From La Delizia Latticini’s award-winning Italian cheeses, such as burrata and ricotta, to Dellendale Creamery’s firmer alpine-style cheese, or Bookara Goat Dairy’s cream cheese and feta and Harvey Cheese’s range of blue, semi hard and hard cheese, we are spoilt for choice.
Here are three simple ways to make the most of our divine dairy.
Cheese board
It’s one of the simplest ways to serve a slice (or wedge) of heaven but a good cheese board is anything but humble. Take guests on a journey of discovery with local luminaries such as Cambray Cheese’s hard sheep milk cheese; Halls Family Dairy’s creamy single origin Halls Suzette; Harvey Cheese’s St Duke’s Blue, and Margaret River Dairy’s classic soft-ripened brie. A good cheese board should also include some fresh fruit (think sliced pears and whole strawberries) and nuts or olives, as well as crackers or artisan bread (try Loafers Artisan’s classic ciabatta). Pair with a glass or two of premium Western Australian wine.
Cheese puffs
Preheat oven to 200C. Combine 300g Borrello Cheese ricotta, 150g each of feta and grated pecorino or Parmigiano with 150g of roasted pine nuts or a handful of spinach. Mix in one beaten egg and season with salt and pepper. Grease two large baking trays and take four sheets of pastry, cutting each into nine squares. Place a tablespoon of the cheese mixture into one corner of each square then fold over into a triangle, sealing the edge with a fork, piercing the enclosed pastry once with the fork. Repeat with each square and place on the greased trays. Brush with a little milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden brown.
Caprese salad
Cut three large vine-ripened tomatoes into about 1cm-thick slices. Cut 250g La Delizia Latticini hand-crafted bocconcini (baby mozzarella) into slices about the same size as the tomatoes. Arrange them on a plate in a semi-circle, interspersed with fresh torn basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil (try Sathya Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Jingili EVOO), and season with freshly ground salt and pepper. You can also use cherry or grape tomatoes, halved, and halve the bocconcini and add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Serve as a side dish with steak or fish, or a starter.