Copyright - 2008 Paula Lambert, all rights reserved.

We make our Rosemary Montasio by adding cultures and then coagulating pasteurized milk with animal rennet. Once the milk has set, we repeatedly cut the curd until it is the size of corn kernels. Next we gradually heat and cook the curds in the whey. Eventually we stir fresh rosemary leaves into the curds. Finally the matured curds are drained into large squares of cloth that are twisted closed to contain the cheese. A branch of rosemary is placed inside each cloth before it is knotted and the cheeses are pressed overnight. When unmolded the next morning, a rosemary branch is embedded in the top of each wheel. The cheeses are then rubbed daily with salt for two weeks. Finally they are left to dry in our aging room for several months. At this point our Rosemary Montasio is ready to sell. It can also continue to age and develop more intense flavors.

Our Montasio is a mellow, flavorful cheese. It is great for snacking. It is a wine-friendly cheese and is wonderful with both white and red wines. It also can be sliced, shaved and grated and used in any dish where a hard cheese such as Gouda would be appropriate. The robust flavor of the rosemary accents the most mundane dishes and makes them sparkle.

Place the four slices of bread on a flat surface. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of mayonnaise on each slice of bread. Spread 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard on 2 of the slices atop the mayonnaise. Distribute the sun-dried tomato strips on the slices of bread with the mustard. Mound 3 ounces of cheese on the two slices of bread with the tomatoes. Using your fingers, mold the cheese to cover the surface evenly. Cover the cheese with the remaining piece of bread, mayonnaise side down next to the cheese to make two sandwiches.

Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a heavy skillet, preferably made of cast iron or stainless steel, and heat over medium high heat until hot. Swirl the skillet to distribute the olive oil evenly. Place the two sandwiches in the pan, reduce the heat to medium low, and cover with a lid. Cook for several minutes until the bread is lightly browned. Using a pastry brush, coat the top slices of bread with the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Using a flat spatula, turn the sandwiches over and cook, covered with the lid again, until the bread is toasted golden brown on both sides and the cheese begins to ooze out of the sandwich.

Remove the sandwiches from the skillet and place on a cutting board. Cut the sandwiches into three pieces each.

Serves 2.

Our award-winning Fresh Ricotta is made the traditional way - from the whey of our mozzarella curds. But just what does this mean? When we make our Mozzarella we coagulate the milk by adding selected bacteria (called cultures) and rennet (an enzyme that reacts with the lactic acid that is produced by the milk) so that our milk soon resembles a vat of white jello or yoghurt. Once the milk is coagulated we pull cheeses knives (actually frames stretched with stainless steel wires) through the coagulated milk to cut the curd into soft, little pieces. Immediately upon being cut, a cloudy yellow liquid called whey begins to come out of the curds. Because milk is mostly liquid, eventually there is a lot of yellow whey and a smaller amount of curds. When the curds are mature we stretch them with hot water to become Fresh Mozzarella. Simultaneously we drain off the whey and heat it. When it is almost boiling, we add an acid that precipitates the remaining solids in the whey. This is evidenced when soft, white frothy curds of Ricotta float to the top of the vat of hot whey. We use perforated ladles to scoop these curds into basket molds imported from Italy. After draining overnight, the baskets are inverted and we have heavenly cakes of Ricotta that weigh about 3 lbs each. We make both cow's milk and goat's milk Ricotta.

Our Ricotta is very low in fats and calories and a wonderful cheese for cooking or just eating: for breakfast or dessert drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon or toasted nuts or as a savory dish drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkled with black peppercorns or fresh herbs. And did you know that ... the name Ricotta means "recooked" in Italian because the whey from the Mozzarella curds is reheated and a secondary cheese is produced. And it is very nutritious and good for you!

Our Ricotta won second place in the Fresh Unripened Cheese category at the prestigious American Cheese Society Competition in July!!!! We are very proud of this recognition and achievement!!!! It is really delicious and just like the wonderful Ricotta in Italy.

