Simmering Cheese
Here we are in the dog days of summer, just on the cusp of the “great cheese harvest” that begins in September and extends through to the end of the year. We call it that because it is a time of year (the Fall) when more cheese types are available in good form than in any other part of the year. Yet there are plenty of great cheeses around right now that are “screamin’ to be eaten.” Now is also a time when our appetites may not be so hearty, when we would prefer to stick with a little fresh fruit and little else, certainly not any cheese. Alors!
We’ve noticed this phenomenon year in, year out: cheese appetites tend to fall in the summer. Perhaps some people are thinking that they should cut back on cheese if they want to look good in their swimsuits.
What a shame! Too few have discovered that the cheese diet will actually help them to lose weight (if they care to) or to gain lean body mass (if they’re the body-building types that are hoping to impress in other ways).
Practically all of the goat cheeses are lovely right now, the sheep of all kinds are spectacular, and the cows, well, they’re always around. Speaking of which, I’ll even have some fondue or a raclette type like the fabulous Val Bagner. I may have different wine preferences now from those I have in February, and I will drink more water; I’ll have different fruits available, but I certainly won’t cut back on my cheese. What a depressing thought.
And on that note: lest we forget; cheese does make us happy. No, really!
Max McCalman
-Dean of Curriculum and Maître Fromager