An Introduction To The Types Of Cheeses Found In A Good Cheese Shop

There are several types of cheese that one will encounter in a good gourmet cheese shop. We are not talking about goat, sheep or cow milk cheeses but are referring to the terms used to distinguish the manner in which the cheeses are produced. These processes are important to the final product with respect to their taste, smell and texture.

Pressed Cheese: The curds of these types of cheese are hand or mechanically pressed to remove the maximum amount of water during production. This produces hard and semi-hard types of cheese. After pressing the cheese may be cooked to remove even more moisture from the curd. This cooking process creates a very firm inner paste and a hard outer rind. If the cheese remains uncooked or thermalized its inner paste and outer rind will remain only semi firm. Uncooked cheeses tend to be sweet and fruity when they are young but will develop a much more complex flavor as they age. After further drying the young cheeses are subjected to a salt bath and are then allowed to age in cool rooms or caves. Natural rind cheeses tend to have hard outer rinds and are for the most part inedible, however some cheddars and semi-firm cheeses will have edible rinds

Examples of Cooked Pressed Cheeses include; Gruyere, Swiss Emmental, Gouda,  Parmigiano Reggiano, Asiago, French Comte, and Idiazabal

Examples of Uncooked Pressed Cheeses include; Morbier, Red Leicester and Tete de Moine, Roncal, Pecorino Toscano, Manchego, Farmhouse Cheddar and Hirtenkase

Washed Rind Cheese: These cheeses have also become known infamously as " stinky cheeses". Before beginning the aging process some of these cheeses may be cooked. During their aging process these cheeses are washed or "bathed" with liquids like wine, apple or pear juice. The sweetness of the wash enables the growth of bacteria on the outer rind. This beneficial bacteria is actually encouraged and produces the stinky aroma and the sticky, reddish-orange rinds that are for the most part inedible. It also inhibits the growth of unwanted mold on the cheese. For many of theses cheeses the stinky aroma is only held in the washed rind so that when it is removed an exquisitely flavored inner paste is revealed. So reward yourself and be daring.

Examples of Washed Rind Cheeses include; Epoisses, Taleggio, French Munster, Stinking Bishop, Pont-L'eveque,Vacherin Fribourgeois and Mahon

Soft Ripened Cheeses or Bloomy Rind Cheeses: For the most part these cheeses are not cooked but their rinds are exposed to mold. The mold is encouraged to cover the entire outer rind and it forms a white or light beige velvety layer that holds in the soft inner paste. The outer rinds are edible but it is really a matter of personal taste. As these cheeses age or "ripen" they become gooey or completely runny. This type of cheese is wonderful as a table cheese when served with fresh fruits and crusty bread.

Examples of Soft Ripened Cheeses include; Camembert, Brie, Chaource and Italian Toma

As mentioned in previous posts a ripe Brie should bulge when it is cut but if appears to be runny you should avoid it because it is past its prime.

Triple Cream Cheeses: To be considered a triple cream a cheese must contain at least 75% butterfat. This high fat content produces sinfully decadent cheeses that have wonderful texture and flavor. Some triple creams are soft-ripened and some are freshly produced with little aging.

To fully enjoy these rich cheeses serve them with Champagne or indulge in a Parisian breakfast by spreading them on a crusty baguette. Mascarpone is sometimes considered to be a triple cream cheese becaues it does contain at least 70% to 75% butterfat but rennet is not used in its production so no curds are produced therefore many cheese purists consider it to be a dairy product like cream and not a cheese at all.

Examples of Triple Cream Cheeses include; Explorateur, Brillat Savarin or Pierre Robert

Blue Veined Cheeses: Blue cheeses are made from cow's sheep and goat's milk. After the cheeses have been formed and placed in caves or cellars and begin to age they are pierced with needle and molds are introduced to create the blue and sometimes green veining. Blue cheese can be mild in flavor or  have a very powerful flavor and some will be somewhere in between. So there is a blue cheese for almost everyone.

