Cheese (2005–2008)

[GTO]

Up until that point, I didn't think it was possible for a foodstuff to make me angry. I was wrong.

Needless to say, given what the "Sticky toffee" cheese looked like, I was reluctant to give it a sniff. Confusing me even further, was the fact that despite it's appearence, it smelled of absolutely nothing at all.

[andiesenji]

When I lived (for a very brief time, thank all the Gods) in Wisconsin, back in mid '50s, I developed a taste for brick cheese. (not quite as stinky as limburger, but you do know it is in the room)

The local cheese factory, owned by Stella, made small batches of "cheese with stuff" on a seasonal basis and they did a very nice job of it.

These cheeses were only sold locally because they were quite perishable, however, they didn't have to worry about losing money on them because there was always a line of people waiting when the factory store opened (only on Wednesdays and Fridays).

The "special" cheeses usually sold out rapidly.

They did the more common cheese with sausage, cheese with port, cheese with onions and/or garlic, cheese with peppers.

However the one that really appealed to me was the "apple cheese"

Apple cheese was made by taking a slab of fontina and a slab of cheddar, making a depression in the center which was filled with cooked, spiced apples(chilled), the two slabs were pressed together along the outside and the whole thing was dipped in wax.

The date was stamped on the wax as soon as it hardened. They were kept refrigerated and had to sell within a week. I don't think many lasted more than a few days. They made them on Tuesday and rarely had any left on Friday.

They made them in two sizes, the smaller with two (approximate) 12-ounce slabs of cheese, the larger with 2 16-oz slabs of cheese. These were round as they were cut across round wheels, by hand, so the weight did vary.

One could buy a half, but the price per pound was higher.

The combination of flavors was extraordinary.

If you have ever had a slab of cheddar on top of a wedge of warm apple pie, you might get the idea.

They also made a combination of aged provolone, sliced about 1/8 inch thick and spread with quince jam, stacked about 10 slices thick.

There was no shrink wrap back in those days so these were simply set on a rack over a tray in the glass-fronted fridge and wrapped in butcher paper.

We wrapped it in puff pastry and baked it. It would not get runny as a brie but it did soften.

The combination of the slightly smoky provolone and the quince with the puff pastry was just delicious.

Sadly, the factory became almost fully automated in the early '70s and that ended the era of the hand-made "special" cheeses.

Edited April 5, 2007 by andiesenji (log)

[gariotin]

That is interesting, Andie - I was thinking that C with SII was a relatively new invention.

Of course there has always been havarti w/dill and ched w/port wine, but all this fruity stuff seemed recent. So I guess there has been a C with SII movement afoot for longer than I thought.

Speaking of brick, that is a great cheese and not found much any more - a real America original. Joe Widmer is still making it the old fashioned way - with real bricks as weights - but here on the East Coast it is not generally found.

If anyone is in the NYC area, go check out the cheese room at the new WF Bowery store. The whole room is temp & humidity controlled so that all the cheeses can be displayed out on the marble counters. They had the most beautiful huge dolce gorg with the top cut off - they were scooping the soft cheese into cups to sell. Lovely.

Also little robiolas wrapped in green cabbage leaves. Didn't buy one, as I was travelling, but looked amazing.

[MarketStEl]

Speaking of brick, that is a great cheese and not found much any more - a real America  original.  Joe Widmer is still making it the old fashioned way - with real bricks as weights - but here on the East Coast it is not generally found.

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I miss brick cheese too. I know someone upthread posted a Website link for a Wisconsin cheesemaker who ships it.

As for Cheese with Stuff In It outside the English sphere of influence: What about Havarti with dill?

[andiesenji]

Yeah! I order brick from Wisconsin frequently as it is rarely available at cheese shops out here.

[Dianne]

We are just back from a holiday in South Carolina and I had a chance to taste Reyes Point blue and Roaring Forks blue. We liked them both very much, but I found the Roaring Forks the more interesting. We don't get cheese from the US much here in Ontario.

[merstar]

I found something different this week-  Iberico 3 milk cheese. It's made from all 3 animal milks and has a firm, creamy texture and slight tanginess. It was just super for eating plain. I googled it, and found that it's not good for cooking, tho. Oh well, I'll just have to eat it plain, if I can keep my husband out of it!

