Cheese (2008– )

[LindsayAnn]

Happy Friday! To celebrate (because Friday's are the best) I have earlier today to run out to Pastoral Cheese Market (one the the best, if not THE best, cheese shops in Chicago...there are two locations- one in wrigleyville on Broadway street(this is where I went) and a newer shop right down in the loop, which I have not been to yet).

All they have there is cheese (all to be cut to order, unless one of the smaller individual portions (little circular ones usually) that you have to buy the entire round of), a few salami's/aged meats/prosciutto, fresh breads delivered daily from a bread shop (things like baguettes, sour doughs-my personal favorite, etc.....in addition they make sandwiches to order, have a wall of olives, oils, nuts, gourmet chocolates, etc.... But the shop is focused on cheese - the rest of the 'stuff' are enhancers for your cheese!!!

So today, I decided to treat myself (the hubby will be out with his college friends for happy hour and who knows what , so what better occasion (since he is not a fan of these yummy types of cheese, god-forbid!

I already have a TON of cheese in my fridge (both main fridge, and our mini ones that Greg wanted me to get so our fridge doesn't smell like stinky cheese...mmmmm), but wanted MORE! I got:

Langres Chalancey, a french cows milk cheese

St. Marcellin....the ONLY ripe one there ...the other three available had just came in and were not as oozey....and St. Marcellin is soooo much better ozzey!

Also, a french milks, cow variety

And - Brie D' Meaux Rouza.....nice and soft right now, almost oozey - and I LOVe the mushroomy undertones.....MMMM. Sticking to the theme of my Friday Purchase, a cows milk cheese...and you guessed it - French!

In addition, I got a nice, crusty baguette. I always feel em' for the one that seems to have a nice crisp crust...I love the crust/end pieces (they were already sold out of sourdough, sigh...)

I am kinda shocked I walked out without with 3 cows milk varieities, no goats....since I love goats milk cheeses sooo very much Also surprising - all pasturized (here in United States ) cheeses also....I usually like some raw milk cheese; as in I tend to seek it out especially.

When I tend to go on a "nice/gourmet" cheese bender I have noticed a trend in my tastes....sometimes I am fellin the harder cheeses, without ANY softness, give, or ooze. And then other times I go 100% for soft, runny, oozey cheeses. Usually stinky (or at least stronger in flavor).

Love my cheeses! Sorry this is so long I love to share all stuff cheese. Haha.

P.S. Interestigly, as much as I love ALL cheeses, sticky and non...I am not a cheese snob. There is a time and place to american cheese, kraft cheddar (albeit extra sharp for me please) and even velvettta cheese...which isn't really even cheese! I actually stopped at the normal grocery store to get some deli cheese, Land O' Lakes American....as processed as it gets! But hey, its good on a grilled cheese, ham and cheese, and even melted on a crusty baguette with some nice cheep Eckrich Deli style salami. See? no snobbery here I go swing with both clubs. And - I am proud of it!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Eat some (LOTS) of cheese

[LindsayAnn]

P.S. I have NO clue where my 'giddyness'(aka overly happy and perky) mood is coming from. I just feel particularly happy today.

[Shelby]

Hi Lindsay! I enjoyed your post--made me happy just reading it!

You're so lucky to have a cheese shop so close to you. I have to order my cheeses online.

[LindsayAnn]

Shelby - well then I am glad I posted! I browse those online cheese shop sites quite often to read descriptions and see pictures....it gives me ideas to hunt down and reminds me of old favorites which were almost forgotten about!

Which site(s) do you usually order from? What are your favorites?

Dave - I juse now saw your posts about your health status. I too am so sorry. You and Gariotin are the ppl I kinda refer to in the back of my mind as my egullet experts. You guys know so much....as do MANY of you egulleters! I have learned so much of my cheese knowledge from you guys! So thanks!

[Dave Hatfield]

Thanks for your kind thoughts and suggestion, I'll be trying them and looking out for 'fatless' cheeses here.

