[1] Who can resist cheese fries? (photo © Idaho Potato Commission)

[2] Crinkle-cut fries are baked from frozen fries (photo © Walmart).

[3] Sharp cheddar from Wisconsin (photo © Wisconsin Cheese).

October is National American Cheese Month, so how about some cheese fries, made with a fine American cheddar*?

You don’t even have to fry the potatoes!

This easy-to-make dish uses frozen, baked Grown In Idaho crinkle-cut fries.

Once they’re golden brown in the oven, top them with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, bacon, scallions, and sour cream (or ranch dressing).

Some want theirs with a big squirt of ketchup, others as is.

But you may want to make a double batch. These fries will quickly disappear.

April 20th is National Cheddar Fries Day.
 
 
RECIPE: CHEESE FRIES WITH BACON & SCALLIONS

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 425°F.

2. GREASE a rimmed baking sheet or a large cast-iron skillet with cooking spray. Spread out the crinkle-cut fries in an even layer on the sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.

3. SPRINKLE the fries evenly with the shredded cheese. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the bacon.

4. DRIZZLE with the sour cream or ranch dressing, then sprinkle with the sliced green onions. Serve immediately with ketchup on the side.
 
 
> French Fries History

> The Different Types Of French Fries

> Potato History

> The Different Types Of Potatoes
 
________________

*Cabot Cheddar is a great choice, and comes in 10 varieties, so you can layer on more flavors: Chipotle, Cracked Peppercorn, Everything Bagel, Garlic & Dill, Habanero, Horseradish, Hot Buffalo Wing, Smoky Bacon, Spicy Jack, and Tuscan. See them here.

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If you’re a true cheese lover, you know that there are “so many cheeses, so little time.”

But we can cut down on the list a bit, because it’s National American Cheese Month.

The American Cheese Society says that, “American Cheese Month is a celebration of North America’s delicious and diverse cheeses, and the farmers, cheesemakers, retailers, cheesemongers and chefs who bring them to your table.”

So how about trying a different new-to-you, made-in-America cheese for American Cheese Month?

How about trying something new?

There are so many great artisan cheesemakers. We don’t mean to exclude anyone, but check out the websites of:

 
 
HOW ABOUT CRESCENZA CHEESE?

Crescenza, sometimes known as stracchino, is a staple in the Italian kitchen.

Says Mozzarella Company of Dallas, “Crescenza is one of those cheeses that no one has ever heard of but everyone loves when they taste it. It is a soft, fresh Italian cheese with a tart, clean flavor.

It is similar recipe to stracchino. The difference is that crescenza is made from whole milk or semi-skimmed milk and aged for 5-10 days, while stracchino is made only from whole milk and it aged for 20 days.

“Whenever we serve Crescenza at cheese tastings, this is the cheese that people invariably buy to take home.”

O.K…we’re in, we said, and we placed an order. It is as promised: delicious.

While the cheese is Italian in origin, there are a number of American cheese makers who make it; both artisan and factory producers.

Crescenza (creh-SEN-za) is made from cow’s milk. It is a young, soft cheese, aged for just a couple of weeks before it is sold.

Eaten very young, it has no rind and a very creamy texture. It is typically square in shape.

It is a great cheese for expressing the natural flavor and aromatics of a good quality milk, a showcase for the wonderful fresh flavors and aromas of the milk.

The Crescenza from Mozzarella Company:

 
How To Serve Crescenza

Beyond antipasto and appetizers, focaccia, sandwiches, melting on grilled cheese or other recipes (casseroles, ravioli, whatever).

For snacking or a cheese plate, The cheese was first made in Lombardy, Italy and areas adjacent to this northern Italy city where it is commonly served as a snacking or appetizer cheese with fruit,
For a cheese plate, pair crescenza with bread and:

 

CRESCENZA CHEESE HISTORY

Crescenza and stracchino have long been made in Northern Italy, regions of Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont, Romagna and Veneto.

There’s a legend, of course.

Most cheeses are historically made in the spring and summer, when the pastures are lush and green, the days are long and the milk is as fresh as can be.

Crescenza and stracchino were traditionally made during the autumn and winter months, after the cows had descended from the mountain pastures.

The physical exertion of the hike increased the butterfat content of the milk, making a richer cheese.

The cows were tired after the long season and their descent; hence, tired cows.

For stracchino, the name of the cheese derives from the Lombard adjective stracco, meaning tired.

