Cheddar

This is the time of the year when, after the sap stops running and the bright red buds of the sugar maples cast a fiery shadow on the mountains warming up after the long Vermont winter, the syruping season ends, and the cheese season begins. Here, just as in most of northern Europe, the milk produced now from cows feeding on fresh spring grass is, from the cheesemaker's point of view, too good for drinking. It is the time of year when cows produce not only the most milk but also the most protein-rich milk.

A Yahoo headline today makes quite a claim: "How to Make the Perfect Steak Sandwich. " With mayo, arugula and cheddar? And open-faced? No, it's not from the Washington-addled brain of Sen. John Kerry, who once tried to order a cheesesteak hoagie with Swiss here in Philly. It's from a Left Coast gourmet place, with its own ideas. To be fair, the billing doesn't say "Philly cheesesteak," so nobody's arguing authenticity. Still, "perfect" invites comparisons.

Cheese of the Month After years of vacations in Vermont, I thought I knew good cheddar. But the emergence of traditional farmhouse versions from England (where cheddar, after all, was born) has changed my perception of the genre. The American and British renditions are so unalike, they're practically different cheeses. You'll know what I mean when you taste Mrs. Quicke's, a traditional-style Brit from Devon. Whereas most Americans become creamy and sharp as they age, the British versions become intensely earthy.

American cheddar has never been the same since the Kehler brothers finished the state-of-the-art aging cave in the rolling hillside of their Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, Vt. Just witness their unique collaboration with cheddar juggernaut Cabot, which ages 35-pound wheels there wrapped English-style in breathable cloth bandages rubbed in lard, not the typical wax. The result, after 10 to 12 months, is a far more artisanal creation than the typical Cabot...

NASA TAKES THE LONG VIEW IN PREPARING ASTRONAUTS If space travel isn't enough of a reason to become an astronaut, how about free sideline access to major sporting events in Houston? NASA has arranged for some astronauts and their trainers to roam the sidelines or sit in the press areas at sporting events to work on their photography skills for upcoming missions. "The astronauts are trained to use long lenses on fast-moving targets in variable light conditions," said Steve Nesbitt, a NASA spokesman.

Move over wine and cheese. Beer and cheese are a match made in culinary heaven. "The carbonation in beer cuts through the richness of cheese," said Tria Fermentation School director Erin McLean. She offered these pairings for your next party: _ Robust dark imperial stout with a cow's milk bleu, Stilton or a sweeter Gorgonzola. _ Hoppy, citrusy India pale ale with aged farmhouse-style English or Vermont cheddar. _ Fruity, sweeter lambic with a rich triple crème or Brie. _ Malt-driven amber ale or German double bock with aged Gouda.

As far as we know, Pat and Geno are not planning to sell frozen poundcakes at the intersection of 9th and Passyunk. But Sara Lee (no relation to Pamela Lee) is now making hoagies. She plans to introduce them to Philadelphia on Friday, when her minions, wearing Ed Rendell face masks, will be handing out freebies at City Hall, Independence Hall and Rittenhouse Square. She'll sell them at Amoco's new Split Second gas station/convenience stores, a chain-to-be with prototype locations in Roxborough, East Falls and Media.

In our search for truly comforting mac and cheese, the one worth-the-effort recipe that can hold its own against the conven-ience/cost/satisfaction standard set by Kraft's, we zeroed in on what the food mags and publishing industry are touting. And the winner is? For absolute fuzzy-slipper comfort, Patti LaBelle's five-cheese extravaganza. But Martha Stewart's creamy uptown version, calling for Gruyere and white cheddar, came in a surprising second. The Blue Ribbon country version relies on milk and American cheese and won kid semi-approval.

ALPINE LACE FREE 'N LEAN CHEESE. American, white cheddar and mozzarella. $1.89 to $1.99 per 6-ounce shredded package or block of mozzarella or white cheddar. $1.99 to $2.09 per 8-ounce package of American singles. Also available in deli case for $3.99 to $4.99 a pound. BONNIE: Here's great news for those on fat- and/or cholesterol-restricted diets. Alpine Lace has three new cheeses, each with less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol and 0.5 grams of fat (fat-free by government labeling standards)

A Yahoo headline today makes quite a claim: "How to Make the Perfect Steak Sandwich. " With mayo, arugula and cheddar? And open-faced? No, it's not from the Washington-addled brain of Sen. John Kerry, who once tried to order a cheesesteak hoagie with Swiss here in Philly. It's from a Left Coast gourmet place, with its own ideas. To be fair, the billing doesn't say "Philly cheesesteak," so nobody's arguing authenticity. Still, "perfect" invites comparisons.

