583 replies to this topic

[chefbrendis]

Looking for other cheese lovers to talk cheese and compare tasting notes, sourcing and transcendental cheese experiences.

[MarketStEl]

You mean to tell me no one's started a discussion of cheese yet? Ever?

Well, it's about time! Thanks for starting it.

I'm a huge cheese lover--so much so that I really should move to either Wisconsin or France. There's a lot of varieties I haven't tried, so would be interested in learning more about them.

[JEL]

i'm not much of a "dessert" cheese eater, rather, i prefer it as a lunch, or light dinner.....

today i was nibbling on a triple creme that had blue mold on the inside and white on the outside.....some crusty sourdough, and a beer......

i love washed rind/trappist style cheeses with crunchy raw vegetables, and summer sausage for a quick farmers lunch.......

what i really have been into lately are mixed milk cheeses, one favorite is a combined natural rind cows milk blue with sweet goat curd. the spiciness of the blue and the fresh tanginess of the goat cheese is absolutely wonderful. weather i crumble it on a salad, broil it onto a steak, add it into a hot wing dip, or in a potato grattin...........

i like to get off the beaten path a little, i'm not really a white wine, fruit and brie kind a guy.....

[lexy]

mmm, cheese

current fave is Bleu d'Agur, a nice creamy, sharp french blue

[scase805]

My cheese of the moment: Rogue Dairy Oregonzola, a creamy, sharp blue. I especially love it crumbled in a simple salad with dried cranberries, candied walnuts, some spinach and a good balsamic vinaigrette.

My favorite cheese anecdote: Mimolette, a wonderful, nutty aged French cheese, was once used by the French Navy, at a time when they ran out of cannonballs. Allegedly, they loaded the mimolette boules, which are incredibly hard on the outside, into their cannons in a moment of desparation. Probably the first time that a cheese has ever been used to defend a nation!

[Chris Buurman]

Looking for other cheese lovers to talk cheese and compare tasting notes, sourcing and transcendental cheese experiences.

Well I am not the most involved with cheeses although I wouldnt mind some input in the whole thing. I am currently prepareing a dessert menu in which I am making curds for. My recipe id 6L 35% ctream/ 1.2L fresh squezed lime juice.
I mix it let it sit at room temperature for about 3 days then hang it in cheese cloth for 24hrs then press it in a perferated hotel pan for another day it turns out just fine but I am wondering where ekse I could go with it as t seems that there are many opther avenues that I could use to make other products.

[viaChgo]

I just had Epoisses for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Wow! I think that's my new favorite.

[chefbrendis]

You mean to tell me no one's started a discussion of cheese yet?  Ever?

Well, it's about time!  Thanks for starting it.

I'm a huge cheese lover--so much so that I really should move to either Wisconsin or France.  There's a lot of varieties I haven't tried, so would be interested in learning more about them.

If you are into Wisconsin Cheese Bud's Cheese Haus is the place to get some phenomenal seven and ten year old cheddar.

[chefbrendis]

I just had Epoisses for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Wow! I think that's my new favorite.

There are two Epoisses out there and readily available, the Epoisses du Bourginon and the Epoisses Chablis. Which one did you have? The CHablis is a personal favorite

[chefbrendis]

i'm not much of a "dessert" cheese eater, rather, i prefer it as a lunch, or light dinner.....

today i was nibbling on a triple creme that had blue mold on the inside and white on the outside.....some crusty sourdough, and a beer......

i love washed rind/trappist style cheeses with crunchy raw vegetables, and summer sausage for a quick farmers lunch.......

what i really have been into lately are mixed milk cheeses, one favorite is a combined natural rind cows milk blue with sweet goat curd.  the spiciness of the blue and the fresh tanginess of the goat cheese is absolutely wonderful.  weather i crumble it on a salad, broil it onto a steak, add it into a hot wing dip, or in a potato grattin...........

i like to get off the beaten path a little, i'm not really a white wine, fruit and brie kind a guy.....

I have had on my cheese course in the past a fantastic mixed milk Cheese from Umbria, called Tri Latte you may be able to find it from DiBruno Brothers House of Cheese in Philadelphia

[chefbrendis]

Looking for other cheese lovers to talk cheese and compare tasting notes, sourcing and transcendental cheese experiences.