We hope that this will make your next visit to your local cheese shop a little less intimidating and that you will be a better informed cheese buyer. You should never feel that your questions or concerns are silly, any GOOD cheese seller will be more than happy to let you sample any of his cheeses and to answer any of your questions. If you meet some resistance to sampling or the sales staff seems aloof or uninterested in your questions find another cheese shop!

6 Tips On Cutting Cheese

I hope these tips will help you when you are planning for a party or setting up a cheese plate or cheese board. Always provide a separate cheese knife for each separate cheese.

1) Let your cheese come to room temperature before cutting it. The reason for this is that cheeses will soften as they warm up thus making them easier to cut.

2) Cut Brie, Camembert or Taleggio cheese in wedges like a pie and in sizes that will be easy to handle. When cutting off a piece from a pre-sliced wedge always cut in the direction of the wedge, do not cut off the tip or across the wedge. Do not scoop out the center of the cheese and leave the rind on the serving plate ! You can also serve a large piece and allow your guests to cut their own portions but this usually causes a bit of a mess and a small traffic jam at the table.

3) Cut hard and semi-hard cheeses into cubes if you are serving them as table snacks but for more formal settings, where the cheese is the focus, cut small wedges (about 2 oz) and place them on each guests plate. For cheese boards or cheese plates cut them into larger wedges so that your guests can cut their own portion sizes.

4) For fresh goat cheeses, place a moderate sized portion on the serving plate and provide a butter knife for spreading the cheese onto crackers or bread.

5) For round cylinder cheeses like Stilton or Cheshire, cut them so that you keep the round shape. In other words do not cut wedges , cut circles about 1/2 inch thick. In this way your guests will appear to be cutting a pie. This will add a distinctive eye appeal to your setting.

6) For bloomy rind cheeses like Epoisses or Exploratur leave them in their containers and just split them open on the top. Provide a small spoon to allow your guests to scoop out the soft cheese and a small knife for spreading. It is advisable to keep these types of cheeses in their containers otherwise they will become very messy and unsightly when they ooze all over the place.

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Organic Bamboo Cheese Cutting Board at Amazon

I have found that a good, sharp cheese knife with a 4 or 6 inch blade is indispensable when preparing cheese. A wire cheese slicer is also very good for slicing moderate sizes of cheese but they do not work very well with round cylinder cheeses. Cheese slicers can be found in most department stores but make sure you have a way of ordering more cheese wires as they break often. Also a sharp two handled cheese knife with a 10 or 12 inch blade will also come in handy for large or very hard pieces of cheese. This type of knife allows you to exert more downward pressure on the cheese and produces a more uniform or straight cut.

Sottocenere The Italian Truffle Cheese Masterpiece

Sottocenere the Italian truffle cheese is the “ORIGINAL” and genuine truffle cheese made under ash” by Antonio Carpenedo. He is the master “affinatore” or cheese ager and the creator of the truffle cheese. This cheese is also known as Sottocenere al Tartufo or Perlagrigia. The name Perlagrigia translates as the "gray pearl" and is produced in the Vento region near Venice. The residents of this region have enjoyed Sottocenere for many years and now it has finally come to the United States. This is a true blessing for anyone who enjoys truffles. 

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Flavor: Sottocenere is only aged for about one month so it has a light fresh flavor with hints of the herbed rind. The ash rind is edible but is gritty so you may want to scrape it off. The ashed herbs do impart their flavors to the cheese. has a smooth and semi- soft light yellowish interior paste and a very aromatic cinnamon scent that fills the room. The outer rind is light gray in color with a slight dusty appearance.  Both the process of the aging and the very special ingredients make this a most unforgettable and unique cheese.

Details: Sottocenere is a semi-soft pasteurized cow milk cheese with real slices of black truffles mixed into the paste of the cheese. Its rind is rubbed with extra virgin olive oil and natural truffle oil. Then a layer of ash is used to cover the entire cheese. This layer of ash helps to lock in the wonderful herb flavors and helps to prevent the interior of the cheese from drying out. The ash layer is made from drying and grinding the following herbs; cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, licorice and nutmeg. All of these herbs are grown by local farmers using time honored methods of cultivation and harvesting. The cheese is then aged in its herbed rind for at least one month.

