Pizza Today - March 2021 - 43

ReVen ge

o f th e C urd s
" In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity. " - Sun Tzu, The Art of War
By John Gutekanst Photos Josh Keown

T

he year 2020 marked one of
the most tumultuous restaurant years in my lifetime.
Because of Covid, my business model
was shaken by new state rules, staff
hardships and cranky customers. In
June I thought, " What else could go
wrong? " The next day, I was answered
as cheese prices jumped 181 percent
from mid-April. * I could do one of
two things; stick my head in the sand
or attack this problem head on. I then
began hearing about the new trends
toward comfort foods, cheeses, snacks
and spicy items. I decided that an
appetizer with the most comfortingly
decadent cheese on the market would
be the answer. Because cream cheese
was only 11 cents per ounce compared
to 26 cents an ounce for mozzarella, it
would be my weapon of choice. That is
how our best-selling jalapeño poppers
were born, a spicy, crunchy and cheesy
salute to the worst year ever.

" I can feel it coming in Gruyere
tonight. "

Like a burglar in the night, comfort
foods like bold cheeses are forecast
to sneak into our customers favor
this year. Consumers will be looking
to liven the monotony of foods with
twists on classic products to avoid

menu fatigue. This means they will seek
new cheese variants with more exciting flavors like cheese combined with
chive, onion, truffle, dill, garlic, chilies
and transformational mellow cheese
marinades like pesto and gochujang.
Here are some other cheeses thought
to make a resurgence.
Aged Cheddar: .27 cents to .45
cents per ounce. Perfect with potatoes,
cream sauces, bacon, spicy peppers,
broccoli, ham, chicken and beans. Try
this: Fill dough and wrap with bacon
or cheddar-stuffed fresh jalapeños deep
fried in dough.
Gouda: 33 cents per ounce for young
Gouda and up to 80 cents per ounce
for aged. The melt depends upon the
age - younger melts better. Great with
apples, ham, chipotle chilies, butternut
squash, spinach, chicken, peppers, bacon, mushrooms and walnuts. Try this:
salad of crumbled, aged Gouda with
arugula, pear and Prosciutto di Parma.
Provolone: 15 cents to 40 cents per
ounce. Great with mozzarella, garlic, anchovy, pecorino, Prosciutto di
Parma, speck, olives, pears, figs, fennel,
artichoke, zucchini, radicchio, roasted
peppers, basil pesto and lettuces. Try
this: Crostini di Prosciutto e Provolone
(must be young provolone) or baked
chicken breast stuffed with spinach,

provolone, spinach and creamy ziti.
Manchego: 46 cents to 61 cents per
ounce. Melts like cheddar and ages like
Gouda. Perfect with chorizo, cilantro
pesto, olive oil, almonds, artichokes,
dates, walnuts, roasted peppers, bacon,
eggs, figs, aged hams, broccoli rabe and
caramelized onion. Try this: Spanish
Asparagus Coca (pizza) with Crema
de Manchego or an appetizer of cured
Serrano ham, lardo and shaved aged
Manchego drizzled with quince jam.
Brie and Camembert: 46 cents to
95 cents per ounce. With both cheeses,
you must put them on near, or at the
end of the bake. Both cheeses have fabulous name recognition and therefore
are great sellers paired with mozzarella
and cream sauces. Apples, fennel, pears,
morel mushrooms, onions, vinegar,
arugula, almonds, walnuts, capicola and
jams are great pairings.
Gorgonzola: 25 cents to 50 cents per
ounce. The creamy consistency of tangy
" Gorg " pairs well with pear, apple, nuts,
balsamic, honey, bacon, ham, Prosciutto
di Parma, mint, figs, corn and cherries.
The other beauty with gorgonzola is
that it does not take much to flavor a
large pizza or creamy pasta dish. Try
this: Involtini di Bresaola or Bresaola
stuffed with warm gorgonzola and
butter.
M A R C H 2 0 2 0 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / 4 3

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