It’s here: the last moments of summer. As we say goodbye to the sunshine-filled days of summer and welcome a new school year, we want to make sure to savor the flavors of the harvest season with the most delicious, new, and craveable treats from Caputo’s. Take a peek at our latest obsessions here:
CHEESE: Mesa Feta

Mesa Farm in Torrey, Utah, is home to a local artisan very near and dear to our hearts. Randy Ramsley is at the helm of Mesa, which is home to about 40 goats near the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park. Here, Randy raises his small herd along the banks of the Fremont River and creates a small collection of world-class cheeses. Our current favorite is his 100-percent local goat’s milk feta. Aged about four month to achieve optimal flavor, Mesa Feta is tangy, briny, and delicious. This cheese is the perfect pair for our local bounty of fruits and vegetables. Toss it into Greek-inspired salads, over seasoned watermelon or stone fruit, and top your grilled burgers, mushrooms, and other veggies with it. You’ll be glad you did, and we’ll be glad to have you in full support of this fantastic local product.

***In 2023, Randy of Mesa Farm entered his beautifully earned retirement. The farm and its singular cheeses will live on in our hearts and stories for years to come.***

SAVORY: Piquillo Peppers

There are many piquillo copycats out there, and for darn good reason. Piquillo peppers, which translate to ‘little beak’ in Spanish, are a cornerstone of Spanish cooking and tapas culture. Piquillo peppers—grown in Northern Spain, near Lodosa—offer a sweet flavor with no spiciness, and a sturdy, meaty texture. Piquillo peppers are roasted, seeded, and de-stemmed before canning. Your piquillos should be whole when they come out of the jar. Stuff them with high quality Spanish tuna, a mixture of cheese and herbs (cough, like the Mesa feta above, cough, cough), or chop and toss into frittatas, casseroles, stews, and more. Use these instead of other roasted peppers for amplified flavor, and they’ll make your dish even tastier.

BAR: Peychaud’s Bitters

We’ve got another traditional cornerstone for you here. This Craving is one part Creole magic and one part cocktail king. Created by New Orleans apothecary Antoine Amédée Peychaud in the 1830s, this bitters has withstood not just the test of time, but it was one of the only bitters to survive Prohibition. Light, sweet, and floral, this is an absolute must-have for home cocktail enthusiasts and professional mixologists alike. You can’t make a proper Sazerac without it, and you deserve a Sazerac after that first week of getting the kids through school.

CHOCOLATE: Pump Street Hacienda Limon 85%

Pump Street has stormed on to the American market after a publicized mention at the Oscars. It has long had a cult-like following for both its baked goods and chocolate alike. Hailing from the almost-too-cute and quaint town of Orford, Suffolk, Pump Street coaxes Heirloom Cacao Preservation cacao beans into some of the most decadent bars we’ve tasted. These bars are complex, perfectly textured, and truly craveable. Pump Street offers beans from Hacienda Limon in three different cacao percentages to explore the full spectrum of flavor from these heirloom beans. The Guantupi region of Ecuador is home to cacao beans used by many artisan chocolate makers across the country, but we just can’t get enough of Pump Street lately—especially the 85% bar. This is the ultimate gift to give the most important person in your life: yourself! Go on, indulge.

My favorite resurgent food theme from the last few years is what I like to call “grandma chic.” While food writers, bloggers, chefs, and amateur food enthusiasts will claim to march to beat of their own drum, we all love to follow and comment on the latest foodie trends.

The trends of 2014 included: the Great Kale Revolution, healthy lunches for kids, all local everything, gluten-free foods, and upscale comfort food. So far, 2015 moved further away from molecular gastronomy and embraced things like biscuits, waffles, poutine, and more obscure culinary traditions.

For me,  it was “grandma chic” above all else. Everyone believes that their grandma or other kitchen matriarch makes at least one dish better than anyone else in the world. We’re all too happy to pit our sweet, shrinking, and wise elderly relatives against each other in hopes of prevailing with the most authentic and tastiest recipe.

Well guess what, both my grandmothers are Kitchen Queens. My paternal grandmother has cornered the market on eggplant parmigiano, lasagna, and peach pie. My maternal grandmother, Nonna, was the authority on fresh pasta, taralli, and seasonal cooking. She left us all too soon, but made a lasting impression on my life and forever changed my perspective in the kitchen.