How To Serve:  Try Sottocenere with an antipasto course or with sun dried tomatoes as a midday treat. It also will present well as a table cheese or as a dessert course. Sottocenere is sometimes known as Perlagrigia so you may have to ask for it by either name.

Wine parings: Barolo or Barberas

French Munster Cheese A Stinky Masterpiece

French Munster cheese is not the same entity as the less flavorful German Munster or the banal American version.The German and American versions are quite dull and are only similar in their names.This powerful cheese is produced in the Alsace region of France and has been granted the AOC ( Appellation d'Origine Controlee) designation. Munster can trace its roots back to the Middle Ages where it was produced by monastery monks, in the town of Munster, as their way of preserving dairy products for future consumption.

Details: True Munster is produced using unpasteurized cow's milk and is known as a "washed rind" cheese. Initially the cheese curds are pressed into molds and allowed to drain completely, then the pressed cheese is "washed" with a brine solution periodically during the aging process. The brine solution inhibits the growth of mold but allows for the build up of beneficial bacteria on the rind. The growth of this bacteria is the reason for Munster's powerful aroma and flavor. Yes this is a "stinky cheese"! The washing process is also responsible for the reddish orange tint to the rind.

Munster is aged for a minimum of 2 months but at this early stage it will have a very mild flavor and aroma with a white chalky interior paste and a russet colored rind. A longer aging process creates a straw colored interior paste and darker outer rind and produces the strong flavorful and "stinky" cheese that is loved by by its many admirers. Munster has a moderate fat content of 45% to 50%. If you are looking for the full experience seek out an aged version of this cheese, it will not be hard to find in a good cheese shop. Do not let Munster's strong aroma stop you from a nice and tasty experience!

So when shopping for Munster look for a light brick colored rind that is semi-soft to the touch and slick but not slimy. The aroma should be strong and a bit musty but not sour. The interior paste should be a faint yellow tending toward beige with a creamy appearance. The flavor will be strong with a slight acidic tang. Avoid any that look hard and crumbly or have a cracked rind, also do not buy it if it tastes very salty as this may be used to cover any off flavors.

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Munster can be served by itself but in the Alsace region it is commonly served with bread or with baked potatoes. Also try it sliced with ham on crusty bread for lunch Do not let the powerful aroma stop you from enjoying this great French cheese. This is a cheese you will love after a few encounters.


Wine parings: with aged versions serve with big red wines like Corton, Pinot Rouge d'Alsace, Burgundy or Haut-Medoc also try it with malty beers.

10 More Quick Panini Recipes

Our last set of quick Panini recipes was a big hit so I thought I would provide several more. I hope that you enjoy them. A panini press makes an ordinary grilled sandwich look exotic and interesting so if you might want to invest in one.

Set your Panini press at 375 degrees. The following ideas are great for breakfast and lunch.

1) Brie and sliced banana on a ciabatta, garnish with sliced strawberries or grapes

2) Brie, sliced pear, sliced avocado on a baguette

3) Camembert and sliced apple on a baguette garnish with sliced sweet melon topped with whipped cream

4) Swiss Vacherin Fribourgeous cheese (trim off the rind before grilling), thinly sliced ham and basil pesto on a baguette

5) Raclette (trim off the rind before grilling), sliced apple or pear on a baguette garnish with blueberries and whipped cream


6) Fresh goat cheese, sliced tomato, cooked (roasted) eggplant, roasted red peppers add balsamic vinegar after heating on

7) French Munster cheese and cooked ham on olive bread

8) Cashel Blue cheese, ham and Irish mustard on a ciabatta, this is a bit different but it is great!

9) Buffalo Mozzarella, grilled eggplant, romaine lettuce, tomato and basil pesto on olive bread

10) Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto roasted red peppers and basil pesto on a ciabatta.