AS THE Phils' long day's journey into night sagged toward its sad end on the TVs at South Philly Bar and Grille, Passyunk Avenue and 9th Street, two women laughed while four men worried. DIEHARD PALS: Neighborhood pals Joe Tayoun, from 9th and Porter, and Paul Marraffa, from 9th and Dickinson, enjoyed their $5 "Harry the K's Ball Park Basket" - two dogs, cheddar fries - with fellow fans Ronnie Spano and Randy Berrier, but agonized over flailing Phillies' bats. Recalling better days, Tayoun, 81, who was a deputy sheriff here for 30 years, remembered the moment when the 1950 Phillies "Whiz Kids" won the pennant.

Move over wine and cheese. Beer and cheese are a match made in culinary heaven. "The carbonation in beer cuts through the richness of cheese," said Tria Fermentation School director Erin McLean. She offered these pairings for your next party: _ Robust dark imperial stout with a cow's milk bleu, Stilton or a sweeter Gorgonzola. _ Hoppy, citrusy India pale ale with aged farmhouse-style English or Vermont cheddar. _ Fruity, sweeter lambic with a rich triple crème or Brie. _ Malt-driven amber ale or German double bock with aged Gouda.

American cheddar has never been the same since the Kehler brothers finished the state-of-the-art aging cave in the rolling hillside of their Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, Vt. Just witness their unique collaboration with cheddar juggernaut Cabot, which ages 35-pound wheels there wrapped English-style in breathable cloth bandages rubbed in lard, not the typical wax. The result, after 10 to 12 months, is a far more artisanal creation than the typical Cabot...

Crabtastic! The growing gastropub scene has been a boon for South Philly. Not only has the neighborhood's craft beer selection gone gangbusters, even the "crab fries" are getting better. Actually, the fledgling Tap Room on 19th (at Ritner) wouldn't dare use that name on their menu, since it's the patented signature dish of nearby sports-bar juggernaut Chickie's & Pete's. But the Tap's "Chesapeake Bay" fries are a major upgrade on the competition, nonetheless. Not only are they scattered with plenty of sweet lump crab (oddly missing from the original)

SOME PEOPLE go to Red Lobster for the shrimp or the crab legs, but many diners love to dig into that basket of cheddar biscuits that comes with their meals. I saw chef Todd Wilbur's version of this restaurant's secret recipe, but it contained so much fat that I decided to try to bake my own cheddar biscuits from scratch. A few recipes that claim to be clones of Red Lobster's biscuits call for whole milk, a heap of cheese and lots of shortening. But I got very tasty results using buttermilk, a smaller amount of reduced-fat cheddar and a lot less butter.

It was the day the city paused to celebrate the insubordinate birth of our bold, idiosyncratic and culturally scrambled nation. A day for the fervently patriotic and everyone else, too, to hear lofty speeches and stuff themselves with barbecue and watch $50,000 in incendiary devices explode in nature's giant IMAX in the sky. That much Yun Frowine understood as she set out to give her older sister a tour of Philadelphia yesterday. Frowine, 42, who moved from Shanghai to Philadelphia eight years ago to work in finance, had no trouble explaining Philadelphia's importance in American history and the way we party on the Fourth.

It had been an exceptionally busy summer of eating on the job in Philadelphia, and I was hoping for a little break. Perhaps something a bit lighter than the usual restaurant critic's fare. Maybe even home-cooked in the rustic quietude of a mountaintop retreat. So, what was I thinking going on "vacation" to Vermont? The Green Mountain State has rustic quietude to spare, of course. But my resolve to go easy on the food hunt began to crumble within moments of our arrival when, stocking up at Singleton's Store in Proctorsville, I found myself lingering near the giant wheel of Cabot cheddar in back, where a butcher's counter also yawned with beautiful slabs of cob-smoked bacon and storemade country sausage.

Montserrat, South Street's artsy American bistro, will be 20 years old Saturday. A lot has happened around it. And quite a bit has happened inside. I remember early in Montserrat's life, Harris Eckstut, who owns and operates the restaurant with his wife, Monti McDonald, saying that he liked keeping up with what was going on in the world of food. Over time this has meant making vegetarian items available as well as creating dishes - bearing a heart symbol on the menu - that Eckstut had gotten the nutrition services department of Nazareth Hospital to review and approve.