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<\/a><\/p>\nAs a millennial, I should probably DIY more. I should be feeding my own sourdough starter, bottling my own kombucha, and possibly fermenting some kimchi in my garage. I\u2019ve heard that with a few simple ingredients and common kitchen utensils, I can even make my own cheese. I probably won\u2019t try my hand at making a mixed-milk blue that needs to be aged for 18 months, but the homemade ricotta that (allegedly) only takes an hour seems very doable.<\/p>\n
A basic cheese recipe is pretty simple when you break it down: milk, rennet, cultures, and salt. Rennet is traditionally made from the stomach lining of a young calf, lamb, or goat. Vegetarians, fear not\u2014you can easily order a vegetarian alternative like thistle rennet, along with freeze-dried cultures, from an online supplier.<\/p>\n
As for the basic tools, a quick perusal of my kitchen shows that I have a slotted spoon, a pot, and a kitchen thermometer…but no cheesecloth. Thankfully, Amazon has this covered.<\/p>\n
Especially as winter approaches and Netflix runs out of \u201crecommended for you\u201d shows, I need more activities that\u2019ll take up an afternoon and make me feel like I\u2019ve accomplished something. 2020 will be the year I roll up my sleeves, order some cheesecloth using my parents\u2019 Prime shipping, and make a batch of homemade ricotta.<\/p>\n
\u2014Madeline Upson<\/p>\n
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Be a Punk in a Traditional Cheese World<\/h2>\n
Tradition is what is known, what is old, and what is proper. One of the oldest records of cheese, and thus \u201ccheese tradition,\u201d is from first-century naturalist and philosopher Pliny the Elder. While his fellow philosophers wrote about gods, royals, and otherwise important people, Pliny decided to write about food, beer, wine, and, most importantly, cheese. Pliny was a punk. Tradition wants you to know the big cheese names, cut cheese correctly, use the proper utensils, and pair well. To hell with this. Rebel!<\/p>\n MAKE YOUR OWN CHOICES:<\/strong><\/p>\n Forget tradition.Forget etiquette. Remember: You are never wrong, and changing your mind is cool. Embrace the underdogs. Eat the rich, the fat, the local, the non-cow\u2019s milk, the vegan.<\/p>\n WEAR CHEESE FLAIR AND SWEAR:<\/strong><\/p>\n Look the part with tees, buttons, totes, stickers, and more. Claim your cheesy identity. Who cares if it\u2019s colorful in language?<\/p>\n EAT WITH YOUR FINGERS:<\/strong><\/p>\n Maybe you don\u2019t know which knife to use, you can\u2019t have that gluten-full baguette, or you run out of crackers. So what? Smear that ch\u00e8vre on a slice of cucumber. Dig that spoon into a triple cream. That moment is between you and cheese, so savor it.<\/p>\n PAIRING ANARCHY:<\/strong><\/p>\n Sure, strong blues pair well with fortified wine, cheddar beer, etc. . . But if you don\u2019t like wine, this won\u2019t be the best pairing for you. Take your favorite cheeses and eat them with your favorite beverages. Experience them for their smell, their texture, and their taste; discover what works for your palate.<\/p>\n \u2013M\u00e9lodie Picard, Normandie native and owner of The Oregon Cheese Cave<\/p>\n Cheese lovers know that good cheese has personality. We know the best stuff is made with skill, integrity, and transparency. We\u2019re suspicious of cheese that tastes exactly the same every time and expect micro-discoveries in texture and flavor every time we revisit an old favorite. We seek out the nuanced, the storied, the beautiful.<\/p>\n Why do we approach bread any differently? What if we started asking the questions of our bread that we ask of our cheese? Questions like: Who was it made by? What is it made with? Where was it made? How was it made?<\/p>\n Bread does not have raw versus pasteurized, but it does have whole grain versus white. Much like cheese has milk, rennet, salt, and cultures (sometimes added, sometimes ambient), bread has flour, salt, water, and yeast (sometimes added, sometimes ambient). Much like cheese houses have a house culture that they\u2019ve been lovingly using for decades, many bakers have starters older than they are.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s bid farewell to the days of serving bland, flaccid baguettes with our cheeseboard. Go to your local greenmarket, find a nearby bakery, or perhaps consider baking your own. Find a new favorite, and as you\u2019re doing so, discover all the personalities that bread can have. The good stuff is more expensive, sure, and harder to find, but it\u2019s worth it for the deliciousness and sustainability that it offers.