If I could only smell one scent for the rest of my life, it would probably be the scent of Alp Blossom. This stunning cow’s milk cheese from Sennerei Huban is a celebration of springtime.[…]
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Tag: formaggio
The Cheeses Every Home Must Have
This has been a big year for The PhCheese so far. Not on the blog front so much, unfortunately, but in more personal arenas. Things have been rather silent on the blog and social media[…]
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Parmesan vs. Parmigiano: What’s the Difference?
I grew up consuming Parmesan that came out of a green shaker. It was grated, it was white, and it went on top of spaghetti, lasagna, manicotti, cannelloni, and pizza. As a child, I was[…]
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Why You’ve Gotta Try Garrotxa
It’s the cheese that nobody knows how to pronounce in our goat cheese section. How do you even ask a question in English about a cheese that ends with “txa”? First of all, I recommend[…]
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What You Need to Know About White, Fuzzy Rinds
The other day, a mother and her pre-teen daughter were in the shop buying cheese. In our soft-ripened cow’s milk section (which is not labeled as such), the mom picked up a small wedge and[…]
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Ossau-Iraty is Oh So Yummy
Once upon a time I wrote about Mahón, and my deep and undying devotion for that cheese. I share those feelings equally with another cheese: a sheep’s milk Tomme from France’s Basque country that goes[…]
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Celilo is Here!
This weekend, an older couple came into the shop looking for Death & Taxes. While I knew exactly what cheese they wanted, I had to report that we did not carry it; in fact, I[…]
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How to be Sweet on Citrus with Cheese
Ah, the dead of winter. That means different things to different people, to be sure. In general, we associate this time with darkness, cold, and snow. For much the northern US, Europe, and Asia, that[…]
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House of Curds
Sorry I’ve been MIA, my dear cheesy friends. We’ve spent the last 6 weeks trying to buy a house in the super-duper competitive Seattle metro area, and it has been one of the most stressful[…]
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Health Questions About Cheese for the New Year and All Year
It’s only taken me half of January to get back online, but the holiday hangover is not at fault. Sadly, I was knocked flat by whatever plague it is that I caught at work just[…]
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Why Do Cheese Shops Always Sell Fig Bread and Date Cake?
“This is cheese?” That’s the question—always practically shouted, always with incredulity—we get 99-percent of the time when a customer notices our fig bread and date cake for the first time. Last week, an older gentleman[…]
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The Logistics of Giving the Gift of Cheese
I was going to put together a holiday gift guide for last-minute shoppers, but I waited as long to finish writing it as I did to do my own holiday shopping—which meant it would be[…]
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The 12 Days of Cheesemas
[Originally published on December 18, 2016; revised.] In honor of the holiday season that surrounds us, I give you the gift of poetry and music. Tonight is the first night of Hannukah, and tomorrow is[…]
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Three Reasons Why Some Cheeses Just Melt Better
It is a fact that not all cheeses melt equally. Sometimes we have to discover this the hard way, by preparing a meal that we anticipate will be ooey-gooey and utterly delightful—only to discover hard[…]
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Celebrate Cheesemas with a Charming Deal
‘Tis the season to buy gifts for our friends and family. Whether we’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, Festivus, or just general seasonal awesomeness, sharing seems to be the name of the game[…]
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