Dairy Goodness - Nourish your Day

International Cheese: Fifty Years of Freshness

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 11:49 AM PDT

Started 50 years ago on little more than a dream, some family recipes and the will to create the finest handcrafted cheese, family-owned International Cheese has since earned a glowing reputation and a host of awards, including "World's Best Ricotta".

What makes your Ricotta so good?

"It's a 100-year-old Italian recipe," explains Michelina Salvadore. "Other places make Ricotta with machines, but we make it by hand in the traditional way and sell it warm in our store. People also buy what's known as Siro, the whey water from the Ricotta. It's delicious and has nutritional benefits."

How can we use your cheeses as part of a grilled summer meal?

"Our smoked Mozzarella and smoked Provolone are going to add great flavour to a grilled meal. The cheeses are smoked on the premises. But almost all of our Canadian cheeses are fresh. And fresh cheeses are really going to give you the lighter flavour you're looking for in a summer meal."

"Our Fior Di Latte (a fresh Mozzarella) and Bocconcini are both delicious in combination with almost any vegetable or salad. And the Ricotta is actually great with fresh fruit. You think of using Ricotta for baking and cooking, but you can also enjoy it quite simply with a sprinkle of sugar and sliced fruit or berries. It's so incredibly light and fresh tasting."

Anne-Marie Shubin Celebrates Canadian Cheese

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 11:38 AM PDT

How will you celebrate the great Canadian barbecue season this year? With Canadian cheese of course! While we often associate the comforting qualities of cheese to a winter's night antidote, summer is the perfect time to rediscover simpler cheeses, and experiment with them on or around the grill.

Choose tangy, unripened cheeses for salads, grilled vegetable plates and fresh fruit. Mild cheeses like lactic Ricottas or springy Bocconcini are cool and refreshing on a hot day. Make them sing by pairing them with extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt and your favourite garden offering.

Knowing which cheese to choose can be as easy as thinking about your grill-side drinks. Play with textures: the crunchy/buttery sweetness of an extra-aged Gouda fares well against the orange and coriander notes of a wheat beer. A creamy medium Cheddar is in perfect balance against a dry white wine, while a grownup Cheddar is equally in perfect balance against a complex dark ale as it is with a rich, fruity, full bodied red. A Brie might turn to a puddle in the hot sun but is also a divine delight in the evening shade with a bubbly white.

How about cheese as the main grilled attraction? Some cheeses are designed to be grilled and will char like a steak, without oozing onto your hot coals. Try rich and chewy Guernsey Girl by Upper Canada Cheese. Oil lightly and grill-mark to perfection, drizzle with a little spicy oil and lemon juice and serve with a simple green salad.

Try grilling a small wheel of Canadian Camembert; for added security, first wrap your cheese in vine leaves or corn husks. Unwrap at the table for a dramatic presentation and a quick summer BBQ cheese fondue. You can also cold smoke semi-soft to firm cheeses, or better yet, rely on the pros. Many cheese makers now produce Goudas, Havartis and Cheddars that are naturally smoked with the delicate flavours of maple or fruitwood. Serve these smoked beauties simply on a rustic piece of wood on the patio table.

But whatever you do, don't forget that your cheeses will need protection from the hot weather and should not be left out more than one or two hours. Serve your cheese a little colder than room temperature and take out only what you need to keep your cheese in prime condition.

Cooking all over the World

Thursday, June 30, 2011