The origin of the name Crescenza comes from the Italian crescere, which means “to grow.” If kept in a warm place, the cheese tends to increase in size, just like rising bread!
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHEESE

[1] Humboldt Fog goat cheese from Cypress Grove Cheese, with the signature line of ash running through the center (photo © Cypress Grove Cheese).

[2] An assortment of cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery, from cows happily grazing in Marin and Sonoma Counties (photo © Cowgirl Creamery).

Crescenza Cheese[/caption]
[3] Artisan crescenza cheese, made in small batches by Mozzarella Company (photo © Mozzarella Company).

[4] Spread it on bread or crackers (photo © Wisconsin Cheese).

[5] Snack on it with raw vegetables (photo © Arrigoni Formaggi).

[6] An appetizer of prosciutto-wrapped crescenza cheese. Here’s the recipe (photo © BelGioioso Cheese).

[7] Crescenza and peach crostini. You can substitute apples, pears, even grapefruit and oranges Here’s the recipe (photo © BelGioioso Cheese).

[1] Boursin’s fall flavor, Fig Balsamic, makes a beautiful center for a snack plate with black mission figs and brown turkey figs (both photos © Gournay Cheese).

[2] There’s a lot of flavor in each little carton.

[3] You can make a Boursin-like spread from cream cheese. Here’s the recipe from Food.com (photo © Diana | Eating Richly). Also check out this recipe from The View From Great Island.

One of the nice parts of food reporting comes in the fall, when a number of brands release limited-edition fall flavors: chestnut, cinnamon, cranberry, eggnog, fig, gingerbread, peppermint and pumpkin, to name the more popular ones.

So it is with French cheese brand Boursin, with the launch of their newest seasonal flavor, Fig & Balsamic—available for a limited time only.

Boursin is a soft creamy cheese made in a variety of flavors, each as delicious as the next. Its flavor and recall a more sophisticated whipped cream cheese.

Fig and Balsamic joins Cranberry & Spice, also a seasonal flavor, and the line’s mainstays:

Fig & Balsamic (seasonal flavor, available starting this month)

 
The cheeses can be elevated from a toast or bagel spread to an hors d’oeuvre with fine crackers or baguette slices, or stuffed dates.

Check out Boursin’s recipes for more ideas.
 
 
WHERE TO FIND IT

Boursin Fig & Balsamic is now available in the deli section of major retailers nationwide, including AHOLD (Food Lion, Giant Food, Giant/Martin’s, Hannaford, Peapod, Stop & Shop), Albertsons, Kroger, Meijer and Publix. The suggested retail price of $5.99-$6.99.
 
 
BOURSIN CHEESE HISTORY

Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs, sold in a little foil cup, was created in 1957 by François Boursin, a cheesemaker in the commune of Croisy-sur-Eure commune in Normandy, northern France.

The cheese was inspired by a traditional Normandy party dish of garnished fromage frais (French for “fresh cheese”); a fresh, unaged cheese intended to be eaten within days of its production.

In the case of Boursin, guests would take their portion of cheese and top it with herbs to add herbs for flavor.

Boursin thought: Why not sell the cheese with the herbs already blended in?

Voilà: Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs, the first flavored cheese product to be sold nationally in France.

In 1990, the brand was acquired by Unilever, who sold it to Groupe Bel 2007 [source].

The original cheese, fromage frais, is simply drained, lactic set curd, lightly salted, that does not undergo a ripening period. It has a creamy, soft texture and fresh and a fresh, milky flavor.

Fromage frais differs from fromage blanc, another fresh, white French cheese, in that by law, fromage frais must contain live cultures when sold, whereas with fromage blanc, the fermentation has been halted [source].

It is often eaten for breakfast (we love it with toast), with fruit for dessert, or in cooking.
 
 
> Check Out The Different Types Of Cheeses In Our Cheese Glossary

October 7th is National Frappe Day.

Frappe (pronounced frap) is a New England term for a milkshake, from the French frapper (frap-PAY), “to beat.”

It’s an iced beverage that is made in a blender or a shaker, to produce a foamy drink. Ice is added to increase the foaminess. Milk, sugar, and flavorings can be added. Caramel or chocolate sauce can be used as garnishes, along with whipped cream and a host of others.

A frappe is not a milkshake, and it has its own holiday (National Milkshake Day is September 12th).

“When is a milkshake not a milkshake?” asks New England Magazine.

“In New England, of course, when it’s a frappe (or a cabinet).”