Cut the flesh of the bell pepper into strips about 1 inch wide, and slice the onion thinly and separate the onion rings. Pour the olive oil into a large skillet and place over medium high heat. Add the bell peppers and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally until the peppers begin to brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet., and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and cook covered until the juices are almost completely cooked away, five to ten additional minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the ricotta into slices about 1 inch square and 1/4 inch thick. Remove the skillet from the heat. Distribute the ricotta atop the Peperonata, replace the cover, and set aside for 5 minutes until the ricotta is warm.

Serve as a vegetarian entree or a side dish. The Peperonata is also a delicious topping for spaghetti. Serves 4 to 6.

Mascarpone is not actually a cheese. It is clotted cream. In Italy, Mascarpone and other fresh cheeses such as ricotta are known as latticini (little milk products) rather than cheeses. Mascarpone is very rich. It is classified as a triple creme meaning that its butterfat is higher than 72%. It has a creamy, thick and velvety texture. It has the taste of cooked cream with a very, very faint hint of tartness.
We make our Mascarpone by heating cream in a bain marie. Once the temperature of the cream is about 200 F, we add an acid that causes the cream to curdle. After a few moments, we carefully and delicately ladle the curds into a cloth to drain overnight in a cool place. The next morning we have Mascarpone.
In Italy Mascarpone is typically used in desserts such as Tiramisu. It can also be sweetened with sugar or honey to serve with other desserts or added to savory sauces. Alone it can be melted on pasta for the ultimate cream sauce. And it is great on scones.
Care should be taken when using Mascarpone. If it is too warm, it can easily separate when it is whipped. This is because it is very high in butterfat.

Earlier this year while visiting New Zealand a friend found this recipe in Cuisine Magazine. It sounded so good I have chosen it for this month's recipe. Figs can be found at summer farmers' markets and in specialty food stores. I love figs! I am lucky because there is a wonderful fig tree along my morning walking route. Sometimes when the tree is laden with lots of ripe figs, I just have to steal one from my friend Francesco!

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cut the figs halfway down into quarters, leaving the bases intact, and place in a buttered ovenproof dish. Drizzle each with about 1 tsp of honey. Coarsely chop the pistachios and sprinkle into the figs. Spoon a dollop of mascarpone into the center of each fig and roast in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the figs are soft. Serve the figs warm with the juices spooned over. Serve with water biscuits.

I learned to make Feta years ago from shepherds in Greece, high on a mountain top. We make our Feta two ways: from goat's milk and also from cow's milk. The two cheeses are made just alike, but there is a dramatic difference in the taste of the finished cheese. The cow's milk version is mild, while the goat's milk Feta is tangy with a more pronounced flavor. The texture of the two cheeses is different: the cow's milk Feta is creamier.

We begin by pasteurizing our farm-fresh milk; then we add cultures and enzymes. Once the curd has formed, we cut it into small pieces and stir it gently. After just a few hours, when matured to the proper acidity, we scoop the fragile little curds into baskets lined with cheese cloth. After most of the free whey has drained away, we place a weight atop the cheese, still in the baskets, and press it overnight. After drying for several days, the cheese is immersed in big vats of brine to mature. We mature the Feta made from cow's milk for one month and the goat's milk Feta is matured for two months and even longer. Our Feta is soft and creamy, yet dry enough to crumble. We received a fan letter from one of our customers who said, "All I can say is "Wow" and "Oh my god!" Now that's a great Feta and a great cheese."

Our Feta is great for salads and all types of Greek dishes. It is also wonderful on pizzas and especially good with fresh fruits.

For the Vinaigrette, pour the olive oil and vinegar into a small bowl and whisk until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Corn Salad, place the ears of corn, complete with husks in place, on the turntable of a microwave oven. Cook on high for 8 minutes. Remove from the microwave and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Remove the husks and corn silks from the corn and then break off the stem, taking care to hold the ears of corn with a paper towel to avoid burning your fingers.

Stand a cob of corn vertically on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, slice the kernels off the bottom half of the ear of corn. Flip the ear of corn over and slice the kernels off the other half. Cut the kernels off the other ears of corn in the same manner. Transfer the corn kernels to a large bowl and discard the cobs. Add the red bell pepper, onion, capers, and the vinaigrette. Toss well to distribute the dressing. Add the Feta and basil and toss again. Set aside.

