What Are Some Good Marinades For Cheese?
When it comes to cheese marinades, one common problem is figuring out what type of marinade is the very best. And let’s face it—you can Google it as often as you would like, but there’s hardly any actual information on it!
First of all, overnight marinades are very popular. This is because cheese is one of those foods that you cannot just heat and then expect it to go back to normal—in order to marinade it, it must stay cold. The longer, the more flavor that it’ll have. Keep in mind that this also means that if you want less of the marinade’s flavor or if you would like the flavor to only be contained on the outside of the cheese, you can just leave it there for a shorter period of time.
Most of the time, the marinade is also served with crackers more often than not. Keep this in mind as you create your marinade.
Next, you also have the task of marinating your cheese. In most cases, when you marinade it, you will use several spices and oil or vinegar as a medium. If you were to infuse the spices in water, it could work as well. But, oil generally works better.
A few common spices are paprika, which is good for color and also giving the food a light, gentle hint of peppers. Pepper is also very common for a tiny bit of spice without overpowering the whole thing.
For more flavor, you can use garlic powder and onion powder. These are both very common spices in cheese and also taste wonderful when you pair them with cheeses that have very light flavors.
Wine goes well in marinades for cheese that are stronger-flavored. Try not to add too much though—you may want to dilute it slightly or check a recipe to make sure it’s a good idea.
Sugar is also a popular ingredient, especially if you are using something that is bitter. It adds a light bit of sweetness to buffer sour ingredients and also works great when you are trying to create something for a dessert plate as opposed to an appetizer.
Keep in mind that softer cheeses will either soak up more of the marinade—or less. It depends on what it consists of. This may affect how much flavor it has as well. Check your cheese every few hours if you aren’t sure how much it has soaked up and want it to taste a certain way.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
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Monday, May 16, 2011
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Saturday, May 14, 2011
Can Cheese Be Used in Desserts?
Can Cheese Be Used in Desserts?
When you think of cheese, you probably think of sandwiches and lasagna and all sorts of heavy, thick foods. However, what you may not realize is that there is a lot more to cheese than just your average Italian cuisine. As a matter of fact, you can even use this delicious food in your everyday desserts—without thinking it’s gross!
There are several types of cheese that are perfect for desserts. They’re normally very soft, very easy to mix and very delicate. They’re normally very light cream or white in color and you normally eat them as a topping as opposed to by themselves. Even the French would rather place these in a dessert than put them on their cheese trays. These include mascarpone, cream cheese, and reblochon.
These types of cheese are also very easy to sweeten—but remember that you should never sweeten them extensively. They have very delicate flavors that can be ruined if you make the mistake of sweetening them too extensively.
So now you’re probably wondering—you can use them as desserts, but what kind of desserts can you use them in?
Tarts
First of all, you can make tarts using many soft, desert cheeses. You can also make custards which are always a hit, especially among those who are younger but old enough to consume dairy.
Cheese Cake
Second of all, you can also make cheese cake, using soft kinds such as the above mention mascarpone. Make sure to find a few good recipes before you finally take the time to make said cheese cake, however. Different kinds of this type of cake require different types of mixing, spices, etc. Keep in mind that you also don’t want to ruin the delicate flavor of the filling.
Dessert Plates
Keep in mind that the French create their very own dessert plates after dinner—oftentimes in place of other sweets. If you are going to create a dessert plate, stick to creamier, semi-soft cheeses or, if you know that a stronger kind is a particular favorite of those whom you are serving, instead opt for that. Keep all of these things in mind as you use cheese in your desserts—or even for dessert!
You have a wide-variety of choices and luckily there are plenty of sites online that can help you…or you can check into a few books on countries that create dessert cheese plates. It’s not nearly as hard as you might think—with just a little research, anyone can do it!
When you think of cheese, you probably think of sandwiches and lasagna and all sorts of heavy, thick foods. However, what you may not realize is that there is a lot more to cheese than just your average Italian cuisine. As a matter of fact, you can even use this delicious food in your everyday desserts—without thinking it’s gross!
There are several types of cheese that are perfect for desserts. They’re normally very soft, very easy to mix and very delicate. They’re normally very light cream or white in color and you normally eat them as a topping as opposed to by themselves. Even the French would rather place these in a dessert than put them on their cheese trays. These include mascarpone, cream cheese, and reblochon.
These types of cheese are also very easy to sweeten—but remember that you should never sweeten them extensively. They have very delicate flavors that can be ruined if you make the mistake of sweetening them too extensively.
So now you’re probably wondering—you can use them as desserts, but what kind of desserts can you use them in?
