. Tomorrow is the twelfth day of Cheesemas. If you have not yet gotten all of your Christmas cheese together, I hope you will take inspiration from this…
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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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8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 6
It’s hard to believe that we’re now over halfway through the holiday season. Time flies when you’re having fun! This week’s celebration cheese is a no-brainer for a list like this. It is easily one of the best cheeses in the world, and it is always one of the best cheeses in my case. There…
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8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Weeks 4 and 5
The gig is up, right? You already know that I’m posting two weeks’ worth of celebration cheeses at once because I got behind due to Thanksgiving week and weekend craziness, and the inevitable sinus infection of doom that came after. Well, yes and no. I mean, yes, I got behind on posting; such is life…
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8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 3
People who get excited about scraping sheets of melted Raclette cheese over boiled potatoes, cornichons, pickled onions, and prosciutto are not wrong. It’s very right to love the ritual of making Raclette. That ritual, and the cold-weather warmth that it conjures, are only part of my reasoning for naming the third 2018 holiday cheese none…
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8 Weeks of Celebration Cheeses: Week 2
As a cheese retailer, you’re not always able to get all of the cheeses you want at all times. Sometimes it’s because the cheese is only available certain times of the year because it’s made seasonally, or because a small-batch cheese sells out. Other times, cheeses are more difficult to get—and harder to sell to…
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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…