Artisanal Cheese Making

Today, the steadily growing artisanal movement in cheese making has brought the cycle full circle, returning us to the farm and the cave. Although handcrafted local cheeses have long been heralded abroad, only in the last decade have small-batch producers appeared in significant numbers in North America. Now in the dairy case, you’ll find cheeses from big factories alongside specialty cheeses by regional makers. Some may be farmstead cheeses, produced from the milk of a single farm—not unlike a single-vineyard designation by a winemaker. Connoisseurs swoon over the unique flavor and texture of each of the hundreds of varieties now available. Yet cheese also remains an important staple in the home kitchen, both as an ingredient in countless dishes and as the star on its own plate.