759 replies to this topic

[lin]

Vieux Boulogne - had some of this stuff. It does indeed smell very strong, but if you can get past that I thought it was really delicious.

[Cheeseman]

You are right Ocean11.

Anyway on to this weeks cheese. A nice French one. Anyone tried this?

Broccio Demi-Affine

Description:
The Broccio comes in the form of a ball of curd that has been flattened and presented in a returnable wicker basket known as "les canestres" which varies in sizes. Broccio is usually eaten fresh, within forty eight hours, but if drained and salted, it can be ripened like other cheeses. The ripening of this cheese represent about 15 % of the total production. It is an unusual cheese which is made from lactoserum, the whey that is recuperated after cheesemaking. One needs 11 liters of milk to obtain the lactoserum to produce a kilo of Broccio. The Broccio is a specialty of Pascal Beillevaire, the cheese master. The method of making the cheese is quite simple. The cheese is salted and left to dry on wooden boards, then it is wrapped in leaves and placed in a cool cellar for two weeks. During this period of time the cheeses are turned and rubbed. The maturing process gives the cheese a sharp and strong taste.

[SerreChe]

ahhhhh un bon epoisses Berthaud, ça remet son homme en forme ça!

[gamera]

Je ne comprends pas ce que vous ditte, SerreChe lol
One of few French sentence I know.....

[Cheeseman]

Sorry, I can't understand that! Cheesetalk?

[Ocean11]

C'est comme une petite fille qui ne te lave pas!

[SerreChe]

It means it brings vigor back to men.
You know your epoisse is ready to be eaten when you need a spoon to grab some. As for what O11 said...well I cannot translate that one!

[Cheeseman]

Cheese certainly does bring vigor back to men. But not only men, women and children also. And not only does it do that, but it is also delicious and highly nutritious. Thank you for that Cheese Observation.

Anyway, for this weeks cheese, lets go to Mexico. I tried this one only once and it was, well, interesting. Anyone else tried it?

Queso Blanco

Description:
Traditional, creamery, fresh cheese made from cow's milk. The name simply means "white cheese". It resembles a cross between mozzarella and salty cottage cheese. Traditionally, it is produced from skimmed milk or whey, coagulated with lemon juice, although recently some creameries have begun making it with full-cream milk, coagulated with rennet. The curd is scaled and pressed to create an elastic texture which holds its shape when heated. The flavor is milky, creamy and lemon-fresh. It is wonderful to cook with, because unlike American-type cheeses, it will become soft and creamy when heated but will not melt! With this cheese you can make stuffed chicken breasts, stuffed peppers, enchiladas and burritos!

[Cheeseman]

Hello cheesefans. Here's this weeks Cheese Of The Week, a nice one those friendly German people make.

Bavarian Bergkase

Description:
Traditional, farmhouse and creamery, unpasteurized, hard cheese made from cow's milk. It has a wheel shape with natural rind, similar to, but darker Emmental. Bergkase simply means "mountain cheese" and is smaller version of the popular Allgauer Emmentaler. Firm but supple, and almost chewy, it is a superb melting cheese. More aromatic than Emmental but still fruity, Bergkase is made only in the summer months from the milk of cows grazing the mountain pastures, which explains why it is also known as Alpenkase. The cheese ripens in three to nine months.

[Cheeseman]

Sorry for the delay with this weeks cheese, cheesefans.

A favourite of mine from northern England - Lancashire.

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Lancashire

Description:
The hard, thin, natural rind is pale gold. It bears the marks of the cloth. When young, the traditional cheese is described as "Creamy Lancashire". At this stage, the texture is moist and crumbly. As the cheese matures, the flavor intensifies and the cheese becomes harder, and it's flavor intensifies. Mass-produced Lancashire has a mild, flat flavor, while farmhouse Lancashire has a robust full taste. Mrs. Kirkham and Dew-Lay are the only two Lancashire makers who use a combination of three day's curd to give a unique, slightly mottled texture. As the curds ripen at different times it acquires a multi-dimensional flavor that is sharp and peppery.

