Cheese Plate of the Week October 29th, 2007

Mozzarella di Bufala:Buffalo milk, Southern Italy
-A staple of the southern regions of Campagna, Basilicata and Calabria, Mozzarella di Bufala is produced solely with the milk of Italian water buffalo. Within 24 hours of its formation, it is flown to the United States to ensure freshness. Texturally, it is supple and yielding, nearly falling apart at the touch of a knife, and the flavor is more tart and grassy than its cow milk counterparts.

Fresh Pepato:Sheep, Sicily
-The cheese makers of this staple of Sicilian cooking boost the natural flavor of pure sheep milk with the addition of whole black peppercorns or crushed red pepper. It is used in a multitude of fashions, primarily as part of an antipasto plate with marinated olives and cured meats.

Stichelton:Raw Cow, Nottinghamshire, England
-In 1989, a law was passed that decreed any cheese named Stilton was to be produced with pasteurized milk. The intent was to halt an outbreak of listeria, but the result was irate caseophiles worldwide. In 2006, Randolph Hodgson of Neal’s Yard Dairy and Joe Schneider, a cheese maker from Syracuse, New York, found a loop hole. With the help of Colston Bassett, the creamery regarded the worlds premier Stilton producer, Randolph and Joe created the first raw milk stilton in 26 years. To circumvent the laws inane stipulations, they named the cheese Stichelton, which is how the town of Stilton was referred to in the Domesday Book in 1086.