Remove eight large leaves from the head of radicchio. Arrange the leaves on a serving platter to form cups. If the leaves are not concave enough to form cups, remove additional leaves and combine two leaves to form a cup. Spoon the corn salad into the radicchio cups.

Serve at room temperature. Serves 8.

Copyright - 2008 Cheese, Glorious Cheese! by Paula Lambert, all rights reserved.

Our herbed goat cheese is a fresh chevre that has been flavored with three classic, fresh herbs - tarragon, thyme, and basil.

To make this cheese, we begin by pasteurizing goat's milk that is brought to us by local goat farmers. Next we add cultures and a very, very small amount of vegetable rennet. The milk is set aside in our aging room to coagulate overnight. The following day, we carefully scoop the very soft, delicate curds into trays lined with cheese cloth so that the excess moisture in the curds can drain away. After a few hours, we add the freshly chopped herbs and salt. Then we ladle the curds into elongated, perforated molds. Each day the molds are turned to encourage even drainage. After several days, once the cheese is drained to the proper consistency, the cheese logs are unmolded.

Our herbed goat cheese is a very soft, spreadable mild cheese with fresh herbal notes. It is wonderful for crostini and bruschetta. It is great in salads and dolloped onto vegetables and meats. It is perfect for pasta dishes and sauces. It is delicious with fruits as well as with cured meats. It can be used a thousand ways!

I developed this cheese for The Mansion on Turtle Creek over 20 years ago, and we are very proud that they are still buying it today!

For the Gazpacho, cut the tomatoes, onion, cucumbers, bell pepper, celery, and garlic into large chunks and place them in the container of a blender. Add the parsley and pour in the tomato juice. Process until completely pureed and smooth. Depending on the size of the workbowl, it may be necessary to process the vegetables in smaller batches each with a portion of the tomato juice. Pour the Gazpacho into a large bowl or plastic refrigerator container. Stir in the olive oil and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least three hours before serving.

For the Goat Cheese Cream, place the Goat Cheese and cream in the workbowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until the mixture is completely smooth. The mixture will resemble a dense whipped cream. Place in a small bowl and chill until serving time.

To serve, ladle the chilled Gazpacho into soup bowls. Dollop a heaping tablespoon of the Chevre Cream in the center of each bowl of soup and garnish with a sprig of parsley. Serves 8.

Our Burrata is made in the style of Burrino. It is a fresh Italian-style cow's milk cheese made by completely encasing a soft, creamy lump of sweet cream butter with soft, fresh mozzarella. Its name comes from its buttery center: burro means butter in Italian. It is a seductive cheese. To make our Burrata, we begin by pasteurizing and then coagulating farm-fresh cow's milk. Simultaneously we churn fresh cream to make sweet cream butter. Once the cheese matures, we pour hot water over the curds and stretch them to become mozzarella. We then hand-form the fresh mozzarella around one-ounce pieces of butter to conceal a soft, creamy center inside the Burrata. Each and every step of this process is done by hand. Finally the Burrata is briefly immersed in brine before it is wrapped in parchment paper and packaged. The flavor is fresh, milky and buttery. Burrata is lovely when cut in half to reveal the creamy node of butter in its center. It is best when served at room temperature. Enjoy it by spreading the soft, luscious center onto crusty hearth-baked bread with accompaniments of cured meats, olives and sun-dried tomatoes. It is also delicious paired with fresh tomatoes, fragrant basil and a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. And it is great melted in this pasta dish!

Peel the lower parts of the asparagus stalks using a vegetable peeler, trim off the bottom ends, and cut the stalks into pieces about 1 1/2 inches in length. Cut the grape-sized tomatoes in half horizontally, or if using cherry tomatoes cut them into quarters.

Pour 2 tablespoons of the butter into a large skillet and place over medium-high heat. When the butter sizzles, add the asparagus stalk pieces and saute until crisp and al dente. Add the asparagus tips and stir briefly. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Fill the serving dish with hot water to heat it. Once heated, drain and dry the dish.

