“Grillable” Cheese
I see you at that grill. Did you know you can grill cheese? Halloumi originated in Cyprus and can be grilled, pan fried, and seared without losing its shape. It’s typically made from sheep and goat’s milk. Pick it up at Holy Land or at local specialty cheese shops. Here’s a summer squash & halloumi salad for inspiration.
LoveTree Farmstead Cheese, a vendor at the Kingfield farmer’s market as well as the Lowertown St. Paul farmer’s market, offers Rustica, a cheese that also can be grilled, pan fried, or even broiled. Mary Falk, LoveTree’s owner, says, “You can even make shish kabobs with it, your vegetarian friends will love you for it!”
Fresh Cheese
At France 44 in Minneapolis, summer Thursdays-Sundays are particularly exciting. That’s when they make their own hand-pulled mozzarella balls, typically 1/3-1/2 lb. each. Come early to get your fresh mozzarella before it runs out. St. Paul Cheese Shop also sells hand-pulled mozzarella on Fridays and Saturdays – check out this short video of the handpulling. Summer is also burrata season, so get it while you can. Unlike mozzarella, burrata’s center oozes creamy stracciatella. Watch the ooze! Here’s a recipe for a super-easy burrata caprese salad that makes excellent use of ripe summer tomatoes.
Hard Cheese
Of course you can’t go wrong with a variety of snackable hard cheeses. Aged cheeses are easier for lactose-intolerant folks to digest, and you won’t have to worry about pulling them from the sun after two hours. When I worked as a cheesemonger, my favorite crowd pleasers were Chӓllerhocker, a nutty Swiss wonder, and Ossau Iraty, a mild hard sheep’s milk cheese from the French Pyrenees. These can be found at Surdyk’s along with Pleasant Ridge Reserve, a beloved aged alpine style cheese from Wisconsin made only in the summer months.
Brined Cheese
Feta is traditionally made with sheep’s milk cheese, or sheep and goat’s milk combined. (Both are easier for lactose intolerant folks to digest.) The quality of feta can vary widely. A local shop known to have the good stuff is Bill’s Imported Foods in Uptown. They have a variety of feta including French, Bulgarian, and Dodoni (a popular Greek feta). Another option for feta variety is Caspian Bistro near the University of Minnesota at Stadium Village. Both of these places let you taste, so find your favorite feta, and perhaps try it in this recipe for watermelon-feta-mint salad.
Spreadable Cheese
Spreadable cheeses like Cosmic Wheel Creamery’s Honey Habanero Quark is a good choice if your picnic idea is cheese and crusty bread or crackers. They recommend serving it with crackers that include dried fruit. Taste the quark when you next visit the Mill City Farmers Market. The Donnay Chevre from Donnay Dairy in Kimball, WI is also a cheese and crackers option (sold at Surdyk’s). LoveTree sells an herb-encrusted goat cheese called The Big Holmes – and for the even more adventurous, there’s Gin Berry, which includes juniper berries and peppercorns, or Black Bear, dusted with ash.
