What was little Miss Muffet eating?


While I was in the throws of hand-scooping my ricotta this week I totally checked out my whey- and was thinking what lovely whey it was having come from rich Jersey milk. Then I started thinking about Little Miss Muffet sitting on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey and I wondered if her whey looked as good as mine?
Why was she eating whey anyway? It’s not that tasty.

I know at least one of my readers will hate me for uttering the f-word but it truly is fall. With it comes a little bit of a break we are now down to seven markets a week and will no longer be at West Moreland, Eastbank or Lake Oswego farmers markets.

Its much easier working long hours when someone I know does it too, like my Dad. I put a lot into my business, sometimes I am nostalgic for activities that don’t require loading and unloading vehicles or shopping for market supplies. Whenever I pause or g_d forbid whine! he throws slacker insults and ‘don’t be a baby’ in my face. This is always very humbling and energizes me for another round. With all I do it just doesn’t seem to be enough, it appears being a cheese maker isn’t enough he now wants grandchildren too!! Having rejected the last three proposals I have received I don’t think marriage is in my future but kids are a whole other story. I already have their names picked out !!! A little on the hippie side but still very descriptive.

They are going to be three and their names are going to be Cheerful Cheddar, Happy Havarti and Funny Feta!! I am hoping that you will love them sooo much you will want to take them home with you :) I think we will all enjoy watching them age.
No kidnapping charges will apply.

I am slightly sad but also happy that there are only three weeks left of my weekday farmers markets- Running 10 markets a week can only last for so long. I am greatly looking forward to some much needed time in the test kitchen to create some new- but much better tasting old- cheeses. Coming up the first week of October is The Wedge! which will be a very cheesy event with 35 cheese makers tasting and showing their gorgeous cheeses. I am very lucky and will have a very big! and cool! cheese maker assisting me, Brian Richter formally from Oregon Gourmet cheese :0

October 22nd 5-7 at the Hood River Grange I will be conducting a cheese class. If you are interested please email me your contact information and I will keep you informed about information regarding the class (wow that sentence had a lot of words starting with i’s).

The recipe this week has a little story behind it. It is not my recipe but something I did cook and must admit not being a pizza fan- was it really was remarkable.
Late Wednesday night I got a very exited phone call from Texas and Peter who had just landed in PDX coming from Chicago.
“Oh wow Lis! you wont believe what we have!” Me “What? did you buy me a vacuum sealer?” TP “No we have pie crust!”
They went on to tell me a story about how they wanted to go out to dinner but instead found a closed pizza place with an Italian chef who instead of selling them some pizza aka pies sold them some pizza crust and a recipe for a pizza.
TP “So we have a list of ingredients here he says we need fresh homemade ricotta, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes that have not been refrigerated, truffles and cippolini onions.” I started to think that perhaps I should know this chef.
Me being, well me I just happened to have all these ingredients, which prompted my late night scurry for my pizza stone.
I let the boys take care of the crust which came with even more detailed instructions and gathered together the ingredients.
I first smeared some homemade tomato sauce as the base very thinly and the smeared on some ricotta (hand scooped Monday am!) and then the mozz. I chopped up the onions and did a very quick saute and added them along with some tomatoes that were glorious heirlooms I snagged from Gales Meadow on Tuesday at the CB market. I finished the pizza off with gratings of some black Oregon truffles and finished it all off with some salt and pepper and a drizzle of some 12 year old aged white balsamic vinegar (of which I am running dangerously low on and will have on my b-day list) and put it all in the oven to bake.
It was quite the recipe! Although you cannot all have fresh pizza dough flown in from Chicago from an Italian chef you can certainly make your owns and compile the ingredient list at the market!

I am compiling a variety of recipes to stock my booth with, so if you have a favorite recipe you would like to share with me I would love it. Just make sure it has a good amount of my product in it!

Be good and if you cant be good then enjoy being bad.
Much love
Yours always
Cheese Czarina