Cheese Admiration and Celebration

AnnPT77 · January 2022

On another thread, there was a multi-person request for a thread devoted to cheese, for those of us who love it. Yes, it's calorie dense, though some types more than others. Personally, I love it anyway. So, please discuss:

* Which is your favorite cheese?
* Do you have a special way of using/eating cheese? Great recipe or recipe site for cheese?
* Are there cheeses that you've found both delicious and calorie efficient?
* Do you find cheese difficult to moderate, but have found helpful ways to include it in your eating? Share your tips!

Any productive discussion of cheese and cheese consumption is welcome. If you hate cheese, or refuse to eat it ever because reasons, please find another thread.

If you are allergic to cheese, I'm very sorry. Discussions about work-arounds for allergies are welcome, if anyone has them.

Just for @Pav8888 or others who sadly live in cheese deserts, complaints about unavailability of good cheese near you, or requests for cheese photos, are welcome.

I was asked to include these photos, from a store near me (in a mid-sized humdrum city in Michigan, so we're not talking the Big City). (I originally posted them to dispute the unavailability of good cheese, lots of kinds, in the US.)

(Note gallon milk jugs at left, for scale.)

Same store: They whack up those big wheels and prepackage rather than doing counter service to cut individual orders customer by customer. All of those fridge cases the whole length of the photo are full of cheese, many dozens and dozens of kinds. (The regular boring supermarket type cheeses are in a whole other area, a couple refrigerated rooms, a tiny sliver of which you can see at right in the first photo.)

Cheese, yum, cheeese!

@yirara, @claireychn074, @springlering62? Help me out here?

AnnPT77 · January 2022

Kicking things off:

My favorite single cheese is Cypress Grove Humboldt fog, but I'm not a one-cheese woman. (Humboldt Fog is a mold-ripened goat cheese with a thin line of dible ash through the center. It ripens from the outside inward, so the zone near the rind is more runny, the center more firm. It has a mild but complex flavor. It's made with microbial rather than animal rennet, for those concerned about that.)

It looks like this:

Chef_Barbell · January 2022

I love extra sharp cheddar. I can eat it by the brick. I do not like any cheese that smells like feet.

springlering62 · January 2022

Harumph. Help you out? *arms crossed*

Not if I can’t have a cheese playground like that.

I look at those photos and immediately my brain involuntarily sings “Cheese, glorious cheese”.

My favorite is some kind of cheddar-like cave cheese with crunchy salt crystals.

I had some fruity chèvre in France that was a revelation. I ate the whole cheese plate, which should have been a terrible faux pas, but my host was genuinely delighted I found it something so local so delicious.

yirara · January 2022

I like hard artisan cheeses. Had some marvelous cheddar-like cheeses from small cheese makers in the UK. In the Netherlands Goudse Boeren Oplegkaas (some kind of really slow-ripened crystalline, but not that old-tasting Gouda) is really fantastic. I think there are just two cheese makers that make this. Oh, and so many other hard cheeses. I don't know what to do with soft cheeses like Camembert though, or blue cheese.

sandielewis2001 · January 2022

For those on the west coast there is actually a California Cheese Trail with a website and mobile app to help you find your new favorite cheese!

The wife and I have found some great local cheeses while out wine tasting. 🧀🍷🧀🍷

SuzySunshine99 · January 2022

For me, cheese is not an everyday thing. I don't like cheese as an ingredient on sandwiches, in pastas, salads, chilis, etc. I don't even like cheeseburgers. Pizza is the exception...must have cheese, but not too much.

I do, however, like interesting cheeses in small portions, with just a cracker or some jam to accompany it. For special occasions, I like to serve a diverse cheese plate.

While I'll try most any cheese, I prefer a hard cheese to the softer, stinkier options. Also not a huge fan of blue cheese or anything moldy, but I won't shy away from it either.

I'm a big fan of a double Gloucester with chives. Smoked gouda can be lovely. A white stilton with cranberries or apricots.

I've found Trader Joe's to be an excellent source for "budget" fancy cheese. They had a vanilla blueberry goat cheese, which sounded questionable, but was actually delicious! It was messy, though, blueberries rolling around everywhere.

We often vacation in Wisconsin, which is known for their cheese. Every time we go up, we stop at various artisan cheese shops to sample different varieties and stock up for our vacation cocktail hours. Last time, we stopped at Baumgartner's Cheese Store in Monroe, WI. They claim to be Wisconsin's oldest cheese shop. Relatively basic, but very well done house-made cheeses.

