Cheese Admiration and Celebration

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  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    There's another dairy product that is inedible direct from the freezer if the freezer is a zero or -10F. Yep. Even ice cream needs to come up to temperature just a little bit in part so you can even serve it without breaking the scoop, but also because the flavor sort of "blooms." But not TOO warm because then it's sweet milk soup. Yuck.


    There was some discussion of Gjetost and whether it was even cheese. I'm sure I'm not the only one who went looking. Answer is -- not really but sort of. It's made from a cheese byproduct - whey. Same thing that is used for protein supplementation. Same thing that's a waste disposal challenge from the production of Greek style yogurt. Seems they just heat up whey until it thickens when about 90% of the moisture is gone. The lactose (milk sugar) does caramelize in this process giving it color and flavor. It was a traditional food. I love it that it's a use of what otherwise would be come a waste product, but it's still edible! At some point they started adding cream to the whey and some of it has goat milk in addition to or instead of cream. Pretty neat stuff. I haven't had it in a while but I do remember liking it. Not as much as something like Cambozola or Humboldt Fog or even anything from the Flagship creamery, but still tasty. Maybe I'll get some.

    Weirdly, it seems to be quite low in protein, however. (I bought some. I had my choice between sweet & creamy versions. I got creamy. Maybe that's why it's so non-protein-dense (120 calories per ounce, 3g protein)?)
  • paints5555
    paints5555 Posts: 1,233 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    There's another dairy product that is inedible direct from the freezer if the freezer is a zero or -10F. Yep. Even ice cream needs to come up to temperature just a little bit in part so you can even serve it without breaking the scoop, but also because the flavor sort of "blooms." But not TOO warm because then it's sweet milk soup. Yuck.


    There was some discussion of Gjetost and whether it was even cheese. I'm sure I'm not the only one who went looking. Answer is -- not really but sort of. It's made from a cheese byproduct - whey. Same thing that is used for protein supplementation. Same thing that's a waste disposal challenge from the production of Greek style yogurt. Seems they just heat up whey until it thickens when about 90% of the moisture is gone. The lactose (milk sugar) does caramelize in this process giving it color and flavor. It was a traditional food. I love it that it's a use of what otherwise would be come a waste product, but it's still edible! At some point they started adding cream to the whey and some of it has goat milk in addition to or instead of cream. Pretty neat stuff. I haven't had it in a while but I do remember liking it. Not as much as something like Cambozola or Humboldt Fog or even anything from the Flagship creamery, but still tasty. Maybe I'll get some.

    Weirdly, it seems to be quite low in protein, however. (I bought some. I had my choice between sweet & creamy versions. I got creamy. Maybe that's why it's so non-protein-dense (120 calories per ounce, 3g protein)?)

    It's not surprising that the protein is lower. It is made from whey, not whey protein concentrate or isolate that is used in protein supplementation.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,681 Member
    I don’t waste my whey by product when making yoghurt. It makes fabulous bread and pancakes. The bread is very savory, like a sourdough, and both are light and fluffy.

    Don’t they make ricotta from whey somehow?
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,386 Member
    springlering62 wrote: »
    I don’t waste my whey by product when making yoghurt. It makes fabulous bread and pancakes. The bread is very savory, like a sourdough, and both are light and fluffy.

    Don’t they make ricotta from whey somehow?

    Yes, but it's a different process.

    There's apparently still "cheese" left in the whey after they separate the curds. Addition of an acid makes it coagulate into ricotta. So I guess if Gjetost isn't cheese, then neither is ricotta. Gjetost is apparently just made by driving off the water from the whey using heat. I think heat is used in ricotta production, too, but it's coagulated versus just being evaporated into a thick, caramelized block.

    They're both tasty in my opinion. Of course I like cheese though, so it shouldn't be too surprising.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    springlering62 wrote: »
    I don’t waste my whey by product when making yoghurt. It makes fabulous bread and pancakes. The bread is very savory, like a sourdough, and both are light and fluffy.

    Don’t they make ricotta from whey somehow?

    Yes, but it's a different process.

    There's apparently still "cheese" left in the whey after they separate the curds. Addition of an acid makes it coagulate into ricotta. So I guess if Gjetost isn't cheese, then neither is ricotta. Gjetost is apparently just made by driving off the water from the whey using heat. I think heat is used in ricotta production, too, but it's coagulated versus just being evaporated into a thick, caramelized block.

    They're both tasty in my opinion. Of course I like cheese though, so it shouldn't be too surprising.

    I get that I'm an idiot about chemistry, but that's what made me surprised that it has half(-ish) or less the protein compared to cheese, since it seems like the whey was being concentrated.

    Yeah, I'm getting kind of off topic on my own thread, and that only to smack myself in the head (metaphorically only) about my dumb presumptions about gjetost.

