Great American Cheese Collection

Chicago Tribune, Good Eating Section
Wednesday, June 9, 2004

Boutique cheese

Artisanal approach pays culinary dividends for chefs and home cooks

By Elyse Friedman
Special to the Tribune

Cheese has emerged from high-fat hibernation to become a low-carb pleasure.

"Cheese is the Energizer Bunny of the dairy case . . . and the menu," said dairy market analyst Jerry Dryer of Jerry Dryer Group Inc.

If the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture are any indication, cheese's sales growth shows no sign of slowing down. Consumption of cheese in the U.S. has more than doubled in the last 25 years. Today Americans eat an average 33 pounds per person.

But in the last 10 to 15 years, a new style of American cheese has emerged. Or, more accurately, an old style of cheesemaking has been revitalized. Artisan cheese is the fastest-growing slice of the cheese marketplace, according to a recent A.C. Nielsen study. America, the birthplace of aerosol cheese in a can, is now home to a host of handcrafted cheeses widely regarded as among the best in the world.

As our appetite for these cheeses has grown, their role on the menu also has evolved. Going beyond the traditional cheese course, artisan cheeses now are featured on every part of the menu, from appetizers to dessert.

"The typical use of cheese in the past has [involved] putting it on a cheese plate or melting cheese on top of a dish," explained artisan cheesemaker Tom Johnson, owner of Bingham Hill Cheeses in Fort Collins, Colo.

"Chefs across the country have become aware of the potential of American artisan cheese as an ingredient," Johnson said. "They are always looking for special products they can use in their restaurants to bring unique flavors and textures to their dishes."

Home cooks, take note.

Something special

Cheese distributor Giles Schnierle of The Great American Cheese Collection in Chicago defines artisan cheeses as "American originals. These cheeses are made by hand, in small batches and are very often unique to their locality or region."

Artisan cheese which is produced on the farm using only the milk from the herd of that farm is called "farmstead cheese." A labor-intensive mix of art and science, artisan cheese may be the ultimate handmade food. Schnierle estimates there are more than 600 artisan cheesemakers across the U.S. producing a variety of fresh or pasteurized milk cheeses made with cow, sheep or goat's milk.

"Domestic artisan cheeses are redefining American cheese," said Laura Werlin, author of "The All American Cheese and Wine Book."

Werlin views the rise of American artisan cheese as "revolutionary as well as evolutionary in the sense that most Americans [are accustomed] to buying their cheese in single-wrapped slices."

"Ten or 20 years ago, there were only a handful of cheesemakers," she said. "Now they are popping up all over the country. Many [of the cheeses] have as much flavor, depth, complexity and artistry as cheese made in parts of the world where these traditions are hundreds of years old."

"American artisan cheeses have really come into their own," agreed Bret Thorn, food editor of Nation's Restaurant News. "The cheesemakers are showing incredible creativity and finesse, building on the techniques of their European predecessors but also going off in their own directions."

Artisan cheese joins an ever-expanding grocery list of American handcrafted products that began with California wines in the 1980s and has grown to include artisan-created breads, coffee, chocolates, olive oil, salt and micro-brewed beers.

This increased appetite for artisan foodstuffs reflects a growing desire for fresh, natural, unprocessed foods, higher quality and a greater connection to the food we eat.

Darra Goldstein, editor of Gastronomica, the Journal of Food and Culture, calls the artisan trend "a reaction against corporate [controls] in the food system."

The role of chefs

Chefs have played a major role in helping to jumpstart the artisan cheese trend. But according to the Mintel Group, a Chicago-based market research firm, the trend has been sustained by a growing sense of culinary adventure by Americans who find inspiration from travel and fine dining experiences.

Evidence of the growing role of cheese on the menu is confirmed by a recent survey of trendsetting restaurants by the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), which revealed that 83 percent used fine cheese as an ingredient in their cooking.