In the meantime, bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large stockpot. Add the salt and then the fettucine. Stir to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Allow the pasta to boil until cooked al dente, according to package directions. Remove the stockpot from the heat and pour the pasta and water into a colander that has been placed in the sink. Once drained, shake the colander and then pour the pasta into the heated serving bowl. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over the pasta, add the asparagus and the tomatoes and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the Burrata and toss to distribute the cheese throughout the pasta. Be careful to keep the pieces of cheese separated so that they do not clump together. The heat of the pasta will melt the cheese as it is distributed throughout the cheese.

To serve, pour the pasta into the heated serving dish, sprinkle the thyme over the pasta and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

Crescenza is one of those cheeses that no one has ever heard of but everyone loves when they taste it. It is a soft, fresh Italian cheese with a tart, clean flavor. It is similar to stracchino. Whenever I present Crescenza at cheese tastings, this is the cheese that people invariably buy to take home.

It is Italian in origin and made from cow's milk. We make Crescenza by adding cultures and rennet to pasteurized cow's milk. Once the curd coagulates, we cut it very slowly into big pieces using large perforated discs. As the cheese matures, we slowly and carefully turn the large curds with these same discs, taking care not to break them. When mature, the curds are poured into square cheese molds placed atop diamond-patterned mats. The cheeses are kept warm and turned every 30 minutes as they mature and drain. When unmolded our Crescenza has a diamond pattern on the top and the bottom. It is aged for a couple of weeks before it is sold.

Our Crescenza has a slightly sour, somewhat yeasty flavor. It is very soft and creamy and spreadable. It melts beautifully. It is delicious with salted meats and olives. It is fabulous when accented with sweet chutneys or fruit pastes. It pairs nicely with both fresh and dried fruits and nuts. It is delicious with lighter and more acidic wines.

Tony Mantuano at Spiaggia in Chicago uses our Crescenza for his famous ravioli topped with truffles. When I lived in Italy, Crescenza was one of the cheeses I loved most. I always bought it to take on picnics and to eat with salami, tomatoes and olives.

Crack the eggs into a low-sided, flat bowl. Beat with a whisk for a minute until well beaten. Add the milk, salt, parsley, chives, oregano, basil, and rosemary and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Slice the Crescenza into 8 slices each about 1/4-inch thick. Then cut the slices of cheese in half. Cut the slices of bread in half so that you have 16 rectangular pieces of bread. Lay eight slices of bread on a flat surface and distribute the slices of cheese atop the bread. Cover with the remaining eight slices of bread. Using your fingers, pinch the edges of the bread closed to contain the cheese.

Pour the olive oil and vegetable oil into a medium skillet and place over medium heat. Heat the oil to about 350F. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, one by one, dip the sandwiches into the egg batter and coat them on both sides as well as the edges and then place the little sandwiches in the oil. Cook on one side and then the other until golden brown. Serve immediately. Pass the chutney in a separate bowl. Serves 4

Blanca Bianca is our creation. It was inspired by cheeses that I have enjoyed during my travels in France. It is a soft-textured, very flavorful cheese. It is a pale, red-orange-colored wheel about 6 inches in diameter that weighs less than two pounds. Because it is a washed rind cheese, it has a pungent aroma that comes from natural bacteria linens that develops on the exterior of the cheese. It has a tender rind and a creamy interior paste. Its flavor is assertive but not too strong.

To make Blanca Bianca we heat farm-fresh cow's milk and then add cultures and rennet. Once the milk coagulates, we cut the curds and gently stir them as they mature. Finally the curds are poured into molds to drain. The cheeses are salted in a brine and then placed on racks to dry. During the next two months, whilst the wheels of cheeses are maturing, they are massaged daily with white wine. The USA laws governing raw milk cheeses mandate that all raw-milk cheeses must be aged for a minimum of 60 days before they are sold. So, after 60 days, Blanca Bianca is ready to sell. But we have found that additional aging allows the flavor to intensify and texture to soften, so we age our Blanca Bianca for three or four months.

We have a limited quantity of Blanca Bianca because we produce only 20 wheels at a time. It is wonderful with both red and white wines, and it pairs very nicely with late harvest dessert wines. It is good with fruits such as pears and apples. It's also great with toasted nuts and dried fruits as well as fruit pastes, jams and chutneys. It is especially good in salads and on sandwiches. It is great as an hors d'oeuvres or after a meal in a cheese course.

Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, shallots, and parsley in the workbowl of a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. If the dressing is too think, it can be thinned with milk or water. Set aside.

Place the apples, celery, walnuts, grapes and Blanca Bianca in a large salad bowl. Toss together. Add the dressing and toss again to evenly distribute the dressing. Set aside and refrigerate. Cut 1 inch off the stems of the watercress before unwrapping the bunches. Wash and dry the watercress and tear it into smaller pieces.

To serve, divide the watercress evenly among 6 salad plates. Top each bed of watercress with the Waldorf salad. Serve chilled. Serves 6.

Mascarpone is a luscious, rich cheese that we make by heating heavy cream and then curdling it with an acid. Subsequently it is drained in long, flat pans lined with muslin for 24 hours. Mascarpone is a first cousin to clotted cream. It has a thick, velvety texture and an unforgettable creamy richness. It is the essence of cream. One of our most popular creations is our Mascarpone Torta flavored with Pecan Pralines. I have always called this our Ode to the South because pecans and pralines remind me of the little shops that sell these delicacies in the French Quarter of New Orleans. I love them! I thought to combine them with Mascarpone would be the ultimate, and it is. To make this Torta, we stir crushed pecan pralines into the Mascarpone and layer it into round cups. It's ready to invert, unmold and serve. And voila ... a ready-to-serve dessert that will impress even those who don't eat sweets! It is fabulous when served with ginger snaps and strawberries. It is delicious layered between lace cookies. It is a wonderful stuffing for dried apricots. It makes a wonderful tart or cake filling, especially when topped with fresh berries and kiwis. And it is a fabulous accent for wine-poached fruits such as apples, pears, and peaches.
It is our very own creation and has been featured in Gourmet Magazine and Fancy Food Magazine.

Slice the cake horizontally into three layers of even sizes and set aside. Place the raspberries in a flat bowl, drizzle with the Amaretto, and set aside. In a chilled bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Remove 1 heaping cup of whipped cream and place in refrigerator. Add the Mascarpone Torta to the remaining cream and, using a rubber spatula, gently fold the Mascarpone into the cream until well combined. Place the bottom cake layer on a cake plate. Spoon half the Mascarpone mixture onto the cake and spread it evenly on the cake. Using one third of the raspberries, create a circular row of raspberries on the Mascarpone. Then stack the middle slice of cake on the filling. Spoon the remaining Mascarpone onto the cake and spread it evenly on the cake. Place one third of the raspberries in a circular row on the Mascarpone. Stack the final slice of cake on the filling. Ice the cake with the refrigerated whipped cream, using a spatula to spread it over the top and sides of the cake. Decorate the top of the cake with the remaining raspberries and drizzle the amaretto/raspberry juices onto the cake. Loosely cover the cake with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until serving time. Just before serving, garnish with the fresh mint leaves. Slice the cake into wedges.

Serves 10 to 12.

Our Montasio was created over 20 years ago. It began as a combination of cheeses that I learned to make in Northern Italy and a recipe for Montasio from a cheesemaking book. Our Montasio is made from goats milk and it is a hard cheese. When I created Montasio I fantasized that it was similar to cheeses made high up in the mountains and thought the name fitted it well, since monte means mountain in Italian. I had never tasted the real Montasio, a famous Italain cheese from the Veneto. If you know me, you will realize that this is typical! Nonetheless, our Montasio is delicious! And it is also unique.

We make our Montasio by adding cultures and then coagulating the goat's milk with animal rennet. Once the milk has set, we cut the curd until it is the size of corn kernels. Then we heat and cook the curds in the whey. Finally the matured curds are drained into large squares of cloth that are twisted closed to contain the cheese. They are knotted and the cheeses are pressed overnight. You can see the indentations from the knots on our cheeses. They are rubbed daily with salt for two weeks. Finally they are left to dry for several months. At this point our Montasio is ready to sell plain or to be encased with a puree of ancho chiles and aged for another month.

