Here are the first place winners in the top 5 categories (based on the volume of cheese sold in the U.S.), including sub-categories:

MOZZARELLA

 
CHEDDAR CHEESE

The best string cheese in America: Farmer’s Rope String Cheese from the Crave Brothers of Wisconsin. Photo courtesy EdibleMadison.com.

The best cheese of 2015 is Celtic Blue Reserve from Glengarry Fine Cheese in Ontario. Photo © Misa Me Photography.

MONTEREY JACK CHEESE

 
SWISS CHEESE

 
PARMESAN CHEESE

 
BEST OF SHOW

 
The awards mentioned here represent just a few of this year’s categories and winners. To see the complete list of awards in all categories, visit The American Cheese Society website.

We saw this photo on GourmetAttitude.com and thought: We must make this!

It’s a miniaturized Caprese Salad, with these substitutions:

 
It’s a beautiful summer salad; and since good cherry tomatoes can be found year-round, it’s also a treat for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.

For more food fun, you can serve the salad in individual Martini glasses.

RECIPE: SUMMER SALAD WITH FLOWERS

Ingredients

Cacio di Roma. Photo courtesy Cheese Of The Month Club.

You can dress the salad in oil and vinegar, allow guests to pour their own from cruets, or drizzle olive oil and vinegar on the plate before adding the salad, and allow guests to “swoosh” the tomatoes in it.

1. TOSS the tomatoes with a small amount of salt. Combine in a mixing bowl with the drained bocconcini and herbs.

2. SERVE on a platter or shallow glass bowl or on individual plates.
 
WHAT IS CACIO CHEESE?

Formally called Cacio de Roma, cacio is a semi-soft Italian cheese originally made in the countryside outside of Rome from sheep’s milk. Cacio simply means cheese in some dialects (formaggio is the word used universally in Italy).

Like most recipes, Caprese salad has evolved.

The original name originated on the island of Capri, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The island has been a resort since Roman Times.

But Caprese Salad is a more modern invention, dating (by name, anyway) to the early 20th century. The original salad was made with four ingredients: cacio cheese, beefsteak-type tomatoes called cuore di bue (steer’s heart), whole basil leaves and olive oil.

Later, possibly after World War II when American tourists ventured to Capri (it was a Jet Set favorite), sliced mozzarella (fior di latte or bufala) replaced cacio and the recipe spread throughout Italy and overseas with the tourists who loved it.

In classic style, slices of mozzarella and tomatoes plus the basil leaves were overlapped on a plate, drizzled with olive oil.
  

August 13th is National Filet Mignon Day. Filet mignon, the most tender and expensive cut of beef, comes from the small end of the tenderloin, and accounts for less than 1% of the entire carcass of the steer.

The term “filet mignon” is a French derivative, the literal meaning is small (mignon) boneless meat (filet). On restaurant menus it is called filet mignon, tournedos, medallions, filet de boeuf and tenderloin steak; in the U.K. it is called fillet steak. Here’s more about this coveted cut.

> Check out the different cuts of beef in our photo Beef Glossary.

Below:

>The history of carpaccio.

> Filet mignon trivia.

> Names for filet mignon in other languages.
 
 
ENJOY IT COOKED OR RAW

For National Filet Mignon Day you have two easy choices: cook it or enjoy it uncooked (yes, raw).

The easiest ways to serve cooked filet mignon:

 
The easiest ways to serve raw filet mignon:

 
Carpaccio is the absolute easiest.
 
 
WHAT IS CARPACCIO & ITS HISTORY

Carpaccio is the Italian term for raw beef filet (crudo is the term for raw seafood). Typically made from sirloin, the dish was created in Venice in 1963, at the time of an exhibition dedicated to Venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio (1465-1526).
 
The carpaccio dish was based on the Piedmont speciality, carne cruda all’albese, created by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry’s Bar in Venice. Using fine Piedmontese beef (Piemontese in Italian), he originally prepared it for a countess whose doctors had recommended that she eat raw meat. [Source]

It is a very popular first course.
 
 
RECIPE: BEEF CARPACCIO

To make carpaccio, buy freshly-cut filet mignon or sirloin from the butcher.