    Gjetost itself is on topic. And it's in my fridge, and I will be giving it another try.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,003 Member
    After seeing the post from @BarbaraHelen2013 I wanted to do cheese souffle too, to use up the last of the Picon Bejes-Treviso blue I dragged home from vacation in Spain but found too strong to eat on its own. Souffle attempt was a disaster. I tried using a different large shared ramekin which rose too high, burnt on the heating element of the air fryer. When I opened the airfryer I scraped off the top. Here's best attempt to rescue the situation.
    036qh34hxmn6.jpeg
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,003 Member
    I do a lot of salads with cheese. Tonight was based on the flavours of tagliata di manzo. Rucola, baby gem, halved cherry tomato (better mouth feel than whole), thin shavings of cecina de leon (Spanish air dried salt cured beef), parmesan shavings.
    rvju7c4npyvp.jpeg
  • Sinisterbarbie1
    Sinisterbarbie1 Posts: 711 Member
    @acpgee wow that soufflé looks like it would must have had a very impressive rise. I don’t have an airfryer and haven’t quite understood its charms - I have a convection bake and convection broil setting on my oven but tend to stick with the normal settings even there. It wouldn’t have occurred to me to put a soufflé in an airfryer - is there something about the aifryer that helps with the rise?
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,003 Member
    @Sinisterbarbie1
    An air fryer is just a small, very well insulated convection oven with a very aggressive fan. I mainly use it instead of the oven because it is energy efficient.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,265 Member
    springlering62 wrote: »
    I don’t waste my whey by product when making yoghurt. It makes fabulous bread and pancakes. The bread is very savory, like a sourdough, and both are light and fluffy.

    Don’t they make ricotta from whey somehow?

    Yes ricotta is made from whey. I use goat milk. I save 25% of the goat milk which is to be added back into the whey and some salt. Bring temp slowly up to about 185 degrees and the ricotta should start to rise to the top. It's pretty easy. Fresh milk is best and ultra-pasteurized won't work if your using cow, never saw ultra-pasteurized with goat, oh and of course you can use sheep milk as well.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,681 Member
    edited December 2022
    OT, but unpasteurized milk is illegal here in Georgia. There’s a local dairy that gets around it by selling raw milk intended for “pet use”.

    Ironically, I grew up on unpasteurized milk. We had a local dairy that was “so pure” that they were one of a just a handful of dairies in the US still selling it. I still have our old milk box on the front porch. You can tell locals (our town has very few) when they recognize it and get all happy. Our school did annual field trips to the dairy, where we rode a wagon hooked up to a tractor, enjoyed the finest, richest chocolate milk on the planet, and took turns milking Rosebud.

    Wow, what I wouldn’t give for a quart of their eggnog (only available between Thanksgiving and Christmas).

    Happy memory detour…… we now return you to cheese appreciation
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,386 Member
    @springlering62

    Mathis Dairy! I milked Rosebud! Many times. Got to drink straight from the cow. Those are the old days.

    I think @neanderthin is saying not to use ULTRApasturized milk for ricotta. Ultra pasteurization is a higher level of sanitation. You can make ultra pasteurized milk shelf stable. Raw milk is another thing altogether. Homogenization is a separate process; you can get pasteurized non-homogenized milk where the cream floats to the top.

    Where I live, there are a few cases where you can buy raw milk. It has to be a very small dairy producer and it must be sold directly to the consumer, not through a retailer. I have heard a way to get around the rule is also to sell rather than the milk, a share in the cow. Each buyer owns a share of the dairy animal, and is entitled to a portion of the milk.

    Where I live, I think we also still have a few dairies that deliver milk to homes. For sure we have small dairies that sell in local markets; deposits on the thick glass bottles, and minimal processing. I don't drink milk, but if I did I would consider some of this small-farm milk.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,265 Member
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    @springlering62

    Mathis Dairy! I milked Rosebud! Many times. Got to drink straight from the cow. Those are the old days.

    I think @neanderthin is saying not to use ULTRApasturized milk for ricotta. Ultra pasteurization is a higher level of sanitation. You can make ultra pasteurized milk shelf stable. Raw milk is another thing altogether. Homogenization is a separate process; you can get pasteurized non-homogenized milk where the cream floats to the top.

    Where I live, there are a few cases where you can buy raw milk. It has to be a very small dairy producer and it must be sold directly to the consumer, not through a retailer. I have heard a way to get around the rule is also to sell rather than the milk, a share in the cow. Each buyer owns a share of the dairy animal, and is entitled to a portion of the milk.

    Where I live, I think we also still have a few dairies that deliver milk to homes. For sure we have small dairies that sell in local markets; deposits on the thick glass bottles, and minimal processing. I don't drink milk, but if I did I would consider some of this small-farm milk.