> The recipe is below.

> The differences between a float, ice cream soda and shake.

> The year’s 8 ice cream drink holidays.

> The history of the milkshake.

> The history of the frappe is below.
 
 
WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT A FRAPPÉ?

New England Magazine goes on to explain that:

 
New Englanders also refer to sprinkles as jimmies. Why ask why? (There are conflicting stories, none of them satisfactory.)
 
 
FINALLY, THE É IS RESTORED TO FRAPPÉ

We hadn’t thought about frappes and jimmies for decades; we lived in Boston long ago. When we moved back to the land of milkshakes and sprinkles, frappes and jimmies faded into the deepest recesses of memory.

But when we did live in the land of frappes, no one could tell us, a student of French and an editorial stickler, why the accent mark was left off.

Maybe the area’s menu typesetters didn’t have an aigu, the é with the accent mark? Certainly, it couldn’t be that nobody knew French.

Etymology notwithstanding, it seems that “frappé” (with the accent) has finally come to New England thanks to L.A. Burdick, one of New England’s finest chocolatiers.

Burdick has café-chocolate shops in Walpole, New Hampshire (the original), Boston, and Cambridge, with a more recent expansion to Chicago and New York City.

If you’re in the neighborhood, here are the addresses.
 
 
LARRY BURDICK’S FRAPPÉS

Burdick Chocolate is one of our favorite artisan chocolatiers. His chocolate shoppe cafes are located in the Boston area plus in Chicago, D.C., and New York City.

Burdick’s frappés combine a chocolate drink (milk and chocolate syrup) with crushed ice and fruit pureé (photo #1). His offerings:

 
Here’s how we adapted the concept.

1. PURÉE your fruit of choice. Sweeten lightly to taste.

2. MAKE a thick milkshake in the blender. Crush a couple of ice cubes with an ice tapper or a mallet.

3. PLACE the purée in the bottom of a tall glass, and top with the shake (photo #1).

4. GARNISH with whipped cream and a piece of fruit.

If you’re near a store that sells Magnum ice cream, you can buy dark, milk or white chocolate ice cream.

Otherwise, punt, with regular vanilla or chocolate ice cream. We used Ghirardelli white chocolate syrup and Talenti Double Dark Chocolate Ice Cream.
 
 
EASY FRAPPÉ RECIPE

Ingredients For 1 Drink

 
Preparation

1. ADD the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass (or mason jar, or whatever) and garnish as desired.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF THE FRAPPÉ

The frappe (pronounced frap) is a classic New England ice cream drink that’s similar to a milkshake but with a key difference: it always includes ice cream.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, soda fountains became popular gathering spots in the U.S., and regions developed their own variations of creamy drinks.

In most of the U.S., “milkshake” came to mean a drink that included ice cream, but not on New England. They the drink called a milkshake does not have ice cream; just milk and flavored syrup, shaken until frothy.

[1] A chocolate-raspberry frappe (with the accent mark) from chocolatier Larry Burdick (photo © L.A. Burdick Chocolates).

[2] A couple of chocolate cookies were tossed into the blender for this version (photo © American Heritage Chocolate).

[3] Add some spice to your chocolate: cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder (photo © American Heritage Chocolate).

[4] A full-on frappe. Find the recipe for this and others at Koobie’s Coffee (photo © Koobie’s Coffee).

[5] A frappe can be any flavor you like (photo © The Milkshake Factory).

[6] Ready, set, scoop (photo © American Heritage Chocolate).

New England distinguished their frappe from their milkshake by including ice cream in the former, creating a thicker and richer drink than their milkshake.

Let’s add to the confusion by pointing out that in Rhode Island, part of New England, a frappe (a milkshake made without ice cream) is called a cabinet. The name is believed to derive from the cabinet where the blender was kept.

Back to the frappe:

By the early 1900s, the frappe became a staple at soda fountains and ice cream parlors in the region, blending milk, flavored syrup, and a generous scoop of ice cream. It became a beloved part of New England’s food culture, served at ice cream parlors and local diners.

Today, the frappe remains a regional specialty in New England, though the lines between milkshakes and frappes have blurred in some places. But its history remains a testament to the area’s culinary traditions and its ability to preserve regional distinctions in our world of increasingly homogenized food culture.

(Some information via Abacus.ai.)
________________

*Nonpareils, the precursors of sprinkles/jimmies, date to at least the late 18th-century, if not earlier. They were used as decoration for pièces montées† and desserts.