Well I am not the most involved with cheeses although I wouldnt mind some input in the whole thing. I am currently prepareing a dessert menu in which I am making curds for. My recipe id 6L 35% ctream/ 1.2L fresh squezed lime juice.
I mix it let it sit at room temperature for about 3 days then hang it in cheese cloth for 24hrs then press it in a perferated hotel pan for another day it turns out just fine but I am wondering where ekse I could go with it as t seems that there are many opther avenues that I could use to make other products.

That recipe reminds me of one for Paneer an Indian Fresh Cheese used in all sorts of dishes. It holds up to use in a lot of savory preparations, Mattar Paneer and Saag Paneer both use a "creamy" sauce and are characterized by holding their shape well iin the simmered dishes.
Maybe you can use your cheese like fromage blanc and make a tart with a mellow fruit base??

[viaChgo]

I just had Epoisses for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Wow! I think that's my new favorite.

There are two Epoisses out there and readily available, the Epoisses du Bourginon and the Epoisses Chablis. Which one did you have? The CHablis is a personal favorite

Epoisses de Bourgogne. I'll have to check out the Chablis!

[Marylisa L.]

Looking for other cheese lovers to talk cheese and compare tasting notes, sourcing and transcendental cheese experiences.

Well I am not the most involved with cheeses although I wouldnt mind some input in the whole thing. I am currently prepareing a dessert menu in which I am making curds for. My recipe id 6L 35% ctream/ 1.2L fresh squezed lime juice.
I mix it let it sit at room temperature for about 3 days then hang it in cheese cloth for 24hrs then press it in a perferated hotel pan for another day it turns out just fine but I am wondering where ekse I could go with it as t seems that there are many opther avenues that I could use to make other products.

Check out CIA's latest edition of the garder manger text book (probably can get it at barnes and noble) it has everything from mascarpone to ricotta to farmer's cheese. Nothing too complicated but I really want to try the ricotta..

As for my cheese o' the moment... I'm LOVIN' Lamb Chopper by Humboldt Fog.. Oh my!!! It's pricey..but oh, so, good.....
Have you Cheese lovers checked out Cheesetique in Del Ray, Alexandria? Jill' got a fantastic selection of domestic and international cheeses.. she also happens to sell my sausages there.. AND we feature a Cheesetique pizza on our menu.. it's got yummy high end cheeses all melty on a pie...like the ultimate cheese pizza..
Also, if you've never gone there with ultra ripe triple cream mac-n-cheese...then go there.. you may die of a heart attack but at least you'll die happy!!

[Bill_H]

I belong to the Cheese Club for Murray's Cheese Shop in Manhattan. It's $50 a month for 3 pretty small portions, but shipping is free and they tend to feature some pretty exclusive cheeses. Down here in Florida where the only cheese options are at grocery stores, it has totally been worth it for us to have access to these awesome cheeses even at the high prices.

A featured cheese this month was Tomme du Berger (Vaucluse/Provence/France). It's a washed rind cheese of mixed raw sheep and goat milk. Murray's likens it to Corsica. Let me tell you, it was so STINKY! My wife fled the kitchen when I opened it up But wow, what flavor - somewhat salty (from the brine) and a real meaty taste with a hint of nut. Texture was firner than most washed rind cheeses, more of a paste, but not at all chalky.

Order some from Murray's or pick some up if you see it available.

[syzygy8]

For those of you in the DC area, may I recommend you consider coming to Steve Jenkins presentation at National Geographic. I went last year and he's very funny. Particularly when making fun of the Federal Cheese Police. Great cheese selections (I think we had 9 different ones. Most raw milk). Good supporting wines from Best Cellars.

[mukki]

I think my favorite so far is Vacherin Mont d'Or -- runny, barnyardy and pungent. And available only for a short time in the winter. I missed most of the season this year and only ended up with some from the Beverly Hills Cheese Store, which was selling for $45 a round! At least it was well-ripened. I like a good Epoisses, as well. I'm hoping to try Torta del Casar from Spain sometime.

Edited by mukki, 11 February 2005 - 02:27 PM.