Ingredients

 
Ingredients

1. PLACE the beef in the freezer for 30 minutes (longer if needed) to firm it and make it easier to slice thin. Using your sharpest knife, slice thin pieces. Arrange on individual plates or a platter. You can create a “sunburst” or “wheel spoke” or parallel slices, depending on the plate or platter.

2. DRIZZLE olive oil over the top of the beef or around the rim of the plate. If using onions (not part of the original recipe), scatter over the beef, along with the shaved Parmesan. Lastly, top with the arugula.

3. SERVE with optional lemon wedges and pass dishes of salt and pepper (or go the conventional route, with salt and pepper shakers).
 
 
FILET MIGNON TRIVIA

 
 
SOME OTHER NAMES FOR FILET MIGNON

 
(Source)
 
 
 

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

[1] Beef carpaccio with a twist: dots of coriander and miso sauces instead of olive oil and flowers instead of shaved parmesan cheese (photo © Bamboo Sushi | Portland, Oregon).

[2] A beautiful presentation of beef carpaccio. Here’s the recipe (photo © ICCA | Dubai).

[3] A traditional carpaccio with olive oil (here, basil-infused olive oil), topped with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (photo © Atlantic Paradise Resort).

[4] Raw filet mignon, ready to be sliced into carpaccio. Freeze it for 30 minutes to make it easy to slice thin pieces (photo © Mackenzie Ltd).

[5] You can use any quality beef for sushi nigiri or chirashi—even bison and venison. Here, filet mignon is garnished with kombu (aged kelp) and Maldon sea salt. (photo © Mako | Chicago).

[6] For many people, a great dinner is a filet mignon and a glass of red wine (photo © Ruth’s Chris Steak House).

[7] Surf and Turf, a popular combination of beef and seafood, most popularly filet mignon and lobster (photo © Ruth’s Chris Steak House).

Last month we wrote about how to use fresh figs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But we’ve been reveling in them in the weeks since then, and want to send this reminder to everyone who has not yet jumped onto the fresh fig bandwagon*.

This week, a trove of Black Mission and Green Kadota figs arrived from California to our produce market. The Green Kadota figs we purchased are even sweeter than the Black Mission figs. Do your own taste test.

After enjoying them out of hand, focus on these easy, no-cook uses:

Fresh Green Kadota and Black Mission figs, shown with their dried versions. Photo courtesy California Figs. The website has recipes for everything from fig muffins to fig pizza.

 
*To get, jump or leap on the bandwagon is an idiom from the 19th century. It means to become involved in a successful activity so you don’t lose out on the advantages. There are other expressions of the phrase as well. A bandwagon was a festively-decorated wagon that carried a circus band; the band was part of the showy parade through town to generate excitement for the circus. The term first appears in print in P.T. Barnum’s autobiography, published in 1855. Politicians began to “jump on the bandwagon” to be part of the parade, actually renting seats on the wagon to get exposure to the public during the merry occasion.

Fresh figs are a delicious summer dessert with cheese and a drizzle of honey. Photo courtesy The French Farm.

RECIPE: FRESH FIG COMPOTE

Compote, the French word for mixture, is a dessert that dates to medieval Europe. It is made of a mixture of whole or sliced fruits, cooked in water with sugar and spices (cinnamon, clove, lemon or orange peel, vanilla). It can be further blended with grated coconut, ground almonds, or dried or candied fruits.

Our Nana grew up on compote, and we loved it too. There was always a compote when we visited, served warm (with ice cream or whipped cream) in cooler months and cold in the summer.

In medieval England compote was served as part of the last course of a feast; during the Renaissance it was served chilled at the end of dinner. Any fresh fruit could be used. Nana’s family recipe included rhubarb, sour cherry, apricot, nectarine and plum in the summer; apples, pears, quince, dried apricots, figs, raisins and walnuts in the fruit-challenged winter months.

Use the compote as a bread spread and a condiment with sweet or savory foods, in yogurt, with cheese, cheesecake, etc.

Ingredients For 2/3 Cup

If the figs are very sweet, you may need only a small amount of sweetener.

 
†Figs do not ripen off the tree, so buy fruit that is soft to the touch. The skin around stem should have begun to twist and wrinkle.
 