Rino, of the now-closed Rino’s Italian Ristorante in the Parley’s Canyon area, is my first stop at the Saturday farmers market at Pioneer Park. His produce reminds me of my Nonna’s kitchen table.

A fresh white tablecloth was the base for the summer’s bounty, day in and day out. Tomatoes, peppers, greens, and many other veggies were piled high, tempting us grandchildren with their wafting scents. We’d sneak tomatoes and peppers all summer, but left our favorite veggies alone in hopes they’d be used for our favorite dishes. Mine included fresh orrechiette with veggies from the garden, braised beef with tomato sauce, and fried squash blossoms.

Nonna lightly fried squash blossoms in a big, cast iron pan that filled the kitchen with a sweet scent that tortured me until dinnertime. Our whole family would sit down, and I’d silently pray everyone would help themselves to the main course so I could get my grubby little hands on the blossoms. I loved the crunch at the tip of the blossom that gave way to its tender base filled with deliciousness. Sometimes, she’d fill them with herbed ricotta. Other times, she fried them plain, with no filling. I didn’t care which she chose, so long as there were blossoms to be had.

Rino has had blossoms since the market began this summer. I haven’t missed buying them—not even once. Each one is ready to be used, slightly fragrant, and cut the same way my Nonna cut them from the garden. I fry at least two of the 10 blossoms I buy from him. The others may be fried as well, or sautéed for pasta, added to farro salads, or as a simple topping on fried eggs or a frittata. No matter how they’re used, I silently thank both my Nonna for her delicious, simple way of cooking and Rino for the opportunity to cook her recipes from my childhood.

Make these squash blossoms for the people you love most. Serve them alongside pasta, poultry, or egg dishes, and manipulate this recipe so it becomes your own. Then pass it down as your family grows. Maybe someday, our grandkids will pit our recipes against each other, too.

Fried Squash Blossoms
Makes 10 blossoms

• 1 10-inch cast iron frying pan
• Olive oil, for frying
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1 tablespoon fennel pollen
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 ounces beer, lager, or pilsner (I’ve really loved using Squatters Bumper Crop this summer)
• 10 zucchini blossoms, stamens removed
• Fleur de sel sea salt

Add oil to the pan, about 1 to 2 inches deep. Heat on medium-high until oil is fragrant and shimmering. While oil is heating, remove stamens from blossoms. Mix ricotta with fennel pollen and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon or pipe 1-2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture into the center of each blossom. Don’t overfill with ricotta (I know it’s tempting, I still make this mistake. Remember, we want to taste the blossom.) In a medium bowl, whisk beer into flour and salt until only small lumps remain.

Dredge blossoms in batter and shake off any excess before laying them into the oil to fry. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan and fry each side of blossoms for about 4 minutes. Remove to a plate layered with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and serve immediately.

This is a public service announcement for all of you dedicated enjoyers of cheese out there.

You see, I have been a cheese monger for a very long time. I love cheese, and not a day passes that I do not enjoy one of the 200 cheeses that I have at my disposal. And yes, before you ask, it’s a tough job, but I make these sacrifices for all of you.
While part of my job is teaching both the cheese and whisky tasting classes and helping with our educational program, my real job—at its most basic level—is to talk with you fine folks about cheese when you meander into Caputo’s. You’re looking for something exciting, and I’m here to help. This is the part of the job that has kept me here and invested the last several years. Frankly, I get paid to talk about cheese. This to me means that I am doing alright.

That being said, I know that most of you don’t spend 60 hours a week in the equivalent of Cheese Candyland, which is why I have set out to share my thoughts on this from the other side of the counter. People frequently ask me how they can expand their cheese palette, and my response is invariably the same, you need to try more cheese. This seems rather self-serving to some as I clearly work at a place that benefits from selling more cheese. Bear in mind, I am not a sales person who makes a commission. I make the same salary whether we sell out of cheese or if we don’t sell an ounce of the stuff for a week (although that would probably not be a very fun week).

Note that I did not say BUY more cheese, I said TRY more cheese.

We have an open sampling policy, which means that of the 200 cheeses I referred to earlier, you can come in and sample about 197 of them in one sitting, if it suits you. You can also pick the brain of the dedicated cheese nerd behind the counter. And it makes no difference to me if you spend a nickel after the sampling, so long as you enjoyed yourself. So please come take advantage of the cheese library that Caputo’s is happy to offer.

