SplendidStorySample: CookbookAuthor/Cheesemaker

The original version of this profile of cookbook author and artisan cheesemaker, Paula Lambert, was published in a Dallas magazine.  Lambert is owner of The Mozzarella Company ( www.mozzco.com).  To view a pdf of the printed story, complete with recipes, click HERE. 

Paula Lambert has had a lifelong love affair with cheese, and knows how you should serve it, and with whaWINE & CHEESE,PLEASE

WINE & CHEESE, PLEASE
Paula Lambert’s Perfect Pairings                                               

by Elaine Rogers

There may never be a bad season for serving wine and cheese, but renowned artisan cheesemaker Paula Lambert of The Mozzarella Company in Dallas says warm evenings on the patio are especially well-suited to it, and any time people gather casually for conversation and conviviality, it’s a happy combination.  Fortunately, she has plenty of advice on how to do it with flair.

Producing multiple gourmet cheeses to rival those found on her many European travels, Lambert frequently pairs her creamy creations with Texas wines. (Favorite vintages include Fall Creek Vineyards and McPherson Cellars.) A Ft. Worth native, she began her love affair with cheese years ago while living abroad in the post-college years. By 1981, Lambert had returned to the Metroplex but was visiting friends in Italy when she had an epiphany and realized she would have to learn the art of cheesemaking herself if she were ever to enjoy the flavorful cheeses at home that she’d grown so accustomed to in Italy and France.

She extended her stay to apprentice informally with the owner of a local cheese factory who agreed to teach her his craft, and reported for duty each morning at 6:00 sharp wearing rubber boots and a white cotton cheesemaker’s hat.

To say she succeeded at bringing fresh mozzarella home is an understatement.

Lambert and The Mozzarella Company have earned numerous awards and culinary recognitions over the years, producing 250,000 pounds a year of a long list of specialty gourmet cheeses from both cow’s and goat’s milk. Besides conducting a variety of monthly cooking classes at her Dallas factory, she takes a small group of fellow cheese lovers to France twice a year for a week of exploring markets, visiting chateaus and villages, tasting cheeses and cooking with local ingredients. “We stay in a renovated farmhouse and have a wonderful time,” Lambert says, noting that the next culinary tour is scheduled for May 30-June 6.

Of course, you don’t need a passport or travel budget to jump on the wine and cheese bandwagon. Lambert is a fan of the European cheese course, a culinary habit she says Americans often neglect. In her book, The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook and Guide, she notes that it was widely believed in France during the 18th century that cheese aided digestion, and it was served after the main course, before dessert. The British interpretation of this is to serve cheese after dessert, usually with a glass of port.

Regardless of timing, Lambert says the cheese course is a wonderful venue for home entertaining because there are no rules … or limits. You might opt for one grand cheese offering or an assortment; choosing flavors that either compliment your meal or contrast with it. No rules, no limits and no slaving over a hot stove to produce the ensemble.

Well, okay: Some suggestions if not rules. Lambert recommends serving cheese at room temperature, and an accompaniment of bread or crackers is sensible. Fruits, nuts and even fruit chutneys are welcome additions. And, of course, there’s the wine. Lambert says cheeses served shouldn’t require a lighter wine than what you served with dinner, and you might transition from the dinner wine to a sweet dessert wine.

There’s also the more tried-and-true American custom of serving wine and cheese as appetizers, and for those inspired to do more than simply place some cheese and crackers on a tray, Lambert has plenty of crowd-pleasing cheese appetizer recipes from which to choose. Following are two cheesy recipes that are sure to impress: Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Pesto Mascarpone and Savory Herbed Cheesecake.

SIDEBAR:
Personal taste is always a top consideration when you’re planning Clever Combinations
a wine and cheese party, but cheese authority Paula Lambert
offers several tips for making sure your selections are well-matched.

Aged mellow cheeses go best with older, more robust wines like
Cabernet Savignon and Zinfindel

Soft-ripened cheeses like Brie and
Camembert are best with full-flavored Chardonnays

Young, milky cheeses pair with delicate wines that are light and
fruity, either red or white, like Savignon Blanc and Pinot Noir

Champagne goes well with Brie and also, rich triple-créme cheeses like

Brillat-Savarin or Explorateur
Try Austrailian Shiraz with aged Gouda Beujolais pairs well with Tomme de Savoie or Banon cheeses Serve Gruyére with Gewurtztraminer

For more information about serving cheese, visit www.mozzco.com
or sign up for classes at The Mozzarella Company.

 To view a pdf of the printed story (and its recipes) click HERE.

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Call SplendidlySaid at 972-965-7947 or email Elaine Rogers at erogers@splendidlysaid.com.


 

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