This homey cake recipe takes well to various fruit substitutions, so you can change it according to what’s in season.

Serves 8
The Cake:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, plus 1 tablespoon to garnish
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup sliced almond
1 tablespoon sparkling sugar (available online from indiatree.com), to garnish (optional)


The Compote:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup raw or white sugar
4 ounces sweet wine, such as Gewurztraminer or Moscato
1–2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups hulled ripe strawberries, quartered or halved (if small)
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
Creme fraiche, to serve

THE CAKE:

Prepare this tangy crowd-pleaser several hours before serving to allow its flavors to meld.

Try Ommegang Witte (Cooperstown, N.Y.), a classic Belgian-style white beer spiced with orange peel and coriander; it won’t overpower the delicate flavors of artichoke and chèvre, yet it has the palate-cleansing power to cut through both the mayo and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Prepare the artichoke hearts according to the package directions. Drain and let cool for 10 minutes.

A cheesemonger recalls his pilgrimage

I asked the woman at the motel desk how I could find the big cheddar.

She replied, “You mean the big cheddar replica?”

For a moment I thought, “Why does the World’s Largest Talking Cow [Chatty Bell in Wisconsin] get to be a real cow, but the World’s Largest Cheese has to be a mere replica?” But I didn’t dwell. Maybe the clerk was a vegan. I had made my friend Anna, a sociologist, drive a couple of hundred miles out of the way on a 2,500-mile trip to see this roadside attraction, so I wasn’t worried about local semantics. I was worried that Anna might be making unflattering field notes about me and my cheese obsession, but I kept that to myself as well.

Chef M.J. Adams of the Corn Exchange restaurant in South Dakota serves buffalo in myriad ways, including as pan-roasted steak and in “buffalo porcini Bolognese” with house-made pappardelle. Adams’s good friend Mimi Hillenbrand took over her father’s 25,000-acre South Dakota cattle ranch and began raising buffalo, which were once indigenous to the area. The meat, which is very similar to beef in taste, contains 50 percent less cholesterol and 70 to 90 percent less fat.

Makes 12 empanadas

The Filling:

Halloumi cheese is unique in that it softens on the grill but doesn’t melt. Its salty chewiness pairs perfectly with sweet bell peppers.

Time on the grill lends a nice, caramelized crust to the halloumi, adding sweetness to the normally briny cheese. The copper-colored, malty Lagunitas Censored (Petaluma, Calif.) complements that sweetness and finishes clean, prepping your palate for the next bite.

These quotes were taken from an interview with Rene Deleeuw, the herdsman at Coach Farm in Pine Plains, NY

My father started a goat dairy when I was knee high because I needed the milk . . . I had a sensitivity to cow’s milk. So that was my background. Goats turned out to be very suitable for me.

They are great Houdinis—goats can get out of gates and go through fences. We have double latches everywhere. They can get in all kinds of mischief, but they also know when they’ve done something wrong. They get that guilty look.

One of the worst things to subject a goat to is loneliness. They can’t tolerate being by themselves. They stop eating and are really vocal . . . generally, they’re all out of sorts if left by themselves.

Chef M.J. Adams of the Corn Exchange restaurant in South Dakota serves this refreshing dish garnished with a dollop of softened, house-made harissa butter. She often purchases Greek feta in bulk blocks but also uses feta from Amaltheia Organic Dairy in Montana. Dry feta makes for a cleaner-looking salad; a creamier variety adds lushness to the final dish. You can find preserved lemons at specialty food stores or Mediterranean markets.

Three cheesemongers talk about coming of age in the family business

As a primal distillation of milk, cheese is often linked with the farm, and its ancient patterns of milking and aging, transhumance, and terroir. But traditions aren’t restricted to the countryside—in America and elsewhere families have been involved in the other end of the cheese business for decades or more, selling to consumers and establishing their own traditions. But in the 21st century, the decision to put on an apron and follow in your father’s footsteps, in a country that seems value only to prodigals and mavericks, is daunting. Here are stories of three young men who’ve chosen to inherit very different sorts of shops and how they are carrying on their retail traditions.

Local baby potatoes are a summertime treat in South Dakota, which has a short growing season. M.J Adams of The Corn Exchange Restaurant and Bistro (and creator of this recipe) suggests serving this rustic baked treat at room temperature, paired with mizuna—a peppery Japanese green—or arugula dressed simply with extra-virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Make one 9 inch tart

The Pastry:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1⁄8 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup cold, unsalted butter or duck fat
3–4 tablespoons Pellegrino sparkling water or cold tap water


The Filling:
1 large egg yolk
¾ cup heavy cream
¾ pound small fingerling or new potatoes, boiled and cut into ¼-inch slices
1 cup Northern Lights blue cheese (or other rich, creamy blue)
½ tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or thyme
Fleur de sel, to garnish

Meet two middlemen responsible for bringing craft beer and artisan cheese to a dinner table near you

It’s a wonderful time to be eating great cheese and drinking craft beer in America. Both old-world creations are witnessing a resurgence the likes of which hasn’t been seen in recent times. And for an increasing number of folk, finding amazing cheese and beer is as easy as walking to a local shop or restaurant. The travels that beer and cheese endure after leaving their places of origin, however, may be something you take for granted.

You see, you have to think of a handcrafted American IPA or a soft-ripened goat’s milk cheese as the child of its maker. All craft brewers and cheesemakers surely have a twinkle in their eyes as they watch their bottles and wheels carted off down the road. That pride, perhaps, is only surpassed by apprehension and the hope that their “children” are cared for by people who will truly understand all they have to offer.