I know all of you have real jobs that don’t center around eating cheese all day. I and my fellow cheesemongers, however, have such a job, so take advantage of this. We are people dedicated to finding you the best cheese for your palette, because, for us, this isn’t just what we eat, it’s what we live for and what gives us a sense of accomplishment.
So ask us about our cheeses, and then ask us for a sample. I see no harm in having a favorite cheese that you can go back to time after time and enjoy.  However, if you truly want to expand your cheese repertoire, every time you come in for your favorite cheese, try something that you haven’t before. Challenge yourself a little—it’s only cheese, and who is to say that your new favorite cheese won’t come to you on the next sample spoon.

So during your next trip to Caputo’s, please feel comfortable grabbing your favorite cheese, but never hesitate to ask if you can try our cheese of the week or our new favorite or just that cooool lookin’ one with the crazy mold growing on it. We are always legitimately excited about some new cheese. Let us share that excitement with you, and always remember, if you have the time, we have the samples. Plus, I would always rather talk to you about cheese than do dishes—it’s kind of a no-brainer when you get right down to it.

The Tuesday Farmer’s Market at Pioneer Park is a much anticipated event for many. It signals the beginning of a bountiful harvest and the last weeks of summer. Tuesdays are a smaller, quieter, and food-focused version of the Downtown SLC Farmers Market on Saturdays. I can stroll listlessly through the handful of stalls in the early evening rather than navigating a path, elbows first, through a sea of fellow food lovers in the early hours of Saturday. There’s more time to chat with farmers about different varieties of fruits and vegetables, more time to make a wise choice, and much less traffic or other elbows.

My first Tuesday purchases were huge, heavy heirloom tomatoes, a small basket of cherry tomatoes, a perfectly ripe watermelon, bread, and greens. Greens, bread, and heirloom tomatoes were bought for specific purposes. The cherry tomatoes and watermelon were for halloumi, but I wasn’t quite sure how they’d all come together, or if one would be chosen over the other. Bon Appetit’s recipe inspired me to create an easy, fresh way to incorporate both components with what Evan has dubbed “the cheese that grills.”

As previously mentioned this month, Halloumi has the uncanny ability to grill or brown, without ever melting. It always feels strange to lay pieces of cheese down on a fiery hot cast iron pan and see it sizzle and brown rather than melt into a cheesy, goopy mess. The salty, sheep’s milk cheese mingles perfectly with fresh, sweet watermelon and warm, charred tomatoes. A sprinkling of chopped mint and basil elevate the aroma and fresh factor, while a decent dousing of Viola EVOO is the perfect finish, because duhhhhh, Viola. Note: I finish everything with Viola, because it makes everything infinitely more delicious…and because I can.

This a lovely, plated salad for two to four people, but also a lovely addition to a large barbecue. Lay components in clean lines for a fancy-schmancy buffet-worthy dish. Either way, these ingredients are all in season, and you deserve a delicious salad in your life. Go on, enjoy.

Watermelon and Halloumi Salad 
Serves 2-4

• 1/2 pound rindless watermelon slices, cut into triangles
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, for cooking
• 8 slices  Halloumi Cheese
• 12-16 cherry tomatoes
• Chiffonade of 6 basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• Viola olive oil, or another condiment grade olive oil for drizzling
• Kosher salt

Heat a small cast iron pan over medium heat. Lay watermelon slices on a plate in a whimsical pattern (or in a uniform one if you like that). Season with kosher salt. Add oil and tomatoes to the cast iron; roll tomatoes around the pan every two minutes or so until sides begin to brown and skins burst. Remove to a small bowl to cool slightly. While tomatoes are cooling, lay 4 slices of Halloumi Cheese on the cast iron pan, letting brown for about one minute before flipping. Remove halloumi, and lay over watermelon slices. Scatter cherry tomatoes across the plate, sprinkle with basil and mint. Add more salt if desired, and finish with a good drizzle of condiment oil. Serve immediately.

August is an exciting time for us at Caputo’s, because our favorite local and seasonal produce pairs perfectly with our favorite crave-able market finds. Barbecues, warm nights, and fun events are still plentiful, and what’s a fun summer evening without delicious goodies to share with your pals? Get these Cravings in your life to enhance your August foodie fun.

