Kefalograviera is a hard sheep’s milk cheese from Greece, not as hard as Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a tad drier than most cheddars. It’s a salty snackable cheese, perfect with crackers or fruit, and just as addictive eaten alone. It’s right in that very middle of strong enough to stand out but mild enough for any beginner, the perfect crowd-pleaser.
I first tried and fell in love with Kefalograviera at Pierre Loti Wine Bar two months ago. I plum forgot about it until I was reading about Kafalotiri, a similar cheese, on 5 Star Foodie Culinary Adventures. Natasha, thank you for sparking my memory! (My terrible memory is the reason I started this blog.)
The only problem is that this cheese was not at Whole Foods or Garden of Eden. I eventually got it from a friend Tim, who found it in Astoria for me, at Titan Foods 25-56 31st Street, Long Island City, NY 11102. The small wheel (roughly 2 pounds) is sold for $10.29 per pound. (You have to buy it by the wheel there.)
Two pounds sounds like a lot but in just 5 days, I’ve eaten the Kefalograviera in several ways:
- It’s the perfect addition to any cheese plate
- I’ve snacked on it just paired with some fruit, once with the Ground Husk Cherry Tomatoes, once with some Honey Crisp Apples, once with dried apricots and dried cherries.
- I’ve made grilled cheese with it twice, once with a sesame flagel and once with raisin walnut bread.
- Yesterday, I made Saganaki. Just cut it in 1/4″ thick pieces, dampen with water, and dredge in flour. Fry in a little bit of oil on a cast iron pan, until golden on both sides. Serve with tomato sauce and/or lemon wedges.
Kefalograviera is firmly in my top 10 cheeses list! Try it!
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ooh, looks good–always looking for a great new cheese!
There are a million little diners in Chicago owned by Greek families, and just thinking about saganaki makes me homesick. They bring the plate out doused in liquor, light it on fire and yell “oompah!” The smell of burning cheese is one of my favorite memories.
I’ve never tried Kefalograviera but I’m a huge fan of halloumi. I’ll try and see if I can find this one on the Palouse.
Always looking for new cheeses. Thanks for the heads up.
wow this is great!! new cheese.. yumm!
EMC, that reminds me, I’ve always wanted to go to a Greek wedding after the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding came out.
Love cheese!This cheese looks fabulous! Looks like a great dessert, Served with a good port and this would be divine,
I went to a Greek wedding, it was great! As is this cheese! I already asked the bride & groom of the greek wedding for where to buy Greek cheese!
Yum! Saganaki looks really excellent, I need to make it for sure! Thanks so much for the shout out!
Having grown up going to Jewish weddings, I found that Greek weddings are just as wonderful and fun. The food and the plate smashing are the only differences, but they’re not to be missed. It helps that I didn’t have to clean it up 🙂