And now for something completely random:
If you know me well, you know that I am more than a little appreciative of good cheese. American "cheese" (a.k.a. - processed whey product) and mass produced grocery store varieties do little to impress me even if they are more cost effective. (I do still buy extra sharp grocery store cheddar and it's alright I guess.) But good cheese, the unusual more expensive unique kinds, the cheeses that are special recipes and works of art of certain regions...those cheeses tantalize my taste buds. What can I say? I'm from the upper Midwest. Dairy farming and dairy products are a way of life and a permanent part of culture. I grew up with a palate for cheese. Nothing compares with authentic Wisconsin cheese. Ahhhh....
But enough of my nostalgic memories. Back to the blog. This is going to be a part of my blog dedicated to the different cheeses I have tried and my personal opinions about them. (Also this is a way for me to keep track of all the cheeses I've like and those I haven't.) My goal is to try as many cheeses as I can over my lifetime. So here goes...
Cheeses I have had in the past without recent enough experiences to comment in detail:
Havarti, Wisconsin Cheddar (aged 2 years, 4 years, 5 years, and 7 years. Holy cow. 7 years is even too strong for me!), Farmers Cheese, Swiss (baby Swiss and regular varieties), Swiss Gruyere, Butterkase, Mozzarella, Montery Jack (and for that matter, most "Jack" varieties), Parmesan, Romano, Smoked Gouda, Cougar Cheese (product of Washington State University's creamery), Cheese Curds (oh the many many flavors fried and otherwise!), Monchego, Brie (baby, double cream, baked, and regular), Asiago, various Goat Cheeses, Queso, Feta, Edam, Mahon, Muenster, Neufchatel, Provolone.
8/24/11. Reypenaer: This particular cheese is a hard yellowish-orange cheese that slices nicely without crumbling. The taste is perfect - not too strong, but very flavorful. It makes for a good partner to crackers, and melts well to accompany dinner dishes. I personally put in on some chicken enchiladas instead of cheddar and it was delicious! To my palate, it tasted like a cross between cheddar and parmesan and perhaps a little of something else salty with some nutty undertones. Reypenaer does not have a particularly uniquely distinctive taste, but it is delicious none the less! I would definitely buy it again.
Cocoa Cardona Cheese with Edible Rind : A soft white creamy mild tasting goat cheese. The "rind" is simply a powdering of cocoa from what I can tell. I couldn't really discern a cocoa taste or even bitterness from the cocoa rind, but the brown rind contrasted against the white cheese looks kinda cool. The cheese has the characteristic "gamey" goat cheese flavor although it is relatively mild compared to other goat cheeses. The soft creamy taste is really rich actually, so I could only have a little bit at once by itself. It would also go very well with crackers, but I'm not as sure how how easy it would be to pair with food for a meal. All in all, a very tasty cheese.
6/21/11. German Tilsit Cheese: (according to the label on the slice I bought it is a "more spicy, intense and full than regular Havarti. Tilsit has a brown orange rind and a rich yellow pate, springy and elastic". As I unwrapped this cheese for the first time, the particularly strong aroma of dirty socks nearly knocked me back...at second smell it was more of a yeasty smell but still reminiscent of dirty socks. Not to mention that after cutting a small piece to taste, my fingers smelled of dirty socks. It is indeed a softer cheese, easily cut, that does not crumble. The taste. Ah. Well, the first flavor was somewhat sour. A few more chews in and it tasted like how a musty room smells. Finally when I swallowed the cheese, it had a pleasant creamy aftertaste. However. I had to get through the sour-musty taste first. I then tried it with some crackers and it was much more pleasant. It's pretty decent, though definitely not my favorite. If however, you want to smell up an entire room. German Tilsit Cheese will more than do the job...
