CHEESE
OR
DAIRY
PRODUCT
S22 SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com
FINALISTS
➌ ➋ ➊
BELLWETHER FARMS
Whole Milk Ricotta
MADE WITH WHOLE JERSEY MILK AND USED BY CHEFS at fine restaurants
like The French Laundry, this ricotta doesn't want to hide in a tray of lasagna.
Crafted on a family farm in Sonoma County, Calif., it has a delicate texture
and natural flavor. "We bring the milk up to temperature, we culture it, and
then when it gets to a certain point, we turn the heat off in the kettle and this
nice, beautiful pillow comes to the top," explains Lenny Rice Moonsammy, a
sales representative for the company. "Then our creamery team comes in and
scoops it right off the top."
The result is a tender, smooth ricotta, which may be familiar to Italians but
often comes as a surprise to Americans who are used to a gritty, pasty version
of the cheese, says Moonsammy. While it can add a special note to lasagna
recipes, this cheese's quality shines in the simplest forms: on a crostini or at
the center of a cheese tray, drizzled with honey or chutney. Suggested retail
price: $7.99/12 ounces. Contact: Lenny Moonsammy; 707.478.8067; info@
bellwetherfarms.com; bellwetherfarms.com.—K. M. Robinson
TIE
➍
