Cheese (2005–2008)

[gfron1]

I've got more in the fridge (its feast or famine around here). This weekend i hope to open a St. Marcellin, Quinta da Boavista (which I can't find any info on - its from Portugal) and Sapsago Cones. Pics coming soon!

[gariotin]

gfron,

I have always wondered what people did w/Sapsago cones, besides grate them over pasta or veggies.

Do you like the flavor? How do you serve and enjoy it?

I would like to get to know this cheese again, but have bad memories...

The chaource pix are beautiful - I like mine a little more ripened with a glass of champagne!

[gfron1]

Funny you should ask! I just now tried it for the first time. I enjoy the aroma - a bit sweet, and grassy (which makes sense because of the clover). I tried it by itself first and found it blander than expected, drier than expected, but not unpleasant. When I grated it over some eggs, it was a nice complement, especially to the pepper.

[andiesenji]

You can blend sap sago into softened butter and/or cream cheese, to make a lovely spread with a distinctive taste. 1 teaspoon to 4 oz. (Blending salted butter and cream cheese half and half makes a much nicer spread than either alone.)

Grate some into biscuit dough.

It adds a piquant flavor to mild-flavored dried beans, such as canniliini or flageolets, butter beans (large dried limas). Use canned or cook them yourself.

Grated over salads or - - blended with butter in which you saute croutons.

Combines nicely with mushrooms.

Try it grated over baked winter squash or sauteed summer squash.

I only refrigerate sap sago during the hottest days of summer, otherwise it lives in a cheese box in the pantry.

Edited September 16, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[Dorine]

<...>

I only refrigerate sap sago during the hottest days of summer, otherwise it lives in a cheese box in the pantry.

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Please tell me more about the cheese box in the pantry. I'd like to get somethig like that together.

Thanks!

[gariotin]

Good ideas, andiesenji - thanks!

I used to use a glass cheese keeper from Germany - y put a couple drops of vinegar on the bottom and there were raised ridges to keep the cheeses up and away. It was great any time but the summer - you are right about that!

[gfron1]

Tonight...Quinta da Boa Vista! I found absolutely nothing on this cheese (or is this the producer of the cheese?). The label reads: Queijo Corado de Ovelha. The English label says ewe's milk, thistle rennet and sea salt. Portuguese. OK, Portuguese friends...enlight us please.

My spouse, who admits to not liking "soft stinky cheeses" did not like this, made numerous "yucky" faces and ultimately washed it down with a big slurp of wine. He described it as "brie-like and offensive, pungent, ammonia, soapy."

I, however, really enjoyed it. Very buttery, creamy, a bit salty (great followed by wine), pecan accent, or possibly older macadamia nuts with a very pleasant long finish. The texture also was nicely holed and as it softened it reminded me of a baby havarti.

Edited to add: I had to stop myself from eating the whole wheel - 2/3 gone...1/3 for breakfast

Edited September 20, 2006 by gfron1 (log)

[andiesenji]

<...>

I only refrigerate sap sago during the hottest days of summer, otherwise it lives in a cheese box in the pantry.

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Please tell me more about the cheese box in the pantry. I'd like to get somethig like that together.

Thanks!

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Sorry I didn't see this post until today.

This is what I have in my pantry. I received it as a gift a couple of years ago.

I also have one of the glass cheese keepers with the ridges in the bottom. It isn't very old, it is one of the reproductions made in China.

[andiesenji]

A short time ago I received a package from FedEx, from Italy. An 11.14 pound wheel of Piave with a note stating this was a "young" Piave, age 6 months.

I am unfamiliar with this cheese and have looked it up on the internet and there isn't a lot of information except to say that it resembles another cheese when young and when fully mature it is hard and can be grated like other hard cheeses.

Anyone have any experience with this cheese? I have not yet cut into it.

[Mottmott]

First let me note the irony of our government protecting us from attack by underage raw milk artisanal cheese as we witness death and illness committed by our mega-business food industry.

Then let me ask how best to store cheese outside the fridge. I don't have a wine cellar, I don't like to even descend into my ancient basement, much less leave food there. I do keep my house at 60f or less during the winter and have a "heated" porch that is cooler still.

I have asked a flea-marketing friend to be on the lookout for one of those glass cheese holders.

[Dorine]

Please tell me more about the cheese box in the pantry. I'd like to get somethig like that together.

Thanks!

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[gfron1]

Today is a special food festival in our town so we're sampling

Comte

And I'm on a kick to have people understand that toppers can actually improve a great cheese, so we're adding Black Mission Fig Syrup to the Comte

And we're serving Tomme Crayeuse which is a new cheese for me - as the name implies chalky, but really nice.

And we're topping that with Quince Jam

[andiesenji]

gfron1,

What festival is it. My dad lives in Deming and might have time to drive up to SC.

[gfron1]

Its the Taste of Silver City downtown festival. The tickets are sold out but I just had a customer bring one back, so reply quickly and I'll hold it for him if he wants to come. We're also competing with the Whole Enchilada Festival in Las Cruces today where they make the world's largest enchilada each year.

[andiesenji]

I tried to call my dad but he has gone for the day and isn't answering on his cell. He may be on his way there already so probably has a ticket. My aunt (lives next door) said he was going to a "tasting" but didn't know any details.

[Dorine]

Today is a special food festival in our town so we're sampling

Comte

And I'm on a kick to have people understand that toppers can actually improve a great cheese, so we're adding Black Mission Fig Syrup to the Comte

And we're serving Tomme Crayeuse which is a new cheese for me - as the name implies chalky, but really nice.