Spanish Idiazabal Cheese A Basque Masterpiece

Idiazabal  (ee-dee-ah-zah-bahl) cheese is produced in the Basque Region of Spain. It received it's D.O.(Denominacion De Origen) from the Spanish government in 1987. This certification assures that the cheese is produced with sheep's milk from the traditional areas within the Basque region and produced according to strict guidelines. Idiazabal is made from the milk of the Latxa breed of sheep. Basque shepherds still use the old tradition of herding their sheep up to the high mountain pastures in the early spring. Here the sheep graze on pure mountain flowers and grasses and the sheep in turn produce high quality milk.

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Details: Idiazabal is made by using raw sheep's milk and using animal rennet to form the curd. The newly formed curd is pressed to remove the water and placed into cheese molds. The traditional way of aging the new cheeses was to place them near the chimneys in their summer huts. The smoke from the shepherd's cooking fires would then permeate the new cheeses giving them a sweet smoky flavor. Idiazabal is made by larger dairies now but they  still must use sweet local hardwoods to smoke the cheese. 

The cheeses are aged for two to four months and will have a yellowy beige interior paste that is semi soft and has small holes throughout. Idiazabal has a rind that is inedible and will range from semi-hard to hard that will also vary in color from orange to a medium brown due to the smoking process and how long it is aged. 

Flavor: Idiazabal has a flavor that is both buttery and nutty with a subtle hint of balsam and smoke. The longer aged cheese will have a bolder flavor and is  good for  grating  Idiazabal is a truly wonderful cheese at any age and makes a great substitute for Manchego.

When shopping for Idiazabal look for any interior mold and an overt dryness or cracking in the rind. Any mold on the exterior rind is a good sign that it has been aged longer than four months. It is best to store this cheese wrapped in tin foil or waxed paper and placed in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. Idiazabal can be purchased online at Amazon. Idiazabal

Idiazabal can be served with most fruits, Iberico ham or salami and crusty breads or a ciabatta roll. it can also be served with Membrillo and crackers as a quick snack.

Wine Pairing: Any Navara reds

Spanish Manchego Cheese Spain's Number One Cheese

Manchego is undoubtedly the best known DOC (Denomincion de Origen) certified Spanish cheese and is produced in the La Mancha region. The Spanish DOC certification insures that the named cheese is authentic and conforms to all the rules and regulations concerning its sale and production.

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Details: Originally Manchego was made by local herders and allowed to age in small handmade baskets, as the cheese aged and the rind hardened it retained the crosshatched pattern of these baskets. Now the cheese is aged and covered with an inedible plastic or waxed outer layer that retains the old traditionally imprinted pattern. Manchego is a sheep milk cheese, and as such it has a higher fat content (up to 57%) than cow milk cheese. It is sold in several stages of aging. 

Flavor: The young 3 month aged (Fresco) Manchego will have a milder flavor than it's 4 to 9 month aged (Curado) and the 12 month aged (Viejo) twins which will have a much richer and deeper flavors. The cheese will linger on the palate to expose the subtle herb and wild flower flavors and will finish with a slight peppery zing. When cut the cheese will emit a sheepy or lanolin scent and a pale yellow interior paste that is a bit dry and crumbly but not flinty. When purchasing real Manchego it may have an oily look and feel. This perfectly normal and the reason for it is that olive oil is rubbed on the rind to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. A nice substitutes for Manchego is the smoky flavored Idiazabal or Roncal.

Serving: Manchego can be the centerpiece of a tapas when served with green Andalusian olives or with fresh fruit like apples it can also be grilled with Serrano ham. As a table cheese, serve it with crackers and membrillo (quince paste) or fig jam. Marcona almonds and honey make a wonderful addition to Manchego as a desert course.

Wine parings: For the Fresco cheese serve it with a light Navarra, sparkling whites or dry sherry, for the Curado and Viejo cheese serve it with big Spanish reds like Rioja.

4 Quick Goat Cheese Appetizer Recipes

We like to use fresh goat cheese  for theses appetizers  (plain or herbed goat cheese) but you can substitute feta cheese if you prefer.

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Prep time: 10 to15 minutes

1) Parboil red potatoes. Scoop out a section of the potato, dice this piece, then mix it with a bit of goat cheese and diced prosciutto, place this mixture back into the potato and bake for 8 - 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.

