If you are looking for a best quality sheep's milk cheese, the Pecorino Gran Cru is another exquisite cheese that is perfect for you. This is a newcomer on the scene building on a long tradition of Sardinian pecorinos. Pecorino Gran Cru is a cheese that has been produced for hundreds of years but recently made its way from Italy to the rest of the world. This is best quality sheep's milk cheese that is aged for 20 months in cheese banks with the use of the Parmigiano Reggiano technology, better known as the Parmesan Cheese technology. The use of this method preserves and accentuates the characteristic flavors of Sardinian cheese beyond the unique way the cheese is made. The milk comes from the high mountain milk, producing a very poignant taste that is unlike any other Pecorino cheese.

Pecorino Gran Cru has a balanced structure and firm texture. You would be surprised by the complexity of its aroma and the sweet touch of fresh milk. This is perfect when eaten alone. You will be able to taste its amazing flavor when it touches and melts in your mouth. It can be complemented with a drop of aromatic honey or paired with a glass of robust red wine. You can use Pecorino as a table cheese. You can use it for grating, for your garnishes and you can use it in soups. If you will try to add this traditional Sardinian cheese on your dishes would surely experience a creamy, delicious and delectable dish. It is a great complement to appetizers, pastas and sandwiches. You can slice or grate it depending on the type of food you are preparing.

Certainly this is another top quality product that you should try. If you haven't tried this creamy and tasty cheese, you should try one now. It would be best to buy this Sardinian cheese to known gourmet cheese shops that are distributing this delectable cheese. In that way you will be sure of the quality of your cheese you are buying. Buying in cheese shops has also one advantage, you can ask for more information from their respective cheese experts. You may also try to shop through online cheese shops to find a good quality Pecorino cheese.

When you love to cook you know how important it is to be able to multitask, and your tools are a big part of the process. The Santoku actually means three virtues in the Japanese dialect, and the Santoku knife really lives up to its name!

This multipurpose knife is perfect for every type of chopping and every size and type of ingrediant. One thing is for sure, it is not your ordinary kitchen knife. It can be anywhere from five to seven inches in the blade length alone, and it looks similar to the cleaver that we all have come to know and love. The Santoku knife will offer the best option for anyone unsure of grip and balance and therefore provides the best overall control.

The cutting performance on these knives is astonishing. The edges (always beautifully beveled) are very sharp, and due to notches on the blade, they are designed to release food easily, even if sticky! And as the knife is multi-purpose, youll not need a full set and therefore they are excellent investments and particularly great value; not least because they are generally durable and remain useful for as long as theyre sharpened. With that being said it should not be washed in a dishwasher to ensure long life and durability.

It goes without saying that these knives make great gifts for the cook of the family. They make life in the kitchen a whole lot easier, not to mention the reduction of utensils that will need to be cleaned. It does not matter what you have to cut, with a wash between selections to prevent cross contamination, using your Santoku knife is a breeze.

In many ways, a Santoku is very similar to the standard chef knife that youll see chefs use on cookery shows every night of the week. A good chef knife is invariably 6 inches long and has excellent balance and grip that means that its suitable for a wide range of uses. The main difference between these and their specialist Japanese cousins is those every important notches on the side of the knife that stop food sticking to the blade.

You will never find another kitchen utensil that you will use more or love as much as you do your own Santoku knife and the good news is that there are a number of great Santoku options on the market. From the Naifu range at Chefs Knife Store, to a classic Wusthof blade, youre sure to be able to find something to suit your budget.

This particular writer cannot recommend Santoku knives quite enough, so dont hesitate if youre looking for a new blade or indeed a new set!

Both my grandmothers have been gone from my life for over 40 years, but the impact their foods made on my life was strong. My grandparents from both the Serbian and Slovak sides of the family came from Europe in the early 1900s, bringing their knowledge of the foods and traditions along with them. Easter, along with Christmas, are the two holidays I associate with the most traditional foods.

Both sides of the family made traditional baskets of foods to take to their respective churches to be blessed. Though Slovakia and Serbia are not close to each other, the traditions of the area are very widespread. As the last Easter I may have spent with one of my grandparents was about 44 years ago, my personal memories are sketchy in some areas, and vivid in others. Lately, it has felt important to reach out to my siblings and learn what memories they might still have that are gone from my recollections.

The items traditionally placed in the basket of foods to be blessed are ham, sausage, egg cheese, bread, beets with horseradish, salt, butter, Easter eggs and a candle. There may be other things that were added. I recall the baskets being taken to church, but not too much more.

Traditional Foods

Some of the traditional foods that are less common here in the US are the beets with horseradish and the egg cheese. It seems lately that beets with horseradish recipes have been popping up all over. Not like the traditional one my grandma made, of course, but that combination suddenly has become apparent.

Beets with Horseradish

The recipe that my Serbian grandmother passed down was from grated cooked or canned beets, mixed with bottled horseradish to taste. The recipe amounts are fluid, depending on the size of family and how much horseradish one can tolerate. For two jars of beets, well drained and shredded, about 1 tablespoon of horseradish may be added. This amount may be increased or decreased as needed. A little sugar is added, from 1 to 3 teaspoons. All ingredients are mixed well, and then can be spooned into jars until needed.

This beet dish is used as a condiment, to go with the ham and other Easter foods. It can be used as a side dish on the plate, or it can be used on a sandwich of the traditional Easter Paska Bread with ham or sausage. The Serbian name of the beets and horseradish dish is not one I can recall. I have read that depending on the area it is from, this may be called Ren, Hren, Chrin and many other variations.

Egg Cheese

This particular dish is one that I firmly recall only being called by its Serbian name, Sirets. The pronunciation of this word is SEE rets, with the letter R trilled. It is one of the traditional foods I have never cared for, but my Dad just loved. Since my Mom never made it, I asked Grandma for her recipe so I could carry on the tradition.

She told me to take one quart of whole milk and a dozen eggs in a pan and mix them together really well, adding in a little bit of salt and sugar. Over time I have found that about 2 teaspoons each of the salt and sugar work well. The mixture is cooked slowly on the stove, stirring constantly, until the eggs begin to cook and separate. Once the mixture has completely separated, it is poured into a cheesecloth lined colander to drain. Once drained, the ends of the cheesecloth are brought together and tied, and the ball is hung to continue draining. Grandma hung the cheesecloth ball from her kitchen faucet. Once the egg cheese ball has cooled it is placed in the refrigerator to continue to firm and chill. When ready to eat, it is unwrapped from the cheesecloth and sliced.

Paska Bread

This rich butter and egg bread was made mainly for Christmas or Easter. My Slovak mom also made it for Thanksgiving. The bread is delightful, and I have made this recipe as our daily bread since the 1970s. It may have started as a traditional bread used only for these special feasts, but it is far too delicious to limit its use. I have now created a version that is easy to make in my heavy duty stand mixer. For Easter, the bread is braided, either in a ring shape, or a round loaf with a small braid on top or in a braided loaf.

Keeping traditions alive for your children is a worthwhile endeavor, giving them a sense of place in the world. It is not meant to divide or separate cultures, but to keep the foods in their purest state so they maintain their ability to stand out from the crowd in these days of fusion cooking.

Thank you for taking the time to read my article. I hope it was informative and helped you along your own culinary journey. You will find many more recipes and helpful tips on my web site. I am on Facebook at A Harmony of Flavors and share a recipe or tip each day to the fans that have liked my site. I hope to see you there soon.