[Cheeseman]

OK cheesefans, it's that time of the week again.
This weeks Cheese Of The Week is.....an Italian one. Don't be put off by the "sour, damp smell" description.

Fiore Sardo

Description:
It is a cheese of cylindrical or wheel shape. The rind is natural, golden-yellow to dark brown and has a sour, damp smell. The cheese is hard and grainy and has a wonderfully rich flavor, with caramel sweetness, salty tang and a hint of fruit. Rennet from lamb is used to coagulate milk. When drained, the curds are scalded in hot water to seal the rind. Then, they are stored on a woven reed shelf absorbing the sweet smoke as they dry. Ripening continues in another room or the attic and the cheeses are periodically rubbed with olive oil and sheep fat to keep them moist. This cheese ripens in three to six months.

[ug]

Are you going to the CHEESE FESTA 05 this weekend cheeseman?

[rachael]

Cheese Festa?! I bet that's one smelly event!

[scouser]

I did not know that about Lancashire cheese cheeseman. I do know I love the stuff though.

Lancashire cheese and syrup on a toasted sandwich. Boss.

[Stealth]

In Blighty I never heard of eating cheese with syrup. However, with beans, yes. In Italian restaurants in Japan I've had blue cheese served with honey. Is this an Italian thing or a Japanese thing? Is chilled red wine a Japanese thing too? I heard that somewhere (Spain perhaps) people put coke in their red wine!!!! How do you feel about this cheeseman? I'd also like to hear your opinions on some blue cheeses. How do you think stilton compares to gorgonzola and Danish blue?
So far my favourite of your cheese reviews is the crottin. Very natsukashii.

[Stealth]

Making cheese
Someone asked about it on this thread. The cheese I make is actually "paneer" which is Indian...but I think it's like cottage cheese.
Bring about 4 pints of milk to the boil, switch off the heat then pour in lemon juice 1 or 2 lemons (or about a cup of vinegar). Leave it for a minute or 2 to separate then pour it through a sieve. You can line your sieve with cheesecloth (or gauze that you use for bandages) but I haven't done this yet. I always think I've messed it up at this point as there is so much liquid...but the cheese remains in the sieve. For the amount of milk there seems to be little cheese. The texture is like cottage cheese but if you want the cheese to be harder leave it to drain for a long time and squeeze the liquid out of the cheesecloth.

I think it's delicious soft with lots of black pepper on it. I also put it in lasagne with mozarella, parmesan and tomato sauce. It was also good fried in a frying pan on both sides topped with sliced chillies and mitsuba leaves. Although I haven't tried it, my Japanese friend (who studied cooking in India) suggested serving it with soy sauce.

[gamera]

Tried gorgonzorra but........ lol

[Ocean11]

I haven't made paneer myself, but I did eat a lot of mutta paneer in my vegetarian days. I don't think you've messed up with the lots of liquid - it's a common observation when making paneer.

A little soy sauce makes a lot of things taste better. Mrs11 always puts it in ratatouille, and without it, it tastes as though something is missing.

[BagOfCrisps]

You were vegetarian and went back to being a bloody meat-eater, Ocean11? Tell us more will you. Was it utter relief when you went back to the meat, or did you have to force yourself? I'm interested to know.

[Mr Wiggles]

Your method sounds spot on Stealth. You just get a small ball from a litre of milk. Indians effectively deep fry it in ghee, which is melted butter strained to remove the solids. That way, you can heat it to a much higher temp without it burning.

The spinach (palak or sag) and paneer dish is the classic one.

Cheesemakers used to throw away the whey and it would end up in rivers, but now its used to make expensive protein drinks for bodybuilders.

You can do lots of interesting things with Japanese flavours. I'm a big ponzu fan, but even roast chicken basted with mentsuyu is pretty good. It may sound strange but its basically a twist on marinading karaage or yakitori.