You know there is White Cheddar, Romano, Parmesan, Smoked Gouda and Gouda. There were kinds with veggies rolled into them, herbs encased, or already to sprinkle over your salad. You can buy curds and all sorts of Amish or European import varieties. But did you know that there are becoming increasingly more opportunities to by 'raw' or unpasteurized cheeses in America? Do you know which is better?
When it comes to choosing a raw or pasteurized cheese there are a lot of factors going into the decision making process. The first is to understand in the USA, raw cheeses must be aged for 60 days which is thought to protect consumers from the bacteria they may contain that can cause Listeria, Salmonella, or E. Coli. The risk of contracting this type of bacteria with modern food preparation, even in the raw world is minimal. If you can get past the worry of this there is a whole new world (or perhaps it's more precise to say old world) of delicate flavors and textures awaiting your taste.
Most connoisseurs will tell you cheese made the 'old world way' is more flavorful and has more naturally occurring enzymes that is good for the digestion and at the same time your taste buds. Not being required to stick with pasteurized opens up a lot of new and delicious choices for a person to try. The ingredients used and the aging process add a lot to the taste. Often people will argue when you go to the extremes it takes to pasteurize a food it can eliminate much of what was originally thought to be desired. It is after all, a process.
There aren't cases broadcast daily about people contracting this or that from a raw cheese. So the real debate comes down to taste. If you are someone who already enjoys a rich cheese, you should by all means run out and get some of the more interesting raw varieties available to you. You're sure to be in for a treat and able to see the difference in taste between the kinds.
One word of caution though, if you are pregnant or nursing wait till after to enjoy the many offerings of raw cheese. The chance of getting a food borne illness during this delicate time increases and is far more dangerous as it not only affects you but your unborn or infant child. There is plenty of time to try all the varieties the world of cheese has to offer, so wait a little longer and then try something very extravagant.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Cheese Dip Recipe 5: Spicy Cheese Dip
This recipe makes enough for about 6-8 people.
Ingredients:
2 ten ounce containers of freshly made salsa
1 can cream of mushroom soup
¼ cup of whole milk
2 pounds of Colby jack cheese
1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 large chopped onion
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Bag of tortilla chips
Method:
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the beef, jalapeños, garlic and salt and pepper, until brown and done. Drain very well, placing excess fat into a small bowl. Add this mixture of beef into a Crockpot and place on medium heat. While this is being kept warm add the Colby cheese in the small cubes or shredded, plus add the soup and milk. Stir well. Next add one can of the salsa into the mixture and stir well. After this has been mixed for a moment adds the next can of salsa and stir.
Alternative Cheeses:
Cheddar, Sharp cheddar, Muenster or a mix
Ingredients:
2 ten ounce containers of freshly made salsa
1 can cream of mushroom soup
¼ cup of whole milk
2 pounds of Colby jack cheese
1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 large chopped onion
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Bag of tortilla chips
Method:
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the beef, jalapeños, garlic and salt and pepper, until brown and done. Drain very well, placing excess fat into a small bowl. Add this mixture of beef into a Crockpot and place on medium heat. While this is being kept warm add the Colby cheese in the small cubes or shredded, plus add the soup and milk. Stir well. Next add one can of the salsa into the mixture and stir well. After this has been mixed for a moment adds the next can of salsa and stir.
Alternative Cheeses:
Cheddar, Sharp cheddar, Muenster or a mix
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
What Movies Feature Cheese?
“'More cheese please!” I once asked my mother as a young girl, delighting in the pleasure of the simple rhyme and the promise of my favorite food item that was sure to not be denied. Every time I see a child want some it reminds me and I'm constantly aware of this fabulous food and its impact on our daily lives. What may not be a common known fact about it is its predominance in movie quotes, but often non-existence in movie features.
Sure there are many movies that show famous people eating cheeses, showcase cheese in refrigerators, (strangely they're often left on an open plate without any wrappings) and heaps of quotes using the context of cheese or just simply the word. Doesn't everyone remember, “A Royale with cheese?”
What you may not know is there are quite a few videos from various sources about the making of cheese and this detailed process. They can be both interesting and informative, especially if you have any desire to try this for yourself.
There are a couple of full length, feature films out there that incorporate this yummy food. The first is In Queso Fever which is a fun documentary that happens to explore the birth and blooming popularity of dips made from cheese in Arkansas. It showcases the wide variety of types and how well they melt, plus which ways you can make dips from them. It gives you history on how this became so popular and the unusual combinations of both what you use to eat the dip with and what you use to make the dip.
A fun romantic movie with the food in the title is, I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With. This is a film made in 2006 about a man who is having problems dealing with both women and work and keeps using food in order to deal with this issue. It stars Jeff Garlin and Sarah Silverman. It's full of rye humor, romance, sparks and you guessed it, grand glimpses of Gouda, Cheddar and all sorts of other kinds.
A fun little game to try the next time you have a dinner party is have everybody bring a different variety and cut, slice or cube them up. Remember they will be best tasted at room temperature. Taste away and see who can deliver the most quotes, or movie titles revolving around cheese. Have a special, harder to find artisan variety for the winner of this game.
Sure there are many movies that show famous people eating cheeses, showcase cheese in refrigerators, (strangely they're often left on an open plate without any wrappings) and heaps of quotes using the context of cheese or just simply the word. Doesn't everyone remember, “A Royale with cheese?”
What you may not know is there are quite a few videos from various sources about the making of cheese and this detailed process. They can be both interesting and informative, especially if you have any desire to try this for yourself.
There are a couple of full length, feature films out there that incorporate this yummy food. The first is In Queso Fever which is a fun documentary that happens to explore the birth and blooming popularity of dips made from cheese in Arkansas. It showcases the wide variety of types and how well they melt, plus which ways you can make dips from them. It gives you history on how this became so popular and the unusual combinations of both what you use to eat the dip with and what you use to make the dip.
