Burrata, Spring Flowers & Wine: February & March Cheese Classes
Baetje Coeur de la Crème
For spreading Valentine's Day fever & beyond.
Happy February! I just returned from a writer's retreat/lock-down in the Mill Valley redwoods where I spent breaks walking beside streams and ferns, and let me tell you, what just last year used to be just trickles are now full-blown waterfalls. It's raining. It's raining a lot. Which means one,... California, we will have water to drink! And... two, it's cozy time. Time to do warming things.
Like making cheese. And celebrating Valentine's Day.
Truth be told, any cheese wheel or wedge is a good Valentine's Day gift for oneself or one's other. But there's something about filling mozzarella with cream, ladling custard-like curds into molds, or clinking glasses during a pairing with the person next to you that really spells Valentine's Day (just move the letters in the word around a little, add a few, then move those around...). Classes make cheese bonding happen.
Below are my February and March public classes. As always, please be in touch if you'd like to arrange something private for team-members, clients, or in your home. Hope to see you around!
Spring cheese plate
February & March Classes and Events
Burrata by Hand
Feb 13th & 15th, Monday & Wednesday, 6-9:30 pm, 18 Reasons
The most exciting cheese on the cheese board needs little explanation: burrata is fresh mozzarella filled with luscious cream and more cheese. You get to make your own in one short night. And eat it too! In this action-packed evening class, you will learn the basics of cheesemaking, including which milk to use, where to find cultures, and options for rennet. You will also leave with a deeper understanding of the science behind the process.
Cheesemaking: Spring Cheeses with Leaves, Herbs and Flowers
March 5th, Sunday 11-2 pm, The Cheese School
Few of the new year’s pleasures are greeted with as much joy as the wobbly legs and little sounds of baby animals and the first bright blooms in the garden. In this class you’ll learn to make feta, fromage blanc, and ricotta from scratch, then marinate each in its own springtime bouquet of leaves, herbs, and flowers.
Ridge Montebello Collector Tasting
March 12th, Sunday, Ridge Montebello
Join us for our 16th annual Component Tasting on March 11th & 12th. This event is an exclusive opportunity for Monte Bello Collector Members to participate firsthand in the assemblage process and taste barrel samples of the separate varietal components for the 2016 vintage of Monte Bello. [I pair the cheese, tell the creamery's stories, and attend the event].
Artisan Cheese & Wine Festival: Tour & Lunch- Perfect Pairings
March 24th, Friday, Sonoma Cheese Festival
Rise and shine! Start your morning with the Pacheco family, proprietors of Achadinha Cheese Company and the Pacheco Family Dairy. On nearly 300 acres in Petaluma, Jim and Donna Pacheco, with help from their four children, milk goats and make cheese inspired by family legacy and the Old World traditions of Portugal. You will tour the farm, learn why the Pachecos transitioned from a traditional cow dairy to a goat dairy, meet the “girls”, and taste their farmstead cheeses. Then you are off to the historic Petaluma Hotel...
Springtime Cheese & Wine Pairing
March 28th, Tuesday, 6:30-8:30pm, The Cheese School
Come May, foodie hearts’ swoon at the first sights and flavors of Spring. Few of the new year’s pleasures are greeted with as much joy as the wobbly legs and little baa’s of baby goats and lambs. Babies on the farm means milk for cheesemakers. Author and cheese expert Kirstin Jackson will lead you in a tasting of the first cheeses of the year....