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I just discovered Campo de Montalban, which may be similar. Also from Spain and made from goat, cow, and sheep milk. Nice and creamy with a tang - very well rounded. Aged 90 days. My new favorite.

Edited April 8, 2007 by merstar (log)

[andiesenji]

I am extremely pleased with a Spanish cheese I ordered from igourmet.

It has a very complex, rich and smoky flavor with a lovely balance of sweet/salt that pairs beautifully with fruits.

I had the last sliver this morning with some burnt fig jam, also from igourmet.

It is a bit pricy, but a little goes a long way. I love it!

I also tried toasting a bit over a burner, just until the surface softened, then smashed it in a piece of chibatta. Heating it brought out even more subtle flavors.

Of course, you do have to like smoked cheeses....

[gariotin]

What's the name of your cheese, Andi? It's smoked? - is it Ibores?

[andiesenji]

What's the name of your cheese, Andi?  It's smoked? - is it Ibores?

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Sorry, I thought I included the name.

It is Idiazabal

I can't figure out how to pronounce it.

[gariotin]

Oooo - yes, that is a great cheese.

I believe the correct pronounciation is ee-dee-ah-THA-bul - of course that is the Castillian thing with the z being a th. I was pronouncing it differently and was corrected by a Spaniard.

I just love Spanish cheeses!

[Dave Hatfield]

Couldn't believe that none of us picked up on this website. Cheddar aging.

A live webcam showing a full size cheddar cheese ripening. Amazing. Pretty exciting stuff.

Sort of akin to watching grass grow, but with (hopefully) a better taste at the finish.

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Here's a follow up to the exciting live story of the ageing cheese. cheesecam!

You saw it on e-Gullet first!

[GTO]

I finally got to try something I've wanted to try for ages today. Blue Wensleydale

Really, not at all like the plain Wensleydale everyone loves. The blue takes over but leaves that tanginess. It tastes and smells EXACTLY like the smell of wet paint and if, like me, you like that smell, it's absolutely delicious.

[gariotin]

That article about the webcam is a hoot!

[Dave Hatfield]

I finally got to try something I've wanted to try for ages today. Blue Wensleydale

Really, not at all like the plain Wensleydale everyone loves. The blue takes over but leaves that tanginess. It tastes and smells EXACTLY like the smell of wet paint and if, like me, you like that smell, it's absolutely delicious.

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GTO, I'm with you a great cheese. Thought you might like to know more about it. So, here's a link to a very informative article in Wikipedia.

My sister-in-law lives not a million miles from Wensleydale.

[GTO]

Me neither, Dave. When I'm not at Uni, I live in East Yorkshire. Good article, although I've never been wowed by Wensleydale w/ Cranberries. They just seem to get lost. Nice colour though.

[gariotin]

Ugh - I sell a ton of that Wdale w/cranberries and I can't believe people buy it! It is horrible.

I visited Hawe's Creamery last year and tasted their blue wensleydale. It is a unique and delicious cheese - funny, but now that I think about it, I am not sure I have ever seen it for sale here in the States.

Someone should get on that.

[gariotin]

Wake up, cheeseheads - this thread has been oddly quiet lately!

Lindsay - this one is for you - I have been at a food show in Chicago for 3 days and saw Judy Schad from Capriole. I told her that she and her cheeses were a much-discussed part of this cheese thread and she was intrigued. So when you see her at the farmer's market next time, introduce yourself and explain that you are part of this cheese discussion board.

I was tasting out Australian cheeses - Roaring 40s and Seal Bay triple cream were the big hits. People also liked the bandage-wrapped aged cheddar and the smoked cheddar.

Breda Maher, a wonderful Irish cheesemaker, was tasting out her wonderful Cooleeney soft-ripened cheese, as well as a beautiful new one called Daru. It has a grey funky rind with a yellow crumbly paste that is buttery and delicious.

Also noted the wonderful blues from Rogue River Creamery - we have discussed these already, but every time I went by their table, I had to have a taste of the Smokey Blue. Yum!

What cheeses are people into these days?

