Cheese - Awesome Food of the Gods

[Swatopluk]

I am not a very diverse cheese eater and I tend to go for mild sorts, esp. on the soft cheese side.
I add pepper though.

[Darlica]

I love Cheese!

The only kinds I don't eat are those bland tasteless rubbery kinds of processed cheeses (often called cheddar even though is has no similarities to real cheddar). Fake Cheese is NOT cheese, it's a substitute which may come in handy if one can't eat milk proteins for example, but it's not cheese.

Manchego is one of my favourites, if I had to choose one.

If you ever comes across a Swedish cheese called "Västerbotten" try it. It's salty and sharp should be at least 12 months and itches a little on your tongue. It's a wonderful company to pickled herring and crisp bread, Swedish style.

[Bluenose]

Hello Sibs!

Still on holidays, I'm in Adelaide today at a friend of our travelling companion's friend's house.

Whilst on Kangaroo Isaland (came back last night, boo-hoo) we visited a sheep dairy and tasted their excellent cheeses.  Their fetta is heaven and they make Ewes' milk romano style chees that is to die for.  Bought a couple of packs of the last.  As well as some lamb chorizo and sheeps milk yoghurt - YUMMM!!!)

I love just about any cheese (as long as it is cheese) especially the hard Italian cheeses, I also love Stilton and Gorgonzola, all soft cheese, Brie, Camenbert etc, goats cheese, red Leichester, actually it is easier to list the cheeses I don't like: umm...



The Blue one

[Roland Deschain]

Yet more cheeses I need to search out and try. I like the sound of Visterbotten and Manchego particularly, as i've not tried them.

Lol, Bluenose. That pretty much sums up cheese there. I saw a food programme where this Italian-English guy went to Italy, and he stopped by a hill farm (goats, I think). They had this cheese there that had maggots in it. Seriously, it was meant to have them. I'm not sure how this would taste, but i'm expecting it to have a very strong flavour.

I bought some Camembert, Halloumi, Applewood Smoked Cheddar (dusted with Paprika), and Mozzarella yesterday. I've had most of the Camembert, which was really nice on the crusty bread, and some of the Cheddar, which went well on my baked potato. Can't wait to grill the Halloumi, but not sure what to put the Mozzarella with yet. Maybe crumbled into a nice green leaf salad drizzled with olive oil or some other kind of dressing would be a good idea. Mmmm, cheese.

[Bluenose]

On my recent Kangaroo Island trip I visited Island Pure a sheep dairy where they make wonderful cheese (and other stuff).  I tried the ewes milk fetta which was simply to die for, a lovely creamy, rich flavour not too salty, just delightful.  Also, tried and bought a couple of pieces of their "Cygnet" ewes milk cheese a hard Spanish style cheese, something like a cross between the Italian Romano and parmesan.  We use it grated fine on pasta - YUM!  Only problem is going to be whether I can source some in Melbourne after the current supply runs out  

Edit: Umm, I should look at my previous posts before I post again - I had completely forgotten about the post just a few above this one.  Oops...

[Roland Deschain]

Only problem is going to be whether I can source some in Melbourne after the current supply runs out 

This is the problem with travelling. I've had a lot of great local cheeses in Western Europe, but upon getting back home, have been unable to source them locally. If I ever get around to visiting friends in Germany, i'll make sure to bring some back.

[Opsa]

Maybe you can ask Swato to send you some.

I went to a student opera concert last night, which is way fun because student opera singers have such a fresh approach. Afterward there was a wine and cheese reception. There were several cheeses served. I liked them all, but it occurs to me that I prefer the non-combination style cheeses over the ones with fruits in them, or stacked with various other cheese types. Maybe I'm a purest. (I would go to Island Pure!)

I like cheese served with other things, like almonds or apple slices, but the ones with other things incorporated into them are not my bag, baby. The exception is the herbed cheeses, which I like very much. I won't touch cheese with chocolate in it. I don't care how much I love cheese or chocolate. What a snob I am.

[Swatopluk]

Sending certain types of cheese in the mail may violate the conventions on chemical and biological weapons

[Bluenose]

I completely agree with you Opsa.  I guess I must be a cheese snob too! 

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

But some fine choco on an equally fine cheese is... a slice of heaven.  



But even that Americanized thing:  "milk" chocolate on plain cheddar is still quite tasty.  

But one of my favorite cheeses is a blend of Havarti with sun-dried tomatoes and sun-dried red bell peppers... to die for.   Alas, too difficult to find hereabouts, in the Land of Imitation Velveeta.... <snark>


Then, let's not forget peanut butter and any sharply flavored cheese*.  The fatty-sweet peanut butter goes lovely with the sharp-tang of the cheese.   

Of course, some really fine herbal tea goes well with any cheese too.

And coffee-- coffee will go with anything, actually.




_{* peanut butter and mild cheddar is an exercise is blah-ness, IMO.}

[The Meromorph]

You remind me, a sharp cheddar and jam sammich is amazingly good, as is sharp cheddar on ginger-snap canapes. 

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Yes... a real cheese sandwich, that would be.



Unlike what passes for "cheese" in the good ole USofA on sandwiches these days...  ugg.    How on earth do they get the cows to put the milk into those little flat film-packs anyway?  <snark>

<shudders as the thought of eating those little individually wrapped flat, sandwich "cheese" ... erm... "slices"?  If they were actually sliced? ....from... what?   An Oil Tanker? >

[Sibling DavidH]

This lunchtime we accidentally ended up in Ludlow, renowned for its eateries.  We found a small place and I had a ploughman's with good plain Cheddar.  Excellent.

[Opsa]

I'll have to try sharp cheese and peanut butter. Sounds interesting!

I've tried cheese and jam, and I like that, too!  

I try to stay away from that extruded stuff that some people call cheese, unless I'm stuck in a restaurant and there's no alternative and I'm starved. Sometimes that Velveeta stuff works on nachos, though, if there's lots of hot sauce.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

...  Sometimes that Velveeta stuff works on nachos, though, if there's lots of hot sauce.

So does pork lard... but would you really want to?

 

OTOH, I have been known to use Campbell's cheese soup in recipes where I wanted a cheesy flavor, and for whatever reason did not wish to grate actual, real cheese.

And I will grudgingly admit that Velveeta (or equivalent-- there is no real difference, as these all come from plant-oil anyway) when mixed with about 1/2 grated real cheese is not that bad-- adds a creamy texture to the real cheese, which, if sharp (what else?) adds a nice flavor note to the recipe.   But I'd not advertise I did this....



Ain't we a cheese snobby bunch?