#2) Spread goat cheese on cucumber slices, then place on small shards of romaine lettuce, top with fresh dill or tarragon.

#3) Spread goat cheese on mini toasts or flat bread and top with fig jam or membrillo (quince paste).

$4) Bake goat cheese in pastry puffs, when heated top them off with fruit preserves.

Fresh goat cheese is available in most supermarkets or you can purchase online at Amazon

Tips To Keep Mold Off Your Food

Tips To Keep Mold Off Your Food

By: Jim Corkern

What is the most important major appliance in your house? Most people would probably say their refrigerator and I would probably agree, but do we really keep them clean as often as we should..?
The fact is that refrigerators are not kept as clean by busy families as they should be in order to keep a healthy household. Leftovers are put in the fridge and often get left there for days or something even weeks at a time before finally being thrown away after they have gotten spoiled.
Liquids get spilled, frozen foods are left to thaw on the shelves, and just general mess gets left everywhere. A refrigerator might be cleaned out once every 4 or 5 months by a busy family, but if you keep a watch on the items in your refrigerator and the messes plaguing its shelves, you will not have to do this very often.
Look around in your refrigerator and figure out what is outdated and spoiled. If you keep jelly or jam, you probably know that these get molded after a while, either on the top of the food itself or on the inside of the lids.
These soft items and other things like yogurt, sour cream, soft cheeses, individually sliced cheeses, and just generally anything with a high moisture content need to be thrown away. The entirety of the food will probably be completely contaminated with mold even though it might only appear to be on the surface of the food.
If you bring fruit or vegetables home from the grocery store and just chuck the plastic bags they're inside into your produce drawer like that, you'll probably end up with some moldy and rotted fruit not too long after. What happens in this situation is that condensation builds up inside the bag and mold starts to grow on anything inside it.
Just take the fruits and vegetables out of the bags and make sure that none of the fruit already have mold growing on them. If they do, throw them out and wash anything that was in close proximity to it.
If you see any eggs that are cracked in the carton, these need to be thrown away, too. Bacteria growing on the outside of the egg will get inside and contaminate it.
If mold starts growing on a block of cheese, what you should do is take a knife and cut around and under the moldy spot on the block and remove it. Don't touch the knife to other parts of the cheese to avoid cross-contamination.

Author Resource:-> Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
mold/'>http://www.moldrestorationusa.com">Mold Remediation and
water/'>http://www.rugmasterclean.com">water damage restoration> companies across the united states.

Article From Article Source

Bush, Obama and Roquefort Cheese

I normally try not to inject politics into my daily business, but this story affects my business so I will lay out a rant.

Last week ex-President Bush raised the import tariff on Roquefort cheese by 300%, that is on top of the already onerous 100% tariff that is on it already. The official spin is that this is in retaliation for the European Union not allowing the importation of US beef due to reported mad cow outbreaks and some of its members stands on the Iraqi War. What ever the reason is for this lunacy it seems odd to me (call me crazy) that only one French cheese would be singled out.

Roquefort is an AOC (Appellation D'Origne) cheese meaning that it must be in compliance with all the legal regulations concerning where and how a cheese is made. This designation is strictly enforced. What this all means is that real French Roquefort cheese can only be produced in the area around the small town of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon and the caves of Cambalou.

The US market consumes a majority of the Roquefort that is produced and this in turn helps to employ the local population in various stages of cheese production. The increase in the import tariff will devastate this regional economy because the price to the American consumer will go through the roof. Estimates state the price in US dollars could approach $100 per pound. Who will be willing to plunk down their dollars for Roquefort when other blue cheeses are available.

You as a consumer may say who cares about Roquefort or the French but please consider the workers who produce this wonderful cheese their livelihoods depend on it. This is a global economy, for better or worse, and the actions of one country can have profound consequences on many other people, countries and economies.

President Obama has the ability to rescind this new tariff and should be encouraged to do so for economic reasons and moral reasons. No one should have to suffer because of ill will, retribution
or reckless planning. In these rough economic times President Obama has many larger and more profound problems to deal with in the days and months ahead but revoking this tariff could be his first show of good will and it could be accomplished with a mere stroke of his pen. Here's hoping that common sense will prevail.