Preparation

1. CUT the figs into quarters or smaller pieces as desired. Place the figs, sweetener, water and cinnamon in a small saucepan over low heat.

2. COOK for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding the alcohol near the end (or if using dried fruits in the recipe, you can pre-soak them in the alcohol). To turn into a smooth sauce instead of a chunky dessert or topping…

3. PULSE, using an immersion blender or food processor, until the desired consistency is reached. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

TO DEGLAZE A PAN

Here’s how to deglaze a pan to make a sauce. Include a tablespoon of fig compote (you can also use fig jam).

To make a sauce without pan juices (terrific with roast duck or pork):

1. HEAT 1 cup of red wine in a saucepan, and simmer to reduce it by half. Add 1/2 cup of fig compote and a half teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.

2. BRING to a simmer again, stirring for a few minutes to blend the ingredients. Remove from the heat and finish with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Add a scant tablespoon of butter to smooth out the sauce.

Sun-dried tomatoes are delicious year-round; but according to the USDA, few if any store-bought sun-dried tomatoes are dried in the sun. The original technique, indeed, was to dry the tomatoes in the sun over the course of several days.

These days, most “sun-dried” tomatoes are oven-dried. However, they taste the same, or even better, when dried in an oven or food dehydrator.

The drying process gives the tomatoes a long shelf life, since most of the moisture, on which decay-inducing bacteria thrive, is removed (the same strategy as with jerky).

Sun dried vs. sun-dried vs. sundried? Any of the three spellings is correct.

OVEN DRYING

If you have a bumper crop of tomatoes, or there’s a big sale, you can use this technique to create homemade dried tomatoes. Freshly made, they’re still tender and succulent.

Instead of drying tomatoes in the sun, oven drying is a more efficient method. The task is complete in three hours at the lowest heat setting, instead of several days. You can also use a food dehydrator.

Of course, if you’d like the authentic experience, you can leave the tomatoes in the hot summer sun for two days or more, taking them in at night. (The oven is looking even better now, isn’t it?)

You can dry any tomato—beefsteak, cherry, grape, or other variety. But plum tomatoes, a type of roma tomato, are the most popular. The walls are thicker, meatier and have less water.

The tomatoes must be ripe but still firm (i.e., not overripe). While it’s not an exact science, five pounds of fresh tomatoes yield about two cups of dried tomatoes. The tomatoes will shrink to about a quarter of their original size.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SLICE the tomatoes. Cut them in half lengthwise and remove the tough part on the stem end. Also cut away any soft, bruised flesh. Cherry tomatoes need only be halved; but larger tomatoes should be halved again, into a total of four quarters.

2. SCOOP out most of the seeds, sprinkle with salt and let them sit skin side up for 15-20 minutes. The excess liquid will drain out, and the oven drying will go faster.

3. PREHEAT the oven to 200°F (some people use a lower temperature, e.g. 150°F, but this will take double the time).

4. PLACE the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, black pepper and olive oil in a large bowl and gently toss to combine. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet or shallow roasting pan, lined with parchment. Sprinkle any garlic and oregano in the bowl on top of the tomatoes.

5. DRY for up to three hours. Flip the tomatoes halfway through. The amount of time will vary, depending on the water content of the tomatoes, the thickness of the slices, and air circulate (expert home cooks place the tomatoes on screens instead of in pans, to abet air circulation).

6. CHECK for doneness. The tomatoes should be flexible and tender, not dry and hard. Remove from the oven

7. COOL to room temperature, 20 to 30 minutes. Store in heavy-duty freezer bags, either vacuum-sealed or with the air pressed out. We discovered this technique from PickYourOwn.org:. Don’t overfill the bag, and press out the air pockets. Seal the top of the bag, leaving enough space to insert a soda straw. Suck the air out through the straw. When finished, press straw closed at the insertion point, and finish pressing the bag closed as you remove it.

8. STORE in a cool, dry place. Keeping them airtight is key; the dried tomatoes will quickly reabsorb moisture and go moldy. If you see any condensation in the bag or other container, remove the tomatoes immediately and put them put them back in the oven to dry.

The tomatoes will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks, and in the freezer for up to 12 months. To give them as a gift, place in a sterilized glass jar with regular or infused olive oil, and the instructions to use up within a week.