Cheesy Fun in Lincoln Square Next Week

As the weather starts to warm up, time is running out for decadent winter comfort foods.  You know the ones I’m talking about: braised short ribs, slow roasted pork shoulder, etc.  As much as I love them, they are just a little heavy to eat during the hot Chicago summer months. So, my wife and I decided to give the season one last hurrah this past weekend.

We decided to make homemade lasagna from scratch. We spent all day making a gallon of homemade meat sauce, letting it simmer for a good 4-5 hours.  I made and rolled out enough pasta to feed a small town in Sicily.  My wife chopped piles of fresh herbs and grated enough Parmesan cheese to make a mini ski slope.

The only thing we didn't do was make our own fresh ricotta and mozzarella.  I didn’t have enough milk or the time to make it.  It was kind of a bummer since we were making everything else from scratch.  So my wife and I vowed next time we would at least make our own ricotta.  The Chopping Block will offer tips on making your own cheese at home during a Google+ Hangout on Friday, April 19 at 4pm. You can watch live (or later on our YouTube channel) and submit questions for our chefs to be answered during the broadcast.  

For those of you who have a true love of fresh cheese, we also offer Homemade Cheesemaking classes. And next week, The Chopping Block welcomes Kirstin Jackson, author of “It’s Not You, Its Brie: Unwrapping America’s Unique Culture of Cheese”  on April 3rdat Lincoln Square. She will lead a discussion of American cheese producers and share her insight to the growing cheese market in our country. The price of the class will include a copy of her new book as well as a tasting of her favorite cheese-inspired dishes featured in the book. Sign up here.

Have you ever made your own fresh cheese? How did it turn out? Share your experiences here.