The candy company Just Born (maker of Peeps, Mike & Ike, Peanut Chews, and other favorites), then in Brooklyn, New York, claims that its founder, Sam Born, invented the chocolate-flavored sprinkles he called jimmies. However, advertisements for chocolate sprinkles as a confection exist as far back as 1921, predating Just Born’s, established in 1923, by two years.

But head over to Holland: Dutch hagelslag (sprinkles) were invented in 1913 by Erven H. de Jong in Wormerveer. Here’s more of the story.

†A pièce montée (mounted piece) is a decorative confectionery centerpiece, created in an architectural or sculptural form. They are made for formal banquets and weddings, of ingredients such as confectioner’s paste, nougat, marzipan, and spun sugar.

The great French Marie-Antoine Carême, a student of architecture, is reported to have said about pièces montées, that architecture is the most noble of the arts, and pastry the highest form of architecture [source].

‡Don’t know ibid?

**Fun fact: The original Frappuccino was made and trademarked by The Coffee Connection, a coffee shop in Massachusetts. They were bought out in 1994 by Starbucks, which tweaked the recipe a bit and popularized the sweet coffee drink that everyone knows today [source].

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Bucatini: like spaghetti, but thicker and with a hole down the center (photo by Alicia LaLocanda | CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0 License).

[2] Spicy Pumpkin Carbonara—recipe below (photo © Delallo).

[3] Bucatini Ai Frutti Di Mari (mixed seafood). Here’s the recipe (photo © Delallo).

[4] Bucatini, homemade by The Baker Chick. Here’s her recipe (photo © The Baker Chick).

[5] Delallo Calabrian chiles in olive oil. You can buy them online (photo © Delallo).

[6] Just-picked Calabrian chiles, hanging to dry. Learn more about them below. Depending on the subspecies, they can be rounder or longer and narrow (photo © Toldio74 | Dreamstime).

[7] Bucatini Con Le Sarde: with sardines. Here’s the recipe (photo © Delallo).

[8] Bucatini With Green Olives, made with our favorite olive, the castelvetrano. Here’s the recipe (photo © Delallo).

[8] Artichoke, Bacon & Spinach Bucatini. Here’s the recipe ((photo © Delallo).

Our friend Penny, who does not like mushrooms, felt “left out” when she saw our Creamy Mushroom Fettuccine recipe last week.

So here’s one for Penny, for all mushroom-eschewers, for the pumpkin-happy fall, and for for National Pasta Month, October.

In this recipe, “spicy” means hot, from the Calabrian chiles (photos #5 and #6). If you don’t want the heat, just omit them.

Or, check out the bucatini recipes in photos #7, #8 and #9. Thanks to Delallo for the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE NOTES

This recipe uses bucatini, a cut we love.

Bucatini is a long, thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the center. It’s a tubular pasta, kin to cannelloni, elbows, penne, rigatoni and ziti.

The name comes from the Italian buco (BOO-koe), meaning hole.

The Neapolitans* call it perciato, which means pierced. Either way, it’s a fun cut.

Why is it fun? Because you can suck the sauce through the straw. It’s messy, but you don’t have to be a kid to try it (at least once).

Why the hole?

One reason for the hole is that, in the days when all pasta was made by hand, it enabled a thicker version of spaghetti to cook more evenly, so the inside would not still be hard when the outside was al dente.

 
Bucatini is common throughout the region of Lazio, particularly Rome†, its capital.

Popular preparations there use:

 
If you can’t get hold of it bucatini, substitute spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine—or spaghettoni, thick spaghetti without the hole, which is also a fun pasta to serve.
 
 
RECIPE: SPICY PUMPKIN CARBONARA FOR NATIONAL PASTA MONTH

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. BEAT the eggs, cheese, pumpkin and nutmeg in a large serving bowl, until combined. Add the salt and pepper. Set aside, and bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil.

2. HEAT the olive oil and garlic in a large saucepan. Once the garlic begins to turn golden, remove from the oil and discard. Add the pancetta to the pan. Sauté the pancetta until it becomes golden brown, about 6 minutes. Then add chiles to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

3. COOK the pasta according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water to finish the sauce.

4. COMBINE the hot pasta and pancetta mixture with oil in the serving bowl with the egg and cheese. Toss to coat and to gently cook the eggs, which is done with the heat of the pasta. Once combined, add about 1/4 cup of the reserved hot pasta water and toss. If the pasta appears too dry, add another splash of pasta water.

