Tips On Shopping For Cheese Locally And Online

When shopping for cheese most people head to their local supermarkets or even worse to the nearest convenience store. The supermarkets will usually have unattended cheese departments carrying all the obvious tried and true cheeses like plain Swiss, Mozzarella, several Cheddars, tasteless and lifeless factory-made Brie and a few goat cheeses. A few large gourmet stores, like Whole Foods, have large cheese departments with some interesting and unusual cheeses that they will cut fresh and usually an assortment of precut cheeses. While precut cheeses may add to the ease of shopping who really knows how long ago, they were cut. When buying any cheese, you should always have it cut fresh for you while you wait.

So, where should I go to find gourmet cheese? Well my answer is to invest a bit of time and locate your local cheese shops. Small shops often offer gourmet products that are fresh and exciting and can provide a personal level of service that supermarkets cannot or will not. Try to find several shops if you can because each owner or manager may specialize in the cheeses from a particular country or countries or he (she) may concentrate on finding exciting artisanal and farmstead cheeses. The benefits of this well invested time will manifest in many wonderful ways and will most likely open up new avenues of discovery for you. It will also be a way to interact with a local merchant who will have a vested interest in helping you find what you are looking for. Shopping locally is also good for the environment and your town's economy.

Once you have located your local gourmet cheese shop snoop around in it and notice everything you can. The shop itself should be clean and well ordered. Does it also carry an assortment of condiments, crackers and other cheese related products? The point here is that ideally you want to be able to find what you need or want in one location. Does it smell like a cheese shop? This may sound like a silly question but there should be an earthy, cheese aroma in the air to stimulate your taste buds! Are the weighing scales easy to see and are they clean, do the refrigerated cases look clean and orderly, do the cheeses in the cases look fresh? If your local shop passes these quick looks you have possibly found a new treasure chest of flavor. If the shop owner or the sales staff is not too busy engage them by asking a few of the questions you may have. Do they seem to be knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the store and it's products? A honest retailer will admit to not knowing the answer to a question and will offer to research it for you. If the staff seems bored or annoyed by your questions this is a bad sign and you may have a bad experience there. Also, when looking for cheese do not be afraid to ask for a small sample to taste. A verbal description is always subjective and your purchase may not turn out to be what you like or expected. Ideally, the salesperson should offer a sample before you ask for it, any good cheese shop will be happy to offer samples of their cheeses for you to taste. If these simple things seem to be a problem or if the store has a no sample policy find another store to shop in because you will most likely be disappointed with your purchases.

Shopping for gourmet cheese should not be a harrowing or daunting process. Ask questions, seek information and help from your retailer. Over time he or she will come to know your likes and dislikes and will be able to introduce you new cheeses that will fall into your comfort zone. Who knows you may begin to live on the edge and experiment with goat cheeses like goat Gouda and goat Brie and sheep milk cheeses like Idiazabal and Ossay-Iraty. Planning a dinner party with a cheese course or wine and cheese tasting party will be less work intensive and more rewarding if you build up a good relationship with your local shop.

I would like to mention a few things about buying cheese online if this is your preferred method of shopping, although as stated above I prefer the human interaction. Obviously you will not be able to sample or see the cheeses before you pay for them, so initially it will be trial and error. A good online retailer will give accurate information about his products and prices. Please remember price does not always indicate quality. There should be a quick response to any questions regarding the quality or appearance of the cheese that has been purchased. You, the customer are putting your faith and trust in the online retailer and for that you should be treated with respect and fairness. Any good business person should realize that an unsatisfied customer is a one time customer and will tell everyone about their bad online experience. There are many online cheese retailers that offer quality products and shopping online can be a rewarding and exciting adventure. 

When you find an online or local retailer that you like and trust stay with them and buy with confidence.

Taleggio Cheese Bries' New Competitor

Taleggio is a soft pressed, washed rind cow milk cheese form the Lombardy region of northern Italy. It is made from both lightly pasteurized and raw milk, unfortunately the U.S. FDA will not allow the raw milk version to be imported into to the country because it is aged for only 40 days. Taleggio has been given DOP certification which insures the quality of the cheese and the methods of its production. Luckily the Taleggio that is imported to the US is DOP certified and usually comes from the semi- Alpine Valtellina area in the northern part of Lombardy. Here the cheese is produced in small batches by several commercial cheese companies. Thankfully this great  cheese is getting easier to find in the US. If you are looking for a great new cheese to try Taleggio is a good substitute for Brie.

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 Details and Flavor: Taleggio can vary in flavor and the consistency of its inner paste. When it is young (about 40-50 days) it will be fruity and mildly salty with a firm white interior, but as it matures it will become softer ( almost oozy) and will have a beefy buttery flavor with hints of nuts and just a hint of salt. Taleggio has a minimum fat content of 48%. The consistency of a ripe or mature Taleggio is almost like that of a ripe Brie where it bulges but does not get runny. 

 This is a brine washed rind cheese so it will be a "stinky cheese". The rind itself is a bit unsightly and will have a pink or slight brick color. It may also have areas of mold on it but this might be hard to see since some brands come wrapped in a layer of paper. Do not worry about any mold on the outer rind because it does not affect the integrity or quality of the inner paste. If the outer layer of paper is stuck to the rind or is very hard to peel off this is a sign that the cheese is ripe and in perfect condition to eat and enjoy. If the paper pulls off easily you will have found a young version. Taleggio's rind is considered by a few cheese purists to be edible however most people will remove it. I personally find it to be bitter so I prefer to remove the rind entirely. Once again like Brie, this cheese is alive and will continue to age until it is cut, once it is cut the aging process stops. So if the cut Tallegio you found is young it will remain that way and the full flavor will not develop. The interior paste of a ripe Taleggio should have a slight yellow custard color. You can find Taleggio in good cheese shops and online at Amazon.