Great, now I want cheese...guess I'll go to Trader Joe's tomorrow...

smithker75 · January 2022

I am very fortunate to have this selection in the small supermarket within walking distance from my house.

I love all cheese!
I'm particularly partial to a Tasmanian triple cream brie with quince paste on a wafer cracker. I also love dutch smoked cheeses.
I find the best way to satisfy my cheese craving is to grate sharp, vintage cheddar super fine and sprinkle it on toast.

AnnPT77 · January 2022

yirara wrote: »

I like hard artisan cheeses. Had some marvelous cheddar-like cheeses from small cheese makers in the UK. In the Netherlands Goudse Boeren Oplegkaas (some kind of really slow-ripened crystalline, but not that old-tasting Gouda) is really fantastic.

I don't know whether I've had anything like the Goudse Boeren Oplegkaas, but I have to admit I do like the long-aged goudas. To me, they have a taste that is like their color, kind of dark golden yellow flavor (and I'm not usually prone to synesthesia, though I guess I do think of umami things as tasting brown - may just be an association, not synesthesia?) Though different, oaked chardonnay tastes yellow to me, too, FWIW, but I don't like it.

I think there are just two cheese makers that make this. Oh, and so many other hard cheeses. I don't know what to do with soft cheeses like Camembert though, or blue cheese.

I know what to do with those:

Camembert: Put pieces in mouth, savor. Yum. My local farmstead** cheese guy (farmers market) makes a Camembert-style cheese he calls "Marie". I once got one from him at utterly perfect ripeness: Rich, runny but not ammonia-tinged, so indulgent. It was so good, and so peak, that I gave a big piece of the round to a cheese-loving friend so I wouldn't gobble the whole thing immediately.

Usually, I skip crackers with cheese like this, just eat the cheese - most crackers are meh, generally don't add much, for me. (I've tried lots of crackers. Some are OK, but I haven't found one whose calories are worth more than extra cheese, to me, yet.)

As a calorie indulgence, the soft mold-ripened cheeses (in whole rounds) are also great wrapped in puff pastry or filo and baked, possibly with a filling or topping involving dried fruit or nuts or things like that.

Blue: I like this in a baked apple with walnuts. Core out the apple, leaving a little at the bottom so filling won't run out. Put in blue cheese, coarsely chopped walnuts. Place in baking dish, bake (maybe with water halfway up the apples, depending). Yum.

Also good on salads, or in home-made dressing. I like some blues better than others: There's quite a range of flavors.

** Farmstead: He says farmstead cheese is made at a dairy/creamery by the same people who tend the cows/goats/sheep. Artisan cheese is made by similarly-small producers, but may use milk from other farms. He and his partner have cows, goats, make cheese & sell at several local farmers markets. I just got some chevre from him yesterday, looked like this:

Spreadable cheeses like that, I don't usually just eat with a spoon. I had some of that last night on a nice chewy bagel from a local baker who sells at the same market, because (luxury) I had calories to cover a whole bagel while still getting my other nutrition goals dialed in. (It's hard to get decent bagels here, nice chewy ones that are a little crusty - the local preference seems to be for soft bagels that are just a round bread with a hole in the middle. 🤷‍♀️ This guy makes good ones. Also great chewy soft pretzel sticks . . . but that would be a discussion for a bagel/pretzel thread.)

BarbaraHelen2013 · January 2022

Cheese is the one thing that prevents me from being Vegan as opposed to Vegetarian.

I’ve not yet, in my 60 years, found a cheese I dislike. I’ll admit it took me a while to buy into Goat’s cheese when it became a ‘thing’ but I’m now fully onboard!

Edam is fairly good for a calorie efficient cheese, and I often use it as a 50/50 mix with an extra mature cheddar to cut the calories a little in dishes.

Baked Camembert and home baked bread is a total weakness - with toasted walnuts and a sharp fruity home made jelly/jam - I have some Grape & Chilli Jam and an Elderberry & Port Jelly which are especially good right now!

Then there’s Feta, sharp and salty and fantastic with pasta - no matter the sauce, but a herby Italian Tomato Sauce is probably the favourite.

Halloumi, grilled to toasty perfection, on a salad, on a spicy vegetable bake, in a wrap, in a taco…

The absolute Nirvana of cheese for me which I can almost never find is the Norwegian Gjetost - brown, caramelly, almost fudgy, cheese, sliced wafer thin and eaten with a juicy pear. Heaven!

I have recently started to make a cheese béchamel style sauce using oat flour and no butter/fat and that has opened up a world of possibilities, in dishes that were previously too calorific for regular consumption.