[nr706]

My favorite cheese location:

http://lthforum.com/...p?p=22456#22456

[MarketStEl]

I have had on my cheese course in the past a fantastic mixed milk Cheese from Umbria, called Tri Latte you may be able to find it from DiBruno Brothers House of Cheese in Philadelphia

DiBruno's is da bomb! And I can actually go down to the store and sample their wares, unlike most of you, who will have to settle for vicariously experiencing the store online.

They usually have chunks of Tre Latte out for sampling. Haven't bought any yet. The last time I went, I bought a smoked Caciocavallo, which is a great snacking cheese--similar in flavor to Provolone but a bit sharper.

[MarketStEl]

If you are into Wisconsin Cheese Bud's Cheese Haus is the place to get some phenomenal seven and ten year old cheddar.

Are they online?

The Wisconsin cheeses we get in the Northeast are generally undistinguished; the really good Cheddars around this way are all from either Vermont or New York State, save for one: Pennsylvania Noble Cheddar from Green Valley Dairy, an absolutely spectacular, cave-aged, organic raw milk cheese from Lancaster County.

I have this vague childhood memory of eating some really good Wisconsin cheese. I'd love to rekindle it.

Edited by MarketStEl, 11 February 2005 - 12:57 AM.

[amclaud]

Well I am not the most involved with cheeses although I wouldnt mind some input in the whole thing. I am currently prepareing a dessert menu in which I am making curds for. My recipe id 6L 35% ctream/ 1.2L fresh squezed lime juice.
I mix it let it sit at room temperature for about 3 days then hang it in cheese cloth for 24hrs then press it in a perferated hotel pan for another day it turns out just fine but I am wondering where ekse I could go with it as t seems that there are many opther avenues that I could use to make other products.

If you are looking for pastry projects, creme fraiche (I know it's not cheese, but dairy related) is super easy to make and way more cost effective than buying it.

I make two third-pans at a time. In each combine 1/2 c. sugar, 1 quart buttermilk, and 4 quarts heavy cream (try to avoid the ultra-pasteurized kind) and leave it out for 3 days (only 2 in the summer), then chill for one. I drain off the liquid that settles to the bottom and it's ready to use!

[Pan]

You mean to tell me no one's started a discussion of cheese yet?  Ever?[...]

Indeed, there have been numerous discussions of cheese. Here's the most relevant.

[jgm]

Golllllllleeeeeeee, all you big city types are leaving me salivating. I've never had any of the stuff you're talking about, but the names alone sound incredible. I am very jealous. And I am going to start saving my money for more mail order food.

Here in the American Outback, we have a far narrower selection. So my newest love is Cambozola. And tonight after work, at Wichita's own claim to fame, the one and only Dean & Deluca warehouse (yes, that's right, most of their stuff comes from Wichita these days) I will be picking up some manchego and membrillo. That's enough to make me happy. Will I still be, after tasting some of the stuff you're talking about?

[Chris Amirault]

For those of you in the DC area, may I recommend you consider coming to Steve Jenkins presentation at National Geographic.  I went last year and he's very funny.  Particularly when making fun of the Federal Cheese Police.  Great cheese selections (I think we had 9 different ones.  Most raw milk).  Good supporting wines from Best Cellars.

Evidence: The eGullet Q&A with Steve Jenkins.

[andiesenji]

I buy a lot of cheese online. Ideal Cheese Shop in New York is my favorite - they also carry the delectable peppadews. Ideal Cheese

I order Wisconsin brick cheese - a cheese that seems to be one that is not exported to retailers outside the state - from cheese mart for the aged loaf of brick. I also get their butterkase and the 7-year-old cheddar which is fantastic.

I have mentioned in earlier threads that I have tried my hand at cheesemaking, both fresh and aged cheese, nothing spectacular, just homey stuff that gives me pleasure.

If you can get the correct ingredients cheesemaking is relatively easy and doesn't take a lot of equipment, even a small cheese press is not very expensive. It does take time and a place to store the cheeses - I used to use an old wine cooler but bought a regular refrigerator and simply set it to 50 degrees, which seems to be the ideal temperature for most cheeses.

Here is one website for cheesemaking supplies.

and this one Fias farm has some great recipes that are very easy and well worth the effort.

Edited by andiesenji, 11 February 2005 - 06:45 PM.

