Cheese (2005–2008)

[Pan]

Klary, is it common for people to chew up the whole cloves in the Friese nagelkaas, or are they usually taken out?

[spaghetttti]

gfron1, what a great idea for a topic! Thank you for starting this!

A few weeks ago I went through Schiphol Airport and picked up some cheeses. The first one I got was a breathtakingly gorgeous young Gouda which was promptly gobbled up. Excellent.

This is a herbed Gouda, which is slightly salted with a tang.

I haven't opened this one up yet.

Does anyone know how this will taste? Klary, what you do think?

[Kent D]

I don't have ready access to fine cheeses (although the selection is getting better in the grocery stores, but no cheese shops), but I once had a 3-year white cheddar from Canada that I somehow overlooked in my refrigerator for another 18 months -- Good Lord, that was a cheddar to bring tears to your eyes. But I've never been subtle in my cheese choices, I like to nibble slices of asiago as a snack, and I've got my 6-year-old daughter asking for "stinky cheese" from the store. Both my daughters enjoyed some Marigold goat cheese I ordered from the Netherlands that has marigold flower petals in it.

Sorry no pictures to share -- still trapped in the film age...

[Nishla]

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

I'm definitely going to have to keep an eye on your posts. I think I mentioned it in the dinner thread, but I have a friend from the Netherlands who keeps bringing over huge hunks of cheese...except he's allergic to cheese! I'll have to pass along any good suggestions for his next visit

[Chufi]

Klary, is it common for people to chew up the whole cloves in the Friese nagelkaas, or are they usually taken out?

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Yes, you eat them. They are somewhat mellower from aging in the cheese, but still have a very pronounced aroma, which is why this cheese is not to everyone's taste!

I haven't opened this one up yet.

Does anyone know how this will taste?  Klary, what you do think?

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from the looks of it, I would guess it's a quite young gouda-style goats cheese. It should be rich, smooth, buttery and tangy. Please report when you've opened it up!

[Chufi]

I'm definitely going to have to keep an eye on your posts.  I think I mentioned it in the dinner thread, but I have a friend from the Netherlands who keeps bringing over huge hunks of cheese...except he's allergic to cheese! I'll have to pass along any good suggestions for his next visit 

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Nishla, what kind of cheese do you like? mature, young, cow, goat? Blue? There is an excellent Dutch blue cheese called Bleu de Wolvega.. I love it. Ofcourse you can't go wrong with some good aged Gouda as shown above..

[Dave Hatfield]

Klary, is it common for people to chew up the whole cloves in the Friese nagelkaas, or are they usually taken out?

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Yes, you eat them. They are somewhat mellower from aging in the cheese, but still have a very pronounced aroma, which is why this cheese is not to everyone's taste!

I haven't opened this one up yet.

Does anyone know how this will taste?  Klary, what you do think?

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from the looks of it, I would guess it's a quite young gouda-style goats cheese. It should be rich, smooth, buttery and tangy. Please report when you've opened it up!

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Went to their website, but this cheese wasn't mentioned. Really cusious now. Do Tell.

[Chufi]

It is on their website, here (scroll down to the 8th from the top) The packaging is a little less yellow than in spaghettti's pic, but I think it's the same cheese.

[Dave Hatfield]

Here's a discussion topic; traditional cheeses vs modern cheeses. As I look at the cheese scene in France & the Uk I see lots of 'new' cheeses. Some seem really new & others new local variations of the old well established standards.

Some of the new cheeses are awful in my opinion, Montsalvy for instance, others are very good I think. For example; St Augur.

When I went online to look for information about Saint Agur (sehnt ah-GOOR), a popular French blue cheese, I ended up, after much perseverance, in an unexpected place: on the Web site of the French dairy giant Bongrain. I had suspected that Saint Agur was an industrial cheese, but I had no idea that it was of such recent vintage (1988) or that it had so many prominent siblings.

One the other hand the same company has totally wrecked what used to be one of my favorite blue cheeses, Blue de Bresse.

At the same time many of the traditional cheeses have suffered from sloppy making and over production. For example; there's brie & then there's brie!

I'd love to hear the opinions of others and your experiences both good & bad. Maybe we can can up with a multinational list of edible cheeses & their producers.

[Muffinzz]

I'm still thinking about the cloves in the Friese nagelkaas. I think the clove flavor would be marvelous, but I'm not sure about the texture of the cloves themselves. Chufi, do they soften in texture as they sit in the cheese, or is the texture similar to chewing on a clove straight out of a spice jar?

[Chufi]

I'm still thinking about the cloves in the Friese nagelkaas.  I think the clove flavor would be marvelous, but I'm not sure about the texture of the cloves themselves.  Chufi, do they soften in texture as they sit in the cheese, or is the texture similar to chewing on a clove straight out of a spice jar?

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I can't believe the things I do for eGullet I just went and ate a clove from the spice jar.. brittle, hard, very spicy.. almost numbing the palate. The cloves in the cheese are much softer (also not all them are whole), sweeter and less bitter.

So now you know

[Chufi]

here are 3 cheeses we brought back from our trip to Yorkshire this weekend

left to right: Swaledale Old Peculiar, this is soaked in Old Peculiar Ale

Mature Wensleydale

Yorkshire Blue.

The Swaledale is a little to waxy and bland to my taste. The Wensleydale is very nice, with a crumbly yet creamy texture, and a bit tangy. The blue is my favorite, very rich and creamy.

we also bought oatcakes, which are not cakes but biscuits, really good with the cheese.

