You could say cheese was written into my karma…. I married a guy from a cheese making village in Switzerland! My love story with cheese has seen different stages… kind of like a real love story…. first it was exciting to try lots of different flavours and textures.

Then when my pallate developed, I began to understand what kind of cheese I really liked and why. It then matured into a full fledged relationship while I was studying in Paris. And the culmination point was, of course, in Christophe’s village at a cheese farm, watching the process and then learning how to make Mozarella at Acres Wild in Coonoor.
Aditya Raghavan is one of those guys who likes to know what lies at the heart of things. Maybe thats why he became a physicist. And maybe thats why he began to make cheese & bake bread. Its so amazing when people of my generation show an interest in ancient and traditional methods and actually start making cheese! Aditya and I are planning to start a Slow Food Convivium in Mumbai to try and keep alive these old school methods of food.

CHEESE SOUFFLE

Very Scary. Trust me. Especially when the Chef who is teaching you how to make them at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris tells you that the souffle can sometimes fall if someone talks to loudly near the oven. But the basic idea is simple! Whip in air into egg whites. Combine them gently with your mixture and DO NOT OPEN the oven door while they are cooking. Give it a try! You’ll be known as a masterchef in your house after that!

MOZZARELLA CHEESE

I actually went to learn how to make Mozzarella cheese at Mansoor Khan’s cheese farm in Coonoor. It was a super fun experience! Aditya Raghavan is a part of a new breed of Indians (check out The Cheese Collective) who are trying to do things from scratch- the proper way! You can order everything you need online, so why not make a weekend Sunny Side Up by making your own Mozzarella cheese!

MOZZARELLA CHEESE PIZZA

Pizza Dough is one of those no-brainer doughs. You don’t have to be delicate with it, you have to basically knead & knead & knead till it is really silky and soft. More muscle than brain. Ask your local bakery for some fresh yeast if you want to make it authentic but dry active yeast works just as well! And with your own homemade Mozzarella! La Dolce Vita!