Cheese (2005–2008)

[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.

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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 February 12, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[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.

[gfron1]

Both rinds were edible - the cremosina was your basic brie-like rind. The valsesia was a nice compliment to the innards of the cheese. The cheese itself was a mild, not quite nutty flavor, but with the rind, there was an illusion of pungency - the pungency wasn't there, but the aroma from the rind added layers to the taste in your mind. Both cheese were very nice - subtle and not overwhelming. The 85 guests gobbled up the 25 pounds of cheese very quickly!

[Dave Hatfield]

I'm amazed! How do you get these Italian cheeses in New Mexico? Even knowing that you're a pro & have your own shop I'm still flabbergasted.

I'd love a cheese forum, but got a frosty answer when I asked. I'm also a bit concerned that because I live in France much of what I can get is ungettable in the states. You give me hope.

I'm in if like minded folks want to start a very long cheese thread.

[Pan]

[...]I'm also a bit concerned that because I live in France much of what I can get is ungettable in the states.[...]

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My feeling would be: Don't worry about that, just post the cheeses. There are other members in Europe, and if the rest of us can't find the French cheeses in our necks of the woods, we'll just know what's waiting for us the next time we go to France!

[gfron1]

My feeling would be: Don't worry about that, just post the cheeses. There are other members in Europe, and if the rest of us can't find the French cheeses in our necks of the woods, we'll just know what's waiting for us the next time we go to France!

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I wholeheartedly agree! I don't want to see things I can get - how boring! I want to have something to dream about. Also, as far as me getting Italian cheeses...there's a fantastic distributor in the San Fran area called Fresca Italia that specializes in regional, artisenal cheeses from Italy. My best snag from them was 2 wheels of Castelmagno.

[Dave Hatfield]

Don't worry about that, just post the cheeses.

I wholeheartedly agree! I don't want to see things I can get - how boring! I want to have something to dream about.

Ok; with that encouragement I'll see what I can find. Normally I buy my cheeses on either Sunday at Linogne market or on Monday at Caussade market. Sometimes I go to Villefranche de Rouergue on Thursdays, but the best guy there is the same guy who does Caussade on Monday.

As a starter if you go here you'll find a post I did on "A tale of three cheeses".

I'd like to hear about the good artisanal cheeses that are increasingly (I think) becoming available in the states. What's good?

[gfron1]

I will step on a limb and suggest that the vast majority of Americans have little idea about the aging of cheese. I've served some brie that were rubbery and some that were almost completely liquid - and in both cases, people thought they were the best cheeses they've ever had. So I would love to learn from EGulleters who are coming from countries with stronger cheese traditions and histories - to learn more about cheeses in general.

Oh yeah, and don't get me going on cheese toppers - for some reason most Americans believe that if you put anything on or with your cheese, that it is no longer cheese.

[bleudauvergne]

Hmmm. Very nice idea, a cheese thread. Just plain cheese from all nations. I salute you. Bring on the cheese!

[MarketStEl]

Oh yeah, and don't get me going on cheese toppers - for some reason most Americans believe that if you put anything on or with your cheese, that it is no longer cheese.

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Huh?

I'm probably about to get myself drummed out of the cheese lovers' fellowship for confessing this, but I love sharp Cheddar spread with peanut butter.

And I've been to enough places that had chunks of Cheddar with Dijon mustard for dipping to know that some folks aren't shy about combining things with cheese.

The soft cheeses also lend themselves well to toppings and accompaniments.

So what do you top yours with (depending on the variety, of course)?

[Jake]

Oh wonderful, a cheese thread! One of my very favourite things. Here in Canada we get some wonderful artisinal cheeses from Quebec that I'm very partial too. I'll be sure and photograph them next time!

[Dave Hatfield]

So what do you top yours with (depending on the variety, of course)?

Very conventional, but there's nothing much better than a very young chevre topped with really good jam. Both smeared on good french bread. of course.

Or you can always dip your slightly older chevre in cumin seeds for a different taste.

I'm not sure whether Gfron1 was bragging or complaining???

[barritz]

I once saw an episode of Twin Peaks where one of the characters raved about a baguette with brie and butter.

[Dave Hatfield]

I'm excited by this thread so I went out & bought some cheeses today so I could play around. Here's the first result.

The cheese is St Nectaire. Not a rare or unusual cheese, but one that has a long history. It has certainly been made for hundreds of years and has very likely been made for over a thousand years. It is made in the uplands of the massif central not far South of Clermont-Ferrand.

Hopefully the map above will locate the area for you.

St Nectaire is a cows milk cheese and is made with raw milk on the farms. Tradionally the milk from the salers breed of cow has been used, but new higher yielding breeds have been introduced since the war. Some of the latieres pasteurise their milk which yields an inferior cheese. You can tell which is which by the label. The Farm cheese has a green oval mark & the commercially made has a square mark. In fact the labeling system is quite detailed and with the right knowledge you can trace each cheese's origin down to the individual farm where it was made. For more information go here

Although not a dramatic looking cheese, here are a couple of St Nectaire pictures.