Plus, more than half of the chefs surveyed are identifying the cheese and the cheesemaker by name on their menus.

"Some restaurants have even made artisan and farmstead cheeses a restaurant signature," said Nancy Fletcher, CMAB vice president of communications.

The cheeses from Suyoung Scanlan, the cheesemaker/owner of Andante Dairy in Santa Rosa, Calif., have earned such distinction. She explains that by understanding the cooking philosophies and serving styles of individual chefs, she is able to participate in recipe development and tailor her cheeses to their specifications. Since 1999, Scanlan has developed close working relationships with such restaurants as French Laundry in Yountville and Campton Place, Merenda and Elizabeth Daniel in San Francisco.

Chicago cheeseheads

Many chefs in Chicago have embraced the artisan cheese trend and are indeed utilizing cheese in every course.

The Cheese Makers Dinner at TRU last March is one example. The event, the second of its kind, featured a group of nationally known chefs who collaborated with a group of artisan cheesemakers to produce a unique six-course meal. TRU partners/chef-owners Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand hosted Paul Kahan of Chicago's Blackbird and Avec, Wayne Nish of March in New York, Laurent Gras of San Francisco's The Fifth Floor and Michael Symon of Lola Bistro of Cleveland.

The cheesemakers came from as far away as Vermont and California.

Offerings at the dinner included a whimsical "Picnic in Cleveland" appetizer from Symon, which included chilled foie gras bratwurst, truffle potato salad and beer and cheese soup. The soup was prepared with Wisconsin's Carr Valley Cocoa Cardona, a creamy, mild goat's milk cheese. Kahan's contribution to the dinner was a flavorful braised organic pork belly accompanied by white corn grits. The grits were fortified with Colorado's Bingham Hill Harvest Moon, a pungent, semisoft, washed rind, raw cow's milk cheese. Laurent Gras prepared hearts of palm and asparagus salad featuring fresh and dry goat cheeses from Andante Dairy.

Schnierle, a co-sponsor of the event, said that the cheese in some dishes was barely detectable. Which is how he would have it; he encourages chefs to use the cheeses "as an enhancement like an herb, or truffle oil, or cream . . . to create complex taste layers."

"Most people are used to seeing cheese in abundance—on top of a pizza or oozing out of a grilled cheese sandwich," he said. "This is a very different way of using cheese."

Dessert, created by Gand, was small cheese gougeres (pastry shells) using Black Butte Reserve, a tangy, aged Gouda-like raw cow's-milk cheese from California's Pedrozo Farms, and filled with rum-raisin ice cream.

"People are looking for a more adventurous combination of flavors," Gand said. "That quest has crossed over to dessert-land, and I like that. ... I love the combination of salt and sweet. It's one of the secrets of great desserts. A little salt makes the desserts taste sweeter and more complex. Cheese gives you that same complex effect."

For those who are weary of chocolate and vanilla, a number of other Chicago-area chefs have begun to offer innovative sweet and savory "hybrid" desserts featuring cheese as an ingredient.

Pastry chef Paula Haney of Pili.Pili "enjoys the challenge" of creating desserts using artisan cheeses, she said. Her offerings include chevre-thyme ice cream made with California's Laura Chenel goat's milk cheese and served with a fresh fig tart. The ice cream "is wonderful, because you have the sweet and the tangy together," Haney said. "It works especially well with the fig tart, which is sweet and gives it a nice contrast."

Haney also features Vermont Butter and Cheese Co.'s fromage blanc in an orange basil fromage blanc mousse. She serves the mousse molded in a ring and accompanied by strawberries that have been tossed with sugar and pink and black pepper.

Chef Michael Maddox of Le Titi de Paris in Arlington Heights offers a crispy hazelnut phyllo Napoleon layered with a fruit compote containing apricots, peaches or cherries and Bingham Hill Rustic Blue Cheese. Maddox describes the dessert as "the best of both worlds; a combination of a cheese course as well as a dessert course. It's a little adventurous and different."

