Her Story
You may not know our friend Fromagina – she’s the lovely daughter of Mr. Fromage Blanc and Ms. Mascarpone. Ricki (the Cheese Queen) made this match 30 some years ago at the Royal palace, and now, Fromagina is celebrated far and wide, throughout the kingdom, for her soft, creamy texture and her sweet taste.
Beyond the Kingdom
Making dates stuffed with Fromagina has been a long standing tradition here at New England Cheesemaking Supply Company. Ricki has probably made them hundreds of times through the years for events at her home in Ashfield, MA. She then passed the tradition on to her daughter, Jenny who shared her recipe with us in 2015 – click here.*
Now, Kathy Conley, our longest serving staff member (who is also the daughter of Ida (retired staff member) and mother of April (current staff member) is also making stuffed dates with Fromagina.
Kathy Conley making Fromagina
In fact, she is actually the first one to document the simple process of making the cheese – sometimes we forget to do that when the cheese is as easy to make as this one! The directions for making Fromagina are right on the packets of direct set cultures (C31) – click here.
Directions:
Heat 1 gallon of milk to 86F.
If you go over a few degrees, let the milk cool down to 86F.
Add 1 packet, let re-hydrate 2 minutes, then stir to dissolve.
Cover and let set at room temperature, undisturbed, for 12 hours or until thickened, as in yogurt.
Ladle curd directly into a muslin-lined colander.
Hang and drain 48 hours, or until it’s the right consistency for you.
Kathy made these stuffed dates for a potluck dinner and they were very well received (as you might imagine)!
Don’t tell anyone, but all our direct set cultures are this easy to use. (If they knew, they wouldn’t be half as impressed as they are when you tell them you made the cheese yourself!)
*Fromagina Stuffed Dates by Jennifer Novak
1 lb Medjool dates
8 oz Fromagina
2 Tbs Lemon zest
8 Fresh mint leaves
- Slice dates in half lengthwise, remove the pit and create a space inside for cheese filling.
- Coarsely chop the mint.
- In a small mixing bowl combine lemon zest, chopped mint and Fromagina, gently fold to mix all ingredients.
- put mixture into a piping bag with a large tip and fill dates, if you don’t have a piping bag you can use a small spoon.
- Arrange dates on a plate or serving tray and enjoy.
These taste best when fresh but can be stored in the refrigerator with a cover for a day or so.