I could go on for hours about cheese!

The one cheese I don’t like is Boursin (the soft cheese with garlic & herbs) - not sure why, but to me it smells and tastes exactly like my hands smell after I’ve been wearing rubber gloves! Very off-putting! 😂

nooshi713 · January 2022

I love cheese but I rarely eat it now. I used to have 10 different cheeses in my fridge at any one time. I cut it out mostly for ethical reasons and also to avoid saturated fat. It was also giving me GI symptoms after not having eaten it in a few years. My very favorite is Gouda. I love any sharp cheese though. I still put a little Feta in my salad here and there.

yirara · January 2022

smithker75 wrote: »

I am very fortunate to have this selection in the small supermarket within walking distance from my house.

I love all cheese!
I'm particularly partial to a Tasmanian triple cream brie with quince paste on a wafer cracker. I also love dutch smoked cheeses.
I find the best way to satisfy my cheese craving is to grate sharp, vintage cheddar super fine and sprinkle it on toast.

Actually, this is funny as smoked cheeses aren't really a thing in the Netherlands. You can get smoked cheese in Germany though (and I think in Poland).

yirara · January 2022

AnnPT77 wrote: »

I don't know whether I've had anything like the Goudse Boeren Oplegkaas, but I have to admit I do like the long-aged goudas. To me, they have a taste that is like their color, kind of dark golden yellow flavor (and I'm not usually prone to synesthesia, though I guess I do think of umami things as tasting brown - may just be an association, not synesthesia?) Though different, oaked chardonnay tastes yellow to me, too, FWIW, but I don't like it.

You know how to recognise good old Gouda? When it's got a bit of a sweet taste with it then it's artificially quick-ripened. Old Amsterdam is one of those. If it lacks the sweet aftertaste (bit artificial, really) then it's a good'un.

I feel like I'm really in the wrong place at the moment. Feta is super expensive here, and generally, supermarkets only seem to be selling farmers cheese, which is kind of the same made from cows milk

Oh, and I've not see halloumi yet, or paneer. On a different note, I saw a Turkish butcher is selling sheeps heads. Maybe I could buy one and make head cheese

claireychn074 · January 2022

Oh this is the best thread ever! 😀 I could wax lyrical about cheese for ages. Current faves are Cornish Yarg (lovely semi hard cheese wrapped in nettles) - perfect on oatcakes or a good crisp cracker; feta - I am addicted to Greek spinach and feta pie and make it as a treat; a good Brie like Pie d’Anglays (awesome on a semi-sweet digestive cracker); a well matured local cheddar (I live near Cheddar in England so get some great Somerset varieties), and last but not least - currently going through a real Bath Soft Cheese phase 😀

ReenieHJ · January 2022

I am definitely not a cheese connoisseur but I am a cheese lover. Living in the state of Cabot cheese, that's probably my favorite brand. And I'll eat just about any kind of cheese to be had. Especially if someone else is doing the cooking and serving.

ldaltonbishop · January 2022

I love cheese too, almost any kind so far. But I've been watching sodium, so Swiss, which has pretty low sodium content, has been my treat for the last couple of years. But I'm over it. I don't have hypertension and I'm healthy. I'm going to eat the cheese (in very small portions). But when I do eat cheese, I try to eat it separately so I can savor the taste, not in a sandwich or stirred into something. We do enjoy crumbled feta or bleu cheese on our spaghetti. My favorite is gruyere.

After a rather fantastic blood work report in December I went on vacation, and when there was a charcuterie board, I ate (and ate)!

sandielewis2001 · January 2022

One of the cheeses we found recently comes from Bohemian creamery and is a sheep’s milk cheese infused with saffron and toasted peppercorns. So delicious!

AnnPT77 · January 2022

yirara wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

I don't know whether I've had anything like the Goudse Boeren Oplegkaas, but I have to admit I do like the long-aged goudas. To me, they have a taste that is like their color, kind of dark golden yellow flavor (and I'm not usually prone to synesthesia, though I guess I do think of umami things as tasting brown - may just be an association, not synesthesia?) Though different, oaked chardonnay tastes yellow to me, too, FWIW, but I don't like it.

You know how to recognise good old Gouda? When it's got a bit of a sweet taste with it then it's artificially quick-ripened. Old Amsterdam is one of those. If it lacks the sweet aftertaste (bit artificial, really) then it's a good'un.

