If you still want your cheese plate on a hot summer day, these are the hot weather cheeses recommended by Janet Fletcher of Specialty Food Magazine, combined with some of our own.

You can read her full article here, and create a more complex cheese course with the recipe below.

 
 
RECIPE: CHEESE COURSE OF RICOTTA WITH MARINATED BERRIES & TOMATOES

You can turn the cheeses above into a complex cheese course recipe, as well. In the example below, we adapted the idea from the inspiring Florida chef, Chef Adrianne.

Fresh ricotta is whipped and flavored, then combined with marinated cherry tomatoes and strawberries. You can substitute fresh goat cheese or feta.

Chef Adrianne further does a side-plating (photo #5), a practice among modern chefs who don’t think everything has to be centered on the plate.

You may side-plate, or arrange everything into the center in a conventional plating.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

For The Lemon Oil

 
For The Salad

 
For The Berries

 
For The Ricotta

 
For The Garnish

[1] Stracchino, a briefly-aged cow’s milk cheese (photo courtesy Beanie Bumbles).

[2] Before it’s aged into a hard cheese, fresh pecorino is a summer delight (photo courtesy Demagi).

[3] While you may know ricotta only as loose curds, like cottage cheese, it is also made in molds of this shape, which allows the liquid to drain producing a firm cheese (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

[4] Fromage blanc with berries (photo courtesy Vermont Creamery).

[5] Whipped ricotta and fruit as a cheese course. It is plated in a style currently favored by chefs: side-plated, following the curve of the plate.

*If the cherry tomatoes are jumbo, you can halve them.

†The objective is to add a small amount of contrasting crunch, so you can also used crushed crackers or chopped nuts.
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Preparation

You can make the lemon-infused oil several weeks in advance, storing it in a cool, dark place.

1. INFUSE the olive oil with the zest. You may already have flavored olive oil. If so, give it a taste test. To make your own, scrub the lemon surface thoroughly and pat dry thoroughly.

2. USING a very sharp paring knife or peeler, remove the zest from the lemon. Note that you only want the bright yellow part of the peel, not the white pith immediately under it. Pith will turn the oil bitter.

3. PLACE the zest and oil in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat. Do not allow it to warm enough to simmer or develop small bubbles along the side of the pan. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and let the oil cool to room temperature with the zest. Strain out the zest and transfer the lemony oil to a sealed jar.

4. MAKE the vinaigrette. Blend the vinegar, oil and pinch of salt in a container with a tight lid, and shake well to emulsify. Add the cherry tomatoes to the container and turn to coat them. Set aside, turning occasionally to coat all sides.

5. MARINATE the strawberries. Unless they’re bursting with sweetness, marinating adds flavor that nature didn’t. Place the strawberries in a medium bowl and sprinkle the sugar over them. Toss to make sure all of the berries are covered with the sugar. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for one hour. Then add the balsamic vinegar, citrus zest and crushed mint. Cover the bowl, turn upside down to coat, and refrigerate for at least two hours.

6. WHIP the ricotta in a food processor with the olive oil and salt. Blend until light and smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.

7. ASSEMBLE: Drain the tomatoes and strawberries and remove the mint leaves from the latter. Scoop 5 balls of the ricotta onto a plate, using a cookie scoop or spoon. Leave an equal amount of space between the ricotta, for the tomatoes and strawberries, and add them to the spaces. Sprinkle lightly with zest or crumbs, and serve with a peppermill.