Thanks for the tip Abra.

We'll see that the results are when I go for blood tests next week. I strongly suspect that my chlorestrol will be back down to normal if so that plus the fact to my blood pressure is now normal will ebcourage me to start eating cheese again.

I'll just keep the quantity down & the quality up.

What's the old saying? "Life is too short to eat bad cheese."

[gariotin]

What's the old saying? "Life is too short to eat bad cheese."

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Amen to that, Brother!

On the other hand, my balance between fat-free and then occasional great cheese has resulted in a 20 lb weight loss over the last year. Not too painful, and the real thing is a great reward.

Lindsay - are you saying that your new hubby made you buy a mini-fridge just for your smelly cheese? I think that is hilarious! I agree about Pastoral - great shop and great guys.

[Reignking]

For a pre-Valentine's dinner snack, I bought some more Amadeus, Persielle Du Malzieu from Herve Mons, and Fromage D'affinois with garlic & herbs. All bought at Harry's Farmer's Market (owned by Whole Foods).

The Herve Mons cheese is just like a roquefort, while the D'affinois is surprising and very, very good. Unctuous and powerful like a good runny French cheese should be.

[Peter B Wolf]

Ok, cheese eaters I need help. Badly!

Having had two minor strokes in the last month my Doctors have insisted that I get my blood into better shape. Amongst other onerous things I've got to virtually eliminate fat from my diet. This means giving up cheese. Or at least that what I'm told by my wife.

Since I'm not sure life is worth living without cheese I need to find some way to continue eating it.

I'm looking for help. suggestions, tales of the experience of other in this situation, anything. Low fat cheeses?

Any suggestions greatly appreciated

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Dave, sorry about your Stroke,

but you nedd to strike back:

Horizon Brand low fat Cottage Cheese

and

Friendship Brand low fat Farmers Cheese (this cheese is almost identical to German 'Quark')

and "Quark" is available thru some Vermont Dairies.

I can get you a German Cheesecake recipe using quark

email me.

[suzilightning]

dave, so sorry to hear about your health problems. is farmer's cheese low if fat? enhanced with some herbs or an onion confit then on some nice bread ?

a recent snack:

from the pear

Humbolt Fog - not my favorite just a bit too acidy

Mindoro Blue

Vento d'Estate - really interesting. a bit of a grassy taste but nothing unpleasant. will try this one again but i'm thinking lady apples or a gala to pair with this one

[gariotin]

Vento d'Estate literally means "wind of summer". The cheesemaker was supposedly walking in the countryside in early summer when the air was full of the smell of cut hay. He was inspired to create a cheese to capture the experience...and voila!

[Dave Hatfield]

Well I just couldn't stop with the cheese. Having got an all clear from my cardiologist (good heart & good blood) I've started experimenting cautiously with cheese. Here's my latest.

I'd never seen this goat's cheese before so I bought a round. Besides it was on special at the local supermarket.

It was Ok, mild and smooth, but nothing to write home about.

Notice, however, that unusually the label gives two measurements for the Materiel Grasse. This sent me off on a hunt to understand why there would be two measurements and what they mean.

This led me to some interesting sites all of which I've written up (or will very soon) on my website. Interesting stuff if you're into cheeses.

[ChristinaM]

Thanks for your kind thoughts and suggestion, I'll be trying them and looking out for 'fatless' cheeses here.

Thanks for the tip Abra.

We'll see that the results are when I go for blood tests next week. I strongly suspect that my chlorestrol will be back down to normal if so that plus the fact to my blood pressure is now normal will ebcourage me to start eating cheese again.

I'll just keep the quantity down & the quality up.

What's the old saying? "Life is too short to eat bad cheese."

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I've just read through this whole thread and the first thing I wanted to say was that I'm really sorry to hear about your health problems. I hope by now that you have managed to reintroduce lots of cheese into your diet. I try to curb my cheese enthusiasm purely for reasons of vanity (I don't want to be the size of a house!) so I try as far as possible to stick to the highly flavoured varieties, more 'bang for the buck' so to speak!

