Where Can You Get Fresh Curds Without the Whey?

I have an affinity for curds.  Normally I choose the 8 oz or 16 oz tub in the dairy case.  Yes, I am speaking about cottage cheese, but I also love those big curds that you often buy in Wisconsin.

Cottage cheese comes with either whey (that’s the runny stuff that looks weird unless you mix it with the cheese), or hardly any whey (I would have loved to have said "no way" but whatever). You can purchase larger curd (about the size of peas) or smaller curds.  There is a true difference.

Some of the low-calorie cottage cheese tastes like Kilz—all dry and gaggy.  It would do fine if you added it to a smoothie, but in my mind (and mouth) it is hardly fit to be swallowed.  The regular stuff sometimes is too wet and creamy.  It is best to write down the brand and curd type that you liked and buy it every time.   Why factor disappointment into your grocery shopping?

Curds—those big things Little Miss Muffet was supposedly eating in the 1805 printed rhyme—are totally different from cottage cheese from the grocery store.  They are really a semi-round piece of fresh cheese.  They tend to have very little taste, and squeak when you chew them.  To us aficionados, they are delicious. 

A local deli now has fresh curds (from Wisconsin).  Located at 26 S. La Grange Road, DeLuca’s Deli and Grill will sell them to you chilled, or will batter dip them and put them into the deep fryer.  Buy at least a pound of either because you are going to be mobbed by family and friends.

From DeLuca's, I recently had a small bag of hot, just-out-of-the-fryer, curds from Wisconsin.  To say they were just delicious is a complete understatement.  They were fantastic, filling and so addictive.  I could have eaten a pound just standing at the service counter.  I was so impressed and gushing with praise I think I convinced the two ladies behind me to order a small batch as a side to their eighteen chicken wing order. 

It would be a disservice to not mention that DeLuca’s has a broad array of deli and grilled sandwiches, salads and daily specials.  They offer a deep catering menu, with trays of vegetables and salads, pastas, meats, sausages and deli items.  Yes, they carry sweets, too.  Call 708-482-0295 and tell them The Chamber recommended them to you.

And if you see a guy kickin’ back in the Chamber Foundation’s rocking chair on Burlington Avenue across from the station eating big curds (no whey) and squeaking—that's me.  Say the secret phrase (still rockin’ at 65) and I might share some of the batter dipped ones if they aren’t already consumed.  The drinks are on you.

For information about most anything, go to www.westsuburbanchamber.org or call 708-387-7550.  Keep shopping locally and regionally!  Let's kep the economy humming.