Cheese

Last summer, friends introduced me to a spicy marinated cheese called nakladany hermelin, a snack common in Czech pubs. Packed in a jar with walnuts, bay leaves, juniper berries, and oil tinted red with paprika, the cheese makes an easy, attractive homemade holiday gift or nibble for your own gatherings. (Serve one or more of the cheeses with slices of baguette.) Though I have not found hermelin cheese in this country, Ihsan Gurdal, owner of South End Formaggio and Cambridge’s Formaggio Kitchen, suggested using Camembert as a substitute.

Even robots like to have fun. NASA's rover on Mars showed off its playful side by snapping a picture of its own shadow. It's the latest self-portrait since the rover, named Opportunity, landed on the red planet in 2004. The photo was taken in March and NASA released it this week. The solar-powered, six-wheel rover was at an outcrop on the rim of a massive crater. The late afternoon sun set the crater aglow and Opportunity waited for just the right lighting to send a postcard back to Earth.

Serves 8 8 cups cooked spaetzle, rinsed and drained in a colander (see recipe) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese Salt and pepper, to taste 3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs 1. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Have on hand a 10- to 12-inch baking dish. 2. Place half the spaetzle in the dish.

A magnitude-6.0 earthquake shook several small towns in northeast Italy, killing four people, knocking down a clock tower and other centuries-old buildings and causing millions in losses to the region known for making Parmesan cheese. The quake struck at 4:04 a.m. Sunday, with its epicenter about 35 kilometers (22 miles) north of Bologna at a relatively shallow depth of 5 kilometers (3.2 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. Civil protection agency official Adriano Gumina described it as the worst quake to hit the region since the 1300s.

Makes 3 dozen This simple dough is made like a pastry crust, but with lots of cheese and a generous pinch of cayenne pepper. Roll it into logs, then slice and bake. The rounds are very cheese-y and flaky. 1 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Pinch of cayenne pepper 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 pound (2 cups)

Serves 8 Diane Hyman, co-owner of The Trolley Stop, created this recipe with family friend Dotty Baker. Hyman adds seasoned salt and onion salt to her dish. Butter (for the dish) Salt and pepper, to taste 1 pound elbow macaroni 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 1 small onion, finely chopped 1/2 cup flour 8 ounce block Velveeta cheese, cubed 1 quart milk, warmed ...

Serves 4 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and sliced thinly 5 ounces baby spinach 1 package (10 to 12 inches) flour tortillas 8 ounces Jack and cheddar blend 1. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. When it is hot, add the garlic and jalapenos.

Serves 6 Serve the broccoli as soon as you pour over the cheese sauce, or arrange the florets in a heatproof dish and run it under the broiler for 2 minutes. 1 large head broccoli, cut into 2-inch florets 1 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese Salt and pepper, to taste 1. Fit a saucepan with a steamer insert and add several inches of water.

Serves 8 Exeter, N.H., resident Denise Landis offers these delicious crisps in her new book "Dinner for Eight: 40 Great Dinner Party Menus for Friends and Family" (St. Martin's Press). Use the best-quality Parmesan you can find. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Begin with 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese. Place spoonfuls of the cheese on the baking sheets, spacing the mounds several inches apart. Transfer the sheets to a preheated 375-degree oven. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts and turns light golden.

Serves 2 1/3 cup finely chopped mix of shallot, red onion, white onion, sweet onion, and leek (pale green and white part only) 3 tablespoons chopped scallion 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped 4 slices (each 1/2-inch thick) country bread, halved crosswise 3/4 pound aged Cheddar, coarsely grated 4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick)

Best-selling novelist Matthew Pearl will discuss his latest book, "The Technologists," at a Sunday author talk at the Paul Pratt Memorial Library next Sunday at 4 p.m. The historical thriller is set in 19th-century Boston. A book signing, wine, and cheese reception and conversation with the author will follow the talk. Admission is free, but seating is limited; tickets can be reserved by calling 781-331-1348. The library is at 35 Ripley Road. - Johanna Seltz