I was amused to see the discussion way back about aged gouda, I am lucky enough to have a great cheese shop quite close to where I live which used to be owned by a lovely elderly Swiss lady. Long story short she was finally persuaded to retire when cutting the ancient goudas became too much for her! We had all watched, for years, as she jumped up and down trying to chisel away at the wretched stuff, half convinced that she would literally die in the attempt. Of course she refused all offers of help! She must be in her 90s by now but still helps out when the new owners go on holiday. They pre-cut chunks of gouda before they leave

Ironically the one cheese I have found difficult to get round here (eastern Scotland) is a reliable strong cheddar. You'd think it would be easy, wouldn't you? The best I've found is sold by Marks and Spencer and is called Cornish Cruncher, absolutely yummy. It is one of the few cheeses I will buy prepacked.

Nobody (as far as I can see) has mentioned Vignotte which is so wonderful to eat with a ripe pear - or several.

[Reignking]

I tried gjetost for the first time this weekend, which tasted like a caramelized, grainy cheese ala dulce de leche.

[Dave Hatfield]

Thanks for your kind thoughts and suggestion, I'll be trying them and looking out for 'fatless' cheeses here.

Thanks for the tip Abra.

We'll see that the results are when I go for blood tests next week. I strongly suspect that my chlorestrol will be back down to normal if so that plus the fact to my blood pressure is now normal will ebcourage me to start eating cheese again.

I'll just keep the quantity down & the quality up.

What's the old saying? "Life is too short to eat bad cheese."

←

I've just read through this whole thread and the first thing I wanted to say was that I'm really sorry to hear about your health problems. I hope by now that you have managed to reintroduce lots of cheese into your diet. I try to curb my cheese enthusiasm purely for reasons of vanity (I don't want to be the size of a house!) so I try as far as possible to stick to the highly flavoured varieties, more 'bang for the buck' so to speak!

I was amused to see the discussion way back about aged gouda, I am lucky enough to have a great cheese shop quite close to where I live which used to be owned by a lovely elderly Swiss lady. Long story short she was finally persuaded to retire when cutting the ancient goudas became too much for her! We had all watched, for years, as she jumped up and down trying to chisel away at the wretched stuff, half convinced that she would literally die in the attempt. Of course she refused all offers of help! She must be in her 90s by now but still helps out when the new owners go on holiday. They pre-cut chunks of gouda before they leave

Ironically the one cheese I have found difficult to get round here (eastern Scotland) is a reliable strong cheddar. You'd think it would be easy, wouldn't you? The best I've found is sold by Marks and Spencer and is called Cornish Cruncher, absolutely yummy. It is one of the few cheeses I will buy prepacked.

Nobody (as far as I can see) has mentioned Vignotte which is so wonderful to eat with a ripe pear - or several.

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Great story! I can just picture her.

I'm not back on much cheese, but am slowly starting again.

[suzilightning]

saturday's snacks

from 6 o'clock:

7 year Quebec cheddar

Rogue blue wrapped in grape leaves with pear brandy

smoked cheddar

Rogue smoky blue

this is what the Rogue wrapped in grape leaves looked like before being cut. the couple who own the shop had just gotten it in and we tasted together. i really got the brandy and then the blue just exploded. the female shop owner got more of the penicillin taste.

ok, not cheese but we also had these oven roasted shrimps with some cocktail sauce. i really like doing shrimp this way

[nhsherr]

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?

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A slice of manchego dipped in a bit of honey is so de-lish!

[devlin]

Just wanted to chime in on the issue of cutting back on cheeses for health reasons and make a suggestion. I love cheeses, and I also try to eat cheese judiciously, although perhaps no more judiciously than anything else. I don't have a weight problem, but if I ate as much cheese as I would LIKE to, yikes, yeah, I'd be big as a house too.