A fun romantic movie with the food in the title is, I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With. This is a film made in 2006 about a man who is having problems dealing with both women and work and keeps using food in order to deal with this issue. It stars Jeff Garlin and Sarah Silverman. It's full of rye humor, romance, sparks and you guessed it, grand glimpses of Gouda, Cheddar and all sorts of other kinds.
A fun little game to try the next time you have a dinner party is have everybody bring a different variety and cut, slice or cube them up. Remember they will be best tasted at room temperature. Taste away and see who can deliver the most quotes, or movie titles revolving around cheese. Have a special, harder to find artisan variety for the winner of this game.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Cheese Dip Recipe 4: Mexican Cheese Dip
This dip makes about eight servings.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup milk or as needed
1 pound Colby jack cheese shredded finely
2 cans green chilies chopped finely (about 4 ounces each)
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
Cayenne pepper to taste
Tortilla chips
Method:
Place a medium saucepan over low heat and add cheese, milk, and butter. Stir frequently and cook until cheese is thoroughly melted. Stir in cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and green chilies. If a slightly spicier taste is desired then substitute jalapeños for the chilies and add another can. Sprinkle cayenne to taste. Add milk if the dip has gotten too thick. Heat through while stirring and serve immediately. This can be held in a Crockpot and keep warm for easy serving convenience.
Alternative Cheeses:
Jalapeño Cheddar Cheese, Garlic Cheddar Cheese Curds, Cheddar Cheese, Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, or a combination
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup milk or as needed
1 pound Colby jack cheese shredded finely
2 cans green chilies chopped finely (about 4 ounces each)
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
Cayenne pepper to taste
Tortilla chips
Method:
Place a medium saucepan over low heat and add cheese, milk, and butter. Stir frequently and cook until cheese is thoroughly melted. Stir in cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and green chilies. If a slightly spicier taste is desired then substitute jalapeños for the chilies and add another can. Sprinkle cayenne to taste. Add milk if the dip has gotten too thick. Heat through while stirring and serve immediately. This can be held in a Crockpot and keep warm for easy serving convenience.
Alternative Cheeses:
Jalapeño Cheddar Cheese, Garlic Cheddar Cheese Curds, Cheddar Cheese, Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, or a combination
Friday, August 26, 2011
What is the Difference Between Animal Rennet and Vegetable Rennet?
Don't you just love cheese? It is impressive amazing that it melts across a delicious burger or adds flavor to that least favorable food group, the vegetable. Maybe you love the way it can change boring rice, broccoli or Tuna into a scrumptious dinner casserole in just one a single dish for dinner. But have you ever put your mind to how we get this fantastic food? There is a unique aging and fermentation process used to a variety of milk and during this creation an enzyme called rennet is used.
Rennet is put into already acidified milk to force the proteins to form curds. During this process liquid runs off and is given the name whey. The amount of rennet used varies with the type of cheese the maker is trying to create. Traditionally, animal rennet comes from baby goats, cows, or sheep, before they've eaten anything but their mother's milk. It is an enzyme that comes from their stomachs. Some people have a moral issue with animal rennet because it is taken from young animals that are often slaughtered for mutton or veal. It did seem to come about in a time when milk was often stored in bags made from these animals' stomachs. Most European varieties are still made from animal rennet.
Vegetable rennet is a whole other matter. Early Greeks were known to use extractions of fig juice to coagulate milk. Other possible sources would be mallow, thistle, Ground Ivy, nettles, and soybean. Cheeses made with this form of rennet are often Kosher and fine for vegetarians.
Most people tend to think of microbial rennets as the same as vegetable. Their origin comes from a certain kind of mold, called Mucur Miehei. Something very interesting about microbial rennet is that even though its origin is with mold the end result doesn't contain any mold.
All of the above rennets can work very well in the making of cheese. Which rennet you decide to use is all variable upon the type of cheese you wish to create and the aging process involved. Generally speaking you want to use animal rennet for any of the cheeses that need longer to age. Most producers choose calf rennet for this. The microbial and vegetable rennets tend to create bitter flavors in the end product if aged longer than six months or so.
Hopefully the process we use to make this yummy food will only move you to try new kinds and enjoy in even more ways.
Rennet is put into already acidified milk to force the proteins to form curds. During this process liquid runs off and is given the name whey. The amount of rennet used varies with the type of cheese the maker is trying to create. Traditionally, animal rennet comes from baby goats, cows, or sheep, before they've eaten anything but their mother's milk. It is an enzyme that comes from their stomachs. Some people have a moral issue with animal rennet because it is taken from young animals that are often slaughtered for mutton or veal. It did seem to come about in a time when milk was often stored in bags made from these animals' stomachs. Most European varieties are still made from animal rennet.
Vegetable rennet is a whole other matter. Early Greeks were known to use extractions of fig juice to coagulate milk. Other possible sources would be mallow, thistle, Ground Ivy, nettles, and soybean. Cheeses made with this form of rennet are often Kosher and fine for vegetarians.
Most people tend to think of microbial rennets as the same as vegetable. Their origin comes from a certain kind of mold, called Mucur Miehei. Something very interesting about microbial rennet is that even though its origin is with mold the end result doesn't contain any mold.
All of the above rennets can work very well in the making of cheese. Which rennet you decide to use is all variable upon the type of cheese you wish to create and the aging process involved. Generally speaking you want to use animal rennet for any of the cheeses that need longer to age. Most producers choose calf rennet for this. The microbial and vegetable rennets tend to create bitter flavors in the end product if aged longer than six months or so.
Hopefully the process we use to make this yummy food will only move you to try new kinds and enjoy in even more ways.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)