Shavings of Parmesan cheese go into Trio chef Grant Achatz's "very simple" dessert made with chocolate and quinoa (a South American grain). He sees cheese "as just one component of a dish and not the focal point. It becomes another tool that can be manipulated to produce the result we want."

Executive chef Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia serves Gorgonzola gelato to complement his apple crostata with rosemary-infused pastry cream. Diners who request vanilla ice cream as a substitute are advised they may change at no charge if they don't like the combination of flavors.

"Most of them love it." Mantuano said. "Apples and blue cheese are such a natural pairing, they work perfectly together. It's a really good dessert."

When it comes to the culinary possibilities of artisan cheese, tasting is believing; as our appetite for cheese just keeps going and going and going ...

Orange-basil fromage blanc mousse

Preparation time: 55 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Chilling time: 4 hours
Yield: 8 servings

From pastry chef Paula Haney of Pili.Pili, who writes via email, "We mold the mousse in rings and serve it with strawberries that are tossed with sugar and pink and black pepper." She uses Vermont Butter and Cheese Co.'s fromage blanc, a fresh white cheese. Ricotta cheese can be used instead.

1 envelope (¼ ounce) gelatin ¼ cup cold water
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 cups whipping cream
Zest of 4 oranges
3 medium basil leaves, crushed, torn
1 cup fromage blanc
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon honey
¹/₈ teaspoon kosher salt

1. Sprinkle gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water; set aside 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat orange juice to boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, until thick and syrupy and reduced to ¼ cup, about 20 minutes; set aside. Combine 1 cup of the whipping cream, orange zest and basil in a small saucepan. Heat to boil over low heat; remove from heat. Cover; steep 5 minutes.
2. Add gelatin to cream-orange zest mixture, stirring until it dissolves; whisk in fromage blanc, sugar, honey, salt and 1 tablespoon of the orange juice reduction. Pour mixture through cheesecloth into medium mixing bowl; stir over an ice bath until thickened, about 25 minutes. Reserve remaining orange juice reduction.
3. Whip remaining 1 cup of the cream to soft peaks with a mixer on medium-high speed; fold cream mixture gently into fromage blanc mixture. Pour into 4-ounce custard cups; refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. To serve, drizzle remaining orange juice reduction over dessert.

Nutrition information per serving: 332 calories, 69% of calories from fat, 26 g fat, 16 g saturated fat, 97 mg cholesterol, 20 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 80 mg sodium, 0.7 g fiber

Steamed asparagus salad with goat cheese

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Adapted from chef Laurent Gras, who makes this with Adante Dairy's Impromptu, a dry aged goat cheese; any dry goat cheese will work. He serves this salad with hearts of palm and a drizzle of pistachio oil. We've simplified his recipe for the home cook.

1 bunch green asparagus
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon coarse or sea salt
2 ounces each: dry aged goat cheese, fresh goat cheese
2 tablespoons milk

1. Trim the asparagus stalks; cut each into 3-inch pieces. Place in a steamer; cover. Steam over boiling water until tender, about 8 minutes. Cool in ice water; dry on a towel. Season with lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Shave the dry cheese over the asparagus with a vegetable peeler.
2. Whisk together fresh cheese and milk to the consistency of cream; drizzle over and around the asparagus.

Nutrition information per serving: 153 calories, 74% of calories from fat, 13 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 14 mg cholesterol, 3 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 261 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

White corn grits with Cheddar

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Chilling time: 2 hours
Yield: 36 pieces

Adapted from a recipe by chef Paul Kahan of Blackbird. Kahan uses Bingham Hill Harvest Moon cheese.

