Say cheese

Quick - what's one of the last things you would expect to hear me say we did on the boat last nite?

You said, "Make cheese", didn't you?

I love cheese.

Let me say that again:  I love cheese.

So the combined Father's Day/Jane's b'day present that Adam and Kaci gave us was a perfect fit - tuition at a cheese-making class.

The class we attended was the first in a two-part curriculum, and dealt with fresh cheeses: ricotta, mozzarella, mascarpone and chevre.  Bonny, our instructor, an Italian woman and stand-up comic, grew up in a family that made cheese as a regular part of life.  In fact, I was amazed to hear that for them, making ricotta or mozzarella was just a part of normal meal preparation!

Oh my gosh!  What I have been missing!

In the 3-hour class, Bonny took us thru the making of all four cheeses I mentioned above...  and by that I mean that we (hands-on) made these cheeses, and then at the end of the class we ate them.

So last nite, we put our training to the test:  we made ricotta.  Yes, you can do it on a boat - here's proof: cheese making at anchor in Port Madison. (See Bonny?  I told you we would do this!)

And here's the result:  yummy whole-milk ricotta.  We had this with blueberries over it, and a glass of wine of course. 

Now I ask you:  Can you think of a better dessert than fresh ricotta with fruit and a glass of wine, at anchor in a beautiful, protected little harbor?

No, I didn't think so.

Say cheese