Basket Cheese

I was standing at Labriola’s Italian Grocery deli counter and it’s the first time I saw Basket Cheese. I asked about it. It’s only sold at Easter time. It can be used to make Easter pies or you eat a slice with fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey. A firm ricotta like cheese. There are recipes. Recipes to make basket cheese at home and recipes to use the store-bought version to bake savory pies for Easter. There are sweet recipes too. Here’s a recipe for savory Italian Easter Pie

It’s called “basket cheese” because it’s formed in a basket and you can see the imprint of the weaving on the side of the cheese.

“Basket cheese is mild in flavor, so it forms a great combination with bread. It is eaten along with jam or honey and thus forms a great breakfast. Many people enjoy basket cheese as an afternoon snack. Relish its taste with olive oil, pepper and salt its yummy.”