CHEESE: Halloumi

Halloumi is an unique cheese in many ways. There’s almost no melting point to speak of, so a quick and hot sear or grill will give slices of halloumi a really delicious, caramelized exterior and firm center. You won’t experience this with any other cheese, and we totally dig that. Try grilling this with some kosher salt and drizzling it with honey. If you really want to get fancy, throw in some charred cherry tomatoes, basil chiffonade, and condiment olive oil. Drooling? Yeah, thought so.

SAVORY: Biellese Finocchiona

This may or not be my very favorite salami—like, ever. Coarsely-ground pork is seasoned primarily with fennel seed, and boy do I have a soft spot for fennel flavors. Cured meat can often feel heavy and overly savory, but Biellese has created a salami that is delicate, sweet, and perfect for snacking on with your favorite summer white wine or beer. Ask your deli monger for thin slices to eat solo or wrap slices around seasoned ricotta and roasted farmers market veggies. Did I mention this is a favorite product from Slow Food USA? Not only is it delicious, but it also embodies all the values we so adore from the Slow Food movement. Three cheers for this salami!

CHOCOLATE: Solstice Limited Edition Solstice Gran Couva (SOLD OUT!)

It’s a chocolate so nice, so well balanced, and so tasty that of course there won’t be enough to go around. Our friends at Solstice have taken these extremely limited cacao beans from Trinidad and coaxed the most fantastic flavors from them. Fresh spice notes and a silky texture make this the ideal chocolate for midnight snacking, or for hiding in your desk. Make sure to get these bars soon, they won’t last long.

The heat is upon us. Such a heat wave calls something to get us out of that stinky, sweaty funk and into the world of poolside icy drinks, patriotic fireworks, and memorable meals with friends. And of course, treats. We need treats.

For our monthly Cravings, we’ve brought in some fantastic new products and somewhat of an old faithful that we’ve never been able to get enough of. We think these products will make your July a bit cooler. They’re downright perfect additions for any summer occasion, whether it’s the family barbecue, poolside shenanigans, or an air-conditioned escape from the outdoors.

CHEESE: Vegetale

The flavor of this goat’s milk cheese is sweet, mild, and approachable. I couldn’t figure out why I gravitated toward this cheese so quickly until I began reading about it. Vegetale is made an hour away from the town my maternal family is from in Basilicata, Italy. Basilicata is Calabria’s neighbor to east in Italy, when I describe the region to friends, I reference the arch of the boot that is Italy. Vegetale is made in Gorgoglione, almost the center of Basilicata. I grew up with this cheese and this flavor—my senses remembered it long before I was even consciously aware of what I had been eating. My Nonno ate cheese like this by the pool with either cold beer or white wine while I jumped off the diving board and paddled around like a loon with my cousins. We’d take a break from our summer tomfoolery to inhale the cheese, fruit from our family’s trees, and Capri Sun nestled into the cooler next to Nonno’s wine. I miss those kinds of summer day—I can’t say I miss the Capri Sun though. You don’t have to be from Italy to love this cheese. It’s simply the perfect poolside snack. Just ask my Nonno.

CHOCOLATE: OmNom Coffee+Milk

Yep, we definitely eat chocolate during summer, especially this one. Matt and Yelena let me tag along to a dinner with the owners and makers of OmNom a few months ago in Seattle. They gave us the smallest taste of this bar, and I’ve been awaiting its release ever since. We are putting this in as our chocolate pick; however, there’s not really any cocoa solids to speak of in this bar. Shocking! You see, this bar is made entirely from coffee beans. Nope, no cacao mass at all. There is some cocoa butter for texture’s sake, but this is truly a coffee bar. Given that, it’s the ultimate midday pick-me-up, the treat hidden in your desk, the snack you really should keep away from the kids, the heaven-on-earth kind of bar. You get the idea, right?

SWEET: Luxardo Maraschino Cherries

If you read “maraschino cherries” and immediately thought of the acid-red type of cherries often accompanying dance-club drinks, which taste of preservatives and sugar, I understand. But please, come join us in the world of Luxardo Maraschino Cherries. Sour Marasca cherries are candied in a syrup that let’s us taste both cherry and liqueur. Fantastic does not begin to describe them. They’re the perfect finishing touch to your cocktails and I’ve had many successful evenings combining them with pork as an entree. You’ll hear about these many times in the coming weeks, we can’t help ourselves.