Anyway, the point I sort of wanted to raise was that it might be worthwhile for folks who've been cautioned by their docs to ease up on dairy and other fats to consider adding freshly ground flax to their diets. My husband was advised to cut cheese and dairy out of his diet, and the doc also suggested perhaps some cholesterol meds, but my husband objected, did some research, discovered after a lot of reading that some studies have indicated flax can actually lower cholesterol, together with a healthy diet, and so he starting adding a couple tablespoons of freshly-ground flax to his smoothies or cereal/oatmeal, and after about a month, voila, his cholesterol lowered very substantially. He still eats cheese (way more than I do), all kinds, but his cholesterol is now within the normal changes.

It's also not the case that dairy products/fats/cheeses, etc are always the cause of high cholesterol.

[Chris Hennes]

Ordinarily I am a big fan of pungent blues, but I am having a very hard time appreciating the Cabrales I picked up the other day. The first bite is an interesting, complex sequence of flavors, one right after the other in quick succession. Then the mouth-numbing tingling aggressiveness kicks in, and by the second bite I can't taste anything at all. Does anyone have any tips for appreciating this cheese? Should I be eating it with something else? In much smaller pieces? What's the secret?

[Katie Meadow]

Good with nice cold grapes. And sherry maybe? I always like a strong blue cheese with fruit. I'm addicted to Stilton eaten with apples or pears.

Edited August 22, 2009 by Katie Meadow (log)

[suzilightning]

Ordinarily I am a big fan of pungent blues, but I am having a very hard time appreciating the Cabrales I picked up the other day. The first bite is an interesting, complex sequence of flavors, one right after the other in quick succession. Then the mouth-numbing tingling aggressiveness kicks in, and by the second bite I can't taste anything at all. Does anyone have any tips for appreciating this cheese? Should I be eating it with something else? In much smaller pieces? What's the secret?

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use it to make croquettas and serve with a quince dipping sauce. a little cheese goes a long way in this recipe. we actually subed the cabrales for the manchego.

Edited August 22, 2009 by suzilightning (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Was in Wegmans in Buffalo today and picked up a chunk of cheese I'd never purchased before - named Gjetost. I'd noticed it before, but today picked up the package and gave it a sniff. When I realized it smelled like dulce de leche I had to have it. It is a gorgeous brown colour, just like a chunk of caramel.

Tasty little number, caramelly, salty - yum!

I think thin little slices on some sort of nice wet rye bread would be quite amazing.

A bit of internet searching led me to this site which shows you how to make it.

[djyee100]

Was in Wegmans in Buffalo today and picked up a chunk of cheese I'd never purchased before - named Gjetost...

Gjetost on rye crackers, topped with some kind of berry jam. One of my college roommates spent a summer traveling around Norway, and lived on this Norwegian treat.

[LindsayAnn]

OH MY GOODNESS... I think I have found a NEW favorite cheese. And by new, I mean all-time favorite, as in #1. Not just "one" of my favorites. And, it's not every day that I find a cheese to top off my list of BEST cheese. I love cheese, mild and strong/stinky cheese (although I think more often than not I prefer stinky and/or strong/sharp USUALLY). I love hard cheeses, crumbly/firm/crystallized....and I also love soft cheeses, especially OOZY flowing cheeses.

One of my favorite cheeses for sometime has been Winnemere. I also like Epoisses a lot. Love Taleggio, etc... Strong/Sharp cheddar's, as in super aged Love them all. Also, I have become a big fan of Goats cheeses, both fresh chevres and aged raw milk goats. I really tend to try not to discriminate when it comes to cheese

So, what is this NEW cheese (new for me that is) you ask? Found today, at our local Binny's wine depot, in the gourmet cheese section in the rear of the store I tasted - and immediately purchased - Brescianella. Its a Pasteurized (too bad it's not raw, ) cows milk cheese from Italy. It was located in the glass cheese window next to the Taleggio, and on the description card stated, among other descriptors, "Similar to Taleggio". So I tasted it, since I like Talleggio a lot. Well, I didn't find it similar to Taleggio actually. I liked it WAY better. I could tell just looking at the half wheel of cheese in the case that is was at a MUCH softer, oozier state than the Taleggio that sat next to it. And I was right. This is super super oozy, as in ripe Winnemear Oozy...which is when Winnemere is at its BEST, in my humble opinion. Similar to Winnemere in a sense that they both carry, relatively, the same 'strength' or, 'pungency' factor. As in they are both outta this world delicious strong.

