A Quick Overview on Making Mozzarella

I recently attempted making an experimental batch of fresh mozzarella with a friend. Neither of us had done it before, so we were relying heavily on internet instructions. But it was successful!! And tasted delicious!

Here is documentation of the process:

Heated non-homogenized whole cow's milk with some citric acid, then added vegetable rennet to start forming curds.

Strained the curds and let rest for about 15 minutes.

Sliced the mass into 1" cubes and separated into batches for the next step...

Stretched and folded 2-6 times to build elasticity.

Shaped balls and rested in salted whey for 30 minutes.

The most important part!! Enjoyed fresh mozzarella medallions on crostini with basil and balsamic tomatoes.

It was a lot of fun trying my hand at cheese-making, and although it was involved, it was quite easy. I'm looking forward to the next DIY session, and may even sign up for a class in the near future. If all continues to go well, we may convert the basement into a cheese cellar!

Snacks for Outdoor Adventures

Here in Colorado, it's hard to keep us indoors, even in the dead of winter. In fact, many would say that's the best season! Mountain air flows through our veins baby!! And the beautiful thing is that whether you prefer hot or cold, you can get either within a not-so-long car ride.

As anyone can tell you, an essential part of taking any trip is bringing the proper snacks. I tend to over-do it when it comes to packing food. Mostly because I'm concerned with others' wellbeing (you don't want to see me hangry, it could turn into a safety issue for you).

My ultimate pick-me-up is chocolate, no question. However, I'm not a fan of the sugar crash or melty gotta-spoon-this-outta-the-wrapper bars. Sorry, Hersheys, but you don't make the cut. If I'm going to indulge, I need something that tastes amazing while standing up to fluctuating temperatures.

This week I spent a sunny day at Cottonwood hotsprings in Buena Vista, as well as a day skiing Keystone. I brought six different chocolate bars along. They stood up to direct sunlight and later to direct body heat (via living in the chest pocket of my jacket for several hours). I'm pretty sure any of these could survive a lengthy hike as well.

Choosing dark chocolate with little dairy reduces the chances of melting. Low sugar reduces chances of blooming. These factors also help them last longer, as a little bit packs a punch when it comes to cravings.

These bars are actually all made without milk, and I wasn't sure if they'd really taste that great. I imagined they would be like the MRE versions of what I was used to...providing sustenance, but probably not enjoyment. I was happily surprised. No milk = even more depth of flavor from the cacao beans themselves!


Here are my impressions:

55% Chocolove Chilies and Cherries - Yummy!!! The chili lent an element of warmth that left my mouth tingly, and the cherry followed up nicely with just enough sweetness. This bar was also thicker than the others.

70% Theo Orange Dark Chocolate - This is something to salivate over. Citrus and vanilla add brightness and round out the depth. Velvety.

70% Theo Salted Black Licorice - It was decent. While not usually a fan of licorice, I was so intrigued by the idea that I had to risk trying it. Gave the chocolate an herbal taste, and kicked the complexity up a notch.

70% Madecasse Toasted Coconut - I liked the flavor, as well as the texture. It was almost as if the bits of coconut dissolved on my tongue, leaving a light and airy pillow of chocolate behind.

70% Alter Eco Dark Salted Almonds - The salt is more prominent than the almonds, but it still has a delightful roasty quality and melted satisfactorily. I would've liked larger chunks of nuts.

85% Primal Chocolate Crunchy Caramel - Stayed pretty solid on my tongue. I had to make an effort to swirl the flavor around. The caramel chunks are made with maple syrup, which makes this chocolate bar totally vegan friendly. This would be more of a 'special fix' than something to regularly snack on just because it is so intense.





Chocolate goes on more than sweets! Cheese makes the perfect sweet and salty pairing. Experiment and see what combinations you like best. That's all part of the fun...and certainly makes a day trip more enjoyable!

Here are some of my favorite American artisan cheeses that can be cubed ahead of time, and will survive at ambient temperatures:

Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper - California gifted us this dreamy aged sheep gouda that is remarkably nutty and buttery.

Avalanche Clothbound Goat Cheddar - Made and aged for 6 months in Colorado, this hard cheese is reminiscent of parmesan. Try drizzling chunks with honey, and enjoying with dried fruit.

