Cheese improvements right across the board
KOSHER CHEESE was once bland and boring. But today there is plenty of choice for our Shavuot cheeseboard. Rivkah Schtraks of north-west London’s B Kosher supermarket grew up in France with a chef for a father, so she has a gourmet pedigree. “We were not Orthodox until I was seven, so he had tasted a range of foods,” she says. His passion passed to her: “I love, love food”. Cheese is a favourite and she is full of ideas for the dairyfilled festival.
She imports a range of them for B Kosher. “In France, there are masses of kosher cheese suppliers. Each store has one huge fridge for dairy — this is how we’re brought up. All we talk about is food and the French constantly push boundaries to emulate the non-kosher market. I was miserable when I first came here as there was so little choice in kosher but things have changed.”
She visits France two or three times a year, to sniff out the best products. “Suppliers don’t always tell you about new products, so it’s worth going to see for myself.” Every two to three weeks she imports a pallet of new products.
Despite offering a wide range, she cannot always buy everything she would like. “Some suppliers make only one sort of cheese and it is not cost-effective to take only one product from them.”
“In France, there is a large selection. Now the market has developed so much, you can get almost anything. There has been a trend for panini and antipasti.”
Schtraks says many of the cheeses she sells are kosher versions of popular non-kosher cheese. “There is a nonkosher cheese with garlic and herbs called Boursin and we import a kosher version of that. We also do a Raclette cheese which people use for parties. You melt it with a special machine and serve it over new potatoes, vegetables and pickles. I do three types — a regular version, a smoked one and one with pepper.”
She is full of ideas for what to serve over Shavuot. “I have 35 people coming over and I make platters of fruits and cheese as well as a few hot dishes. I do a cheesy, vegetable lasagne and a goat’s-cheese salad, which I make by grilling goat’s cheese on slices of toasted baguette, drizzled with olive oil and garlic. I serve them on a salad with a honey mustard dressing. I also do a feta salad and a Caesar salad with parmesan cheese.”
Another favourite is a baked gratin. “When I first came to England at the age of 18, I worked at a patisserie where I used to bake quiches and gratins, which were so popular. They are basically sliced potatoes cooked in milk and cheese. You can add other vegetables if you like — broccoli and mushrooms work well.”
She also like to wrap her cheese in a thin pastry called feuille de brique — similar to filo but crunchier when baked. “I put a whole goat’s-cheese log inside, roll it up and fry it, then serve it drizzled with honey.”
A table of sweets is also a must — “I do cheesecakes and cheesecake brownies.”
If you do not feel like cooking, a cheeseboard is a perfect end to a meal. And it is a good way to introduce your guests to a range of different flavours and textures. Schtraks suggests the following: A hard cheese, such as English mature Cheddar or perhaps a Gouda from either France or Holland. Gouda is mild and sweet when young but when aged becomes sharper and yet still sweet.
Sant Albry: this is traditionally made in the shape of a flower and is sold in a block or in slices. It is mature and has some character.
Boursault: this is a tiny Camembertstyle cheese — small enough to fit on your palm easily. It is extremely creamy and mild.
Ortolan: also a creamy, Camembertstyle cheese; eat it at room temperature and it will be soft and melting.
Camembert: Rivkah offers ten types, which will also differ in flavour according to where they are made.
Milk flavour varies from country to country and even between regions plus bacteria in the air differs, so Camembert from different places will taste different.
Brie: Schtraks offers four types. Roquefort or Stilton, or you could choose both these blue cheeses, which are different in character
Goat’s cheese: there are eight types at B Kosher.
Gouda: Schtraks recommends Boule d’Or (ball of gold) which is matured for six months and has a naturally smoky flavour.
Cream cheese or cottage cheese: this is good for children. Schtraks says Israeli milk is sweeter than the milk here, making Israeli cottage cheese rich and creamy.
Serve the cheeseboard with dried apricots or figs; grapes and caramelised onions. “Cook the onions until they are sweet and melting and they are delicious with the cheese. A good wine is also a must,” she says.