I feel like I'm really in the wrong place at the moment. Feta is super expensive here, and generally, supermarkets only seem to be selling farmers cheese, which is kind of the same made from cows milk Oh, and I've not see halloumi yet, or paneer. On a different note, I saw a Turkish butcher is selling sheeps heads. Maybe I could buy one and make head cheese

The 5-year gouda I bought recently didn't taste sweet, so maybe OK.

I really like the feta from the local artisan cheese guy, though it's a little different from the main commercial brands here: Hard to describe what the difference is, but it's mostly a texture thing, I think.

It's interesting to me that farmers and feta are similar, just different milk: I assume that's regional, because they're not that similar here. Farmers cheese I've had here is firm, sometimes almost slightly rubbery, whereas feta is crumbly. Farmers cheese has been lightly salted (or maybe not at all - not sure), but feta is very salty.

I've never had head cheese, and won't as long as I'm vegetarian . . . but the examples I've seen look kind of scary. I would've tried it if not veg, though.

AnnPT77 · January 2022

ReenieHJ wrote: »

I am definitely not a cheese connoisseur but I am a cheese lover. Living in the state of Cabot cheese, that's probably my favorite brand. And I'll eat just about any kind of cheese to be had. Especially if someone else is doing the cooking and serving.

That's interesting: I was planning to post a Cabot cheese as a calorie-efficient pick!

These are two cheeses that I eat, the Cabot usually as an ingredient in things (sandwiches, omelets, etc.), and the string cheese as a snack.

Like I said, I usually eat the Cabot in things. It tastes reasonable, but doesn't transport me to cheese ecstasy - it's decent for a reduced fat cheese. The nutritional info is below: It meets my person rule of thumb for a calorie-efficient vegetarian ingredient (10 calories from all macros per gram of protein, or fewer), at 70 calories for 8 grams protein. It's fairly mild, melts OK on a sandwich or omelet, though as a cheese topping layer on baked things it's not ideal melty-wise.

It's hard to find around here sometimes, but when the mega-cheese-counter store pictured upthread has it, I buy more than one package.

The string cheese details are below. I like string cheese as a snack, and think various brands taste fine (especially with a line of dill mustard on top!), but I like the texture of these best. Also reasonably calorie efficient IMO at 60 calories and 8 grams protein.

I know that a lot of people don't like reduced fat cheeses. I do like some, especially in supporting roles. They're not a thing I'd usually eat for pure savorable joy, like I would the Humbolt Fog or a nice ginger mango stilton, say; but they have a useful place, to me.

AnnPT77 · January 2022

sandielewis2001 wrote: »

One of the cheeses we found recently comes from Bohemian creamery and is a sheep’s milk cheese infused with saffron and toasted peppercorns. So delicious!

@sandielewis2001, that sounds wonderful! I assume that's the Bohemia Creamery in California? (I looked them up!) . I need to keep them in mind if I visit the Sonoma area. Looks like they have some other really tempting cheeses, too, but that one sounds especially intriguing!

sandielewis2001 · January 2022

@AnnPT77 - It is the creamery in the Sonoma area. We visit the area often for wine club pick ups and there are several good creameries around. Another favorite in the area is Valley Ford creamery. I like their Estero Gold Reserve and Grazin Girl Gorgonzola. Mmmmmm cheese 🧀

sandielewis2001 · January 2022

From our last trip to Bohemian Creamery:

AnnPT77 · January 2022

@sandielewis2001: I'm taking notes! You're increasing the probability that I need to visit Sonoma in the future. I like wine, but I love cheese!

lmgoff232 · January 2022

Stopped at the Rogue Creamery in Oregon when driving through a couple years ago. I had an amazing cheddar made with both cow and goat milk. Unfortunately it isn't available in their webstore at the moment, but found a description of it

Mt. Mazama: "the cheese is made from a combination of pasteurized cow's and goat's milk and it's typically left to age for a minimum of one year. Underneath its natural rind, the texture is dense, creamy, and crumbly, with tiny crystals dispersed throughout the body. The aromas are rich and pleasant, while the flavors are nutty, tangy, sweet, and acidic with hints of caramel."

Now I am going to have to go again, lol.

AnnPT77 · January 2022

sandielewis2001 wrote: »

From our last trip to Bohemian Creamery:

That. That is the cheese thingie that I need for sanity and joy! Yumaramadingdong!!!!

smithker75 · January 2022

yirara wrote: »

smithker75 wrote: »

I am very fortunate to have this selection in the small supermarket within walking distance from my house.

I love all cheese!
I'm particularly partial to a Tasmanian triple cream brie with quince paste on a wafer cracker. I also love dutch smoked cheeses.
I find the best way to satisfy my cheese craving is to grate sharp, vintage cheddar super fine and sprinkle it on toast.

