Put the art into cheese

The lockdown might be the ideal time to fall in love with artisanal cheese. City cheesemakers tell you how to get indulgent about it

Put the art into cheese

Shitake mushroom brie by Casa Del Cheese

On June 13, a virtual cheese tasting session is bound to create a buzz among city turophiles (connoisseurs of cheese). One or more cheeses would be pre-ordered through The Cheese Collective (TCC), and delivered a day before. The Instagram Live session will have cheesemonger and TCC founder Mansi Jasani, talk about curated cheeses and share tips on pairing, storing and cooking with these cheeses. Over the next few months, a few more sessions are planned across the country. "Cheese-tasting is a sensorial experience requiring one to see, smell, touch and taste the produce.

Mansi Jasani

Due to the lockdown, we felt this would be the best way to hold a cheese tasting session," says Jasani. Her platform conducts cheese appreciation and pairing workshops, and is known for crafting and curating fresh cheeses from across India into customised platters and gift baskets.

Artisanal difference

In metros, the well-travelled who appreciate quality artisanal cheeses have helped lead to a surge in its demand. FoodHall has dedicated chillers stocking over 160 artisanal cheeses from across the globe. There is a support base for local vendors, too, by sourcing camembert brie, brie with truffle, mozarella and buraata from local producers. Former journalist and owner of Casa Del Cheese Dhvani Desai says, "There isn't much awareness about cheese in our country. Some international brands that use less dairy in their cheese are often dumped in India. Other brands use palm oil, which is a controversial option due to its health hazards. Artisanal cheese is made entirely from milk without chemicals." Desai conducts open houses and cheese-making workshops in the city to spread awareness and educate people about buying artisanal cheese. Mausam Narang, who owns Eleftheria Cheese, a micro creamery that makes European-inspired cheese using milk sourced from a single-herd cow dairy farm near Mumbai, elaborates, "Artisanal cheese is nutrient-dense, delicious and has a nuanced flavour profile. Real handcrafted cheese can be made with different types of milk [cow, buffalo, goat, sheep, etc] and can be spreadable, semi-soft, semi-hard or hard in texture."

Agnay Mehra

Agnay Mehra, of The Spotted Cow Fromagerie, says, "People want good quality and healthier options. Artisanal cheese is usually made in small batches without making too many changes to the raw materials and keeping in mind the beauty of seasonal changes. It is about following traditional cheese-making techniques and carefully ageing each batch. This has taken a long time to perfect, but that's the challenge that has now become one of our USPs."

Home cues

Another local brand, Cremeitalia, known for making cheeses from the pasta filata family such as fiordilate pizza cheese, fiordilate boconchinni, burata, stracciatella, buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, mascarpone and scarmoza, has seen a sudden surge in demand since March. Its MD, Prateek Mittal, says, "During the lockdown, many have turned towards home cooking and have been experimenting with European-style cuisine, and in turn with artisanal cheese to imitate and enjoy restaurant-style food at home. Also, processed cheese is partly natural cheese put together with additives, artificial ingredients and large amounts of salt. In stark contrast, artisanal cheese is technique-oriented. We follow generations old techniques of traditional Italian farms and fuse them with the highest standards of local production and technology."

Store it right

Mehra suggests, "Since fresh cheeses don't have any preservatives, and have a tendency to absorb a lot of strong aromas around it, once opened, it should be consumed within two to three days. It is best to store handcrafted cheese between 2 to 5 degrees Celsius and not freeze it as it changes texture. Any water droplets forming should be wiped down daily. Hard cheeses can be stored in air-tight containers, wrapped in butter paper." Mittal adds, "Always use clean and dry cutlery while slicing and eating the cheese."

On June 13, 5 pm onwards
Log on to @thecheesecollective on Instagram

Treccia di mozzarella from Eleftheria Cheese

Ingredients

Sliced heirloom tomatoes -2
Basil - a few sprigs
Extra virgin olive oil - 2 tbsp
Salt and pepper

Method

Slice the Treccia in half like a loaf of bread. Stuff the tomatoes and basil; drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top and serve.

Caprese salad with balsamic reduction from Cremeitalia

Ingredients

Balsamic vinegar - 1 cup
Honey - 1/4 cup
Tomatoes - 3 (cut into
1/2-inch slices)
Fiordilatte cherry cheese - 16-ounce pack
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Ground black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Fresh basil leaves - 1/2 cup
Extra-virgin olive oil - 1/4 cup

Method

Stir balsamic vinegar and honey together in a small saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the vinegar mixture has reduced to 1/3 cup, in about 10 minutes. Set the balsamic reduction aside to cool. Arrange slices of tomato and Fiordilatte cherry cheese decoratively on a serving platter. Sprinkle salt and black pepper; spread fresh basil leaves over the salad, and drizzle olive oil and the balsamic reduction.

Mansi Jasani's Cheese Board 101

There must be a variety of cheeses (three to five) in terms of textures, taste and types.
Keep a herbed cream cheese, a truffle brie, a tomme, an aged cheddar and some blue. Keep a nutty option, too; pistachio and almonds or candied nuts are the best.
Add a sweet variant like dried cranberries, apricots and fig. Jams are nice too — think apple brandy jam.
For crunch, add potato salty discs or plain rustic crackers. Fresh baguette goes well too.

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