[Chris Amirault]

Those in the New England area should definitely check out the selection at Farmstead Cheese here in Providence. Those outside the area can ogle at the photos in that link.

[Dave Hatfield]

It is on their website,

Chufi, you're right. Thanks.

I can't believe the things I do for eGullet

You are braver than I. Amazing.

here are 3 cheeses we brought back from our trip to Yorkshire this weekend

Where were you in Yorkshire? My sister-in law lives there. More importantly where did you buy the cheeses?

[Chufi]

Where were you in Yorkshire? My sister-in law lives there. More importantly where did you buy the cheeses?

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Just staying in York for the weekend and visiting Castle Howard The cheeses actually came from the Castle Howard farm shop.. I know that sounds pretty suspect but it's a great shop with lots of produce from the estate, even fresh vegetables, and there's even a butcher!

[Abra]

Awesome, a cheese thread! I just got a pile of nice cheeses - Livarot, Affidelice, Juustoleipa, Manouri, Fontal, and some others, none opened yet. And I also got a cheesemaking starter-kit, because I want to be able to at least do fresh ricotta, mascarpone, and stuff like that. So I'm totally in on this one.

What I do have open is this Cantelet Dore, a cheddar-like mild, sweet cheese from the Auvergne.

Here's a bleu question. What I love is a ripe Bleu des Causses, Valdeon, Cabrales, the really pungent ones. A bleu that's mild, or even really creamy, just doesn't speak to me the same way as the more wham! pow! bleus do. What other bleus do you all think I might like?

[Kris]

..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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Fig spread. The best fig spread I've tasted is the Organic Adriatic Fig Spread sold by Whole Foods: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/afa/figspread.html

It has a sweet, and pronounced "figgy" flavor and I love the abundance of crunchy seeds. It's divine with goat cheese and bloomy rind cheeses.

Here's a blogger waxing poetic about this fig spread:

http://www.teich.net/blog/2005/11/19/adriatic-fig-spread/

I discovered a new cheese last week (well, new to me at least) - Bucheron from France. It's made from goat milk. The interior of the cheese has the texture of fresh goat cheese, but the outer edge has a soft creamy texture (reminds me of a melted brie) with a bloomy rind exterior.

Edited July 26, 2006 by Kris (log)

[Kris]

There's another cheese I recently discovered and it's divine: Quicke's Farmhouse Cheddar from England. I find a lot of English cheddars to be overly sharp for my taste. So when I went to Murray's Cheese kiosk in Grand Central Station, I asked a sales clerk to recommend an English cheddar which wasn't too mild or sharp. She gave me a sample of the Quicke's Farmhouse cheddar and I bought nearly a pound of it on the spot.

It's made from raw cow's milk and has a firm texture. It doesn't have that extra sharp bite that some cheddars have (although it has a slight bite), but neither is it mild to the point of blandness.

I'd like to post photos here, but I don't know how to do so.

I'm a cheese lover and I'm enjoying my experiments with trying good quality cheeses from around the world. I grew up in the 70's & 80's mainly eating American cheese and supermarket cheddar. But for 2006, I made it my goal to expand my horizons. So every few weeks, I'll sample a new cheese I haven't tried before. I'm having a good time doing so and will hopefully get some good ideas from this thread.

[bleudauvergne]

One of the great things about French cheese is that there are so many kinds that you can always discover something new. One of the great ones I have discovered this year is the Rouelle Cendrée.

It's a goat's cheese that is best once it has had a chance to soften and liquify ever so slightly just below the surface of the ash covered crust which has developed its delicious crust enough to ripple and buckle. The day I discovered this cheese was a very happy day for me.

[Abra]

Lucy, that's gorgeous. I've never seen that cheese here, or anywhere, but now I'll certainly be on the lookout.

[bleudauvergne]

Here's a bleu question.  What I love is a ripe Bleu des Causses, Valdeon, Cabrales, the really pungent ones.  A bleu that's mild, or even really creamy, just doesn't speak to me the same way as the more wham! pow! bleus do.  What other bleus do you all think I might like?

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Well, Abra, a very good pungent bleu from France is your average classic Roquefort. I have an uncle from the town of Roquefort who advises that the best one to get is Papillon brand. It's quite common here but a great classic bleu.

[Chufi]

My favorite French bleu of the moment is Persille de Malzieu, similar to Roquefort, but less salty (but still quite pungent).

[Dave Hatfield]

One of the great things about French cheese is that there are so many kinds that you can always discover something new. One of the great ones I have discovered this year is the  Rouelle Cendrée. 

It's a goat's cheese that is best once it has had a chance to soften and liquify ever so slightly just below the surface of the ash covered crust which has developed its delicious crust enough to ripple and buckle.  The day I discovered this cheese was a very happy day for me. 

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Bleu - Any more info? Round ashed ain't a great description. Any idea where it comes from? One source on the web said midi-pyrenees, but that's a pretty big area. Can you narrow it down?

I'm asking because it looks great & I love goat cheeses.

[Dave Hatfield]

What I do have open is this Cantelet Dore,

If you like the cantal & sharp cheeses then try to get some laguiole de albrac or better yet some salers. They all come from the Auverne. The main difference is the breed of cow the milk comes from & the length of aging. All wonderful.

Sorry, should have said: Grand Albrac.

Edited July 27, 2006 by Dave Hatfield (log)

[gfron1]

This is a great start for this thread - wow, what great cheese already. Abra - that is a fantastic photo with the apples - you have a great eye for color...and repayment for that compliment, send me that cheese!