Cheese

[saltypete]

I find enjoying a fine cheese or cheeses to be just as epicurean as smoking a cigar or sipping on my favourite tipple. In fact I have combined all three and it is amazing.
Thanks to globalisation you can now get some great imported cheeses in the supermarket (even in a country area like where I live).
I love Stilton, Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Jarlsberg and have found some Australian cheeses that are also quite superb. The star Australian cheese IMHO is one called 'Red Square', it is a washed rind cheese modelled closely on Epoisse. It can be unopened and stored in a plastic container and it still stinks the whole fridge out, but if you can get past the smell, it has a wonderful earthy taste that is simply outstanding.
I'd be interested to hear if there are any cheese lovers here and if so what your favourite style or type is, how you use it in cooking or what you serve as an accompaniment with it.
From what I've read there are some great cheeses being produced in the US by small dairys.

Pete

[galopede]

I do like a decent bit of cheese. We are lucky in Britain having many classic cheese of our own plus plenty of the quality European cheeses, especially the French stuff.

You mentioned Stilton, my favourite, blue or white, lovely stuff. You can't beat a good ripe Camembert either. nearly got thrown off a morris team tour bus for cracking open a pack of Camembert and tomato sandwiches I'd made the day before! They were humming along with the music.

We have some quality cheesemakers where I live in Gloucestershire. A friend of ours is the guy who makes the Stinking Bishop of Wallace & Gromit fame. Now that does smell! He washes the rind in perry made from the Stinking Bishop pear and that gives it the smell. Again a very pleasant taste and not too strong once you get past the pong!

Gareth

[Luc]

+1 on Camembert, I could eat the stuff everyday!

This is not for everyone but I love goat cheese too. There's a producer in Victoria that does it and it's creamy. Goat cheese is usually dry but not that one! Not to forget Feta!

Haloumi, Edam, Gouda, Swiss and Strong cheddars! Awesome!

[rm71]

I like my cheese! Edam, cheddar, Provolone, Camembert, Gorgonzola, Jarlsberg and of course Mozarella

[mdunn]

two slices of nice sourdough bread. On one, Brie - on the other, Foie Gras. Heaven.

[Singapura]

Obtaining artisan cheeses is a bit of a problem here in Singapore. I try to take a few choice old cheeses with me whenever I visit my homecountry, The Netherlands. Last month I brought some mountain goat cheese from Switzerland. Lovely with a few grapes and crackers!

[Phog Allen]

+1 on Camembert, I could eat the stuff everyday!

This is not for everyone but I love goat cheese too. There's a producer in Victoria that does it and it's creamy. Goat cheese is usually dry but not that one! Not to forget Feta!

Haloumi, Edam, Gouda, Swiss and Strong cheddars! Awesome!

Hi Luc. Goat cheese! The first time I saw this stuff I was very doubtful about the whole experience. Then I took a bite and was really hooked. I should be clear. This was not one of the dry crumbly goat cheeses you would normally think of. It is creamy like a very young Brie. Light too. We get it on a fruit and cheese plate at our local brewery/pub and I have tried to find a commercially available version. No luck. I did find a creamy goat cheese last week at the local grocer(I don't know why but for some reason we are getting a lot of artisan cheeses out here in cattle country) and it comes in rind like a brie. Very creamy and if you let it come to room temperature, it slowly glides out the sides like Brie. I think it is right there with a Brie in flavour but a bit milder and delicous on roasted or toasted crackers. The brand escapes me since I chucked the wrapper in the dust bin but if think of it, I will drop by the store and check it again. Likely by purchasing another wedge!

Regards, Todd

[tsmba]

I really dig fine Cheddars. A good bit of Keen's or Montgomery is nothing at all like the usual stuff most people get. Of course, there are some excellent American cheddars from Grafton or Shelburne Farms. I also love Italian hard cheeses....Parmigiano Reggiano is in a class alone. I also love aged Gouda.
I wish there was a Whole Foods store in our area. I love visiting their cheese area, especially being able to try the products!

[moonshine44]

The Washington State University creamery produces a cheese they call Cougar Gold that is excellent if one enjoys a dry, slightly crumbly and very sharp cheese. One of our many vendors sends a can in every year for Christmas, and it doesn't last long once people find out it's there...

I also enjoy a good Brie, and it's almost impossible to beat feta cheese added to a good salad.

[Not A Nice Person]

Mmmmmmmm . . . cheese! :drool:

I like Jarlsberg as my daily snack cheese---a little pre-dinner or mid-afternoon plate of Jarlsberg, whole grain crackers, mixed nuts, a cornichon or two, a few slices of Italian artisanal meat . . . you betcha.

At family get-togethers my 'job' is to put together the cheese board, and since we're all pretty adventurous, that's where I go to town---Stilton with apricots, Beemster with wild nettles, English cheddars, French chevres, Gorgonzola . . . I'm fortunate in that my local grocery chain opened a 'Plus' branch near me with a fantastic gourmet cheese kiosk.

