Cheese Discussion Thread

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

jenneyema - you mentioned aged gouda - have you tried a four or five-year aged gouda? It's just so wonderful - I love the "crystals" in it and a little goes a loooong way!

(Swoon and Heavy sigh) I can't get the variety of cheeses around here that you guys and gals mention. Oh I can get the more common cheeses, even some good cheddar, and a few Spanish cheeses. I didn't even know anyone made a five year old gouda. I do love the five year old sharp cheddar from Balderson of Ontario Canada. It has the little salt crystals in it as well. I am so envious of the cheese varieties that I can't get.

One day I will move from this place, probably up to the Northwester U.S. I gotta think that a place like Tacoma, or Seattle would have some fine cheeses available. But that's several years off.

Eat a peice of that old gouda, and think of me while you slowly roll it around on your tongue.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[fireweaver]

I love so many cheeses ... I am sort of a cheese freak

I don't go at all for flavored/herbed/smoked cheese. I like the flavor of the cheese, not the additives. Exception being Boursin or something like that.

ok, Jennyema, we *really* need to get together sometime. i'm likewise a total cheese fiend, and the only "flavored" cheese in my fridge is that boursin...

anyone who has a trader joe's near them has an A+ selection of decent cheese. once i had their actual greek imported sheep feta, i won't buy american feta again. it's amazing. sold in little white plastic tubs, slabs of goodness floating around in brine. sigh.

i'll second all those votes for the gourmet basics, like manchego & emmenthal. a little further off the beaten path, though...

if you can find *anything* by cypress grove, do yourself a favor and snap it right up. their humboldt fog (soft goat cheese with a stripe of vegetable ash through the center, white mold rind, runny on the edges when it's nicely aged) is a serious favorite. midnight moon (firm-texured super creamy aged goat cheese) is likewise wonderful.

nothing is better for breakfast than st andre. it's soft and buttery, and goes great with sliced asian pears.

the super friendly cheese lady at my local beer & wine shop has recently started hooking me up with my new kryptonite: pierre robert. it's a *triple creme* brie-style cheese, meaning that it's even more melty and creamy and buttery and amazing than brie usually is. at room temp, it just melts out of the rind. they have a small cheese counter at this place, so they change it up quite frequently, and i'm going to consider hari-kari when this one goes out of the rotation.

 

[jpmcgrew]

Good Weed I can not get great cheese where I live either even if I go to Santa Fe the cheeses there seem a bit outdated as far as freshness goes I understand alot of them are aged but alot of them seem past their prime so I will say this once more go toCheese, Specialty Food, Gourmet Gift Baskets, Cheese Gifts: igourmet and splurge a little they have it all and the best quality.
Fireweaver I also have had the Feta made from sheeps milk but this one was from Bulgaria which is close to Greece so they eat alot of the same things.Like you to me it is so much better than American Feta I love American Feta but this stuff is fantastic of course I will hafto get it by mail but it is well worth it.

 

[jennyema]

ok, Jennyema, we *really* need to get together sometime. i'm likewise a total cheese fiend

We could have a cheeseapalooza!!

Cypress Grove rocks, absolutely! And so do you for having cheese for breakfast!! I love to do that (though I confess I don't do it that often) and do love the St. Andre.

I usually buy my cheese at Formaggio Kitchen in Boston and at Fairway or Murry's in NYC.

 

[sattie]

Has anyone ever heard of a French Rambol??? I got some today... wanting to try new cheeses...

Also, can you freeze ricotta cheese?

 

[jennyema]

Has anyone ever heard of a French Rambol??? I got some today... wanting to try new cheeses...

Also, can you freeze ricotta cheese?

Yes. It's a mild, soft processed cheese. Would be good with some good bread and fruit.

Frozen ricotta will separate when thawed, so it's not usually a good idea to do that.

 

[sattie]

Yes. It's a mild, soft processed cheese. Would be good with some good bread and fruit.

Frozen ricotta will separate when thawed, so it's not usually a good idea to do that.

Thanks so much jennyema!!!

 

[BBQ Mikey]

I just discovered a cheese that is simply to die for, I am typing this from heaven and it was worth it!

Its called "FOREST" brand. Thats all it says really. The very fine print says its a Fromage Fondue. This is a processed cheese, but who cares.......its Hickory Smoked!!! Oh man. Its great. Hickory Smoked Fromage Fondue from "Forest" is a must buy.. it was cheap too.