Remember how I said I usually buy too much from the farmers markets on Saturdays? Yeah, I did it again. It all just looks too tasty, am I right?!

I arrived home this week with an overstuffed canvas bag…or two. This week’s bounty included lots of different greens, blueberries, raspberries, figs, garlic scapes, hummus, peas, lavender, fava beans, and ginger beer. After happy dancing all over my kitchen, I began creating menus for myself and my friends. When there are so many greens to choose from, I like to make the almighty market salad. I can throw just about everything in there, and it’s delicious everytime. The secret? Seasoned greens and sherry vinaigrette.

I think it’s the Italian matriarch hiding deep in my soul who feels the need to accompany any meal with some sort of starch. I don’t mind just a salad for myself any night, but I always feel the need to provide a bread of sorts to sit alongside a salad when I have company. There was a decent sized chunk of Red Leicester sitting pretty in the fridge, so I had no choice but to make cheesy popovers.

I love popovers for their texture and easy preparation. Light, airy, hollowed rolls rise straight up out of their individual tins in the oven and maintain their shape after cooling. Its simple batter lends itself to both sweet and savory options, and the additions are infinite. Don’t bother buying dedicated popover tins, especially if this is your first try. Muffin tins are perfectly fine.

This is a great recipe to keep in your back pocket as they come together quickly and sit well next to any sort of combination of foods. I love bringing these along to barebecues and potlucks.

Red Leicester Popovers
Makes 8-10

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• Olive oil
• 3/4 cups grated Red Leicester cheese

Preheat a 12-cup muffin pan in the oven at 350 degrees. Heat milk over medium heat until it reaches about 120 degrees.

Stir flour, salt, and thyme together in a medium bowl. Once milk is heated, whisk milk into the eggs in a small bowl. Stir milk mixture into the flour slowly, leaving small lumps at the end.

Working quickly, remove hot muffin pan and swipe each cup with a paper towel doused with olive oil. Add about 1/4 cup of batter to muffin cups and top each with a generous sprinkling of grated cheese. Bake until deep, golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from muffin tins while still warm.

A great moment of appreciating my job came recently when I was discussing cheese with some of the cheese nerds on my staff. I then realized that Caputo’s Downtown’s staff has re-entered a Golden Age of Great Cheese Geekery, which brings me no end of pleasure.

Don’t get me wrong, we always have a lot of cheese lovers on the crew, but not like this—this is a group that really cares about the quality of the cheese we serve and enjoys it in their own homes often, as well. Understand, when you have managed a small business as long as I have, staff can begin to feel cyclical, as generation of crews change you get different personalities, approaches, and interests within the different goods we sell. Well, the wheel has turned, because we now again are in a moment of unsurpassed, unabashed cheese love.

The cheese prompting this heart-swelling conversation is a recent arrival from one of our favorite dairies, Quickes, from Devonshire, England. For years, my favorite cheddar that we have carried has been the Quickes Farmhouse Cheddar (this is probably the only only thing I have in common with the Queen of England). Well, Quickes makes more than just this flagship cheddar.

Quickes also makes another classic English-style cheese: red leicester. This cow’s milk cheese is stylistically very similar to cheddar. It uses raw cow’s milk and is bandage wrapped, etc. However, red leicester is dyed with with annatto extract, a coloring agent derived from the fruit of the annatto tree which hails from the Caribbean. Quickes ages their red leicester for for to eight months.

Quickes red leicester, which is produced by hand, displays rich creaminess from the raw milk, as well as Quickes characteristic grassy excellence, due to the lush grasses upon which their heritage breed cows graze. Less sharp and a little sweeter than their classic cheddar, red leicester is an exciting addition to our cheese selection. And we are all nerding out about this cheese around here, which makes it a good time to shop at Caputo’s.

Quickes red leicester is also part of our June Cravings, read more here. 

June is always exciting—vacations, outdoor concerts, farmers markets, and summer festivals are one the horizon. And the small amount of gardening I attempt every year isn’t quite ruined yet. Plus, it’s national Accordion Awareness Month. So there’s that.

