Everybody is transformed as a person by working in the collective. Working at the Cheese Board, I really learned how important it is to include everybody, I learned generosity there for sure. It definitely extended my family—it kind of made the whole community my family. I’d be a completely different person if I hadn’t worked at the Cheese Board.
—TESSA
PECORINO TOSCANO RISERVA
Made by the Il Forteto cooperative in Tuscany, this is a well-aged sheep’s-milk cheese the color of pale straw. With a warm, sweet flavor and a flaky texture that never seems dry, it is suitable for shaving over dinner with a Swiss Army knife or eating with apples and bread.
MANCHEGO
This Spanish sheep’s-milk cheese from La Mancha has a design on the rind that resembles a woven basket. It is a rich cheese with the flavor of caramel. Choose one aged at least six months
for camping and ask for a taste, as the varieties differ quite a bit in flavor.
SBRINZ
At the Cheese Board, we receive two versions of this Swiss cheese. One is a hard rectangular block, also called Swiss hard mountain cheese, and the other is a hefty round. Both versions are smooth, dense aged cheeses that are ideal for camping. Sbrinz is sweet and satisfying—a nice mountain cheese to be enjoyed in an alpine meadow anywhere.
Now that I’ve learned how to be a doula, I describe my life as “bread and babies.” I go for interviews with prospective parents who are about to hire me to assist at a birth, and when they find out that I work at the Cheese Board, the interview turns into, “Oh, what is the collective really like?” It turns into a conversation more about the Cheese Board than about them changing their life and turning into parents! It’s very funny.
—ERIN
MEXICAN-STYLE CHEESES
As we are unable to obtain imported Mexican cheeses, we sell only American-made Mexican-style cheeses at the Cheese Board. While these cheeses may share a name with their Mexican counterparts, don’t expect them to taste the same as the originals. For the most part, these cheeses are quite young and mild, suitable for cooking and for topping any number of dishes. They are especially handy for making
bocadillos
(sandwiches or snacks).
QUESO PANELA
This is a fresh, white cheese with a texture slightly softer than loaf Mozzarella. Mild and salty, it can be crumbled on top of Spanish rice, refried beans, or tostadas, and also makes a very good grilled cheese sandwich. Sliced, rolled in cornmeal, and cooked on top of a griddle, it holds its shape and becomes delectably crispy around the edges and soft on the inside. In the state of Michoacán, this cheese is often sold as an strong-smelling aged cheese.
QUESO DOBLE CREMA
While richer and sweeter than Queso Panela, this cheese also holds its shape when baked or grilled. It comes in a large, white round that is still weeping whey when cut for sale. Use it for stuffing
chiles rellenos
and crumble it on top of tostadas.
QUESO FRESCO
When crumbled, Queso Fresco has a fine-grained texture somewhat like that of Feta; however, it is a moister cheese, milder in flavor, and less salty. It is delicious crumbled on top of black beans.
QUESO COTIJA
Dry and salty, this cheese is almost as flavorful as an Italian Romano. It can be used as a grated cheese on top of pastas, and as a topping for
bocadillos.
The Cheese Stands Alone
Sometimes, serving one cheese by itself is more dramatic than a plate of three or more cheeses; in other cases, a cheese is so pungent it is better served by itself. The cheeses below are all eminently suitable for a solo appearance. We have included two of our favorite blues in this list, as they are particularly good for a cheese course or dessert offering.
VACHERIN DU HAUT-DOUBS/MONT D’OR
Round, with a rumpled-looking top, this cheese comes banded by spruce bark, which imparts a woodsy flavor to the body of the cheese. When perfectly ripened, it should be spooned out for eating. This rich, liquid delicacy is available from November through February (during the summer months, the milk is used to make French Comté). For the best flavor, buy raw-milk Vacherin (the French ones are usually made from raw milk, while the Swiss ones are often pasteurized).
STILTON
Classic
and
stately
are two words to describe this English blue. It is firm textured, with a thin brown rind enclosing a creamy yellow interior striated by bands of blue mold radiating out from the center. It is a unique blue, almost more like Cheddar in texture and background flavor. Stilton is buttery, spicy, and less salty than most blues.
CABRALES
Spanish blues are very distinctive in look and flavor. In its coat of dark brown leaves, this Spanish blue looks like a chocolate cake, while inside its veining is dense and dark green in color. The leaves add a faint forest astringency to the intensely blue flavor, as well as helping to hold the crumbly, moist cheese together. Similar cheeses are
Picon and
Valdeon.
RUSTICHELLA
If you love truffles, this is the cheese for you; and though many of us at the Cheese Board don’t care for truffle-flavored cheese, we love this one. Rustichella is an imposing, tall Italian sheep’s-milk wheel with a brown, rustic basket-weave exterior. It is firm and moist. Though the truffles definitely take center stage, the background flavor is pleasing and clean.