Beehive Barely Buzzed - Cheddar style cow's milk cheese from Utah, rubbed with lavender and espresso. Basically lets you make a mocha by alternating bites.

Roth Grand Cru Surchoix - Award-winning alpine style washed rind cow's milk cheese from Wisconsin. Pairs well with nuts.

My New Favorite Way to Use Smoked Moody Blue Cheese in a Recipe

The Cheese

In my experience, Smoked Moody Blue is one of the cheeses that can usually manage to win over people who don't think they like blue. It has a nice balance between tangy and umami, and is smoked over fruit wood for subtle flavor. The texture is perfectly crumbly too...and I've never hit a blue vein so large that it overwhelmed that bite. It's pretty fantastic, and not something you typically see. And because it is so unique, Smoked Moody Blue won 2nd place at the US Cheese Championship in 2009.

The Producer

Emmi Roth USA makes this cheese in Monroe, Wisconsin. They source their milk from Rolling Hills Co-Op, which 152 family farms contribute to. Not only are those cows getting some TLC, but the milk doesn't travel any more than 60 miles to the facility, so you know there is quality on at least two levels.



The Recipe

Winter is comfort food season for me. Pot pies, meatballs, mashed potatoes, all the fried things, and extra cheese.

Enter the galette: a lazy man's tart. Your kitchen doesn't need to be equipped with any fancy tins or trays. Heck, you don't even have to use a fork. This is perfect finger food, all while remaining easy and making you feel just a tad fancier.

I like savory, and I like breakfast, and I like easy. For this galette, I used jarred roasted tomatoes on a premade pie crust. Toss a handful of spinach, crack a couple eggs, crumble a bit of cheese and you're good to go!!

For those who would like more precise directions, here's how I made it:



Prep time: 10 mins
Passive time: 25 mins
Total time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

- Pre-made pie crust, thawed
- 4 oz Roasted tomatoes, drained
- Handful of fresh spinach
- 3 eggs
- 3 green onions, sliced thinly
- 2 to 4oz Smoked Moody Blue Cheese, crumbled
- Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Lay the pie crust on a tray lined with parchment paper
2) Arrange the tomatoes in concentric circles, starting 1" away from edge. Fold edges over to form the crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until dough starts to turn golden brown.
3) Remove from oven. Place spinach as first layer, arranging as if 3 nests. Crack eggs into space.
4) Sprinkle onions and cheese over the entire gallette. Bake for about 10 minutes, until eggs have reached desired firmness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.




Leave a comment and let me know how you use blue cheese to give your recipes a finishing touch!

Stuffed Brie

With the holidays right around the corner and festive get-togethers gearing up, it's nice to have a little something in your back pocket that is a crowd-pleaser and doesn't require much time to prepare. Bonus: It looks fancy too.

If you don't want to create a full on cheese board, go with this little guy:

Slice a mini wheel of brie open and insert jam and nuts. Garnish if you feel like it. That's all. 10 minutes max.

For this particular one, I used Isigny St. Mere Petit Bonhomme double cream brie (produced in Normandy, France by a co-op of 570 farmers). For additional flavor, raspberry chambord jam from The Boozy Jam Co and shaved almonds.

There are so many types of preserves available, so don't be shy to experiment. These are just a few of the combos I want to try soon:

- pumpkin butter and maple pecans
- peach jam and spicy nuts
- pepper jelly and bacon crumbles
- orange marmalade and sesame cashews
- caramelized onion and toasted pine nuts

Can you tell I'm in a savory mood? Leave a comment with ideas or past success stories.

Parmigiano Reggiano

Mention pasta, and nearly everyone will ask you to pass the parmesan. 

But the spelling matters!!  Parmesan is usually the domestic version, and always a knock-off. It can still do well in a recipe, but doesn't have the history or glory of Parmigiano Reggiano, which is a Protected Designation of Origin cheese. It can only be true parm if it is produced in one of five provinces of Italy: Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Mantua, and Bologna.

There are additional regulations as well, derived from 800 years of tradition. The cows are grass-fed, and the milk remains raw. Most notable is the practice of combining the partially skimmed evening milk with the whole morning milk. 

Each finished wheel weighs about 90 pounds, and the rind has the number of the producing farm embedded in it along with the words Parmigiano Reggiano along the circumference, and its date of birth. It will also have the seal of approval from the Consorzio, the officials that set the standards and oversee quality.

