gariotin

Just saw this link on the Artisinal Cheese website - pretty good tips here. http://www.artisanalcheese.com/prodinfo.as...&jmid=608593275 Not sure if this link will work - if not, check out the site anyway - good info and beautiful pix.

I used to sell the yak cheese, although the story I was told was not nearly as romantic as yours, Dorine. The history of my project was that a NGO was trying to help Tibetan farmers come up with a value-added product that could be exported and hit upon cheese. They brought over a cheesemaker (one time I heard he was American, another time that he was French) to work with the milk and come up with a cheese with long shelf life that could be shipped in refrigerated ocean containers. It was true that the first year's production had consistency problems - some of the cheeses were delicious but some tasted like the barn floor. We had a pretty good market going and could sell everything we could get - went into high end cheese shops in major cities, as well as Whole Foods. It got attention as it was written up by Florence Fabricant in the NY Times Wednesday food page. I haven't seen or heard of the cheese in a couple years - I'll ask around and see if it is still being sold. When good, it was very interesting, with a tangy acidity to it. The paste was yellowish white - sort of straw color.

Brian, I help Breda sell her Cooleney here in the US. It is a wonderful cheese and I am trying to get some promotions set up for next St. Pat's day over here. Do you know another cheese she represents, called Daru? It is beautiful and tasty and I wish I could get a US distributor to give it a try.

Brian, I help Breda sell her Cooleney here in the US. It is a wonderful cheese and I am trying to get some promotions set up for next St. Pat's day over here. Do you know another cheese she represents, called Daru? It is beautiful and tasty and I wish I could get a US distributor to give it a try.

Thank you for the update, Brian. It sounds like it was a wonderful event. I had a couple friends who went and could not stop talking about it. Bra is supposed to be just as great - is it also in Sept?

Save enough for a beautiful pix, Dave!

I'd experiment and try to rehydrate by soaking in some sherry or something similar. You might try a sweeting white wine and end up w/a great liqueur.

Hey, Lindsey Ann - don't leave us hanging - what are the other 15 cheeses in your fridge? At the moment, I have Point Reyes Blue, Spanish goat cheese coated w/rosemary, and Comte. Oh and also Quicke's cheddar from Devon - one of my faves. That Neal's Yard Stilton is a special age that is done for them by Colston Basset, I believe. It is outstanding.

Well than, Philadelphians, tell us about Capogiro - never heard of it and curious to find out. Sounds Italian, sounds like a salumaria...what else?

I was going to say nibble w/a cup of strong tea...but dang, dls' suggestion of adding to braised short ribs has taken over my brain. Unfortunately I am undergoing a kitchen reno and "cooking" in a toaster oven and microwave. That could be my first foray back into the kitchen - want to share a basic recipe, dls?

Yes, GG - that was going to be my comment to Jaz. If you are not a lover of sweets, the perfect end to a meal is slivers of good cheese accompanied by fruits and maybe nuts. I know I am in the minority, but I can't stand most sweets, especially chocolate and find them palate-numbing after a nice meal. OK, I take that back, a little caramel w/sea salt is pretty damn good.

They call it "Russian cheese" as it is braided like a challah?

Nakji, I am also fascinated by that beautiful looking cheese! I don't associate dairy traditions w/Asian cuisines, so am surprised and impressed at how intricate and beautiful this cheese is. From your description, it sounds like it could be a kneaded and braided cheese like string cheese? I assume it is made with cow's milk? Do you know if there are cheeses like this in other Asian countries? I had a Thai exchange student living with me for a while and cheese was a new revelation to her.

Lori, I am about 99% sure that all Port Salut is made by SAFR in France. They own the trademark, so there is only one option. Mark, I don't think there are any rules about serving cheese - I often serve as part of an appetizer course - the problem is the people love cheese and tend to fill up on it before you serve the main course. When it's served after the meal, it seems to be savored a bit more. Hi, Dave. I'm back in the States and missing my Fete des Fromages!

This has been very well received by everyone, but I wonder about my questions above. I'll appreciate any help or advice anyone who knows more than me (and that's probably just about all of you) has to offer. I don't know about that, Lori. I agree with Busboy - sounds like you've figured out a great approach that works well for you. I like the way you have worked cheese into your entertaining, so who cares about rules? I like to do the passable platter/tray best, rather than trying to plate everyone's selection - too fussy that way, altho it certainly works in a restaurant. I think eating cheese is very convivial, so a tray with cheeses and accompaniments, followed by a bread board, is a casual and fun way to end an evening.

I am not sure of a good online resource - many sites are sponsored by regional milk marketing boards, so they are chauvanistic about their local products. I am a big fan of a book by Max McCalman called "The Cheese Plate". It's a great resource about cheese in general, with beautiful photos. But there is a large section that discusses the general principals of putting together a cheese course or a tasting board, including wine and accompaniments. It includes many suggested cheese courses, including themes like nationalities, blues, seasonality, etc. It is a book I use often when I do cheese trainings and have given it as a gift many times.

