o Recipes: A Collectionfor tbe
Fresh cheeses retain the pure, sometimes
Modern Cook.
chalky whiteness of milk, so they set off
\ the bright colors of summer fruits and
S vegetables, and they aren't especially fill-
IS
ing. All are characteristically moist and
CJ.
mild, whether the milk they came from
>-' was cow goat, or yak.
|J
(t) Fresh cheeses include supermarket
familiars like cream cheese and mozza-
rella, as well as queso fresco, halloumi,
and Quark. Unlike the complex flavors of
a Cheddar that's been aged eightyears or
a Roquefort veined with mold,
cheese won't knock you over the head
with personaliry It will, however, provide
abeguiling counterpoint to a variety of
other ingredients. "Fresh cheeses play
well with others," Spungen says. A mas-
carpone, for example, can be stirred into
a savory risotto or whipped with brown
Making the Rounds: A Glossary of Fresh Cheese
1&4Freshgoat
cheese
This creamy, tangy cheese
originated in France, where
it is known as chdvre. American
cheesemakers now produce
versions that rival the best
imports. (Coach Farm's goat
cheese button [1] is one
award-winning example.) The
cheese's shape-bouchon,
crottin (4), log-is often part
of its name. Crumble goat
cheese into salads, or serve it
with grilled vegetables; it's
also delicious with fruits like
kiwi or apricot.
2 Farmer's cheese
Drain cottage cheese of its
whey and press the curds into a
mold, and you'll have farmer's
cheese-sweet and mild, and
also springy and sliceable. tvtade
of cow's milk, farmerb cheese
is good on sandwiches or as a
counterpoint to fruits.
s Quark
A cow's milk cheese from
Central Europe that's similar to
ricotta but slightly sour, like
yogurt. A good snack if stuffed
into celery, as well as a perfect
dessert alongside berry compote
tt6 tu NE 2oo8
sugar and served alongside fresh straw-
berries as a dessert.
Most cheeses start out the same way
according to food scientist Harold
McGee, author of On Food and Cooking.
Enzymes and acids are added to milk or
allowed to develop naturally in it; they
chemically provoke its proteins and fats
(the tastyparts) to clump into curds, leav-
ing behind a watery excess known as
whey And here lies the fork in the cheese-
making road: Fresh cheeses receive little
further doctoring. Panir, from India, is
a fresh ready to use as soon as the whey is
squeezed out; the curds for feta, from
Greece, are drained, molded, brined, then
good to go.
Before pasteurization and refrigera-
tion $'ere invented, such quiclcto-make
cheeses were the rural farmer's way of
dealing with excess milk production. But
T ,,,'**i'r,
t *
t7
"t'a
d and sometimes cows, halloun i
todaythese cheeses are delicacies. Spun
gen keeps a handful ofdifferent types ir
her reFrigerator for last-minute summtr:
entertaining. For an impromptu brunch.
she'll serve fruit on toasted brioche.
topped with Quark and drizzled r.r'ith
honey Dinner might be a salad of pro-
sciutto, peaches, and warm goat cheese
disks. And for dessert, she'll spoon some
ricotta onto a berry compote.
As personable as these cheeses mar-be .
their charms are fleeting. The high mois-
ture content translates to a shorter shelr
life: Aficionados of handc rafted mo zza-
rella argue that its life span is measure d
in hours. Mold may be essential to a Stii-
ton, but it's not part ofthe fresh cheese
profile, Spungen warns, so if your goa:
cheese button starts to turn colors, besr
to throw it out and start. well. fresh.
IcoNrtNunn oN PAcE r)
s Buffalo mozzarclla
Fresh mozzarella is typically
made from cow's milk, but
the water buffalo version is
even richer and smoother. At
its best, a drizzle of olive oil
and freshly ground pepper is
all it needs.
6 Mascarpone
This high{at cow's milk
cheese is the ltalian version
of cream cheese. Used
mostly in sweets (tiramisu, for
example), it's also a great
way to thicken a pasta sauce;
mixed with anchovies,
it makes a tasty spread.
z Halloumi
,*-:.. j
A salty Cypriot cheese made
from the milk of goats, sheep,
M€ can be fried without melting.
It is often served as an appetizer
with a lemony dip or eaten raw
E wiih mint and watermelon.
8 Ricotta salata
The salted and dried version
of what we layer into lasagna,
thisis a milky-white, solid
sheep's milk cheese that can
be grated, shaved, or diced and
tossed into salads or pastas.