Tarts
First of all, you can make tarts using many soft, desert cheeses. You can also make custards which are always a hit, especially among those who are younger but old enough to consume dairy.
Cheese Cake
Second of all, you can also make cheese cake, using soft kinds such as the above mention mascarpone. Make sure to find a few good recipes before you finally take the time to make said cheese cake, however. Different kinds of this type of cake require different types of mixing, spices, etc. Keep in mind that you also don’t want to ruin the delicate flavor of the filling.
Dessert Plates
Keep in mind that the French create their very own dessert plates after dinner—oftentimes in place of other sweets. If you are going to create a dessert plate, stick to creamier, semi-soft cheeses or, if you know that a stronger kind is a particular favorite of those whom you are serving, instead opt for that. Keep all of these things in mind as you use cheese in your desserts—or even for dessert!
You have a wide-variety of choices and luckily there are plenty of sites online that can help you…or you can check into a few books on countries that create dessert cheese plates. It’s not nearly as hard as you might think—with just a little research, anyone can do it!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Why is there such a cost difference between cheeses? Which cheeses are most expensive?
Why is there such a cost difference between cheeses? Which cheeses are most expensive?
There are a few factors that affect the price of cheese, including ingredients, where it is manufactured, and the length of the aging process. Additionally, natural products are more expensive than processed alternatives.
The Ingredients
Most cheese is made from cow's milk, which is common and is easy to find. When made from goat's milk, sheep's milk, or even camel's milk, the resulting product will be more expensive because of their relative rarity and because of the lesser amount of milk actually produced by these animals. In fact, one very expensive cheese is made from moose milk, which, as you can imagine is quite difficult to obtain.
The Aging Process
Cheese is made by adding an enzyme to milk as well as some other ingredients and allowing it to age over a period of time. Those cheeses that must age for a relatively long time to achieve the proper taste and texture will be more expensive than an alternative that does not take as long. Obviously, the first option would cost more in resources and time, driving the cost up on these cheeses. Gouda is an example of this. Gouda grows sharper as it ages, so a well-aged sharp Gouda will be a more costly alternative than a milder version.
Where Was It Made?
There are a number of countries that are known for their cheeses. Gouda, for example, is a Dutch product, and provolone is a popular product of Italy. While there are similar products made here in the United States in attempts to make cheaper duplicates of these products, the genuine products are imported and therefore are more expensive than their domestic counterparts like cheddar and domestic Swiss cheese, which, by the way, is only imported if the word, Swiss, does not appear on the label.
Some products on the market can be gauged, at least somewhat, by price. If it is too inexpensive, it must not be of any quality. This is not the case with cheese. A less expensive product may simply be a variety that is made domestically and that takes a relatively short period of time to age. The issue is not value or quality as much as it is personal taste. Gouda is a great option to serve with wine, and Provolone is delicious on a sandwich, but cheddar and Colby jack are excellent on a burger, a cracker, or sprinkled on tacos.
There are a few factors that affect the price of cheese, including ingredients, where it is manufactured, and the length of the aging process. Additionally, natural products are more expensive than processed alternatives.
The Ingredients
Most cheese is made from cow's milk, which is common and is easy to find. When made from goat's milk, sheep's milk, or even camel's milk, the resulting product will be more expensive because of their relative rarity and because of the lesser amount of milk actually produced by these animals. In fact, one very expensive cheese is made from moose milk, which, as you can imagine is quite difficult to obtain.
The Aging Process
Cheese is made by adding an enzyme to milk as well as some other ingredients and allowing it to age over a period of time. Those cheeses that must age for a relatively long time to achieve the proper taste and texture will be more expensive than an alternative that does not take as long. Obviously, the first option would cost more in resources and time, driving the cost up on these cheeses. Gouda is an example of this. Gouda grows sharper as it ages, so a well-aged sharp Gouda will be a more costly alternative than a milder version.
Where Was It Made?
There are a number of countries that are known for their cheeses. Gouda, for example, is a Dutch product, and provolone is a popular product of Italy. While there are similar products made here in the United States in attempts to make cheaper duplicates of these products, the genuine products are imported and therefore are more expensive than their domestic counterparts like cheddar and domestic Swiss cheese, which, by the way, is only imported if the word, Swiss, does not appear on the label.
Some products on the market can be gauged, at least somewhat, by price. If it is too inexpensive, it must not be of any quality. This is not the case with cheese. A less expensive product may simply be a variety that is made domestically and that takes a relatively short period of time to age. The issue is not value or quality as much as it is personal taste. Gouda is a great option to serve with wine, and Provolone is delicious on a sandwich, but cheddar and Colby jack are excellent on a burger, a cracker, or sprinkled on tacos.
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