Cheese
Someone, help rearrange my brain. I'm a cheese lover having been raised on it since childhood. Lo and behold, married a Frenchman and ate more cheese in France that I never heard of growing up, but???......why can't I partake of Roquefort and Goat cheese. I am totally turned off on those two. What do I do to overcome this?
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20 Comments:
I'm with you on the goat cheese, I think it tastes stinky. The only thing I liked it in was a tea sandwich made of raisin bread, mixed greens, roasted red peppers and the goat cheese. I cook so many different things but I just can't do the goat cheese thing.
joanpieroni2 at 10:03PM on 04/17/08
Generaly I'd start with mild versions of either and go from there, but I might have actually gone the other way: started with the stinkiest, almost burning versions of goat and other cheeses. It's almost beyond stinky, into otherworldly. Then everything else was cool, and I like the strong stuff, too.
But the important thing it to remember is that it's perfectly okay not to like something, especially if you gave it your best shot.
For me, it's fresh ginger.
renzata at 10:09PM on 04/17/08
Until you try it at least ten times you haven't given it your "best shot!" Just keep trying. Also, take baby steps -- find ways to incorporate it slowly into some of your favorites.
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 11:37PM on 04/17/08
There is nothing wrong with you not wanting to have bleus or goat cheeses. They both may contain odors far too pungent for you. Concentrate on cheeses that don't accost your olfactory senses. Don't beat yourself up because you don't like something others may like. And don't let it spoil your enjoyment as you eat other cheeses!
chiff0nade at 4:58AM on 04/18/08
I know I'm being naughty by posting on this thread, but that is one of the main reasons I don't like cheese. The smell.
The only cheese I can really stomach is mozzeralla/bocciccini, sometimes provolone, monterey jack/pepper jack, and sharp cheddar (only in chili). The other part is that I am lactose intolerant, so soft cheeses are supposed to be off limits. Fortunately, it's not a major loss.
Feta and bleu cheese are pretty dang stinky. Not the stinkiest, but they sure smell and taste sharp.
You can be a lover of cheese and not like all cheese. I LOVE noodles, but can't stand certain types and preparations of noodles.
Cassaendra at 7:28AM on 04/18/08
On the goat cheese end, there are some semi soft ones out there that are less pungent and tangy than the creamy/crumbly fresh ones. I like the Drunken Goat variety. Once they put the rind on, they soak it in red wine. I think it's a good "gateway" cheese for goat's milk cheese.
On the blue cheese end, I really like the brie-like varieties as starters to get used to blue cheese flavor. Saga makes a brie that is spike with the blue cheese mold. Another variety to look for is Cambezola.
Another thing to consider is what you're accompanying the cheese with. Goat cheese loves mushrooms. Basil. Tomatoes. Pinot Noir! Blue cheese classically pairs with dried fruits and nuts. A good ruby Port. You might begin to appreciate the flavors of these stronger cheeses more if you pair them with other ingredients to taste how they work together and compliment each other.
But, ultimately, as others have said, it's perfectly ok to not like a flavor. No one is going to come around and take away your foodie license for not liking how something tastes!
ps. Seriously, try a little Saga Blue on a piece of fresh Asian pear with a piece of prosciutto. It's really, really good.
Amandarama at 7:34AM on 04/18/08
Hey, someone came by and took my foodie license away when I said I didn't like onions and garlic. :(
Cassaendra at 7:45AM on 04/18/08
Oh noes!!!!
Well, I say you can have it back. That ought to do it, right? :)
Amandarama at 7:53AM on 04/18/08
Do I get mine back? I can't stand mint in any of my food. Anytime I prepare lamb, there is not a jar of mint jelly in a 20 mile radius.
BTW, the first time I smelled gruyere, my nose almost leapt off my face. I did come to love it though - much later on.
chiff0nade at 8:46AM on 04/18/08
I love goat cheese actually! It's great spread on some bread with some pesto, topped with plum tomato halves. Try spreading a thin layer. I hope one day you'll like it!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 10:01AM on 04/18/08
I like to mix cheeses. I like taleggio, but sometimes it's just a tad too funky for me. I spread a small amount on bread or a cracker, and then top it with a little nugget of grana padano. I'm guessing that this might not be appropriate fromage-consuming behavior, but it sure is yummy. Maybe a little mix-and-match would work for you.
Kerosena at 10:59AM on 04/18/08
I love goat cheese! You might try stuffing chicken breasts with spinach, goat cheese and some sundried tomatoes. The cheese won't be as overpowering that way.
Of course, I only like blue cheeses in small amounts, so I say if you try it different ways and still don't like it, don't give yourself a hard time! It wasn't meant to be.
woodenspoon at 2:27PM on 04/18/08
@Shirl - If someone helps you "rearrange your brain" so that you'll like more cheeses, please let me know the technique. My husband pretty much doesn't veer from cheddar, american, mozz, emmenthaler (fondue only), or provolone. He thinks that everything else is "too stinky". (Personally, I say, the stinkier, the better.)
I've managed to sneak cotija and gruyere in on him successfully, but cannot get many other kinds past him!
Needless to say, on the rare occasions when he is away for dinner, I go crazy and overdose on the stinky cheeses!
GumbeauxGal at 4:03PM on 04/18/08
My neighbor wants to take away my foodie license because I can't stand Cilantro! And I really have given it my best shot--for years. I can detect it even if there is one little piece of a leaf in a big scoop of salsa and ugh--I'll skip the salsa and chips even if I'm starving.. For a while cilantro seemed to be the herb-du-jour, but seems to be a little less ubiquitous in recipes lately. Thank goodness!
Cambezola is a great cheese to start with on the stinkies. Very creamy and mild, not really stinky but enough of the bleu flavor to know it's there.
jenjen at 4:03PM on 04/18/08
One other idea- pair your bleu with some honey.
Kerosena at 4:13PM on 04/18/08
I used to abhor goat cheese and now I adore it. Go to Sala on the Bowery, get the fried goat cheese balls with caramelized onions and honey... I know it sounds crazy but it is one of the best food sensations on your tongue-you will LOVE it.
http://www.salanyc.com/salabowery.html
(even better ask for Eddie as your waiter, you'll have the best time)
greenjenny at 9:41PM on 04/18/08
jenjen, some people have a gene that makes cilantro taste like soap to them. if you're one of those people, you are automatically exempt from having your license revoked.
cybercita at 9:45PM on 04/18/08
Don't worry if you don't like them, cheese is very personal! Just eat more of the ones you like :)
I have loved 99.9% of the cheese that I have tasted BUT:
The other night about 6 of us were out to dinner and we got the cheese plate to start. There was one cheese on that platter that, to me, tasted like cat urine (or at least how I would imagine cat urine to taste). I actually had to spit it out. Everyone else loved it. Go figure.
MML at 9:17AM on 04/19/08
cybercita, Thank You! I claim that exemption! ( I wonder if it's the same gene that makes asparagus do that thing.....)
jenjen at 11:23PM on 04/20/08
Thank you all for your comments. I loved that you took the time to answer me. But I have decided tht the "cheese police" can do what they want. I'm going to stick to the ones I like and there are plenty of those. I'll just have another puff pastry with whipped cream instead.
Now tell me why I make the greatest mussels this side of France (the only compliment I ever got from my french spouse) but yet I will not eat them and he loved them and so did my two sons. I guess there's a reason I'm a little weird. My late husband always turned his head when I ate "gefilte fish" but I thought it was great and I'm sure there must be a french version of this item. So who knows what turns one on and what turns one off. Thanks again for clearing things up for me. Shirl
shirl at 9:45PM on 04/21/08