1 cup stone-ground white or any regular (not instant) grits
2 cups each: water, milk
½ stick (¼ cup) butter
¼ pound Cheddar cheese, crumbled
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil

1. Heat oven to 350°. Combine grits, water and milk in an oven-safe saucepan; heat to boil. Remove pan from heat; cover with foil and a lid. Place in oven; bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until grits are smooth like pudding, about 45 minutes.
2. Whisk in butter, cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in egg yolk. Pour into 13-by-9-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
3. Cut into 2 inch squares. Heat oil in large skillet. Fry grits until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes.

Nutrition information per serving: 55 calories, 56% of calories from fat, 3.5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 13 mg cholesterol, 4 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 69 mg sodium, 0.1 g fiber

Cheese pastry puffs with ice cream (Gougere)

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes per batch
Yield: 50

Gale Gand, pastry chef at TRU restaurant, serves these puffs as a dessert with rum-raisin ice cream. They also work very well as appetizers simply left whole. She uses Black Butte cheese from Pedrozo Farms.

1 cup milk
½ stick (¼ cup) butter
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
¹/₈ teaspoon pepper
4 eggs
1 cup grated Swiss-style cheese
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ stick (¼ cup) butter, melted
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
¼ teaspoon paprika
Ice cream

1. Heat oven to 400°. Heat milk and butter in a saucepan over medium heat to a simmer, until butter is melted. Remove from heat; add the flour all at once, stirring. Add salt and pepper; return to heat. Cook, stirring, until mixture comes together as a dough, about 2 minutes. Stir in the eggs one at a time.
2. Transfer mixture to food processor or blender. Add cheese and mustards. Process to form a thick paste. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch round decorating tip. Pipe walnut-sized balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes per batch; reduce heat to 350°. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
3. Mix melted butter with Parmesan and paprika; brush over puffs. Slice puffs horizontally. Place a small scoop of ice cream on the bottom; replace top.

Nutrition information per puff: 42 calories, 63% of calories from fat, 3 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 24 mg cholesterol, 2 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 77 mg sodium, 0.7 g fiber

Storing cheese

"To store cheese properly, your best bet is to use waxed or parchment paper," said Laura Werlin, author of "The All American Cheese and Wine Book."

"Never put plastic wrap against the surface of the cheese because plastic tends to impart an off flavor. Instead, first wrap a semi-hard or hard cheese with waxed paper and then put plastic wrap around it. The plastic will help ensure the cheese does not dry out. For soft cheeses, an airtight container works well. There's no need to wrap the cheese before putting into this type of container."

Local sources for artisan cheeses

The Chalet on the Gold Coast
40 E. Delaware Pl.
312-787-8555

The Cheese Stands Alone
4547 N. Western Ave.
773-293-3870

Fox & Obel Food Market
401 E. Illinois St.
312-410-7301

Great American Cheese Collection: Giles Schnierle operates a stall with a selection of more than 60 American artisanal cheeses at the following locations:

• Evanston Farmers Market: 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays through Nov. 6, University and Oak Avenues, Evanston
• CHIC Farmers Market: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays (year-round), Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, 361 W. Chestnut St.

Marcey St. Market
Sam's Wines & Spirits
1720 N. Marcey St.
312-664-4394

Movable Feast
321 Franklin St., Geneva
630-845-3287

Trotter's To Go
1337 W. Fullerton Ave.
773-868-6510

To contact the cheesemakers

Andante Dairy
andantedairy.com
707-526-0517

Carr Valley Cheese
carrvalleycheese.com, 800-462-7258
Internet and phone orders accepted

Cowgirl Creamery
cowgirlcreamery.com
866-328-7325

Bingham Hill Cheeses
binghamhill.com
970-472-0702
Internet and phone orders accepted

Vermont Butter and Cheese Co.
vtbutterandcheeseco.com
Call 800-884-6287 to locate a retailer. No mail order or phone orders accepted.

Books on artisan cheese

The New American Cheese by Laura Werlin
Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $35

The All American Cheese and Wine Book by Laura Werlin
Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $37.50

Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins
Workman, $16.95

The Cheese Plate by Max McCalman and David Gibbons
Crown, $32.50