5 ways to cook with cheese
Recently, I learned of the death of Colette Hatch DeRoma — or “Madame de Fromage,” as many of us knew her. She died Jan. 13, following a long illness.
Although Colette was approaching her 81st birthday, she was ageless to those who knew her. Between her diminutive stature, engaging French accent, beautiful smile and boundless enthusiasm for all things cheese, she seemed much younger than her years.
Among the things Colette leaves behind are the gourmet cheese departments at our four Oliver’s Markets and their well-trained staffs.
“We all loved Colette,” Steve Maass, founder and president of Oliver’s, responded in answer to my query. “There was no one like her, and her charm and warmth came through at every meeting. She was a large part of the heart and soul of Oliver’s.”
I will never have another bite of cheese without thinking of my friend. In her honor, here are five of my favorite ways to enjoy cheese. Colette was global in her enthusiasm for cheese, so Sonoma County, Great Britain, Sicily, France and Switzerland are all represented here.
You can use any triple-cream cheese in this dish, but it’s best when made with one of our local cheeses, from the Two Rock area of Petaluma.
Bellwether Crescenza with Sauteed Mushrooms
Makes 4 – 6 servings
8 ounces crescenza, at room temperature
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces mushrooms of choice, broken into pieces or thinly sliced
¼ cup dry white wine
Kosher salt
Black pepper in a mill
2 teaspoons snipped chives or chopped Italian parsley
½ baguette, thinly sliced and lightly toasted
Unwrap the cheese and set it in the center of a serving platter.
Put the butter into a medium saute pan set over medium heat. When the butter melts, turns foamy and begins to give off a hazelnut-like aroma, add the mushrooms.
Agitate the pan gently to coat all the mushrooms in the butter. Add the wine, cover and cook until the mushrooms wilt, about 3 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until the liquid is…
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