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You can serve Taleggio melted over rice or polenta and as a table cheese with fresh fruit , nuts and honey. It is also great with thinly sliced meats or fruit on a grilled sandwich like a panini. A good substitute for Taleggio is an American cheese named Grayson it is made following the traditional recipe for Taleggio. 

Wine Pairings: Big Italian reds like Barbaresco, Barolo, Chianti Riserva, or Salice Salentino





 

A Few Insights About Wine and Cheese Pairing

In the world of gastronomy there may be no other combination as classic or as pleasurable. Indeed, wine and cheese have been enjoyed together for centuries. But now that our markets offer a multitude of wines and cheeses from around the globe, creating the perfect union of flavors may seem a bit daunting.

Good wine and cheese pairings do take some thought, but it doesn’t have to be a complicated task. The important thing to remember is that there are no hard-set rules. Taste is after all, a matter of personal preference. While you might appreciate the delicate, tongue-tickling combination of mountain Gorgonzola with Prosecco, your best friend may relish the explosion of flavors that takes place when Gorgonzola is paired with a big, oaky Sangiovese.

So instead of stringent rules, we’re going to offer some more general guidelines to get you headed in the right direction. To put it simply, when you think about matching cheese and wine, think about harmony. The goal is not to overpower the flavor of one with the other, but to create relationships where cheese and wine bring out the best of each other. They should have a similar intensity. They should strike a balance. And the key to striking that perfect balance lies only in your willingness to experiment and enjoy.

` One simple way to achieve flavor harmony is to pair wine and cheese according to their geographic area or local region of origin. The thought here is that what grows together, goes together. Every region has distinct climate and growing conditions that impart particular characteristics to its soil. Known as “terroir” in wine-speak, these characteristics affect not only the soil that the grape vines grow in, but the vegetation that the dairy cows feed on, too. As a result, wines and cheeses of the same region often carry very similar flavor qualities.

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There are hundreds of creative possibilities for matching wine and cheese by region. Some very fine examples include:

Camembert and Chardonnay (Normandy, France)
Manchego and Amontillado Sherry (Spain)
Pecorino Toscano and Chianti (Tuscany, Italy)
Roquefort and Sauternes (France)

Pairing By Type: Other methods for pairing wine and cheese are more focused on the type or style of cheese you’ll be serving. For starters, a very general adage says that hard cheeses should be paired with red wines, while soft cheeses should be paired whites. This is actually a great place to begin your pairings – since harder cheeses tend to be stronger in flavor, they do need bigger-bodied red wines to stand up to them. But as with most rules, there are some exceptions to this one. Don’t miss out on a well-aged Gruyere paired with a white Pinot Grigio, or a slice of soft, fresh Mozzarella alongside a glass of fruity red Beaujolais.

A second method for pairing by type is based on the cheese’s source of milk. Following these guidelines, fresh goat’s milk cheeses match well with crisp white wines like Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Sauvignon Blanc. Sheep’s milk cheeses pair up with Zinfandel or Gewurztraminer, and aged cow’s milk cheeses, like Cheddar, go with Sherry. It’s well worth a try!

A Final School of Thought Select the wine according the style or texture of the cheese. 

                                           Classic Wine And Cheese Pairings

Blue Cheese:  This is the most challenging flavor to match, most blue cheeses pair well with sweet or slightly sweet wines like Sauternes or Port. If you’re in the mood for red, try a Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon, but avoid very dry varietals.

Fresh Cheese: Cheeses like Mozzarella, Montrachet, and Feta are so mild and versatile they pair beautifully with almost all white wines, including Sancerres. As for reds, stick with lighter, fruitier varieties like Beaujolais and Pinot Noir.

Hard or Aged Cheese: Cheddar, Gouda, and Parmesan are the ultimate cheeses to pair with bolder red wines. Experiment with Bordeaux, Cabernet, Chianti, Montepulciano and Zinfandel.

Soft-Ripened Cheese: Luscious cheeses like Brie and Camembert go with everything from light whites (Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris) to fruity reds (Merlot). But Champagne is the preferred pairing here. The bubbles cut right through the cheese's creaminess, refreshing the palate for every next rich bite.

Classic Pairings: By now you have learned several methods for pairing wine and cheese. As you might imagine, the delicious possibilities are almost endless. Just remember – there are no rights or wrongs, just personal preferences. With more experimenting and taste-testing, you’ll come to learn which combinations work for you, and which don’t. Consider the list of classic pairings below – they are so harmonious and balanced they have withstood the test of time. And to that we can only say one thing: “Cheers!”

Appenzeller and Riesling
Brie (especially triple crème) and Champagne
Feta and Roditis
Goat Cheese and Sauvignon Blanc
Parmigiano-Reggiano and Lambrusco
Stilton and Port (vintage or tawny)

This article has been reprinted with the kind permission of the iLoveCheese.co.uk website. Please visit their website for more articles on cheese and its production along with many cheese recipes and other great information at: http://www.ilovecheese.co.uk/