New and exciting cheeses?
I saw the Ted Allan show 'Food Detectives' this past week, and they did an interesting segment on the making of fine (moldy) cheeses. I'm pretty new to the whole wine and cheese scene, but I'm pretty sick of the common grocery store staple cheeses. Does anyone have any suggestions for cheese/wine pairings to get me started? What about classic recipes that highlight a particular new and exciting cheese? Enlighten me. I thirst for culture :) I'm open to trying anything...even the stinky cheeses!
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12 Comments:
i just got a piece of PARRANO - a mild dutch gouda .... very buttery... a nice intro cheese.... and definitely try a cave aged gruyere... there are so many delicious cheeses around.... eat your way through them!
do you have a good cheese shop around? or a specialty food store?
usually they'll give you a taste of something you're interested in.
the best thing to do is just experiment! you'll certainly find things you like a lot and some you can live without.
as far as wine pairings -- it depends on what kind of cheeses you're getting.... maybe start with a white wine ....
pooch at 11:28PM on 03/30/09
Raclette - awesome melted over boiled potatoes, roasted peppers/veggies... it tastes completely different before and after melting. It's much better just melted.
MadelynRodriguez at 11:39PM on 03/30/09
Here on SE on Tuesdays Jeffery Forrest has this article all about cheese, you should check it out. Check out and see if they have any cheese/wine pairing events where you live as well.
pjracz10 at 8:33AM on 03/31/09
Try maytag.com they've got some pretty good stuff...
Markbb at 10:18AM on 03/31/09
My newest cheese is Cypress Grove's Truffle Tremor. It is absolutely amazing. It's a ripened goat milk with bits of truffle and a bloomy rind. Just thinking about it - Oh my goodness. I'd pair it with a nice Pinot.
Seriously, this cheese is just about the most delicious thing I've ever put in my mouth. I almost swooned the first time I tried it.
chisai at 11:15AM on 03/31/09
I don't know if these are common or not, but I like mahon and manchego for wine pairings. I like to eat these with some really good tempranillo. Is it a classic pairing? no idea.
prunesaregood at 11:25AM on 03/31/09
I'm really into an English blue called 'Stichelton' at the moment. It's an unpasteurized, organic blue from Nottinghamshire. I'm not sure if it's available in the states yet, but keep an eye out for it. It's really, really great.
I'm also craving cave-aged gruyeres pretty much 24/7, and I love a good, pungent brie or camembert. Also, most sheeps milk cheeses. And goats milk cheeses. Actually, pretty much any kind of cheese is fine by me!
ChristineB at 12:01PM on 03/31/09
I tried at MoMA teh other day one of their cheese platters - they included a goat cheese with green peppercorns - awesome!!!
I also tried a Spanish cheese called garrotxa with a sweet tomato jam at Bar Jamon. And the another Spanish blue cheese called Valdeon with figs... super nice.
MadelynRodriguez at 12:44PM on 03/31/09
I'm with prunesaregood--and I, too, think prunes are good. And they are not bad on a cheese plate, in fact--manchego is da bomb.
BobbieAnne at 2:15PM on 03/31/09
@kate9019, Where are you located? I would recommend finding a good local cheesemonger, if possible, and asking them to help you through this process. It can certainly be overwhelming. You can also check out my continuing "101" series of posts here, which give you a background on some of the different types of cheese. Do a search up at the top of this page for 'cheese 101' (without the quotes).
Jamie Forrest at 2:46PM on 03/31/09
A great website to purchase a huge variety of cheeses (over 900) would be igourmet.com There product line is vast and their staff is very friendly in helping you choose what cheese would go with a particular wine. Good luck on your pairings.
idontwanttocook at 5:15PM on 03/31/09
Stichelton is available for mail order from Di Bruno Brothers in Philadelphia http://www.dibruno.com/ -- it's my favorite blue cheese so far. I have never tried to pair it with wine but I am betting a nice California Chenin Blanc would go very nicely.
idkeats at 11:08AM on 04/01/09