Matcha Eyes, was the goat cheese a 4 oz log? It was probably Montchevre brand. Theyhave a great website www.montchevre.com, where you could look for a retailer near you. For a restaurant cheese plate, I don't like to see more than 4 unless you are someplace like Artisinal or Picholine where they really know their stuff. My pet peeve is that restauranteurs think this is an easy thing to pull off and waitstaff tend to be clueless as to the products. They mispronounce, misidentify, and essentially have no info on the cheeses. A good restaurant has a sommelier or, in a small restaurant, a member of the waitstaff who specializes in wine. They should have the same for cheese. In fact, the American Cheese Society is beginning to offer a cheese certification program. Disclaimer: I am in the cheese business, so tend to ask the waitstaff questions that I know the answers to. I don't quiz them, Jeopardy-style, but just ask some basic questions, i.e. what kind of milk, where is it from, etc. They are usually not up to the task. Once I had a fight with a restaurant, as the cheese I was served was not what was on the menu. I asked the server to please speak with the chef to find out what it really was. (I already knew.) She came back and said the chef was adamant that it was the cheese as advertised. This bothers me, as diners may not know the difference, and come away thinking they ate a particular cheese. Anyhow, that's my rant - one of my big pet peeves.

I agree w/The Old Foodie - in Mark Kurlansky's book on Salt, he discusses the process of pickling as hugely important in preserving vegetables before the availability of refrigeration. I have a great pickle memory - several years ago I was the chaperone on my daughter's chorus trip to Eastern Europe. We were staying in a hostel in Prague and the food was pretty bad. Actually, that is being kind. The food was pretty much inedible. The kitchen workers kept telling us that we would have a special treat for Easter dinner. Visions of a real meal, maybe with ham and potatoes danced through our minds. When the big meal arrived, it was goulash that looked, smelled, and tasted like dog food. The vegetable accompaniment was a HUGE, I mean GINORMOUS bowl of pickles! Actually I found the pickles to be far superior to the goulash.

The Curious Kumquat! I love it!!

I am in my mid-50s. I always HATED my food to touch - when I was a kid I would cry if things were against each other on my plate. I don't know why, but about 5 years ago, I started mixing things in each bite. I would spear a piece of chicken AND a green bean, and maybe scoop a little rice up with it. I still don't like to just mush things up on a plate, but I have become more of a mixed-up eater. So you never know how you might change....

Would have liked to meet you too, Dave - another cheese lover! Your British choices look great - do y know the cheddar maker? I am partial to Quicke's cheddar - Mary Quicke is an amazing person and her cheeses are great. gfron, you have still not told us the name of your store - I am assuming you have one? L

I am in Paris for a week - first for the enormous international food show, SIAL, now for a few days of vacation. My business colleague and I have rented an apartment and our little fridge is full of all the things we can't get at home. Our own little Festival du Fromage! We have been enjoying: Real Selles-sur-cher and Chabichou de Poitou (oozy and runny to make you weep!) Maroilles - always known of it as one of the AOCs, not able to be exported. Was not too impressed. Think it was too young, gritty texture on the washed rind. Will leave out to ripen a bit and stink up the kitchen. Boursault - don't know why we don't see this much in the States any more, it is pasteurized. Prob short shelf life. Creamy, salty, unctous, - yum. Vacherin Mont d'Or - just shoot me now! I would kill to get this for Xmas dinner! We do get a pretty good pasteurized facsimile, but not quite the same depth. Trou de cru - little smelly washed rind gem. (Know this has a connotation to a smelly body part as well?) In addition, we have been eating cheeses we can get at home, but are much more expensive: Beaufort ete Bethmale Bleu de Termignon Oh Lord, I'm sure I will have gained 10 lbs this week! What cheesy joy!

Sorry, Raoul - you're right in taking me to task for overlooking it. Frankly I just don't know enought about the domestic production. Your comments are interesting and I will be more open minded about them - any brands you'd like to shamelessy self-promote?

Brian, I am so jealous! I know several people that are going to Terra Madre, but not me. However, I can't complain as I am going to SIAL, the big biannual food show in Paris. One whole pavilion is cheese and dairy products!

Not exactly shameless self-promotion, but I am also in the specialty food biz and sell oil. I do not think anyone gets any deals from the Rosengarten clubs. His prices on cheese are exorbitant. I guess it's one thing if you live in an area where it's hard to find good imported products, but for anyone in a large city I think you can get much better deals. In my opinion, Italian oil is over-hyped. (Sorry, Jim Dixon.) I think the best VALUES (i.e. quality for the price) come from Spain, Portugal, and Greece these days. There are other good oils from places like Australia and surprisingly good ones from South America, so I try a lot of different ones. My personal fave is a Spanish DOP oil from Tarragona region in Catalonia, the DOP is called Siurana but it goes under names such as Unio, Deus, and others. If you see the Siurana DOP, it will be a buttery, herbal, grassy green oil that is great for just about everything. It's a flavor profile that I love, but very different from a Tuscan peppery oil if you like that.