A personal challenge to find more affordable cheeses to showcase this year has not yielded much to write about. I have purchased several inexpensive cheeses in recent months, hoping for a discovery, but too often I don't even like them enough to finish what I bought. That's no bargain.
Small-format cheeses can be particularly deceiving. At $5 or $6 apiece, they can seem like a good deal. But do the math, people. A 2-ounce cheese that costs $6 is $48 a pound.
The adorable little Italian Robiolino that I brought home recently qualifies as fairly priced, in my book. Weighing a little more than 4 ounces and sold for about $4.99, it could satisfy four diners as part of a salad. It's a fresh, barely ripened cheese with no rind, about as simple as cheese gets. But it has an attractive appearance – it looks like a mini-ricotta turned out of its draining basket – and some flavor intrigue, thanks to the use of mixed milk (cow, goat and sheep). The texture is moist, light and delicate, the flavor clean and lemony, with a brisk tang.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The San Francisco Chronicle.