And we're topping that with Quince Jam

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ave yu ever tried a Spanish classic, manchego with membrillo (thick, stiff quince jelly)?

[gfron1]

I have and really enjoy it. I also love guava paste on manchego. For anyone keeping score, we've served about 175 people so far and everyone agrees that the Crayeuse is fantastic! The comte is good, but I've had an 18 month which was far superior to what we're having today.

[Dorine]

I have and really enjoy it.  I also love guava paste on manchego.  For anyone keeping score, we've served about 175 people so far and everyone agrees that the Crayeuse is fantastic!  The comte is good, but I've had an 18 month which was far superior to what we're having today.

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You've got me wanting to find the crayeuse here!

[MelissaH]

A short time ago I received a package from FedEx, from Italy.  An 11.14 pound wheel of Piave with a note stating this was a "young" Piave, age 6 months. 

I am unfamiliar with this cheese and have looked it up on the internet and there isn't a lot of information except to say that it resembles another cheese when young and when fully mature it is hard and can be grated like other hard cheeses.

Anyone have any experience with this cheese?  I have not yet cut into it.

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Andie,

You've lucked into one of my faves. My husband and I discovered it at the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company, better known as PennMac to those who live in Pittsburgh. We made our planned purchases when we were visiting from Ohio, and then asked Dear Heart (that's what she calls everyone, so that's what we've always called her) to surprise us with something else. We got our wedge of cheese home, opened it up, and started eating. We ate it in slices on crackers, melted on bread, grated on pasta, and in chunks with fruit. We loved it, but then couldn't figure out what it was. We described it to them over the phone, but when we said that the rind was stamped with "piave" they said, "Oh, you mean Piave cheese!"

Incidentally, we looked for Piave everywhere in NE Ohio, at all the usual suspect markets for decent cheese, and nobody ever had it. When we finally asked for more information about why nobody had it, we learned that for some reason that cheese could not be sold in the state of Ohio. We imported our own for the five years we lived there.

Here in CNY, I need to shop at Wegman's if I want it...and pay about half again as much as I did from PennMac in Pittsburgh. But it's still one of our favorites. We pretty much use it anywhere we might use Parmesan, because we like it as much and it's less expensive.

HTH,

MelissaH

[ewindels]

What a spectacular thread, and long overdue! If I could only eat one foodstuff for the rest of my life, it would be, without hesitation, cheese.

In order to expand my knowledge of and appreciation for cheese, I have undertaken to try every single variety stocked by Murray's Cheese Shop in Manhattan (http://murrayscheese.com). Which is a lot. I've done 13 so far, and top favorites have been:

- Fiore Sardo

- Sottocenere

- Hoch Ybrig

So many cheeses... so little time to do the exercise to work them off *sigh*

[Chufi]

I discovered a truly glorious cheese yesterday.. well actually a friend of mine did.. she gave a party and had this plate of cheeses sleected by a really good cheesemonger. All cheeses were good but there was one that immediately stood out and was unlike any other cheese I ever tasted.. I could not stop eating it and she finally gave me last left-over piece to take home..

This is Testun al Barolo, a Piedmontese cheese made from sheep or goatsmilk with sometimes a bit of cowsmilk. It's covered in Barolo grape must.. it's firm but very creamy and buttery in the mouth, it's pungent but also very sweet..and it's really really good. Bad pic, but this was the left over piece, and after I took the picture I ate it all

see here for a bit more info about this cheese.

[gfron1]

Klary,

I tried that cheese sometime last year and really enjoyed it as well. Mine was very well aged and it scared a few folks off, but I found it to be a super cheese with my glass of red trilogy.

[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

If you want more information, Lisa Alois, the buyer for DiBruno's, is an eGullet poster; she can no doubt tell you more than I can.

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I was at a food-fair today, where I spoke to some (I think) reliable cheeseproducers (some of them were presenting their cheeses under the flag of thr Slow Food movement). This 10 year old Gouda has been on my mind ever since I first read about it. So I asked around. I had a long conversation with one of the cheesemakers who said that a 10-year old Gouda would be inedible. He said that 7 years is about the maximum age for a cheese to be still good to eat. He had one cheese at his stall that was about 6 years old. He only had it because he had gotten it back from one of his shops, where it been sort of left behind. He said that even in the Dutch CheeseMuseum (who knew that it existed ) there are no 10 year old cheeses.

So, I am even more intrigued. What is this cheese that you can buy at Di Bruno's? who is telling the truth here? It needs more research...

[Pontormo]

Speaking of old cheeses, I finally got around to cleaning out every nook and cranny of my refrigerator yesterday and came across a few tiny to middling sized cheese remnants that had been hiding way in the back until virtually petrified, in total, a little more than half a pound.

Is there anything I can do to render them edible? They seem beyond grating. I'd prepare a type of savory bread pudding were there some way to make the rocks molten. Please don't tell me to put them in soups or sauces for flavor. I've got a bag of rinds in the freezer for that.

Thanks!!!

Edited October 1, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[andiesenji]

I have now tried the Piave several ways. First with fruit - especially good with apples and pears,

in a panini sandwich with some shaved ham and sun dried tomatoes, melted on top of poached eggs on toast, eaten plain, out of hand and chopped with pimentos and ONE rocoto pepper to make a nice spread.

Delicious in each and every combination and all by itself. This "young" cheese has the same texture and mouth feel of a medium-aged provolone but a much more complex flavor. Sweet, nutty, only faintly salty and it stays tender when melted - does not become gummy.