Buying Fromage
If you're anything like me shopping for cheese can be a daunting task, with so many varieties out there how is one to choose? Cheeses vary based on several factors including: length of aging, texture, the cheese making process, fat content, kind of milk used (I recently read an article about a cheese made in Sweden from moose milk! At $500/lb this is thought to be the most expensive cheese in the world!), and region/country of origin. My research suggests there are approximately 670 named cheeses worldwide, although I suspect this number is an underestimate as some sites claim there are 450 types of Italian cheeses alone!
So what is one to do? My advice is simple. Start by finding a local cheese shop where the employees (i.e., cheese mongers) are knowledgeable, willing to spend time teaching you about their cheeses, and willing to let you sample as many cheeses as needed to make a decision. (Here in the Twin Cities I buy my cheese at Surdyk's Cheese Shop.) Then slowly work your way through as many types of cheese as possible. Every time I shop for cheese I buy half a pound of four different types - two repeats and two new - always taste testing to find the two new. This is much like my philosophy on buying wine.
So because I visited Surdyk's today (knowing it would be slow and I would feel free to linger and sample until I made my decision), I thought I would share today's selection. First up is a cheese I had for the first time two years ago in Sardinia, not only is it my favorite pecorino it is my favorite Italian cheese. Known as Sardinian Gold it is an aged sheep's milk cheese that is slightly drier than other pecorinos. Second on my list is Gruyère de Comté, a popular, unpasteurized, cow's milk cheese from the Franche-Comté region of eastern France. French regulations dictate that only the milk from Montbéliarde cows be used for cheeses labeled Comté. I love that about the French! My third choice, Stichelton, is new for me but is very similar to my favorite English cheese Stilton, the primary difference being that Stichelton is a raw-milk cheese while Stilton is made from pasteurized milk. This blue cheese is made by Neal's Yard Dairy (a famous London cheese retailer and maker) in a shop on the edge of the Sherwood Forrest in Nottinghamshire, England. I have visions of Robin Hood stealing cheese to give to the poor! And finally, I bought a cheese I had never heard of before, Tarentaise. And guess where it is made? Vermont! Tarentaise is made exclusively by Spring Brook Farms in Reading, Vermont using the milk of 40 Jersey cows. That's right, just 40 cows in the world produce this cheese - now that's what I call artisanal. Made in the French Alpine tradition this cheese is rich, nutty, and buttery with a grassiness that you will love! Coincidently, the people in line before me also bought this cheese and were also from Vermont!
Well I think that's enough about cheese for now, there will be plenty more to come.
Bon appetit!
stealing cheese to give to the poor...love it! :)
ReplyDeleteSo weird question....you said you buy half a pound of each type of cheese, how long do these last in your fridge? Do they last a while or do you go on a cooking marathon and use them up quickly? My experience with cheese buying thus far has been to buy the smaller blocks of Cabot that usually lasts a day or two when paired with some crackers. I can't imagine having 2 pounds of delicious cheeses just sitting in there, beckoning to be devoured.
ReplyDeleteWell I do LOVE cheese and eat a lot of it but most cheeses will last anywhere from 3-8 weeks with proper care, depending on the hardness. You don't want to wrap cheese in plastic, wax paper works best (but other kitchen papers like parchment will also work). Temperature and humidity matter - cheese experts say you want your temp between 50 and 60 degrees F and humidity at 80%. I don't really pay much attention to these rules, although I do have a thermometer in my fridge. I think if you take the Cabot out of the plastic and wrap it in something else it will last longer.
ReplyDeleteThe wrapping has nothing to do with how long the Cabot lasts. Pepper Jack with jalapeño pepper cheese with cracked pepper Triscuits is like crack to me. I hate admitting it but a smaller block of cheese and those crackers doesn't last very long. I can and do, although thankfully not often, devour them in one sitting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips though with wax paper, I'll definitely have to start perusing the cheese section a bit more frugally and to try new options!