St Nectaire is normally aged for 2-3 months, longer under the right conditions.

It's flavor is mild, slightly nutty with a strong after taste. The rind is edible and St Nectaire goes well with a fruity red wine.

There is lots more information available on the web and, I believe, St Nectaire can be bought in the states.

[Chufi]

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.

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cheese parties, how wonderful.

This is going to be a great thread.

[...]I'm also a bit concerned that because I live in France much of what I can get is ungettable in the states.[...]

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My feeling would be: Don't worry about that, just post the cheeses. There are other members in Europe, and if the rest of us can't find the French cheeses in our necks of the woods, we'll just know what's waiting for us the next time we go to France!

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Indeed there are. Some members live in the Netherlands.. where you can get excellent cheese by the way :

Friese nagelkaas, Frisian cheese with whole cloves (from the province of Friesland)

And these:

The one on the right is 2 years old, it's made in the Dutch province Noord Holland (where Amsterdam is). The one on the left is 3 years old and made on the farm Elisabethhoeve in IJsselstein, a town to the east of Amsterdam.

You can see the crystallization in the cheeses.. both are delicious, with a salty but mellow flavor, very rich and buttery in your mouth. The 3-year old has a slightly more concentrated flavor and the texture is a bit harder and drier.

(as posted in the Dutch Cooking thread)

Edited July 24, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Kouign Aman]

Oh yum, Cheese!

[jdtofbna]

Cheese, the staff of life. The last time I was in England, I had a cheese called Bowland. I'm pretty sure it was a Lancashire with raisins and apples, and the rind was dusted with cinnamon. oh so tasty! Of course, it's not in any of the cheese books that my local cheese merchants have, but you can bet I'll be hunting it down when I'm back over there in September. We bought it first at a deli in the Isles of Scilly, then in a little grocery in Cornwall, and then at Harrod's, so I'm hoping it will still be that easy to find.

[gfron1]

Huh?

I'm probably about to get myself drummed out of the cheese lovers' fellowship for confessing this, but I love sharp Cheddar spread with peanut butter.

And I've been to enough places that had chunks of Cheddar with Dijon mustard for dipping to know that some folks aren't shy about combining things with cheese.

The soft cheeses also lend themselves well to toppings and accompaniments.

So what do you top yours with (depending on the variety, of course)?

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To answer someone else's post - I was complaining. It seems that many people think that adding things to cheese is blasphemous, and (depending on the cheese) I think toppers make a good thing great. I love traditional cheese toppers like ginger, fig spread, or balsamic. Yum!

And I'm glad the thread is being well received. I would also love to know if anyone on the list is making cheese - I'm sure we would totally dote (sp?) on them!

[MarketStEl]

Here's what was left of the raw milk Colby I was telling you about. I took this photo last night as I was surfing eG:

About 25 minutes later, all traces of this cheese had disappeared.

This Colby was softer and creamier than the pasteurized milk version and had a lot more character--a slight sharpness and tang I don't associate with this cheese.

I picked it up at the seasonal farmers' market in Fitler Square one Friday when I happened past it. I'm going to have to make an effort to go there again to find out what area farm it comes from.

[johnsmith45678]

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 [...]

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Heh, no pun intended?

[Dave Hatfield]

You can see the crystallization in the cheeses.. both are delicious, with a salty but mellow flavor, very rich and buttery in your mouth. The 3-year old has a slightly more concentrated flavor and the texture is a bit harder and drier.

Aged Gouda I presume. One of my favorites. We can get it here, but I'm not sure if the quality is as good as in The Nederlands.

Thinking of aged cheeses, another favorite is aged gruyer from Switzerland. Like Gouda it is transformed when aged from being a nice cheese to being a magnifigent cheese.

To answer someone else's post - I was complaining

Thought so, but didn't want to put words into your mouth. I'm with you all the way. Well almost; I baulk at velveeta with pineapple stuck on a stick.

[Pontormo]

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I just discovered this new thread and am in awe of the inaugural images in your post and on this first page! Thanks for starting this forum.

The husband of a couple I've known for ages adores cheese. His priorities: 1) family; 2) collecting odd things from around the world or yard sales, no difference; 3) Paris; 4) cheese, number 3 being largely determined by number 4. At a large celebration at their house in a small town in Maine, he set out a spread of somewhere between 50-75 different cheeses, all labeled, some quite small, thanks to an extraordinarily patient, generous soul in Portland. It is wonderful to see just how much more is available to us these days.

I grew up eating bright orange, individually wrapped slices of processed American cheese. They were in my lunch box nearly every single day. Now it is hard to imagine a life without real Parmigiano-Reggiano, and American cheese includes not only the British-inspired blocks and rounds such as Cheddars, but all kinds of goat cheeses. At the moment, I can't think of domestic cheeses made from ewe's milk. Do we have any?

If I had to choose one favorite newly discovered cheese it would have to be Montasio. It took me a while to find a local source, but now I love frico.