We’re gearing up for Father’s Day, and it shows in our Cravings this month. We may or may not have been hungry when we put the list together, and now I just can’t stay away from these fantastic little treats. Check out June’s selections for you and your friends, for Dad, and for another upcoming summer to remember.

CHEESE: Quicke’s Red Leicester

We’ve always been big fans of Quicke’s traditional cheeses from the United Kingdom. Their meticulous processes involve hand-making every wheel and milling the cheese curds twice before forming the clothbound wheels for this cheese. Quicke’s Red Leicester is made with vegetable rennet and annato seed, which gives it its wonderful dark orange hue. It’s aged at least four months before wheels are released.

Red Leicester is crumbly, dense, and has a lovely, well-balanced sweet and caramelized flavor. Serve on a cheese board and pair with full bodied white wines and seasonal summer beers. We’ll be testing recipes with this beauty soon, so stay tuned!

CHOCOLATE: Rozsavolgyi Chocolate with Olives and Bread 77%

To be perfectly honest, we were not prepared for this chocolate to be as good as it is. This brand is definitely some of the best in the world, and Caputo’s is thrilled and proud to include it in our portfolio. Single origin and inclusion bars alike are produced with the utmost care, no vanilla, and a balanced roast. This type of passionate production allows for a very deep exploration of terroir, while still having a distinctly European ‘chocolatey-ness’ (we insist this is a word).

Additionally, some of their inclusion bars, like this 77% bar with olives and bread, will amaze even the most jaded connoisseur! Roasted olives, toasted bread, and olive oil are blended with 77% dark chocolate for an entirely unique chocolate experience. The result is an unlikely, but incredibly satisfying, combination of sweet and savory.

Rozsavolgyi was given a Bronze award by the Academy of Chocolate for this bar in 2013 in the Seasoned Bar category. We’re proud to say we’re truly addicted to this award-winning bar.

CHARCUTERIE: Smoking Goose Delaware Fireball

It all started on Delaware Street in Indianapolis. Coarsely ground pork met its match in crushed chili, espelette peppers, and garlic and was wrapped in caul fat, dry aged, and finally cold smoked. Thus, the Delaware Fireball was born. Smoking Goose Meatery in Indiana makes a drool-worthy array of smoked and cured meats that we can’t seem to stop eating. Animals are sourced from independent farms across Indiana and these truly artisanal products speak to that in just the first bite. Hand-tied, nitrate-free, and utterly-delicious, with a perfectly pleasant spicy finish…what more could we ask for?!

SWEET / DRINK: Bittermilk New Orleans Style Old Fashioned Rouge

This is our second Bittermilk selection. Our cocktailing remains incredibly easy with Bittermilk in the proverbial arsenal. If you missed it last month, here’s a quick refresher on Bittermilk:

Fans are singing praises for Bittermilk across the country, and the full line of Bittermilk has already been highlighted in the Wall Street Journal! Joe and MariElena Raya are the owners of Gin Joint in Charleston, South Carolina, and the makers of our newest all-natural cocktail go-to. Simply mix your Bittermilk of choice with a spirit and ice. Voilà: a cocktail, and an impressive one, too. Add a garnish if you insist, but how easy does that sound? No more muddling, peeling, and hunting for a whole shipping cart full of grocery items to serve your friends a delicious libation. You just need this lovely bottle and a quick jaunt to the liquor store. With six fantastic concoctions, there’s an option for every spirit and every soul.

Whiskey fans? Meet your new secret ingredient for the easiest and most impressive home cocktails. Fans are singing praises for Bittermilk across the country, and the full line of Bittermilk has already been highlighted in the Wall Street Journal! Joe and MariElena Raya are the owners of Gin Joint in Charleston, South Carolina, and the makers of our newest all-natural cocktail go-to. Simply mix your Bittermilk of choice with a spirit and ice. Voilà: a cocktail, and an impressive one, too. Add a garnish if you insist, but how easy does that sound? No more muddling, peeling, and hunting for a whole shopping cart full of grocery items to serve your friends a delicious libation. You just need this lovely bottle and a quick jaunt to the liquor store. With six fantastic concoctions, there’s an option for every spirit and every soul. Whiskey fans? They’ve got a few for you. Clear liquor only? Fret not, this Charred Grapefruit Tonic works with gin, vodka, AND rum. Try them all—we have. We’re currently digging this in particular because of its multiple uses; plus, spring feels like the perfect time for a fun spin on a the classic gin & tonic. We’re big fans, and we hope you’ll join the club. Dad’s going to love this fresh take on an all time favorite drink.  Add 1 part Bittermilk with 4 parts rye, stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Done. It couldn’t be an easier, or any more delicious for that matter.