Our Montasio is a mellow, flavorful cheese. It is a wine-friendly cheese and is wonderful with both white and red wines. And it's delicious with beer as well. It also can be grated and used in any dish where a hard cheese such as Parmigiano would be appropriate. Our goat's milk Montasio is available in two varieties ... plain and with a dark red ancho chile rind, called Montasio Festivo. Last year I created a cow's milk version that is flavored with rosemary and has a stem of rosemary embedded in the top of the cheese.

Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly oil a baking pan large enough to hold the chicken in one layer.

Wash and clean the chicken. Pat dry with paper towels. Season breasts well with salt and pepper. Place the flour on a plate or waxed paper and place the beaten eggs in a shallow bowl. Combine the bread crumbs, Montasio, thyme, and lemon zest on a plate or wax paper. Dredge each chicken breast in the flour, shaking off any excess. Then dip the chicken in the egg, and finally into the bread crumb mixture. Be sure to evenly coat the chicken at each step. Then place in the pan so that the pieces of chicken do not touch each other. Divide any remaining crumbs equally among the breasts, patting them onto the chicken breasts. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and drizzle or brush the olive oil onto the bread-crumb crust. Return to the oven and cook for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the breasts are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the breasts to rest for a few minutes.

To serve, place on a serving platter and garnish with thyme sprigs and lemon slices. Serves 4.

The telephone calls begin in early November ... When will we have it? When will we make it? When will it be ready? When can they buy it? The answer is NOW is the time! What is Christmas Cheese? It's a once-a-year treat that we make only from Thanksgiving through New Year's. It's a spreadable round of cheese festively flavored with a combination of chiles. It's a pretty cheese ... a vibrant red round topped with a swirl of green jalapenos strips. Some might call it a Mexican cheese, but you'll just call it "good" when you taste it! It pairs nicely with beer, wine, and mixed drinks. Just one bite won't be sufficient. It all began many years ago as a mistake. Something happened to one batch of our cheese. It just didn't turn out exactly as it should have ... it wasn't a bad cheese, it just wasn't the kind of cheese it was supposed to be! So, we decided to convert our mistake into something new. Because Christmas was coming, we wanted to create something good for the holidays. We decided to add a variety of red chiles to make it spicy. We molded it into small discs that would be perfect for serving when guests stop by. We decorated the top with a star made of green chiles. And voila ... Christmas Cheese! Now our mistake has become a Mozzarella Company annual tradition, and many of our loyal customers have made Christmas Cheese part of their family holiday traditions. They flock to our cheese factory for our special, little, handmade cheese. Many buy 10 to 20 cheeses because they make perfect gifts for neighbors, teachers, and friends. And they are great to have on hand for quick, last-minute hors d'oeuvres and hostess gifts. Wheels of Christmas Cheese weigh a little over a half pound each and cost about $9. They are great for snacking as well as for melting. They stay fresh for a month or longer ... but they won't last that long at your house!

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Prepare a nonstick baking sheet by brushing it lightly with olive oil or covering it with parchment paper brushed with olive oil.

Prepare a work surface by placing a stack of phyllo off to one side and covering it with a damp dish towel. Pour the melted butter into a small bowl and place it nearby. Remove a sheet of phyllo from the stack and lay it on a dry work surface. Keep the unused stack of phyllo covered with the damp towel. Brush the single sheet lightly and quickly with some of the melted butter. Place a second sheet of phyllo on top of the first sheet and brush it will butter. Repeat with the remaining third sheet. Then place the fourth sheet on top and gently press out the air pockets in the stacked phyllo. Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut the dough into six 4-inch squares.

Cut the Christmas Cheese into 12 wedges and place one on top of each square of phyllo, in the center of the square at an angle. Fold the bottom flap of the phyllo up over the cheese, then fold the sides over the cheese, and then roll the phyllo over to enclose the cheese and form little packets. Place the seam side down on a non-stick baking sheet (or alternatively, a baking sheet lined with buttered parchment paper.) Repeat the process using the remaining phyllo sheets and Christmas Cheese. Brush the packets with the remaining butter. With a sharp knife, make tiny slits in the top of each packet. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is light golden brown. Makes 12 packets. Place the Paquitos on a tray and garnish with the cilantro sprigs. Serve immediately, while warm.