How To Safely Store Your Cheeses

Once again these tips for storing cheese are not hard and fast rules but we find that if they are followed both you and your cheese will remain happy for a longer period of time. So here we go.

Plastic wrap has been frowned upon as a method of cheese storage by some purists but we have found it to be a safe and versatile tool if used properly.

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1) Each time a cheese is used it should be wrapped in a new sheet of wrapping material. This is one rule that you should always try to follow.

2) Hard, semi-hard, soft, and semi-soft cheeses should be loosely wrapped in waxed paper then covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano, Hirtenkase, Manchego etc. should be rubbed with a light coating of olive oil to help prohibit the growth of mold and then wrapped. With these cheeses any mold that does appear can just be scraped off.

3) Soft ripened cheese with bloomy rinds such as Brie and Camembert. Fresh goat cheese and triple cremes like Briliat Savarin can be wrapped in plastic wrap or cover it  with cheesecloth so it can breathe.


4) For blue cheese you will get good results by wrapping it in aluminum foil then putting it in a plastic zip-lock bag and placing it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. This process will also limit the possible transfer of blue cheese molds to your other cheeses or your food.

5  Write the type of cheese and the date it was purchased on the wrapping material.

6) Any cheese that is wrapped in plastic wrap should be opened and allowed to breathe every few days. Once opened you are more likely to eat some so this is a good policy for all cheese lovers!

3 Holiday Goat Cheese Recipies

 Fresh goat cheese (Chevre) is very versatile in the kitchen. It can be melted over vegetables, added to salads, just spread on bread and crackers for a quick appetizer. Goat cheese is great for anyone who is lactose intolerant. So we would like to present three goat cheese recipes for you to try and enjoy. These are NOT our original recipes. Please visit the websites listed below each recipe to see many other great cooking ideas. We are not affiliated with any of these websites. Enjoy!

ZUCCHINI AND GOAT CHEESE ROLL UPS RECIPE

Make these ahead, refrigerate them if you like, and broil them briefly before serving. Serve with a first-course green salad or as a side to grilled meat, or as part of an antipasto. Yields 8 to 10 roll ups.

Ingredients:
Suggested goat (chevre) cheese to use in this recipe: Montrachet or Laura Chenel plain or herbed, melts great

3 oz. goat cheese, at room temperature1/8 tsp. kosher salt1 Tbs. finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, well drained1 tsp. olive oil Heaping 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped3 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick lengthwise strips grilled2 Tbs. freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the goat cheese, salt, sun-dried tomatoes, oil, and thyme. Spread 1 heaping tsp. of the filling thinly over one side of each grilled zucchini strip (use a mini spatula or your fingers to spread). Roll up the zucchini (not too tightly; this is more like folding), and put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil. Refrigerate if not using within an hour, but bring back to room temperature before broiling. Heat the broiler. Sprinkle with a little grated Parmigiano and brown goat cheese the-broiler, about 1 min.

This recipe is from the Fine Cooking website. This is a great site for all types of recopies.http://www.finecooking.com/

A NICE HOLIDAY GOAT CHEESE SIDE DISH

Delicious, healthy veggie side dish 50 Minutes to Prepare and Cook.

Ingredients:
Butternut Squash, Beets, Greens (any green will do such as spinach, kale etc.), olive oil, fresh goat cheese, salt and pepper, walnuts (1/2 cup chopped mint is optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Peel and cut butternut squash into 1/2-inch cubes. Place on 2 sheet trays, drizzle with olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt and distribute evenly. Place in oven and bake until softened and golden. Wash beet greens and de-stem and chiffonade greens. Toast walnuts in a medium skillet over medium heat. Remove squash from the oven and toss in beet greens, mint and goat cheese. Top with toasted walnuts. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve warm. You can substitute Feta cheese if you don't like goat cheese. Number of Servings: 4

This recipe is from the Spark People website
This is a nice website where members can submit a recipe to the site http://www.sparkpeople.com/

PASTA, VEGGIES AND GOAT CHEESE RECIPE Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil. 2 or 3 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed. 1 can (28 ounces) tomatoes, seeded and diced (or 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced). 1/4 teaspoon sugar. salt to taste. 1 tablespoon slivered fresh basil. freshly ground pepper to taste. 12 ounces fusilli, penne, or other pasta such as shells or wheels. 1 pound broccoli, broken into florets, stems peeled and chopped. 3 ounces about 1/3 cup) crumbled goat cheese.

