Roquefort piled onto a plain oatcake makes any evening better.
Brie so runny it needs to be kept in a bowl.
Best of all, try this: equal parts of grated vintage cheddar, mozzarella, caerphilly and a handful of parmesan, bound together with beaten egg and a teaspoon of grain mustard; spread on good sourdough and put under a medium grill for 4-5 minutes. Enjoy!
Roquefort piled onto a plain oatcake makes any evening better.
Brie so runny it needs to be kept in a bowl.
Best of all, try this: equal parts of grated vintage cheddar, mozzarella, caerphilly and a handful of parmesan, bound together with beaten egg and a teaspoon of grain mustard; spread on good sourdough and put under a medium grill for 4-5 minutes. Enjoy!
(Lloyd Bridges voice):
Looks like I picked the wrong week to be diagnosed with high cholesterol.
I adore cheese, and while I do like good quality chocolate too, I could give that up far more easily than cheese.
The me tion of Cornish Yarg brings to mind a fact I once learned at a cheese tasting. Yarg is not a Cornish word. The family who invented it have the surname Gray. Read it backwards…
@Lyda, I don't know which bit of SoCal suburbia you're in, but you might visit a Ralph's in an upmarket neighborhood. The chichi Ralph's here in Long Beach has a big cheese section with its own dedicated staff member. It's not cheap! But they put smaller wedges priced under 5 bucks each into separate boxes so you can buy just a bit. It's entirely separate from the bricks of industrially produced jack and cheddar; they have imported real Manchego, Stilton, etc and also have good American stuff like Maytag blue and Humboldt Fog. Changed my life when I switched Ralph's stores a while back.
Or there might be a specialty retailer near you - there's a searchable map of California cheese makers and purveyors here: https://www.cheesetrail.org. If you're in the San Diego area, there's a teeny little chain called Venissimo that's excellent. At least the one in Del Mar is.
We are lucky here - there's a specialty cheese shop in town a few miles away, plus an Italian deli right in our neighborhood with a few high quality cheeses.
Blessings be upon you, @Ruth! Yeah, I'm in the Inland Empire. NOT chichi. But your suggestions I'll take and run with.
And damn! I was just in Long Beach a couple of days ago...
The only way to make decent money on a dairy farm nowadays is to turn the milk into either cheese or ice cream. Hence the proliferation of small businesses producing regional delicacies. I wish they wouldn't keep putting exotic ingredients in Wensleydale though, I like it plain.
Re: putting other ingredients in cheese. Is it because the cheese needs a taste boost, or because there are lots of people who prefer the taste of cheese to be masked?
The only way to make decent money on a dairy farm nowadays is to turn the milk into either cheese or ice cream. Hence the proliferation of small businesses producing regional delicacies. I wish they wouldn't keep putting exotic ingredients in Wensleydale though, I like it plain.
Re: putting other ingredients in cheese. Is it because the cheese needs a taste boost, or because there are lots of people who prefer the taste of cheese to be masked?
I avoid these "contaminated" cheeses.
It's just a marketing ploy.
It's a bit like the fad a few years ago for adding chocolate to beer or, as in one brewery in Denmark I heard about, sending over to Vietnam for some kind of musk from the gonads of a particular type of weasel found only in those parts ...
(Lloyd Bridges voice):
Looks like I picked the wrong week to be diagnosed with high cholesterol.
I adore cheese, and while I do like good quality chocolate too, I could give that up far more easily than cheese.
The me tion of Cornish Yarg brings to mind a fact I once learned at a cheese tasting. Yarg is not a Cornish word. The family who invented it have the surname Gray. Read it backwards…
Ruth wrote: » @Lyda, I don't know which bit of SoCal suburbia you're in, but you might visit a Ralph's in an upmarket neighborhood. The chichi Ralph's here in Long Beach has a big cheese section with its own dedicated staff member. It's not cheap! But they put smaller wedges priced under 5 bucks each into separate boxes so you can buy just a bit. It's entirely separate from the bricks of industrially produced jack and cheddar; they have imported real Manchego, Stilton, etc and also have good American stuff like Maytag blue and Humboldt Fog. Changed my life when I switched Ralph's stores a while back.
I don't mind adulterated cheeses, but it very much depends what they're adulterated with. The foie gras land cheesemonger has a sheep's milk cheese flavoured with rosemary oil, which is delicious.
Mrs Gramps and I enjoy Tillamook cheeses. Different varieties. Tillamook was originally started as a dairy co-op on the Oregon coast. At the time, the only way to get their product to the Portland market was to make it into cheese. They are still very good at it.
(Lloyd Bridges voice):
Looks like I picked the wrong week to be diagnosed with high cholesterol.
I adore cheese, and while I do like good quality chocolate too, I could give that up far more easily than cheese.
The me tion of Cornish Yarg brings to mind a fact I once learned at a cheese tasting. Yarg is not a Cornish word. The family who invented it have the surname Gray. Read it backwards…
(Lloyd Bridges voice):
Looks like I picked the wrong week to be diagnosed with high cholesterol.
I adore cheese, and while I do like good quality chocolate too, I could give that up far more easily than cheese.
