Forgotten the taste of mother’s milk?
New Yorkers can regress this weekend thanks to Brooklyn artist Miriam Simun’s exhibit “Human Cheese.”
Until May 1, the Michael Mut Gallery in the East Village will be transformed into The Lady Cheese Shop, inviting visitors to taste cheese made from breast milk.
“There’s an emphasis on ‘local,’ ‘organic,’ and ‘natural,’ but we live in a city with eight million people and not one cow,” said Simun, 26, an NYU grad student.
Simun prepared three cheeses from three women, one from Midtown, one from Chelsea and one from Wisconsin. She connected with the mothers through the website OnlyTheBreast.com, an online breast milk marketplace.
“Where they’re from, the air they breathe – it enters the women’s bodies and their milk,” said Simun. “It affects the taste.”
Simun will serve a blue cheese called “West Side Funk,” a ricotta named “Midtown Smoke,” and a curdy mozzarella called “Wisconsin Chew.”
Each of the cheeses will be accompanied by wine pairings.
“Some people think it’s delicious,” said Simun. “Other people get queasy.”
Breast milk buttercream
Want to make mom something special for Mother’s Day? Try this recipe for cupcake frosting from LandMilkHoney.com.
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 strawberries, hulled and chopped up
1 1/4 cups icing sugar
1/8 cup breast milk
1/8 cup half-and-half
1 tsp vanilla
Cream the butter until it is pale and fluffy. Add the strawberries: beat for 30 seconds. Then add the icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until well blended. Add the breast milk and cream, alternately by spoonfuls, beating until blended. Add the vanilla and beat until well incorporated. Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes and place a piece of strawberry on the top of each.
Follow Emily Anne Epstein on Twitter @EmilyatMetro.