5. SERVE immediately, with additional parmesan cheese to garnish.
 

WHAT ARE CALABRIAN CHILES

Calabrian chiles (or chili peppers) are a variety of native to the Calabria region of Italy (the toe of the “shoe”—the heel is in Apulia).

They are also called the small red cherry pepper, devil’s kiss and peperone picante Calabrese, which means “spicy pepper of Calabria.”

The typical harvesting season is late summer through fall.

Their genus and species, Capsicum annuum, is the same one for bell peppers, sweet/Italian peppers, serrano, cayenne, paprika, and jalapeños. (There are five different Capsicum cultivars.)

Depending on your personal definition of “hot,” Calabrian chiles are moderately hot or hot, ranging from 25,000 to 40,000 SHU on the Scoville Scale.

Hot peppers are in the 30,000 to 50,000 SHU range. By comparison, a jalapeño ranges from 2,500–8,000 SHU.

The chiles are blood-red and small but very flavorful, soaking up more than 300 days of sunshine annually.

This means that in addition to heat, they have a flavor unique to their terroir: fruity, salty and smoky.

These popular chiles—a staple in southern Italy—are sold fresh, but also dried, pickled, or stuffed and sold in olive oil.

DeLallo Foods, an importer of fine Italian foods, sells them that way, ready to use in a recipe or as part of an antipasto.

Diamante, a coastal town at the top of Calabria (above the “ankle” of the foot, close to the border with Basilicata), holds an annual Peperoncino Festival. The weeklong event takes place every September (in a non-pandemic year) and lasts a week. It attracts visitors from all over the world.
 
 
HOW TO USE CALABRIAN CHILES

Calabrian chiles can be served both raw and cooked: baked, roasted and sautéed.

They pair well with just about anything: cheeses, fish and shellfish, herbs (basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, ), meats (beef, poultry, pork), and vegetables (cucumbers, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini). You can also use them to stuff olives.

Fresh chiles will keep up to one week when stored whole and unwashed in the fridge, in a paper or plastic bag.

The fresh chiles are:

 
In recipes, the chiles can be:

 
They can also be dried and used to:

 

THE HISTORY OF CALABRIAN CHILES

Chiles were first introduced to Italy by Spanish traders, likely in the early 16th century. Columbus had brought seeds back to Spain from the Caribbean in 1493.

These members of the Nightshade** family, were initially met with suspicion, and were mainly used for decoration until they were deemed safe to consume (the same happened with tomatoes, also brought back from the New World, and also Nightshades**).

Then, chiles were quickly adopted into Italian cuisine, and many new varieties were cultivated in Italy. As mentioned earlier, terroir‡‡ had a big influence on the diverse flavors, sizes, etc.

Today, outside of Italy, Calabrian chiles are predominantly grown by small growers in Asia, Australia, Europe and the U.S. If you’d like to grow them at home, you can find seeds online [source].

*Neapolitans are residents of Naples, Italy. Neapolitan is the language of Naples, and also the name of a species of dog and horse bred in the region, among other references.

†Rome is not only the capital of the country of Italy, but the capital of the Province of Rome, and the capital of the region of Lazio.

‡In the U.S., you can find fresh Calabrian chiles from California; but also dried or jarred versions and Calabrian chile oil. Some stores refer to them as peperoncini, the generic Italian word for hot chiles (singular peperoncino, both cases often spelled with a double “p” in the U.S.). The generic name for sweet chile peppers in Italian is peperoni (singular peperone). If you can’t find Calabrian chiles, you can substitute serrano chiles, crushed red pepper flakes or a hot chile paste like aji amarillo, harissa or sambal olek.

‡‡Terroir, pronounced tur-WAH, is a French agricultural term referring to the unique set of environmental factors in a specific habitat that affect a crop’s qualities. It includes climate, elevation, proximity to a body of water, slant of the land, soil type and amount of sun. These environmental characteristics gives a fruit or vegetable its unique character.

**The Nightshade family, Solanaceae, is a family of flowering plants. Many of their fruits, pods or roots are edible, while others contain the alkaloid solanine, which is toxic in high concentrations (as in the deadly nightshade, or belladonna, and the tobacco plant). Edible members include the cape gooseberry, capsicum (chile), eggplant, goji berry, potato, tamarillo and tomatillo and tomato, among others.