Summary
CRACKERS ABOUT CHEESE. Most of the local press (including this paper, see story at left) has already covered the first annual Artisan Cheese Festival held in mid-March-an over-whelming success by any standards. Classes, cooking demos, tours and a celebratory dinner were all part of the weekend, but it was the public tasting Sunday afternoon attended by more than 600 that proved how much serious consumers in the Bay Area appreciate finely crafted products. My favorite discovery among the cheeses may have been those made from the milk of water buffalo: ricotta, mozzarella, scamorza-all classic Italian beauties that are at their best when fresh. These were fresh, all right, straight from central California and as sweet and flavorful as any I ate on my last trip to Tuscany. I hope they will be distributed soon to nearby markets; until then, find out about them (or order some) at www.realmozzarella.com...I was drawn to vendors who were there to provide the "go-withs," food and drink to complement the many cow, goat and sheep milk cheeses, each of which can be enhanced by a different element-salt, sweet, sour. June Taylor, creator of conserves, jams and preserves as well as fruit butters and sugared citrus rind of all kinds (Rangpur lime, bergamot), served tiny spoons of rare flavors from organic sources, like greengage plum conserve and Meyer lemon marmalade. All work at the Still Room, her Berkeley company, is done in small batches with utmost care.
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TALK ABOUT AN EVOLUTION... Beyond the seduction of comfortable outdoor seating now that the weather is clement, Pizza Antica in Mill Valley's Strawberry Village offers other reasons to drop by. How many pizzerias around here have men...See the full content of this document
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