It's right next to the marinated olives and antipasto kiosk and around the corner from the fine wines. :001_rolle I swear, I can't get out of that store for under $100! :wink2:

NANP™

[Sue]

My favorite cheese is one my son brought home several times when he was working in Amsterdam. He called it 'old cheese'. I've never seen anything comparable here.
Sue

[tsmba]

Those aged Goudas bear resemblance to great Parmigiano....good ones have little salt crystals in them. The longer-aged versions start to develop an almost caramel-like note.

[Sue]

Those aged Goudas bear resemblance to great Parmigiano....good ones have little salt crystals in them. The longer-aged versions start to develop an almost caramel-like note.

The "old cheese" from Holland has little salt crystals too. It's worse than trying to eat one potato chip, it is soooo good.
Sue

[Nishnabotna]

My favorite is Velveeta.
Well, I'm not sure it's really a cheese, but for the purposes of this discussion it's close enough.

[RichGem]

I feel obligated to put in a plug for the superiority of Wisconsin (ie: Czardom) Cheddar, even though I'm lactose intolerant. :cool:

[moonshine44]

My favorite is Velveeta.
Well, I'm not sure it's really a cheese, but for the purposes of this discussion it's close enough.

Does Velveeta even contain dairy products? :confused:

[slcsteve]

I do like a decent bit of cheese. We are lucky in Britain having many classic cheese of our own plus plenty of the quality European cheeses, especially the French stuff.

Gareth

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[Confuzius]

I pretty much like it all, with less of a preference towards smoked cheeses. I've recently opened up to blue cheeses and now find them to be quite desireable.

I had an assiago in Italy that, while it tasted delicious, we ended up throwing out, because it was making our rental car and hotel mini fridges smell of old socks and burt rubber.

I'm lucky enough in Quebec to be able to get a wide variety of locally produced cheeses that run the gambit of all styles, many of them even made with raw milk. Yum!

[Luc]

Hi Luc. Goat cheese! The first time I saw this stuff I was very doubtful about the whole experience. Then I took a bite and was really hooked. I should be clear. This was not one of the dry crumbly goat cheeses you would normally think of. It is creamy like a very young Brie. Light too. We get it on a fruit and cheese plate at our local brewery/pub and I have tried to find a commercially available version. No luck. I did find a creamy goat cheese last week at the local grocer(I don't know why but for some reason we are getting a lot of artisan cheeses out here in cattle country) and it comes in rind like a brie. Very creamy and if you let it come to room temperature, it slowly glides out the sides like Brie. I think it is right there with a Brie in flavour but a bit milder and delicous on roasted or toasted crackers. The brand escapes me since I chucked the wrapper in the dust bin but if think of it, I will drop by the store and check it again. Likely by purchasing another wedge!

Regards, Todd

I'm often by myself to eat the goat cheese. That's all right with me, more for me. I like the dry one, it's nice. Real feta is made of goat milk, not cow milk! I found some parmesan made of goat, it's pretty nice but doesn't beat parmigiano reggiano. I got some that's like a hard cheese, that one is amazing!

There's a company that I saw in Quebec and Australia that makes some soft goat, similar to Brie. I think it's labelled as Boursin. That's stuff on crackers is awesome!

[Not A Nice Person]

My favorite cheese is one my son brought home several times when he was working in Amsterdam. He called it 'old cheese'. I've never seen anything comparable here.
Sue

Beemster and Vasklaas are what you need to ask for . . . aged Goudas; 12 and 18 months IIRC. Fantastically rich cheeses.

NANP™

[professorchaos]

I do love some funky cheeses! Stinking Bishop, Cottenham Stilton, Reblochon, a Mont d'Or, Cabrales... I could go on and on.

[toucanlamp]

For me, the greatest cheese ever is a good several years old cheddar cheese. Balderson is one brand I've always liked in the store, and a wealthy friend of the family once ordered a big case of some special limited release version that was something like 6 or 7 years aged and it was just amazing.

I've explored a bit, trying different kinds, but I just can't get past the appearance and enjoy any of the types with mould running all through them, and too many of the popular kinds all seem to taste the same.

Swiss cheese is good in a sandwich, but isn't really the type to just eat on its own.

[The Knize]

<I've explored a bit, trying different kinds, but I just can't get past the appearance and enjoy any of the types with mould running all through them, and too many of the popular kinds all seem to taste the same. >

Keep trying them! My own experience if that what once seemed abhorant and disgusting (even disturbing) can become the subject of intense craving. Why would the smell of ammonia become a food associated aroma? But for some of those intense cheeses it sure seems to me and I love them--now.

[nikkuchan]

I Camembert the taste of Gouda.

[homebrewer]

To the OP... I absolutely LOVE Red Square. We used to get it here from a company called 34°, and it was one of the nicest washed rinds I've ever had. I really wish it was still available around here.

Other than that, I am quite partial to raw sheep's milk cheeses from the Pyrenees mountains, raw blues from the Auvergne region of France (Fourme d'Ambert), Parmigiano Reggiano, and well aged Gruyeres (especially Etivas, if you can find it).

