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Lady Gaga's Favorite Cheese
Lady Gaga's ex-personal assistant reveals the musician's favorite cheese plate. And don't worry, wine choices are included.
Among the countless other food and drink items originally requested by her PA, was a cheese plate showing the First Lady of Ga to be a woman of sophistication and wide-ranging tastes. But don't take our word for it, see for yourself, as we finally reveal Lady Gaga's four favourite types of cheese.
Roasted Feta Cheese with Fig-Thyme Compote
If you haven't experienced the glory of warm, spreadable, tangy, salty Feta yet, you are seriously missing out. Take the plunge with this recipe, which even includes a luxurious fig-thyme compote that will have your party guests (or just you...) scarfing up every last bite.
Roast a block of feta and the first time you taste it, you'll wonder, Why did I waste so much of my life eating baked brie? Spreadably soft, with a tangy, salty, rich flavor, baked feta is easy to make and almost impossible to resist. Adding a sweet compote of dried figs simmered with honey and fresh thyme rounds out the flavors and turns a humble starter into a knock-out appetizer that is pretty enough for any party.
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Photo by Anjali Prasertong
New Jersey Specialty Foods Shops Offering Year-Round Cheesemaking Classes
It's not quite the season for fresh caprese salad, but several New Jersey specialty foods shops are now offering year-round mozzarella-making classes -- well before the tomatoes are ripe on the vine. Olsson's Fine Foods in Princeton, Cherry Grove Farm in Lawrenceville, and The Grape Escape in South Brunswick are just three of many who have made it their mission to offer a bit of DIY cheesemaking culture to their local communities.
Grilled Mac-n-Cheese: A Comfort Food To Conquer All
Earlier this week, we asked our Facebook fans to vote on their favorite comfort food: grilled cheese vs. mac-n-cheese! Lucky for us, we've found carbohydrate heaven to help us have our, erm, cheese... and eat it too! NPR's The Salt introduces us to "The Mac" from Cheesie's, in Chicago, bringing together the best of both worlds for a comfort food that conquers all!
I honestly feel like we're five years away from never again having to use the word "or" in America.
Roasted Garlic & Comte Bread
I’ve found that one of Comte’s true romances is roasted garlic. Mashed together and bound with a stick of soft butter and flecked with some chopped thyme you create a compound butter that’s heavenly when packed into a loaf of bread and baked. It’s a modern take on garlic-Parmesan bread that tastes of antiquity and adventures abroad.
Heat oven to 400°F. Cut the tops of the heads of garlic, just enough to expose the cloves. Rub the garlic with olive oil and place in the slots of a muffin tin and cover with foil. Roast for about 35 minutes or until the cloves are soft and squishy. Allow the garlic to cool completely before squeezing the cloves out into a bowl.
Stilton and Bacon Cheesecakes
We may have been on a bit of a bacon-and-cheese kick lately, but they're just so darn good together! This time: bacon and blue cheese as a savory cheesecake. Sounds delectable, no?
The recipe for these savory cheesecakes came from Linda Ellerbee's book Take Big Bites (Putnam, 2005); she adapted it from a recipe given to her by the chef at the George Hotel in Wallingford, England.
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Photo by David Sawyer
The Rennet Story
What is rennet? Where does it come from? Is it vegetarian? If you're confused about this essential cheesemaking ingredient, our friends over at Formaggio Kitchen have done a great job at unfolding some of the mystery. Even if you think you know all there is to know about rennet, some of the facts in this article--like the use of black snails to coagulate milk--may surprise you!
Lamb Sliders with Feta Cheese
Who says that the season for game-day food ended last night? These sliders are perfect anytime of the year.
These lamb sliders were inspired by the Lamb Burger I had at The Breslin in NYC, the gastropub owned by British chef, April Bloomfield. The salty feta is the perfect accompaniment to the meaty lamb. It's deliciously simple, yet hearty, just like what you'd expect at any London pub.
Can New World Cheeses Compete with Old World Classics?
Although there are scores of incredible European cheeses that simply do not have American counterparts, a number of Wisconsin creameries are making cheeses in the Old World style that can arguably stand up to the real thing. Here, Cheese Underground offers a side-by-side comparison of three European cheeses-- Asiago Fresco, Fontina D'Aosta, and Parmigiano-Reggiano-- with their top American rivals.
DIY Cheese: The Next "Big Thing"
DIY is hot right now, in America and Britain alike. Suburbanites are keeping flocks of backyard chickens, urbanities are planting rooftop and windowsill gardens, and those out in the country are saying "I told you so!" What's the current DIY craze? Cheese, please!
My table is buckling under the weight of giant mixing bowls. A pungent odour permeates the house, and I’ve broken into a sweat. Having spent the past five years rolling my eyes at my friends’ obsession with homemade cupcakes I have finally bought into a DIY foodie trend — cheese. Cheese-making is to be the next big ‘thing’ and heading up the movement is cheese-guru Gerard Baker, who has penned a user-friendly guide.
