Articles written by
Christine Burns Rudalevige has been a working journalist for 30 years and has considered cheese her favorite food group for even longer. Ten years ago, when she attended culinary school, one of her goals was to write for culture.
In Season: Nuts
Ancient Romans partaking in the festivities of Saturnalia—a raucous mid-December holiday that honored seed-sowing god Saturn— wagered nuts, not gold coins, as they rolled dice fashioned from sheep and goat knucklebones. A good haul of fall nuts, after all, was a good omen for the spring harvest to come. Later in western civilization’s story line, […]
Washed-Rind Cheese Tart with a Mixed Nut Crust
Italian Tallegio is an obvious choice for the washed-rind semi-soft cheese in this recipe. But other options that match the nutty crust are Limburger, Morbier, Port Salut, and Reblochon.
Goat’s Milk Caramel Sauce is the GOAT
Mexican sweet caramelized goat milk called “cajeta” on cookies Saturdays in my kitchen are centered around the transistor radio on the windowsill and a project on the stove. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., my local public radio station serves up Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, Planet Money/How I Built This, RadioLab, and the TED […]
Plum-Colored Kale is the Versatile Veg of Autumn
The color purple reigns supreme in the world of modern kale. While myriad varieties of purple kale fill salad bowls, sauté pans, and snack bags, most fall into one of three categories: curly, flat, and dinosaur. The curlies are grown to be seen as well as eaten. The most popular is Redbor, which can grow […]
Cheese + Fish: It’s All Greek To Me
Barrel-aged feta, Cretan Graviera, and whey-made mizithra mix well with seafood in Greece.
Garída Saganaki
In Greek restaurants throughout the US, the “saganaki” most often found on menus is a pan-seared Cretan graviera cheese appetizer that arrives at your table in brandied flames as diners and servers alike shout “Opa!” This saganaki recipe, traditionally served in seaside tavernas throughout Greece, comprises fresh shrimp, tomatoes, and feta cheese that are roasted […]
DIY Crackers are Easy and Customizable
Crackers seem like a timeless cheese tray accessory. But since historians say cheese has been made since 8000 B.C. and crackers only date back to 1792, it’s a relatively new match. Looking to make a shelf-stable food for sailors, entrepreneur John Pearson of Newburyport, Massachusetts, combined a lot of flour with a little water and […]
In Season: A World of Melons
Look beyond honeydew and cantaloupe for more exciting flavors My recent 100-kilometer walking pilgrimage along the Portuguese Camino in northwestern Spain from Vigo to Santiago de Compostela was fueled each morning by no fewer than three cured pork products (shoulder, loin, and spicy chorizo sausage); three regional raw cow’s milk cheeses named Arzùa-Ulloa, Queso […]
A Summer Slaw to Travel Wherever You Go
In the 2005 romantic comedy The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, four BFFs collectively purchase a single pair of jeans because they perfectly fit each young woman’s figure despite their varying shapes. They share the jeans via the mail when they are forced to spend a summer apart; the pants travel separately to Greece, Baja […]
Versatile Endive Can Scoop Dips, Pair with Cheese, and Star in a Salad
Photo by Brent Hofacker Witloof, or white-leafed Belgian endive, originally sprouted up as a happy accident for the chicory family. When Jan Lammers left his farm in Brussels to fight in the Belgian War of Independence in 1830, the story goes, he purposely left chicory roots behind in his cellar. He’d planned to roast and […]