[BrightFutur]

There's a place near my parents house (By Kingston, Ontario) that makes the most amazing artisan goat cheese. It's by far some of the best I've had.

You can see their catalog to get an idea of what they carry HERE (http://www.fifthtown.ca/images/uploads/FIFTH_TOWN_CHEESE_PRODUCT_LINE.pdf)

My personal favourite is one they call 'Operetta'

It's description:

Tasting Note:
Small cylinder with a bright, uniform white mould, bright white inside with a soft, chalky
centre and creamy near the rind. Slightly fruity aroma with fresh lactic flavours, light earthy accents and a soft mouth-filling texture with a lingering slightly creamy finish.

I could eat it all day. And I used to hate goat milk cheese.


Edit: If anyone in southern Ontario wants to know where to buy some of their cheeses, I have a fairly good idea of locations that carry it.

[Carnivore]

Have you checked igourmet.com out? They have a huge selection of cheeses.

There's a dairy called Cypress Grove in California that produces some awesome goat cheeses.

Cabrales is a blue cheese from Spain, wrapped in leaves. It's my favorite blue. Try it with figs or mixed with fig paste.

Then there are the extra-old goudas. Try a 5-year one for fun.

Banon is an interesting goat cheese from France. It's made in the same way as a fresh
Chevre, but then it's wrapped in leaves and left to ripen so that it becomes creamy and delicious.

The best advice I can give you is to hunt down a cheesemonger. We found ours in a wine store, but you can also find quality people in stores like Wegman's. They'll help you find out what you like and then where to get the best of it.

Here are a couple of quick ideas:

Take a wedge of Brie, put it in an oven-proof dish, and pour honey over it. If you'd like, sliced almonds on top are nice. Bake it at 350 F for about 10 minutes, or until it's runny.
Serve on toast. There are rarely leftovers.

Sandwich:
Slice a baguette into sandwich lengths, then in half like a bun.
Put ham, apple slices, honey mustard, and sliced brie on one half, then broil it until the cheese melts.

[scottish steve]

Can everyone stop talking about cheese! I'm starving all-of-a-sudden!
For me, there's one measure of a good cheese- unpasteurised. It's a must! All UK residents, look out for Brie de Meaux from Peckhams. Mmmwah!

[homebrewer]

To the OP... there is another Aussie cheese that I had forgotten about that is very nice indeed. I'm sure if we can get it in America, then you can find it. Seal Bay is a very nice triple creme that is extremely rich and buttery. It also ripens quite nicely. In addition, you mentioned quite a few blues in the original post.... Have you tried Roaring Forties? It's from your neck of the world, and is one of the strongest, funkiest blues out there.

One final note, 34°, who sells the red square here in America, also makes superb olives in may different styles.

[Confuzius]

Take a wedge of Brie, put it in an oven-proof dish, and pour honey over it. If you'd like, sliced almonds on top are nice. Bake it at 350 F for about 10 minutes, or until it's runny.
Serve on toast. There are rarely leftovers.


I do a dessert/cheese dish of pears poached in syrah and honey with raisins, cinamon and nutmeg on top of a baked brie wheel. Served with baguette. Great stuff.

[Scotto]

Mmmm, cheese.

I have a severe addiction to Maytag blue cheese. Fantastic stuff by itself or when cooking.

Real Greek feta, if you can find it, is fantastic and bears little resemblance to the stuff most people have eaten.

Don't discount Mexican cheeses. From fresh to aged, there are some excellent examples.

[Confuzius]

Russian farmer's cheese (Tvoreg) is pretty interesting too ricotta-esque and very fresh, great for baking with, or mixed with honey and raisins and spread on toast. (Bonus points for using Russian Borodynski bread - a dark rye with cardamom)

[tsmba]

I never got into the "stinky" cheeses, nor do I have a taste for the "blue" cheeses. I think all the agricultural regulations put the hurt on the US fine cheese business.

[saltypete]

To the OP... there is another Aussie cheese that I had forgotten about that is very nice indeed. I'm sure if we can get it in America, then you can find it. Seal Bay is a very nice triple creme that is extremely rich and buttery. It also ripens quite nicely. In addition, you mentioned quite a few blues in the original post.... Have you tried Roaring Forties? It's from your neck of the world, and is one of the strongest, funkiest blues out there.

One final note, 34°, who sells the red square here in America, also makes superb olives in may different styles.

I have tried the 'Roaring Forties' and I found it too strong. But the same dairy (King Island) makes a Danish blue and a Stiltonesque cheese (Whose name eludes me) that I would put up against any cheese in the world. They are outstanding. I'll have to look out for the Seal Bay next time I'm in town.

Pete

[Luc]

I got some Buffalo Mozzarella today... can't wait for lunch time!

[_JP_]

Can everyone stop talking about cheese! I'm starving all-of-a-sudden!


They're just a bunch of CADs (Cheese Acquisition Disorder)

[toucanlamp]

They're just a bunch of CADs (Cheese Acquisition Disorder)

Like razors and one's wife gets really pissed at you because you bought one of those big entire wheels of parmasan because you got bored.