Home At Last! with Patty Gironda

Or possibly a great cheesemonger? Find a passionate cheesemonger and you'll discover a secret portal to the cheesemaking world! Pictured here is my new best cheesemonger's cheese pick for me and I have to give it to Toni, this is an interesting cheese with a young history that is making cheese news. This is a Frumage Baladin from the Piedmont region of Italy.  Complex with a creamy texture, I am sure many of you will appreciate the history of the company's desire to create a cheese using an all-vegetable rennet made from thistle flowers.  So far, my head says "mustard" but I wonder if that is because of the beer that is added. I will continue to try to dicipher it's wonderfully familiar flavor! I find the somewhat silky texture very pleasing in my mouth That's half the fun of discovering a new cheese-especially when it sits on a crusty sliver of baquette! For more of Toni's recommendations please check out her blog.

In June of 1999, I was invited to review a Bed and Breakfast at Villa San Pietro in Montichiari, Italy, in the Lombardy Region of Northern Italy. Fueled by memories of exotic family travels I was anxious to create the same kind of romantic memories with my husband, Ron. We marveled at our good fortune and eagerly agreed. From Frankfurt, Germany we made our way south towards Switzerland. With a heightened sense of excitement, we were eager for adventure. We giggled every time we saw another sign pointing the way to Italy. One sign, in particular, stood out! Gotthard Pass With my rusty German, I offered my interpretation to Ron. “I think if we turn here-we will totally pass around the Swiss Alps!" And so began our slow, arduous climb over the Swiss Alps. The narrow pass was jammed with holiday travelers and tour buses. Traffic slowed to a crawl, dangling us over ravines covered in snow. Climbing over 6900 feet at a snail’s pace I witnessed every glorious waterfall and chiseled snow...