 

[BBQ Mikey]

Well I may have met my match.

Like I mentioned earlier, I enjoy diff. cheeses, and my favorites are sharp and artisan cheeses. I had stumbled accross Yancy's Fancy Cheese Brand, which is a major cheese company located nearby. I tried their 9 month aged white cheddar and it was simply amazing, with curds and everything, it basically crumbled in your mouth. I tried their "Buffalo Wing" cheese, which burnt my darn mouth off. It was yummy though esp. with crackers.

Well to get to the point, my tastes are for strong yet accessible cheeses, delicately so. I bought their 12 month aged white with high hopes it would be better than their 9 month. It was just too much. The crumbly curds were gone, leading me to believe this type was processed. The taste is just wayyy sharp, I can't handle it. I still have it time to time and its growing on me alittle, but I much prefer 9 month. Are all 12 months like this? It was solid all the way thru.

 

[kitchenelf]

and do love the St. Andre.

Take a table water cracker, spread some Triple Creme St. Andre on it and top with a very ripe peach slice or a very ripe cantelope slice. Come back here and post when you get up off the floor

 

[jennyema]

I was in London for a few days last month and I planned to buy some cheddar at Neil's Yard Dairy but when I got there they were CLOSED for the Bank Holiday! I was leaving too early the next day to go back.


I can buy it here, of course, but I wanted to get it from the source and meet the people there.

 

[jennyema]

Well I may have met my match.

Like I mentioned earlier, I enjoy diff. cheeses, and my favorites are sharp and artisan cheeses. I had stumbled accross Yancy's Fancy Cheese Brand, which is a major cheese company located nearby. I tried their 9 month aged white cheddar and it was simply amazing, with curds and everything, it basically crumbled in your mouth. I tried their "Buffalo Wing" cheese, which burnt my darn mouth off. It was yummy though esp. with crackers.

Well to get to the point, my tastes are for strong yet accessible cheeses, delicately so. I bought their 12 month aged white with high hopes it would be better than their 9 month. It was just too much. The crumbly curds were gone, leading me to believe this type was processed. The taste is just wayyy sharp, I can't handle it. I still have it time to time and its growing on me alittle, but I much prefer 9 month. Are all 12 months like this? It was solid all the way thru.

I am not sure what you mean by "curds" and "solid all the way through." There aren't curds in cheese that has been formed into a block and aged. The curds are pressed to create a block of cheese.

There is no purpose to aging "processed" cheese. As cheese ages, it loses water and its flavor becomes more concentrated.

Yancy's cheese is labeled "sharp" "extra sharp" and "xxsharp." It gets sharper as it ages. The 12 mo. isn't processed, just aged.

Also, per your post above, "fromage fondue" just means cheese spread. You have Forest's processed cheese spread.

 

[buckytom]

bbq mikey, i've seen the yancy's brand of cheese in my local stores in north jersey. i'll have to given them a try, thanks.

if you like sharp, have you ever had a good, sharp provolone? one of my faves.

since you're in the philly region, you're not too far from Hendricks Farms & Dairy, LLC - Home
a co-workers lives across a stream from one of their grazing fields, and brings in their cheeses often. some of them are so sharp they make the roof of my mouth tingle. others are just plain delicious.

speaking of cheddar, we just got back from lancaster, pa., and bought some locally made cheddar, lebanon balogna, and dried beef (bresaola). the cheddar was nice; a little sharp, with an interesting slightly sour taste in the background.
the lebanon balogna was the best i've ever had in my life. sweet and smokey, and unbelievably juicy. i wish i could remember the brand name.
the bresaola is very good, and i've been grabbing little bits of it every time i'm craving meat.

 

[BBQ Mikey]

I am not sure what you mean by "curds" and "solid all the way through." There aren't curds in cheese that has been formed into a block and aged. The curds are pressed to create a block of cheese.

There is no purpose to aging "processed" cheese. As cheese ages, it loses water and its flavor becomes more concentrated.

Yancy's cheese is labeled "sharp" "extra sharp" and "xxsharp." It gets sharper as it ages. The 12 mo. isn't processed, just aged.

Also, per your post above, "fromage fondue" just means cheese spread. You have Forest's processed cheese spread.

Thanks for the info. What I mean by referring to "curds" and "solid" was the texture of the cheese, which varied greatly between the 9 mo. and 12 mo.

I know how a block of cheese is made, and there were definate curds in the 9 mo. Yancy artisan block I had, not in the 12 mo. regular block. I didn't expect the texture to vary that greatly.

