Italian Provolone Cheese Sophisticated Simplicity

Italian Provolone bears little resemblance to the pitiful, tasteless factory made version we often see here in the United States. It is the most popular cheese in Italy and it is found in almost every home there. Provolone has DOP certification but is made in all the regions of Italy and comes in all shapes and sizes. Provolone is a firm cow's milk cheese that been rubbed with brine and allowed to air dry in controlled temperatures and humidity. The fresh cheese, aged about one month, has almost no flavor or aroma. However this cheese is transformed once it is allowed to age further. The Dolce version is aged about three months and has a mildly sharp flavor for this reason it is popular as an addition to deli sandwiches here in the United States. The ten to twelve month aged cheese Picante has a sharp and aggressive flavor and the sixteen to eighteen month version has a very sharp and also hot taste that can overpower many accompaniments. There is a rare three year old Provolone that appears in some specialty cheese shops. This aged version is hard and flinty and can be grated. It has a very hot flavor and really spices up pasta dishes.  Also, as it ages Provolone will get firmer and a bit oily. The outer rind is formed by the constant rubbing of the fresh cheese with oil and brine this procedure creates a natural edible rind that has a medium yellow hue and a light yellow interior paste that will become darker as the cheese ages.

Provolone is usually pretty hard to abuse but when buying it look for dryness, cracking or a rancid odor as these are all signs of a bad investment. Also ask your cheese seller how long the piece you are buying has been aged because this will give you an idea about it's flavor. Also ask to taste a small piece since there is no sense in purchasing a picante version if you do not like sharp cheeses. The brands to look for here in the United States are Auricchio, Il Giardino but our favorite imported one is Albiero. The Alberio Dairy consistently produces superior quality products that reflect the family's dedication to the art of cheese making.

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You can serve dolce Provolone as a sandwich cheese, with raw vegetables, olives and sweet peppers in an antipasto or as a topping for pizza. Aged versions can be served as a table cheese or grated over pasta, meat or seafood dishes

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Wine Pairing: Since the simplicity of this cheese is it's strong point look for unpretentious Italian red wines like Chianti Classico. For aged versions look for bold Italian reds.

For information on other Alberio Brand cheeses go to: http://www.albiero.it/albieroeng.html

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Huntsman A Uniquely English Cheese

Huntsman is a pasteurized cow's milk blue cheese made by the Long Clawson Dairy in England. It's name is trademarked but there a few imitators like Stilchester out there so always ask for the original. Huntsman is relatively new to the retail cheese world but it has acquired a large and devoted following. It is made by starting with a wheel of 36 month aged Double Gloucester and cutting out sections in the split wheel by hand. The cut out sections are then filled in by hand with 3 month aged Stilton blue cheese. This time consuming process yields a wonderful cheese that is quite unique. It presents a combination of the soft, assertive Stilton with the mild flavored, hard textured Double Gloucester. At first thought this combination really should not work, however one taste will quickly prove this line of thinking wrong.

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When shopping for Huntsman first look for the Long Clawson Dairy name, then make sure that the Stilton does not look gray or overly runny and that the Double Gloucester is not dry, cracked or moldy. You may find Huntsman in three or five layer versions, both are good but think of how you plan to serve them before making a purchase. The five layer version is a bit tall so it would work well for cheese plates and the three layer version works well for cooking.

Store Huntsman wrapped in waxed paper or tin foil and covered with plastic wrap and in a separated vegetable bin. This will prevent the strong Stilton aroma and it's mold from being transferred to other foods or cheeses.

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Huntsman is a great addition to a cheese board, it is also great melted over hamburgers, grilled steak and sliced into salads. It can be served by itself with fig paste and crusty bread as a midday snack.

Wine Pairing; Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc or sweet Ports it also pairs well with British Ales.

English Double Gloucester Cheese Revisiting A Old Friend

Double Gloucester is a mild cheddar-like English farmhouse cheese that has been produced since the 16th century. It is made from the morning and evening milkings then the whole milk and cream from these two milkings are poured and mixed together, rennet is then added to create the curd. The curd is lightly cooked, drained and then pressed in molds to remove any excess water and whey, the resulting cheeses are set to age for about six months. There are two versions of Double Gloucester, one is white and the other light orange, the orange color comes from the addition of annatto during the mixing stage. A hard natural rind is formed that can look unsightly but it is often covered by a cloth outer layer to help keep it dry. Farmhouse made Double Gloucester almost always comes cloth bound and is usually more expensive than the plain rind cheeses made by large dairies.This cheese is also used in the production of English Huntsman cheese.

 Tasting: The flavor of Double Gloucester depends on its age therefore the older it is the more flavor it will have. The inner paste is dense and hard but not overly dry. The outer rind, which is inedible, may have spots of mold on it but this is normal and should not be looked at as a cheese gone bad. It has a buttery rich taste with hints of citrus and onion, as it ages it with have a sharper flavor and a decidedly nutty finish. This cheese should be stored in a zip lock bag in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator, this way it should last about 2 - 3 weeks, any mold that might form on it can simply be scraped away.

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When buying Double Gloucester avoid any that look overly dry or cracked.

Serve Double Gloucester as a snack with fruit and crackers, try grating into salads or over baked potatoes and pasta, it also makes great grilled cheese sandwiches and paninis.

Wine Pairing: Try it with a good Rioja or Reisling, it also goes well with hearty beers and ales