Actually, this is funny as smoked cheeses aren't really a thing in the Netherlands. You can get smoked cheese in Germany though (and I think in Poland).

This is something I learned when visiting the Netherlands a few years ago! It's a popular cheese here in Australia and is always referred to as Dutch. So strange

Lietchi · January 2022

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

The absolute Nirvana of cheese for me which I can almost never find is the Norwegian Gjetost - brown, caramelly, almost fudgy, cheese, sliced wafer thin and eaten with a juicy pear. Heaven!

This triggered me, lol. Every time I go to Norway and see the brown cheese, I feel tempted to try it because the Norwegians love it. And every time I try it, I think 'yuck' 🤪 and then the memory fades, so the next time I'm in Norway, I'll remember I didn't like it, but I can't remember what it tasted like, want to try it again...

I have to admit that my cheese consumption has dwindled to nearly nothing, since it's so calorie dense. I'm missing French cheeses in this thread!

My most frequent cheese is Chavroux (spreadable goat's cheese, uber commercial) on bread with sliced chicken. Not really indulgent though. But it's nice in dishes like risotto.

Sometimes I'll get some (semi) spreadable goat's cheese from a local farm:

Occasionally I'll just put a slice of Maredsous (Belgian 'abbey cheese'), gouda or cheddar or something similar on bread and microwave it. Or a grilled croque monsieur (cheese, ham or chicken and ketchup between two slices of bread). Melted cheese, yum...

Rambol is a type of cheese I used to eat a lot at my parents' house:

I'm not a hard cheese kind of person, I prefer the softer ones. And this is as soft as it gets, so gooey it comes in a little stoneware dish:

I'm also partial to blue cheeses (Fourme d'Ambert, Rochebaron, Cambodzola, Gorgonzola, Roquefort,... ), especially combined with a jam or chutney. Put those on something crispy like knäckebröd and I'm in heaven. Geez, I havent eaten that in YEARS.

Another cheese and sweet combo I love is Régal de Bourgogne or similar, soft cheese from cows' or goats' milk with raisins or other fried fruit:

If I 'fall off the wagon' and regain my 70 lost lbs because of eating all the cheeses again, I'm blaming you 😁 cheese was actually the start of my weight gain! I went on holiday in France for two weeks after university, and had cheese every day between the main course and dessert, such a French tradition. I probably gained 10lbs in those two weeks 😳

ridiculous59 · January 2022

"Cheese: A Love Story" has six episodes and I've watched it twice already. It was on the Canadian "Food Network" channel but I'm sure there are other ways to watch it. A Maître Fromager takes you on a journey around the world sampling cheeses. Exciting stuff for people like us

I don't have a favourite cheese, though I once had a smoked applewood cheddar with caramelized onions that I still think about years later LOL And I love a grilled cheese sandwich made with smoked Mazuda and rye bread.

Our family Christmas Eve tradition is appies and a raclette. Raclette cheese was difficult to find this past Christmas and the deli that I usually buy it from hadn't been able to get any for a year! I managed to find a small amount elsewhere and topped it up with some Emmentaller. It did not melt the same but was okay in a pinch.

I'd have to say that raclette or a cheese fondue are my favourite ways of eating cheese, but that's because it's also a social evening spent with friends and/or family.

AnnPT77 · January 2022

Reading posts on this thread, I realized - somewhat to my surprise! - that while I absolutely love a good cheese (per my personal definition of "good" 😉) - it's a thing I actually am able to moderate. (Personality-wise, this is a near miracle, honestly.) For some reason, I can buy an 8-oz round of good brie, cut an eighth of it, savor it, and stop there. That's not like me! 😆

Please, keep commenting, keep posting pics and descriptions of all the lovely and delicious cheeses available where you are (or wonderful cheese memories of times past!).

Thank you - I'm loving this, learning lots, adding goals to my "cheese life list".

ridiculous59 · January 2022

Quiet COVID New Year's Eve cheese fondue:

Christmas Day lunch is always casual; leftovers from the Christmas Eve raclette:

ahoy_m8 · January 2022

Favorite cheddar- Washington state University Cougar Gold

Stilton- it’s wonderful on so many things… pears with port, pasta with venison sausage, on a filet mignon It practically makes its own sauce, celery with walnuts…

I do really like crackers, but I dont eat them with cheese. I have cheese with dried apricots or figs and nuts. Or apple slices. Or quince with manchego.

This thread is making me hungry.

Cheese Admiration and Celebration

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