Widely regarded as the King of Cheeses, each wheel is aged at least 12 months. The cheese counter I work at offers a 24 month variety, and there are even 36 month wheels available. It becomes naturally lactose-free with aging, so nearly everyone should be able to enjoy.

Flavors range from sweet to nutty, grassy to fruity. Try nibbling on bits dipped in honey or shaved over a salad. Throw a rind in a pot of soup for a richer flavor.

Whichever way you choose, take a moment to appreciate the craftsmanship that Italy has contributed to the world of formaggio. And leave a comment on how you like to enjoy it!

Harbison

If you're looking for a memorable cheese that allows for great presentation, let me introduce you to Harbison.

It is a bloomy rind soft cheese that has been wrapped in local spruce bark. Because of its small format, the flavors that develop really have a chance to penetrate the entire wheel. Made from Ayrshire cow's milk in Vermont by Jasper Hills Farms, this is a savory, silky, earthy, oozy cheese that coats your whole mouth. Mmmm...

It is truly a decadent experience. Harbison is so soft that it is nearly a dip, and in fact, the recommended way to serve it is to slice off the top and spoon it out onto some rustic crackers or crusty bread. What I love about the story of this cheese is that the milk comes from a single herd and is then made and aged for 6-13 weeks on that very same farm. Talk about a taste of place!

Have you gotten a chance to try this before? What did you think?

What to Consider When Creating a Cheese Board

There are so many options at a cheese counter... Where do you begin? Will your cheeses overwhelm each other? Or even worse, be too similar and therefore unmemorable?

The key is this: Pick different milks: Cow, goat, sheep. Pick different textures: soft, semi-, hard. Even on the smallest cheese board you can manage to have variety.

Pairings can focus on bringing out the similarities or highlighting the contrasts. Whichever way you go, you want the intensity of each to be on a similar level. A big bold cheese needs a big bold buddy, while the delicate ones need a more nuanced friend. Let the cheese sit out for 30 minutes before guests arrive to let the flavors develop.

For determining portions, a good rule of thumb is that people will eat about 2 oz of each cheese as an hor's d'oeuvre, and 1-1.5 oz when other items are present.

The board I'm about to show you contains one pound of cheese, so I could expect it to serve about 8-10 people. It includes four cheeses that are basic enough to be party pleasers, yet have enough character to captivate:

Humboldt Fog

Humboldt Fog is an ash-ripened chevre produced by Cypress Grove. This cheese has a soft crumbly texture towards the center and a creamy oozy texture close to the rind. Best of both worlds. It is made from goat's milk and has a fresh tangy milky flavor with minimal 'barnyard' taste. The rind is edible. I chose to add Marcona almonds to my board for a contrasting texture.

 Lamb Chopper is a semi-firm gouda aged for 3 months and made from sheep's milk. It has a rich buttery taste and is also a great choice for melting. Cypress Grove is also responsible for this delicious beauty.

I threw some finochiona onto the board because it has aromatic qualities without being too heavy or bold.

Fresh apples and mandarins were also inlcuded because it's acidity will help cut through some of the fat and help cleanse the plate. Some people adore cornichons and olives for this purpose as well.

Cave-aged Emmentaler. This is the iconic Swiss cheese style most people will think of. The semi-firm raw cow's milk cheese is prepared by hand, then aged in a natural sandstone cave for up to 9 months, which imparts an earthy mineral flavor. The unpasteurized milk always adds a little something extra, too. You can thank the Emmi and Kaltbach companies for collaborating on this one. Also a great melting cheese, it would be killer over french onion soup or in a grilled cheese sandwich.

Piave Vecchio. This particular slice is produced by Lattebusche, and comes from Italy. It is a hard cow's milk cheese aged for 9-12 months. Often thought of as parmigiano-reggiano's younger cousin, Piave bursts with a tropical fruity aroma. I chose dried apricots to highlight those sweet flavors and to balance the saltiness. Besides snacking, you can shave it over a salad or pasta.




Aaaaand...here's the finished product! It makes it easy for guests if you have already cut everything into nibble-worthy pieces. For the soft ones, include a knife.

Have you brought a cheese board to a gathering recently? What did you include?