•
CHEESE BREADS
•
Cheese Onion Curry Bread (aka Salzbrot, aka
Hobrot)
This bright yellow bread was the first to be developed at the bakery. It is a great way to use up those odd bits of cheese that would otherwise languish unwanted in your refrigerator; in fact, this is the reason we developed it. Originally called Cheese Onion Curry Bread, it was renamed Salzbrot in honor of the collectivist who for years managed to knead this giant dough by hand. After we finally started making it in the Hobart mixer, it was renamed Hobrot. We also make a sort of English muffin out of this dough called a Berkeley Bun. The cheese you use to make this bread will influence its final flavor; be as daring as you like.
MAKES 2 LOAVES AND 8
BERKELEY BUNS
Preparation time including rising and baking: 4 hours; active time: 40 minutes
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
½ cup warm water
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon bread flour
1½ teaspoons finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1¼ cups lukewarm water
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 pound mixed cheeses such as Cheddar, Gouda, and Fontina, cut into ¾-inch cubes
Medium-grind yellow cornmeal for sprinkling
1 egg, beaten
In a small bowl, whisk the yeast into the warm water until dissolved. Let stand for 5 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine the 4 cups flour, the pepper, curry powder, and salt.
If using a stand mixer,
add the yeast mixture and lukewarm water to the bowl. Using the paddle attachment on low speed, mix until the ingredients are combined, about 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook, increase the mixer speed to medium, and knead for 8 minutes, or until the dough is silky and a bit shiny. In a small bowl, toss all but ¼ cup of the chopped onion with the 1 tablespoon flour. Add the onion to the dough and continue to knead on medium speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Flatten it into a 1-inch-thick round and place the cheese in the center. Gather the dough around the cheese and knead just until the cheese is evenly distributed, taking care not to break it up.
If making by hand,
add the yeast mixture and lukewarm water to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until the ingredients are combined. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 12 minutes, or until the dough is silky and a bit shiny. In a small bowl, toss all but ¼ cup of the chopped onion with the 1 tablespoon flour. Flatten the dough into a 1-inch-thick round and place the onion in the center. Gather the dough around the onion and knead until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Flatten the dough once again and add the cheese, kneading just long enough to evenly distribute the cheese throughout the dough, taking care not break it up.
Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large oiled bowl. Turn the dough over to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1¼ hours, or until doubled in size.
Generously sprinkle 2 baking sheets with cornmeal. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it
into 3 pieces. Gently form 2 of these pieces into
loose rounds
and cover with a floured kitchen towel. Let rest for 10 minutes. Shape the 2 pieces into
large rounds
and place the loaves on a prepared pan. Cover with a floured kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 1¼ hours, or until increased in size by one-half and a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression.
While the loaves are rising, prepare the third piece of dough for the Berkeley Buns. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a 12 by 6 by ½-inch-thick rectangle. Using a 3-inch floured round cookie cutter or a floured drinking glass, cut out 8 disks and place them on the second prepared pan. Discard the scraps. Cover with a floured kitchen towel and let rise for 45 minutes, or until puffy and increased in size by one-fourth. Preheat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat for at least 5 minutes. Sprinkle cornmeal on the heated pan; if the cornmeal pops and burns, the pan is too hot and should be cooled for a minute. Place the buns in the preheated pan and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, or until a dark golden brown.
Fifteen minutes before the loaves have finished rising, preheat the oven to 450°F.
Using a pastry brush, brush the top of each loaf with the beaten egg. Gently place the reserved ¼ cup chopped onions on top of each loaf.
Bake the loaves on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 400°F and bake 10 minutes longer. Rotate the baking sheet left to right and bake 25 to 30 minutes longer, for a total baking time of 35 to 40 minutes, or until the loaves are nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
We always taste the cheese to make sure it’s good. On any given day, you’ll find a bunch of clerks standing around tasting a cheese that might be weird or bitter or gross, and you are walking by and someone will say to you, “Try this cheese, it’s awful!”
—OLIVIA
Greek Shepherd’s Bread
We make this bread with pitted Kalamata olives and Kefalograviera, a Greek sheep’s-milk cheese with a salty, assertive flavor. Every Tuesday afternoon it is a Cheese Boarder’s job to stand at the prep table and check the olives so that no stray pits find their way into the dough.
MAKES 3 LOAVES
Preparation time including rising and baking: 4¾ hours; active time: 30 minutes
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
½ cup warm water
3½ cups plus 1 tablespoon bread flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¾ cup lukewarm water
1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
½ pound
Kefalograviera cheese (or any firm sheep’s-milk cheese), cut into ½-inch cubes
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