Much of the "cheese year" is based on making summer last all 12 months. Cheesemakers and mongers work hard to stretch the warmer, out-to-pasture-high-in-the-mountain months, as the herbs and green grass that cows, sheep, and goats eat translate into more flavorful cheese. Here are a few of Sylvie Yhuel and Daniel Delgado's seasonal favorites. SPRING Fresh cheeses, particularly many goat's-milk cheeses, are best in the spring. "You can begin to taste the season in the Camembert and bries (which will be good for months to come)

Serves 4 This is the first recipe that chef Todd Heberlein developed in his new kitchen, taking advantage of the farm's spring kale and their deli sopressata. At Volante Farms, Heberlein makes the dish with smoked mozzarella, white bean, and sage ravioli. Salt and pepper, to taste 1pound cheese ravioli4tablespoons olive oil3ounces hot sopressata or other hard salami, diced1onion, thinly sliced2cloves garlic, chopped½bunch kale, stemmed, leaves chopped1tablespoon sherry vinegar1cup pasta cooking water½cup grated Romano cheese 1. In a large pot of boiling salted water,...

Vintners, cheese makers, and other purveyors of fine food will take over a swatch of Union Square sidewalk as part of a new farmer's market to be held every Thursday evening this summer. The event, called Slice and Swirl, was organized by Union Square Main Streets. Starting June 14, the weekly offering will feature wine, cheese, and other specialty goods that traditionally make up a smaller portion of the regular farmers market items. Mimi Graney, executive director of Union Square Main Streets, said long communal tables will be set up to accommodate wine and chocolate tastings.

At JM Curley, you'll find bubble hockey in the corner, boxes of sugar cereal stacked on a wall, and fresh-baked cookies for dessert. Embracing childhood nostalgia, this Downtown Crossing spot is a playroom for adults. And the menu lays out the clubhouse rules, under the heading "Law & Order. " It says, in part: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's date, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor his grub, nor his cocktail, his barstool, space, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.

STOWE, Vt. - Whenever I ski Stowe, my usual après-ski pint morphs into something a bit more upscale. I grab the kids and we head to the Hourglass bar at Stowe Mountain Lodge for the Artisan Cheese Plate. Select three or five cheeses and the dish arrives with locally made bread, toasted pistachios, and fruit chutney. All of the cheeses are made in state and executive chef Josh Berry likes to vary the menu depending on the season. "There's just so many wonderfully crafted cheeses in Vermont that I'm a bit spoiled," says Berry, who knows a thing or two about cheese,...

Serves 2 as a side dish The initials MO are for Mandarin Oriental, the new Back Bay hotel, where this dish is offered at the restaurant Asana. Emmental is a hard yellow cheese with a distinctive, slightly nutty, flavor. Executive chef Nicolas Boutin created this simple dish, which can be run under a salamander to brown the top, or garnished with lobster or fresh white or black truffles in season. Salt and white pepper, to taste 1 cup macaroni 1 cup creme fraiche 1 cup grated Emmental ...

Anyone who's eaten at an Indian restaurant will recognize palak paneer (spinach with cubed cheese) or mutter paneer (peas and tomatoes with cubed cheese). The basic element - the paneer itself - is simple to make at home. Paneer, the cheese of Northern India (it also appears in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan), is a main source of protein. "When I was a kid, having meat was for festivals or at home once in a month," explains Rajneesh Gandhi, a chef/consultant in Bangalore, India.

A slate board from Brooklyn Slate Co. makes a stunning platform for a spread of cheeses. With a textured surface and ragged edges, the rustic slate ($25 to $32 for 10 by 14 inches, about $33 for 5 by 18 inches) is appealing. Designers Kristy Hadeka and Sean Tice started the business three years ago. Each distinctive piece of stone is sourced from the upstate New York quarry Hadeka's family has owned for three generations, hand-ground at the quarry, and finished by hand in the couple's Brooklyn workshop.