We’re looking forward to another fantastic Salt Lake City summer, and we plan to welcome the season with these addicting nibbles. We hope you have the tastiest June possible!

There are some foods that I refuse to make without a crowd, mostly because I know I’ll inhale these types of dishes with great gusto. Spinach & artichoke dip would fall in that category. Sure, it sounds healthy. Turns out, it’s not (#wompwomp).

It is, however, entirely delicious and a great appetizer when consumed in small quantities. If I make something like this without a party coming up or friends stopping by, I’d no doubt eat the entire thing.

My new roommate moved in over the weekend. After a long weekend of lugging awkward furniture in and out of cars, elevators, and doorways, we were spent. Not only that, the landlords (the nicest, sweetest, most amazing kind) were stopping by for an annual check in and to meet my new roomie. I whipped up a quick batch of classic spinach & artichoke goodness, and stirred in some of the magical Chili Beak to make it even more fantastic.

Landlords and tenants alike bonded over creamy dip and microbrews. The Chili Beak was the perfect flavor contrast to the creamy mix of creme fraiche, cream cheese, and mayonnaise, but still not so overpowering that we couldn’t taste the spinach and artichoke hearts. I wish every annual meeting could be this delicious.

This dip will keep well for about four days once combined. I like making this in advance of a gathering and popping it in the oven just for that magical reveal. So here’s your warm, decadent dip for flatbread and veggies.

Spinach Artichoke & Chili Dip
Serves 6-10 as an appetizer

• 3 handfuls fresh spinach, thick stems trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1  shallot, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup cream cheese
• ½ cup creme fraiche
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 8 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
• 4 tablespoons Chili Beak
• ¾ cup grated Parmigano Reggiano

Blanch spinach in a pot of salted water for about 1 minute, or until wilted. Remove to a colander to cool. Once cooled, squeeze all water out of spinach with your hands. Wrap a clean dish towel around spinach and press once more.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Saute shallot in olive oil over medium heat, until softened and beginning to brown. Add spinach and continue stirring until most oil has been soaked up by the spinach. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool slightly. Whisk cream cheese, creme fraiche, and mayonnaise until smooth. Fold in artichoke hearts, spinach mixture, Chili Beak, and grated Parmigiano. Transfer to a 9-inch baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top is browned and bubbling. Serve with baguette, crackers, or flatbread and fresh veggies.

Those of you who have gotten to know me through my classes or personal interactions at the store know that my early time at Caputo’s was not marked by my great love of cheese. The most unique cheese that I ever took home was manchego. Now don’t get me wrong, I still love manchego, but I was just a man in the spring of his youth who knew not what cheeses the world had to offer.

That was before I met my first true cheese love, Leonora. Oh goddess, oh muse.

Leonora is an alpine goat’s milk cheese from Leon, Spain, with a mild, natural rind. This is a cheese, that to quote one of Caputo’s finest employees, “Makes me hate other cheeses.” Yes, it’s that good.

In terms of production, a single herd of goats produce the milk for this delicate four-pound log of cheese. The rind is ashed and has naturally-occurring molds. The cheese is not meant to be aged for an extended period of time and should be enjoyed when the rich cream layer is just beginning to drift down from the rind into the flaky, flinty paste.

The texture alone makes this cheese a must, it could taste like cardboard and still be worth it. Leonora’s flavor is citrusy, grassy, and creamy and dissolves with leisurely pace if allowed to linger on the pallet.

Remember, though, this is not merely a cheese blog, this is a love story.

After about a year of deeply-felt, hot-burning, mutual love between myself and Leonora, the light loaves of joy seemed to be arriving in ill-health. They began to come in already too advanced to enjoy—beaten up and depressed, things were changing. We had no choice; Caputo’s had to stop carrying a cheese which arrived in too poor of shape to sell. That was more than five years ago. Leonora and I had to go our separate ways; we had to grow on our own. I did not see my love for five years.