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy- bottomed nonstick skillet over medium- low hear, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, just until it begins to color, 30 seconds to a minute, then add the tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Raise the heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring often, 15 to 20 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down, smell fragrant, and are beginning to stick to the pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil and pepper. Adjust the salt. When the water reaches a rolling boil, add 2 to 3 teaspoons sale and the pasta. Stir until the water comes back to a boil. Cook the pasta until it is cooked through but still firm to the bite (al dente), about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. About 5 minutes before the pasta will be done, drop the broccoli into the boiling water. Drain the noodles and broccoli together when the pasta is al dente, and toss with the tomato sauce and the goat cheese. divide at once among 4 warm plates. Serves 4.Per serving: Calories 495 (22% from fat), Fat 12 g (5g saturated), Cholesterol 17 mg, Sodium 855 mg

This recipe comes from the Westfield Farm website
www.chevre.com
Westfield Farm produces and sells their own line of goat cheese, check them out.

10 Great Gourmet Cheeses You Need To Try

This is not meant to be a gourmet cheese rating list but just my personal opinion. As with any opinion there will be dissenting opinions so, any and all comments are welcome. Feel free to add any of your favorite cheeses to our list or compile your own cheese list and post it here. As you read the list you will notice that it covers gourmet cheeses from around the world that are made from goat, cow and sheep's milk. Each of these different milks imparts its own character on the cured cheese. The method of production impacts the flavor and aroma of the cheese.

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1) France: Bleu du Bocage is a great goat's milk blue cheese with explosive flavor and aroma. Unfortunately this cheese is no longer being exported to the United States. So if you travel to France search this one out, you will be glad that you did.

2) Italy:Vento D'Estate is an aged cow's milk cheese that must be tasted to be believed.

3) Holland: Goat Gouda try this and you will not believe your taste buds, it is excellent.

4) Spain: Idiazabal is a wonderful raw sheep milk cheese with a great smoky buttery taste.

5) England: Appleby's Cheshire is a raw cow's milk cheese that is not as acidic as many other Cheshires .

6) Portugal: Dom Vilas is a pasteurized cow's milk cheese made the old traditional way. This cheese is Superb.

7) Germany: Hirtenkase is a cow's milk Mountain type cheese. Great with beer for Oktoberfest.

8) Switzerland: Tete de Moine is a masterpiece as are most things form this country.

9) United States: Kunik is a great goat's cheese from New York state. Very creamy.

10) Spain: Aged Manchego is a sheep's milk cheese, this is obvious but it is truly a great cheese.

So there you have our cheese list.
Happy eating !

The Top 5 Stinky Cheeses You Should Know About

Stinky cheese presents an all out assault on your nose and can be quite unpleasant. Try eating ripe Epoisses on a bus in France and you risk bodily harm. However the taste is worth the trouble you might get into. You should always remember “no pain - no gain” when dealing with the stinkys. Here is a “stinky cheese” list with a few stinky cheeses you should get to know.

.
The cheese stink rating is from highest to lowest.