[MarketStEl]

Golllllllleeeeeeee, all you big city types are leaving me salivating.  I've never had any of the stuff you're talking about, but the names alone sound incredible.  I am very jealous.  And I am going to start saving my money for more mail order food.

Here in the American Outback, we have a far narrower selection.  So my newest love is Cambozola.  And tonight after work, at Wichita's own claim to fame, the one and only Dean & Deluca warehouse (yes, that's right, most of their stuff comes from Wichita these days) I will be picking up some manchego and membrillo.  That's enough to make me happy.  Will I still be, after tasting some of the stuff you're talking about?

Lenexa is what? Three hours away via I-35?

I know there's a Dean & DeLuca retail store there (the chain's owner is a Johnson County native, or so I've heard), and something tells me there's enough surplus cash floating around the vicinity that you should be able to find some other swell specialty grocers and/or cheesemongers in Kansas City's answer to the Main Line. (Another vague childhood memory: walking into a store--long gone now, I'm sure--on the Country Club Plaza with my father and being overwhelmed with the smells of the various cheeses.)

Of course, you then have to properly protect the cheese for the three-hour drive back.

[MarketStEl]

I buy a lot of cheese online.  Ideal Cheese Shop in New York is my favorite - they also carry the delectable peppadews.  Ideal Cheese

I order Wisconsin brick cheese - a cheese that seems to be one that is not exported to retailers outside the state - from cheese mart for the aged loaf of brick.  I also get their butterkase and the 7-year-old cheddar which is fantastic.

Thanks for the Wisconsin Cheese Mart link.

I remember seeing packages of Kraft brick cheese, sliced for sandwiches, in supermarkets growing up, but it's impossible to find on the East Coast. Which, I guess, confirms your suspicion.

That aged brick cheese that goes for $34 a pound must really be something!

ISTR reading that Brick and Colby cheeses are the only two varieties of cheese that originated in the United States. (Colby--a hard cheese that is a little softer and a little sweeter than mild Cheddar--is named for the Wisconsin county where it was first made.)

[andiesenji]

Several years ago Bristol Farms opened a new market in Woodland Hills, which was not too far from my office. They had a great "cut to order" cheese section with many imported cheeses, some very expensive.
I asked them about carrying brick cheese and the cheese manager (very knowledgeable about cheese) had never heard of it. I asked if he could order it for me and a couple of weeks later I got a call at work that said they had it in.
At noon I went in and bought a couple of pounds - it was the aged brick - I used that up over the weekend and when I stopped in the next week there was none left. It had all sold to store employees after the cheese guy gave them samples to taste.
They carried it and it sold very well, especially to transplanted Wisconsonites, until the store closed.
(The store did well but it was in the same parking lot with Toys R Us and a bank and the parking was horrible, not enough for the market, so they were able to break their lease.) It was a terrible blow to me as I am a huge fan of Bristol Farms. I drive all the way to South Pasadena, at least once a month, to shop there. They have a pretty good cheese selection but it is a much smaller store and the cheese is mostly pre-cut and packaged and I like to sample cheeses that are unfamilar to me before I buy.
I keep hoping that a real cheese shop will open up here in the Antelope Valley, we now have over half a million residents, so the customer base is here (Trader Joes is doing very well since opening a bit over a year ago), but so far it hasn't happened.

Edited by andiesenji, 12 February 2005 - 07:49 AM.

[gfron1]

I've read a handful of posts asking where a cheese thread is, and the answer is typically that cheese is spread throghout the other threads (Italy, etc). Since I throw monthly cheese parties, I figured I would start a cheese thread and let it go where it goes.

Tonight I'm offering two cheeses:

La Credenca del Vecchi Sapori Cremosina. This is a pasteurized version from Giaverno. Some of my readings call this the Italian Brie. The ones that I have are a bit young, but still very buttery.



Valsesia Toma. Cow's milk (some have sheep) from the Piemonte region. Beautiful rind!

[Pan]

Great idea for a thread: Cheese talk with pictures!

Do you eat the rind of both of those cheeses?

[MarketStEl]

I sense another "Dinner!" thread in the making.

Now I have an excuse to post a photo of a fantastic raw milk Colby (never thought I'd write those four words together) I got at a local farmers' market a couple of weeks back.

First I need to get the camera.