TOP 5 CHEESE DISHES

Dear Readers,

I love cheese in all its milky goodness: soft and hard, goat and cow (sheep and buffalo too), mild and pungent, mouldy and crumbly, blue and white. I love it in salads, souffles, fondue, scraped off a wheel of raclette onto boiled potatoes, or just a perfectly ripe chunk on a piece of excellent bread. I wrote a book about 500 different cheeses and I couldn’t possibly name just one that’s my favourite … but I can tell you five of the best cheese dishes I’ve eaten and where I found them!

Burrata, Rye, Hazelnut

What’s even better than fresh mozzarella? Burrata – chopped mozzarella mixed with cream tied up in a thin stretched curd skin! At this groovy, late-night bar it’s served whole alongside a pile of rosemary-spiked rye and hazelnut crumbs to add crunch and punch to the oozy cheese.

Gruyere Souffle

Double-baked gruyere souffle was put on the menu of this Woollahra institution (previously Claude’s) in the 1970s by its original owner, Claude Corne. I love a touch of tradition and am so glad it’s still there today, four owners later. It’s dense but light, creamy, savoury and addictive!

Pressed Curd & Leeks

Yellow’s menu may be meat free, but Brent Savage always has a dish with some house-made cheese. One of my favourites was fresh cow’s milk curd pressed for 24-hours to give a lovely springy texture. Lightly grilled it provided the perfect foil for sweet charred braised leeks.

nomad

Goat Cheese & Churros

With a dedicated glass-fronted cheese room, Nomad’s Jacqui Challinor always has something happening with her house-made halloumi, ricotta or chevre. Good produce doesn’t need much adornment – and I loved dipping crisp puffy churros into a bowl of tangy, honey-drizzled goat curd!

apollo

Saganaki Cheese

I do love fried cheese, especially this Greek classic! Jonathan Barthelmess takes it to the next level with a sprinkle of dried Greek rigani and generous drizzle of honey to balance the salty sheep and cows milk cheese served bubbling away in a cast-iron pan.

If you love cheese too, get along to the Mould Festival this Friday evening at Carriageworks, for tastings of 60 different cheeses from 15 of Australia’s finest producers including Vannella Cheese, Meredith Dairy and Bruny Island Cheese.
And for some cheesey goodness at home, try Cheese Fondue ~ Gnocchi alla Sorrentina ~ Manchego, Fennel, Orange & Walnut Salad ~ Spanakopita ~ Asparagus & Goat Cheese Risotto ~ Macaroni Cheese (with or without the truffles) ~ Welsh Rarebit.
See more of what I’m cooking, eating and drinking on Instagram
For a print-friendly version of this list (and to check out more of my Top 5 tips) visit www.food-wine-travel.com/top-5/

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