    Yeah, I've made ricotta for a few decades and have had the opportunity to use fresh goat milk, illegally btw for my own personal use and it was the best product. I've also used ultra pasteurized and it does work but the product is not worth the effort when the mozzarella which I usually make from the initial process and then a sub par product using the whey to make ricotta is not up to even a low standard. Where I live the Dairy board is brutal and the opportunity getting anything fresh is virtually impossible.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,265 Member
    edited December 2022
    Cheers lol.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,003 Member
    Air fryer cheese souffle. You do need to pop a piece of tinfoil after 10 or 15 minutes so the rising souffle does not touch the heating elements. Air fryer chosen for energy efficiency overe performance.
    arco8ha1vwr1.jpeg
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,885 Member
    My quick and lazy lunch today and yesterday:
    - pre-seasoned and spiced couscous - just add boiling water
    - cut some raw Belgian endives
    - cut some cambozola cheese into pieces
    - mix 😀

    0qxw78kiih5r.jpg

    Yesterday I ate it as is (lukewarm from the freshly prepared couscous) and today I microwaved it (cheese more melted than yesterday).
    It's not haute cuisine, but quite satisfying. I might add some (canned) pears next time, should combine nicely with the blue cheese. Perhaps a stronger blue cheese as well.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,386 Member
    @Lietchi

    I think I might try that with quinoa instead of pasta. Looks like it could be quite tasty!

    I gave myself permission to get some of that Cambozola the other day. I was going to get some last week, but there was none in the case. I didn't even get crackers. Poor little tiny wedge of cheese; it didn't stand a chance. I didn't polish it off all at once, but it didn't spend a night in the house.

    I also let myself get a tiny chunk of Flagship cheddar. I still even have some of that one. It probably will be gone before the sun sets this afternoon.

    I almost bought some Gjetost the other day but opted to pass. I wonder what I'll bring home next. I'm tempted to get some aged Gruyère.
  • Sinisterbarbie1
    Sinisterbarbie1 Posts: 711 Member
    I just bought some Il Forteto Boschetto al Tartuffo - it is a semi soft, mild sheep and cow’s milk cheese. I personally love sheeps milk cheeses over all others and am a fan of truffles so this hit all the notes for a mild cheese. I used to snack on cheese or make a dinner of cheese and charcutterie plus wine - all to bad effect for my waistline. I find that I now mostly use cheese in cooking or garnishing foods or that I tend to eat it for breakfast. So i am eating milder cheeses than i used to and eatingbthem in far smaller quantities and with different beverage accompaniments. This one was great thinly shaved on a toasted slice of sourdough with japanese green tea that had some toaty notes to it and sliced honeycrisp apple.
  • Sinisterbarbie1
    Sinisterbarbie1 Posts: 711 Member
    For those who celebrate Christmas - a little late, but appropriate for this group - cheese advent calendars! https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/gift-ideas/g29439136/cheese-advent-calendars/
    The japanese tea i mentioned having this morning in the above post was from a green tea advent calendar my sister sent me so I thought if they make advent calendars for esoteric things like green tea, there must be one or two for cheese as well!
  • joans1976
    joans1976 Posts: 2,201 Member
    @Sinisterbarbie1 I went to Aldi the day the advent calendars came out as I am a big Aldi fan and know what a big deal these calendars are. I got there right when they opened. Alas, no cheese advent calendars were delivered to that store 😔 so I just picked up my favorite Aldi holiday cheese, cranberry white cheddar. I got a chocolate truffle advent calendar and a treat one for my cat. There’s always next year!
  • runmomof2wi
    runmomof2wi Posts: 1 Member
    Fun thread!

    A year ago, I started a new job at a cheese packing company. We take big formats of cheese (big blocks, slabs, wheels) and cut, grate, shred, crumble, or mix them into their final intended format.

    A few interesting things I've noticed/learned...the same style cheese can taste wildly different from cheesemaker to cheesemaker. I will not eat feta from one, but love the feta from another. Same with blue. I enjoy blue cheese, but my favorite is a company that imports the wheels from Denmark. Also, the different brands you see in the store often use cheese from the same cheesemaker. You're paying for the brand name.

    Locally, I've been loving Red Rock from Roelli.
    https://www.roellicheese.com/cheese-shop/red-rock-cheese/
  • Sinisterbarbie1
    Sinisterbarbie1 Posts: 711 Member
    edited December 2022
    Ok so what I am about to share is not cheese, so forgive me, but I found it in the cheese display and it is weird and brown and sweet like gjetost so i figured there might be some sort of cheese adjacent loophole bc technically gjetost is not cheese either. But this really isn’t cheese, I just think it would go well on a dessert cheese board with fruit. … Dark chocolate hummus. I thought it sounded gross at first too, but then I looked at the ingredients and it is just steamed chick peas and dark cocoa and honey and OMG I am having it for breakfast with some apples and fiber biscuits and at 80 calories for 28g it is delicious and just the right amount of decadent, Not overly sweet, and not tacky and sticky, Better than chocolate? Maybe like a less sweet chickpea based nutella? Ok back to the regular cheese programming. It WAS in the cheese case or I would not have mentioned it. The other hummus are elsewhere!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,003 Member
    Spainish pan de higo is a great sweet accompaniment to a cheese board too. Google for simple recipes. Essentially blitz dried fruit and toasted nuts in the food processor, add some brandy then press into a baking paper lined form (I use silicon muffin cups) weight down and refrigerate for a day. Makes a nice homemade hostess gift. Keeps forever in the fridge.

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