Basket Cheese? What the heck is it?

Using this cheese has been a tradition in my home in making a Holy Saturday Frittata, passed along by my mother-in-law, for the first "meat" meal after fasting on Good Friday.

2 lbs. fresh Asparagus, cut in pieces, gently simmered so that it retains color and is fairly al dente. 2 lbs. sweet sausage, sauteed and sliced into small pieces and then mixed with the Asparagus. Two of the Basket Cheese, sliced into chunks and added to the mixture until it starts to soften. Beat about 8 to 10 eggs into the mixture and cook slowly until the omelet forms. Of course, season to taste and serve with a loaf of Ciabatta.

My Italian grandmother made Easter pies every year. A double crusted pie made with eggs and diced prosciutto, Genoa salami and basket cheese. Delicious! Made two yesterday and only have 1/2 of one left.

Basket cheese is not a sub for ricotta if you plan to apply heat, because it has a low melting point, and melts into something a bit dense in oven. The melted consistency is quite nice, but it will not mimic the moist fluff of a dessert ricotta pie.

Thank you for helping me figure this out. Even though I grew up in an Italian immigrant family, I never or hear of basket cheese before. Suddenly, I spotted it at a local market right next to the freshly made ricotta. I will try it. My question is this: is basket cheese interchangeable with ricotta when making ricotta pie or some of the other Italian sweets that use ricotta? Is it too heavy for this use? Thanks!

sounds delicious!!

It's a fresh Italian cheese, reminiscent of both ricotta and mozzarella, that is typically made in a small basket. I am from an Italian-American family, and my parents would always buy that cheese (freshly made) around Easter. We would drizzle it with olive oil, and eat on its own (with a grind of pepper and a sprinkle of salt) or serve it on crusty Italian bread. It only keeps for a few days in the fridge, so you need to eat it pretty quickly. When I lived in NYC, I could often find it in Little Italy around Easter time.

I am so envious, Mrs. L -- I haven't had basket cheese in years. I'll bet that it was great on homemade pizza!

It's a fresh cheese made in a basket which gives it its form. You often see the imprint of the basket's weave on the cheese.

Our local Narragansett Creamery makes it around Easter time - they describe it as a cross between ricotta and fresh mozzarella, and typically serve it in pretty straightforward fashion, like on crostini with fresh herbs. Your pizza idea sounds perfect!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basket_cheese

News to me. I'll look forward to what others have to say.