1) Epoisses can be a knock you out type of “aroma”, and your guests may just think that you are into bad biology experiments. It has a soft gooey interior pate contained in its red-orange rind and comes in a small round wooden box. It has an incredible flavor that will delight even the most jaded cheese head. Always available
2) Stinking Bishop really lives up to its name and is not for the faint of heart ! This Cheese hails from jolly old England and is a pasteurized cow’s milk cheese. It’s rind is rubbed with pear juice and for its “aroma”, think of year old used gym socks. Luckily for cheese lovers the aroma is contained in its rind and once it is removed a truly delicious cheese is revealed. You may have to look hard to find this one.
3) French Munster has a higher stink rating and better flavor than the well known German version. Munster makes a great addition to a sandwich. Always available
4) Morbier has a high stink rating but the flavor is truly wonderful. It has a layer of vegetable ash running through its middle which imparts absolutely no flavor to the cheese. In the old days the ash was used to separate the cows morning milking from the evening milking, old traditions die hard thankfully. Always available
5) Taleggio is stinky but not overpowering, it has a soft pate and nice full flavor. If you notice some mold on the rind don't worry it does not affect the cheese inside. This one is getting easier to find.

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There are many other stinky cheeses but in my opinion these top the list. When having guests over prepare them in advance and try to help them overcome the fear and dread that these cheeses may instill. Hopefully your guests are close friends and they will forgive your for the sensory assault but I am sure they will enjoy the flavors that theses cheeses have to offer. Yes, I have omitted Limburger but that one was way too obvious and common.

French Cheese Brie Nangis

Brie Nangis is a French Brie that is made in the town of Nangis near Paris. It is a very close cousin to the more famous Brie de Meaux. These two Brie's are name certified and cannot be produced anywhere else in France. If you purchase them in France you are in for a real treat and will experience the true essence of Brie. We here in the United States are being deprived of this truly wonderful taste experience. The reason is that Brie Nangis and Brie de Meaux are made with unpasteurized cow's milk that is aged for 40 days. The US FDA will not allow cheeses that are made from raw milk and aged for less than 60 days into the country. So all of the Brie and Camembert imported to the US is made with pasteurized milk. This to me seems to be a silly regulation since the French and Italians have been eating raw milk cheeses for centuries and they do not seem to have any ill effects. Unfortunately there is not much that we can do about this situation. So if you travel to France do yourself a favor and try one of these Brie's and see what you are missing.

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Tasting: As for Brie Nangis it has a white bloomy rind that holds in the soft inner paste. It has a great mushroomy, garlic aroma and flavor and it is a bit milder that Brie de Meaux. This is not to imply that Brie Nangis is a lightweight or bland cheese, on the contrary its subtle flavors and aroma allow it to be versatile. Brie Nangis would be great for the opening cheese on a cheese board or as a nice appetizer before dinner. So, if you are new to Brie try this one first and then compare it to Brie de Meaux.

 Details: A few guide lines on Brie in general: Brie is a living thing and as such it will continue to age as long as the original wheel is not cut. Once the wheel is cut the aging process stops and your brie will begin a downward spiral so it should be eaten in a relatively short period of time. With that said it should last about a week if kept wrapped and refrigerated.The harmless bacteria used to create the bloomy white rind are Penicillium Candidum and Geotrichum. Serving and eating Brie is not complicated , just slice it into a wedge and then cut smaller pieces in the direction of the wedge cut. It is thought to be rude to cut off the tip of the wedge so try not to do that. Once you have your slice you can scoop out the paste or just eat it, bloomy rind and all. Eating the rind is really a matter of personal taste, it does impart a slightly different flavor and mouth feel but it is not unpleasant. However, it is not improper to just eat the inner cheese by scooping it out.

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Buying Brie; look at it and smell it, brie should bulge but not run when it is cut and the rind should be semi-soft to the touch, if it is hard or cracked do not buy it. Brie should smell a bit mushroomy but if it smells somewhat like ammonia stay away from it because it way past its prime. Here in the states look for the Rouzaire brand and you will be getting a brie that is VERY close to the brie you would get in France. Pasteurized Brie has fat content of 60%.

The imported Rouzaire brand of Fromage de Meaux Brie is probably the best that is available here in the states followed by Rouzaire Brie Nangis, Chatelain Brie, Isigny Brie, Tour de Marze, and Bellerive Brie. We feel that you should treat yourself well, so buy the French imported Brie instead of the factory made items found in the supermarket. Check out our review of Ile de France Brie.

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Wine Pairing:  Any assertive French red wines like Bordeaux or Burgundy will compliment a good brand of Brie.