<\/p>\n We expect better of cheese. Let\u2019s expect better of bread, too.<\/p>\n \u2013Christine Clark (@yourcheesefriend), cheese educator and writer<\/p>\n My 2020 cheese goal is to remind myself and my customers that we don\u2019t need to save cheese for special occasions and elaborate, Instagrammable party platters. Good cheese is everyday food; it can and should be the centerpiece of a simple weeknight meal in its own right.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t about using cheese as an ingredient. There\u2019s no recipe required to enjoy a wedge of good cheese accompanied by some fresh fruit or greens and a glass of whatever suits the occasion. So, what\u2019s for dinner? A few slices of crusty bread topped with Point Reyes Bay Blue, arugula, and a perfect summer peach. A wedge of earthy Montgomery\u2019s Cheddar, spicy pickles, and some garlicky salami. A plate of mozzarella with tomatoes still warm from the garden. Simple, inexpensive, and delicious. Keep a wedge or two in the fridge, and your next meal is waiting for you.<\/p>\n \u2013Beth Falk, cheesemonger<\/p>\n Raw milk cheese is made with unpasteurized milk, and it\u2019s crucial in developing the breadth of true original American cheeses. Selling raw milk cheese is also very important. Asa cheesemonger, I strive to sell more of it in 2020.<\/p>\n Raw milk cheese is nutritious; it offers healthy gut flora and helps prevent seasonal allergies. Raw milk cheese pushes industry leaders and federal government to come together, identify, and adapt the current regulations surrounding raw milk production. The production of raw milk cheese shapes the relationship between humans, animals, and the environment. Bonus: It tastes great.<\/p>\n Generally speaking, artisan cheese can be a powerful tool to help guide consumers as we redefine food culture because it pushes the consumer to identify the complexities and advantages within the food i industry, such as the raw milk debate. Historically misunderstood, raw milk cheese now demands we question what it is and why there\u2019s a lack of understanding surrounding the subject.<\/p>\n \u2013Alexis Johnson, cheesemonger<\/p>\n Yes, Netflix, I\u2019m still watching. And I plan to keep watching well into the year ahead, but I\u2019ve decided to make one incredibly important resolution: elevate my binge-watching experience by pairing shows with cheese. I\u2019d like to leave my couch less in 2020, and in order to do so, I plan to create a personal cheese plate beforehand so I can really hunker down and get in some good screen time. (It\u2019s hard work, but somebody has to do it.)<\/p>\n \u2014Madison Trapkin<\/p>\n CABOT SERIOUSLY SHARP CHEDDAR + \u201cTHE OFFICE\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n This is the pairing you\u2019re so familiar with, you can quote it in your sleep. This pairing is comfy and simple, and you\u2019ll likely never get tired of it, not even after your tenth time re-watching the entire series.<\/p>\n GOAT LADY DAIRY SNOW CAMP + \u201cGLOW\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n For when you\u2019re looking for a strong female lead. This cow\u2019s and goat\u2019s milk cheese has a lush, creamy flavor when it\u2019s young, but packs a punch when ripened. See what I did there?<\/p>\n NEAL\u2019S YARD DAIRY INNES BRICK+ \u201cTHE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m never not missing the UK and, coincidentally, am never not craving baked goods. This pairing speaks to me on a visceral level because it\u2019s my favorite British cheese and I crave it almost as much as I crave sweets.<\/p>\n PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO+ \u201cQUEER EYE\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Because, in the words of QE\u2019s Antoni Porowski, \u201cYou can never go wrong with Parmigiano-Reggiano.\u201d And, in the words of me, you can never go wrong with five gay guys giving your life a makeover.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nEat Good Bread<\/h2>\n
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\nEat Cheese for Dinner<\/h2>\n
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\nEmbrace Raw Cheese<\/h2>\n
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\nPair Cheese with Binge-Watching<\/h2>\n
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\nEmbrace the Seasonality of Cheese<\/strong><\/h2>\n