So so good. Anyone else try this? And - what are yours thoughts? If you ahve not tried this cheese, please seek it out if you like intense cheeses. MMMM

I should also note that I bought a second (new to me) cheese. Dunbarton Glue. It's a mix of raw and pasteurized cows milk, hard/firm cheese. Predominantly cheddar (white, not yellow) with a blue essence (and streak) in it that is actually viable - not just flavored with blue noted....there is a streak of blue within the center-ish of the cheese. This is also very very good. Good for snacking and I am sure everything else. I wanna see how this one melts actually :raz:

So, all in all my VERY lazy day was SUPER productive since I found two new delicious cheeses, one being super-duper-stellar.

[Dave Hatfield]

Lindsey Ann - Nice to see you back & still eating lots of cheese.

Don't know if you can find it in the states, but if you can try Chaource.

Think you'll like it.

I like to pair it with St Felicien.

[andiesenji]

I made an excursion to the first real cheese shop in Arizona - on 3/12/10.

(some might consider it a raid!)

The name is Petit Fromage and for such a small enterprise, (one good sized refrigerated case at one end of the store) there are some amazing cheeses.

(I bought a few, plus some cultured butter and two kinds of goat butter).

It is inside and part of:

D'Licious Dishes

5345 N 7th Ave

Phoenix, AZ 85013

(602) 274-3663

And which has some very appetizing foods to either eat there or take home, lunch and/or dinner. Scrumptious stuff.

I decided to spend an extra night in Phoenix on my way home from New Mexico just so I could visit this store and am very glad I did. I sincerely hope that Petit Fromage makes it because Phoenix really needs a dedicated cheese shop.

Cheeses purchased 3/12/10

Cave Aged Gruyere Switzerland (Kaltbach) see below re: brunch.

Idiazabal Spain I have long been a fan of this cheese and this one is exceptionally fine. Perfect with pears and I have other ideas of how to use it.

And from right here, in the USA,

Feliciana Nevat which I consider the perfect snacking cheese.

Holy Cow - Vache Sante' lovely crumbled on a salad.

both of these from Chef John Folse - Bittersweet Plantation Dairy in south Louisiana.

http://www.jfolse.com/bittersweet_dairy/products.htm

also;

Mantuanella Farmstead Butter Italy: http://www.mantuanella.com/eng/products.asp

Cabrima Goat Butter-salted Product of Holland

Cabrima Goat Butter-unsalted

Brunch today (3/14/10) an eggy-eggy omelet with crispy-browned sausage topped with a few thin slices of the gruyere.

The gruyere is delicious as a snacking cheese, with fruit (apples, pears and grapes for me) but it has enough character to stand up to the asserted flavor of country sausage and eggs. Just delicious.

Eaten out of hand, it has the little crunchy bits that only appear in an aged cheese and contribute to the flavor.

(An eggy-eggy omelet is my little invention when one has a guest but only two fresh eggs. I found two hard-boiled eggs in a container filled with water in the coldest part of the fridge, beat the two fresh eggs with some heavy cream, chopped the hard-boiled eggs coarsely and added them to the beaten eggs, poured this picture over nicely browned chunks of country sausage and when nearly done, added the gruyere.)

My guest ate every scrap of her half of the omelet. (Me too.)

If you are in Phoenix and have a bit of extra time, do visit this shop. I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. You can taste every cheese before you buy and it is all cut to order unless they happen to have a piece already cut. The date it is packaged by them is on the label, which I consider a big advantage.

Edited March 14, 2010 by andiesenji (log)