[GTO]

I'm back at home for the Summer, so nt able to get to the Cheese shop regularly. I'll have to order from their site. The Cheese Society

Last Saturday however, I did go to a Farmers Market in Driffield, about 45minutes from where I live and I got some Welsh Cheddar style cheese, laced with Whiskey. It's one of the few flavoured cheese I actually like. It smells rich and sweet, like a Christmas pudding, and tastes just as good.

Snowdonia Cheese Company

[Carolyn Tillie]

Ugh - I sell a ton of that Wdale w/cranberries and I can't believe people buy it!  It is horrible.

I visited Hawe's Creamery last year and tasted their blue wensleydale.  It is a unique and delicious cheese - funny, but now that I think about it, I am not sure I have ever seen it for sale here in the States.

Someone should get on that.

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I've been able to buy the Wensleydale Blue at both the Cheesemaker's Daughter in Sonoma, at Dean & Deluca in Napa, and at the Cheeseboard in Berkeley. Fabulous cheese...

[gariotin]

Good info, Carolyn,

I'll have to keep my eyes peeled here on the East Coast.

[Chufi]

5year old gouda is so hard it is like a bowling ball to cut  - I cannot imagine it making to 10 year old.  Can you throw us a brand name?  That seems a little suspicious to me!

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It's definitely a hard cheese, but nothing like a bowling ball- it cuts fine with a knife or with a cheese peeler. I don't know what the brand name is- the piece is small enough that all I can see on the rind is "ord" and "noo". But I bought it at DiBruno's, and here's their product page:

10-year old Gouda

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I'm still interested in the 10-year old Gouda.

If anyone who is reading this thread has access to this cheese, I'd LOVE to see a picture of it. I am really interested in the color and texture, and also in the size of the whole cheese.

There are no pics of this particular cheese on the DiBruno's website.

Please PM me if you have a pic and want to send it to me, we can do this outside the thread.

Thanks.

[Dave Hatfield]

5year old gouda is so hard it is like a bowling ball to cut  - I cannot imagine it making to 10 year old.  Can you throw us a brand name?  That seems a little suspicious to me!

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It's definitely a hard cheese, but nothing like a bowling ball- it cuts fine with a knife or with a cheese peeler. I don't know what the brand name is- the piece is small enough that all I can see on the rind is "ord" and "noo". But I bought it at DiBruno's, and here's their product page:

10-year old Gouda

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I'm still interested in the 10-year old Gouda.

If anyone who is reading this thread has access to this cheese, I'd LOVE to see a picture of it. I am really interested in the color and texture, and also in the size of the whole cheese.

There are no pics of this particular cheese on the DiBruno's website.

Please PM me if you have a pic and want to send it to me, we can do this outside the thread.

Thanks.

I'm with Gariotin on this. Very sceptical. Would it be possible for somebody who does regular business with DiBruno's to ask a few questions?

Chufi - You live where the Gouda is made. Can you find any 10 year old? Or can you ask some of the specialist cheese shops about it?

I'd love to find out more. Here in France we can readily get 3 year old and also 5 year old (but with more difficulty) I love the aged Gouda's & would really like to try a 10 year old.

Nothing like a good mystery is there?

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[gariotin]

I'm on my way to a 2 week trip to Germany. I don't hold their cheeses in very high regard, but am interested in whether they keep their better cheeses for themselves and not for export. Does anyone have suggestions on excellent German cheeses? I plan to visit KaDeWe in Berlin, which is supposed to be one of the best "feinschmecker" i.e. gourmet departments in Europe.

I'll update on my findings when I return.

[Dave Hatfield]

I've been pretty lazy of late & just buying my tried and true favourites, but we were having people in for dinner so I decided to do something a bit different.

Just two cheeses that looked a lot the same, but were very different. As you'll see it didn't quite work out that way.

The first was a Poirou. A cows milk cheese made locally.

White, reasonably firm and mild tasting.

The second was a St Felicien. Before I unwrapped it, it looked much like the Poirou. When I "decanted" it, it looked like this

Very nice & ripe. What we lost on looks we gained on flavour. A wonderful cheese this one.

So, I didn't succeed on the looks front, but did on the tasting side. Both good & very different. The St Felicien goes on the 'A' list.