The me tion of Cornish Yarg brings to mind a fact I once learned at a cheese tasting. Yarg is not a Cornish word. The family who invented it have the surname Gray. Read it backwards…
It could have been worse...
That would have been Esrow.
Possibly related to Danish Esrom? Now, there's a fine, tasty, malodorous cheese. It's difficult, if not impossible to find it here now, allegedly due to government interference of some kind - possibly an international treaty on chemical warfare.
I don't mind adulterated cheeses, but it very much depends what they're adulterated with. The foie gras land cheesemonger has a sheep's milk cheese flavoured with rosemary oil, which is delicious.
That does sound nice. I like smoked cheese, although the stuff you get in supermarkets is a bit plasticky. I just don't care for cheeses with random bits of squishy fruit in. Even fruit that I actually like when it's served separately.
I don't mind adulterated cheeses, but it very much depends what they're adulterated with. The foie gras land cheesemonger has a sheep's milk cheese flavoured with rosemary oil, which is delicious.
That does sound nice. I like smoked cheese, although the stuff you get in supermarkets is a bit plasticky. I just don't care for cheeses with random bits of squishy fruit in. Even fruit that I actually like when it's served separately.
Darllenwr’s parents had a separate cheese fridge, but weren’t prepared to keep Stinking Bishop in there! (It’s washed in Perry)
Some years ago, I stayed with friends for a while on the Welsh Borders and tried some Stinking Bishop at a farmers' market, a revelation and one of my favourite cheeses ever. But then I grew up in a household where imported long-ripened Roquefort, Cabrales and even the notorious Casu Martzu were served up for the brave or foolhardy. I love smelly blue cheeses and am happy to eat them all alone at the end of the table while others look away.
South African cheeses are a mixed bag and imported French cheeses often still the best buy. We do get some good hard cheeses from Langbaken in the Karoo and an excellent Dalewood Fromage. A local mascarpone with figs and pecan nuts is popular, as are smoked goudas and pecorinos.
Comments
Brie so runny it needs to be kept in a bowl.
Best of all, try this: equal parts of grated vintage cheddar, mozzarella, caerphilly and a handful of parmesan, bound together with beaten egg and a teaspoon of grain mustard; spread on good sourdough and put under a medium grill for 4-5 minutes. Enjoy!
I'll pray for you.
I'll pray for you.
You're close to a Welsh Rarebit there.
Looks like I picked the wrong week to be diagnosed with high cholesterol.
I adore cheese, and while I do like good quality chocolate too, I could give that up far more easily than cheese.
The me tion of Cornish Yarg brings to mind a fact I once learned at a cheese tasting. Yarg is not a Cornish word. The family who invented it have the surname Gray. Read it backwards…
Blessings be upon you, @Ruth! Yeah, I'm in the Inland Empire. NOT chichi. But your suggestions I'll take and run with.
And damn! I was just in Long Beach a couple of days ago...
Re: putting other ingredients in cheese. Is it because the cheese needs a taste boost, or because there are lots of people who prefer the taste of cheese to be masked?
I avoid these "contaminated" cheeses.
It's just a marketing ploy.
It's a bit like the fad a few years ago for adding chocolate to beer or, as in one brewery in Denmark I heard about, sending over to Vietnam for some kind of musk from the gonads of a particular type of weasel found only in those parts ...
Ok, I'm exaggerating slightly...
It could have been worse...
@Lyda, I don't know which bit of SoCal suburbia you're in, but you might visit a Ralph's in an upmarket neighborhood. The chichi Ralph's here in Long Beach has a big cheese section with its own dedicated staff member. It's not cheap! But they put smaller wedges priced under 5 bucks each into separate boxes so you can buy just a bit. It's entirely separate from the bricks of industrially produced jack and cheddar; they have imported real Manchego, Stilton, etc and also have good American stuff like Maytag blue and Humboldt Fog. Changed my life when I switched Ralph's stores a while back.
A big vote for Humboldt Fog.
I have just had Doux de montagne at my French group. There was a blue cheese as well but I don’t like blue cheeses so I didn’t try it.
That would have been Esrow.
Possibly related to Danish Esrom? Now, there's a fine, tasty, malodorous cheese. It's difficult, if not impossible to find it here now, allegedly due to government interference of some kind - possibly an international treaty on chemical warfare.
That does sound nice. I like smoked cheese, although the stuff you get in supermarkets is a bit plasticky. I just don't care for cheeses with random bits of squishy fruit in. Even fruit that I actually like when it's served separately.
Just so.
Some years ago, I stayed with friends for a while on the Welsh Borders and tried some Stinking Bishop at a farmers' market, a revelation and one of my favourite cheeses ever. But then I grew up in a household where imported long-ripened Roquefort, Cabrales and even the notorious Casu Martzu were served up for the brave or foolhardy. I love smelly blue cheeses and am happy to eat them all alone at the end of the table while others look away.
South African cheeses are a mixed bag and imported French cheeses often still the best buy. We do get some good hard cheeses from Langbaken in the Karoo and an excellent Dalewood Fromage. A local mascarpone with figs and pecan nuts is popular, as are smoked goudas and pecorinos.