In December, I was breaking down pallets when I saw a familiar box. I did not want my hopes to get the best of me, but as I saw the label on the side, I could not help but become ebullient. My darling Leonora had returned to me! I rushed the case upstairs, trying not to let my emotions get the better of me. It had been a long time, and I had been hurt before. We opened the box and tried it. My friends, Leonora is back—and better than ever.

Stop what you are doing, quit your job, cancel your vacation, get up from lunch and come to Caputo’s for some Leonora.

Trust me, with me around, it is not going to last in the cases for very long.

Leonora is featured in this month’s Cravings.

I’ve done it. Consider those rainy day blues cured—forever and ever. The treatment? Mozzarella di Bufala. Evan recently wrote about Mozzarella di Bufala, and I agree with every single thing he said. It’s a gem of a cheese that’s steeped in history and is a perfect reminder of warm, summer days. Our recently released sale this week on this life changing cheese has me in a much better mood than the current weather situation would normally have me in. This is the time of the year when I begin to look forward to tomato season, mostly so I can consume them in mass quantities with mozzarella and basil. Since there aren’t any mid-August tomatoes laying around, here are 10 ways to enjoy Mozzarella di Bufala with May’s very own seasonal ingredients:

1. Lasagna

Thinly slice your Mozzarella di Bufala and layer between pasta sheets and ricotta for an even more delicious cheese layer in this famous dish. Follow your favorite recipe or substitute it for Burrata in our Asparagus and Burrata Lasagna from last year. Mozzarella will melt deliciously into any baked pasta dish, but this one is my personal favorite.

2. Pizza

This is the most perfect use of Mozzarella di Bufala. Take our frozen pizza dough, a can of crushed tomatoes, and some basil home with your mozzarella, and you have the makings for the most traditional pizza ever. This pizza is why Napoletanos created Mozzarella di Bufala in the first place …. I’m sure of it.

3. Bruschetta

Fancy toast is all the rage right now. Say what you will, but I think bruschetta is the O.G. fancy toast. Select any number of toppings to combine with your Mozzarella. My favorites are locally fire-roasted tomatoes and artichokes, kale pesto, olive tapenade, or thin slices of prosciutto.  Serve cold or toss these under the broiler to begin the melting process of your precious Mozz.

4. Prosciutto Wraps

This is the easiest way to get our cheese from plate to mouth other than eating it by itself. Wrap thin slices of prosciutto around slices of mozzarella and basil leaves. Drizzle with oil and enjoy immediately. If you’d like to make this more of a meal than a snack, add other veggies or lay wraps atop dressed greens. Speaking of salads …

5. Spinach, Pea, & Herb Salad

Dress Spinach, snap peas, basil, and mint with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Toss chunks of mozzarella over the top and you’re now looking at my favorite springtime salad.

6. Eggs

Pick your means of cooking eggs, and I’ll give you a place for the mozzarella. Omelette? Toss it in with your veggies. Frittata? Sprinkle chunks in before baking. Fried? Between bread and egg, of course! Eggs love Mozzarella di Bufala almost as much as our cheese mongers do.

7. Arancini

Tonight, make risotto. Lots of risotto. Tomorrow, make arancini. These little fried balls of rice and other delectable ingredients are heavenly, but they’re even better when rice is packed around pieces of mozzarella before frying. Just think about cutting into a warm fried ball of rice that gives way to melty Mozzarella in its center. You’d better wipe away that drool before it lands in your lap.

8. Salt, Oil, Pepper

This was my Nonna’s favorite appetizer, and I’m sure it had everything to do with how quickly it quieted the entire room. Sprinkle an entire ball of mozzarella with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, then drizzle your very best condiment grade olive oil over it. Serve with crackers or warm bread and enjoy the peace and quiet while you finish making dinner.

9. Roasted vegetables

Roasting brings out all the natural sugars from veggies like beets or carrots. Find your favorite recipe for these or roast simply with salt and oil and serve over slices of mozzarella. In this case, the simplicity is as beautiful as the flavors.

10. Strawberry and Balsamic

It almost sounds like dessert, doesn’t it? Lay slices of mozzarella out in a circle on a salad-sized plate and top with sliced strawberries, hazelnuts, and chopped basil. Finish this dish by sprinkling the entire plate with sea salt, and then a drizzle of your thickest or favorite balsamic.