 

[jennyema]

Thanks for the info. What I mean by referring to "curds" and "solid" was the texture of the cheese, which varied greatly between the 9 mo. and 12 mo.

I know how a block of cheese is made, and there were definate curds in the 9 mo. Yancy artisan block I had, not in the 12 mo. regular block. I didn't expect the texture to vary that greatly.

You're welcome!

With all due respect, by definition, there are no longer curds when cheese is pressed. But a younger cheese will have more moisture than an older one.

The taste and texture of many cheeses changes markedly as it ages. The extent to which this happens depends on lots of things: the way the cheese was made, the milk used, bacteria, how and where it's aged, etc. etc. It depends on the type of cheese and the maker.

Good examples are young gouda and aged gouda/ young jack and aged jack/ young asiago and aged asiago/ young provolone and aged provolone. Gouda, for example gets drier, saltier, stronger but IMO not necessarily sharper. Like Bucky suggested, an aged provolone or an aged gouda is probably something you'll like, if the sharpness of an aged cheddar isn't to your liking.

 

[BBQ Mikey]

it was weird though, like the aged cheddar after 9 mo. crumbled apart and appeared "kurdish"

the 12 mo was rock solid and wouldnt crumble at all...i suppose its how it was wrapped.

 

[jennyema]

it was weird though, like the aged cheddar after 9 mo. crumbled apart and appeared "kurdish"

the 12 mo was rock solid and wouldnt crumble at all...i suppose its how it was wrapped.

It really probably should be the opposite, with the older cheese crumbling and the younger one being firm because the younger one has more moisture.

So you are probably right about how it was wrapped. Or maybe they make the cheese in slightly different ways.

If you are anywhere near a good cheesemonger, make him or her your friend.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

BBQMikey;
I undersand what you mean by curds. If you take a piece of medium, longhorn colby, slice a chunk, and then break it, you will see individual lumps in the textrue. The original curd has not completely formed into a homogenous texture. A younger cheddar will exhibit the same texture. In fact, you can purchase cheddar curds from many cheese making dairies and in many supermarkets.

And 12 month aged cheddar is not a very sharp cheddar, though it is stronger than is 9 month cheddar. I can purchase artisan cheddars aged anywhere from 3 months to 5 years. I believe I even saw a 6 year cheddar once. At 4 years, the cheddar has dried enough to develop crystals of salt that crunch lightly when you bite into the cheese. I love Balerson %-Year heritage Chedder out of Balderson Ontario. It is so sharp that it makes your jaw muscles ache just a bit when you first bite into it. But then again, I've tasted some fine 2 year cheddars that were outstanding in flavor as well.

You will also find that different brands of cheddar have dramatically different flavor. Some are aged in hey, to give them a more earthy flavor. Some have more salt, while others have less. Some have more milkfat in the milk from which they are made, which again changes the flavor.

You just have to try several brands, with differing levels of sharpness in each brand, and decide the flavor you like best. Good hunting.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[lyndalou]

I've never met a cheese that I didn't like.

 

[BBQ Mikey]

BBQMikey;
I undersand what you mean by curds. If you take a piece of medium, longhorn colby, slice a chunk, and then break it, you will see individual lumps in the textrue. The original curd has not completely formed into a homogenous texture. A younger cheddar will exhibit the same texture. In fact, you can purchase cheddar curds from many cheese making dairies and in many supermarkets.

And 12 month aged cheddar is not a very sharp cheddar, though it is stronger than is 9 month cheddar. I can purchase artisan cheddars aged anywhere from 3 months to 5 years. I believe I even saw a 6 year cheddar once. At 4 years, the cheddar has dried enough to develop crystals of salt that crunch lightly when you bite into the cheese. I love Balerson %-Year heritage Chedder out of Balderson Ontario. It is so sharp that it makes your jaw muscles ache just a bit when you first bite into it. But then again, I've tasted some fine 2 year cheddars that were outstanding in flavor as well.

You will also find that different brands of cheddar have dramatically different flavor. Some are aged in hey, to give them a more earthy flavor. Some have more salt, while others have less. Some have more milkfat in the milk from which they are made, which again changes the flavor.

You just have to try several brands, with differing levels of sharpness in each brand, and decide the flavor you like best. Good hunting.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

Thanks Sir Goodweed! I need to go and see whats out there...Im fairly new to cheese collecting