Tuma

When I say the name of this cheese, it makes me think of the Arnold S. movie (I think it was Kindergarden Cop,) where he says "It's not a tumor!"

This cheese is very soft and lovely. It has a nice, milky, mild taste. It tastes like the cheese I make at home before I press it. It is sold by the wedge, but is very soft as it is just lightly pressed into a large round mold. It lacked a bit of salt (which was remedied easily enough) but all in all, a lovely cheese on a warm summer afternoon.

8/10

Sardo

I had an opportunity to try a very nice cheese from Argentina. Sardo, a hard, tasty cheese is reminiscent of an aged Gouda, combined with the richness of Fruilano and the robust nature of a Parmesan. It's lovely in thin slices in a sandwhich, or just to nibble on. I got it at the affordable price of $3-something for a good-sized chunk. It has a hard, though edible rind, and melts nicely as well. I highly recommend it as it is mild enough for those who don't like strong tasting cheeses, but it certainly stands on its own as having a delicious distinctive taste.

8/10.

Gouda - It's so Good-a!

I had the opportunity to taste a deliciously aged Gouda the other day. It was a Saenkanter Extra Aged Gouda and it was fabulous. It had the characteristic crystals of an aged Gouda and a sweet but tart flavour.

Its texture was very firm, reminicent of Parmesan. I ate it in small slivers with no accompaniments and it was perfect. An 8/10.

Exotic Stilton

We're used to seeing Stilton as blue-veined, rather pungent cheese, but I made a delightful discovery this past week. I found a lovely, creamy white Stilton. But this was not your ordinary Stilton. This Stilton had pieces of candied ginger and mangoes embedded within it.

I was very happy with the cheese. It had a sweet, fruity taste, perfectly balanced with moments of tang from the ginger and creaminess from the cheese. I would highly recommend this curious and thoroughly enjoyable combination of tastes.

I rank Stilton with mangoes and ginger: 9/10

Cheeseball

Well, I have to say, it's been a while since I've had a great cheese to talk about. Not that I haven't been eating a lot of cheese, of course I have, it's just that nothing has been spectacular. Until a delighful cheeseball I sampled Christmas Eve. I will be in touch with it's creator to see if I can distribute the recipe, but I have to say, this cheeseball is delightful.

It was full of earthy tastes, brought on by sage, basil, thyme, and other such spices. It was also covered in nuts. But what made it particularly good was its creamy flavour.

I wish you could have been there to partake in this delightful cheesy ball.

I'll try to post the recipe if I get access to it.

Farmers Cheddar

I had the pleasure of eating a very lovely cheddar the other day. It was a Farmers brand mild cheddar. I also tried the medium cheddar and found it equally delicious. Farmers products can be found in the Maritimes.

I found both to be perfect examples of what a cheddar should taste like. They were firm, smooth, and extremely tasty. These creamy cheddars are excellent served with something sweet. They also make a wonderful addition to a sandwich or a recipe.

I highly recommend Farmers' mild and medium cheddar cheese as an affordable, perfectly balanced taste. They are perfect on their own and also compliment other foods very well.

8/10 on my scale.

Monterey Jack with jalapeno

I recently was treated to a wonderful piece of monterey jack with jalapeno peppers. It had a smooth, creamy texture punctuated by sublime, spicy pieces of peppers.

I would definitely recommend a cheese like this. It would be perfect on a cheese platter with crackers or melted on nachos. Can you imagine dipping warm bread into this melted cheese?

This cheese reminds me of the reason I love cheese. It's different, but familiar. The pleasure of biting into such a creamy treat, then tasting that hot spicy pepper makes me appreciate the range of variety that you can get in cheeses. They all start out as milk then they're crafted into exquisite tastes that are all so different from one another.

Appreciate your cheese. It's a work of art and a piece of creativity.

English Wensleydale

I've discovered a new cheese that I am in love with.

It's a soft, white Wensleydale from Britain.

I recommend it for anyone looking for a delicious break from their normal cheese. It has a light, buttermilk-like flavour. The cheese is a little tangy and has a soft, flaky crumbly consistency that slices very well.

Upon doing some research, I found that this cheese is often made incorporating cranberries and other fruit. It makes absolute sense because I sampled some banana chips after eating this cheese and found it a perfect mix.

It was available at my national chain grocer and, though a little pricey at nearly $30/kg, I highly recommend trying it. If you like a light cheese with lots of flavour and softness, you'll really enjoy Wensleydale.

It gets a 9/10 and wins my recommendation for cheese of the week.

Spiced Gouda

A few days ago, I tried a rather nice gouda, dotted with caraway seeds. It was creamy and mild, with a nice bite.

I purchased it at my local grocery store. I was attracted to it because it was on sale. A good hunk of it, probably 300 grams cost me $1.52, which is quite a steal.

I can only imagine that it was on sale because it was lactose-free and they don't seem to sell a lot of lactose-free products here. Ah, well, lactose or no lactose, it was a delicious cheese. It was made in Quebec by Agropur, and it really was wonderful. I recommend it. It was delicious by itself and I found it really good in a sandwich too.

Gouda with caraway seeds, my pick for cheese of the week.

Sara

Goat Cheese

Well, after a night of draining off the whey, I must admit that my goat cheese is nothing short of spectacular. It is fresh and soft, with a hint of that essential goat flavour you find in these cheeses. I highly recommend making your own cheese. You get a nice reward for your efforts and it tastes so much better when you make it yourself.

This is a nice, easy recipe to make. I found goat's milk in the dairy cooler at the grocery store. It was a little bit more expensive than regular milk at about $3/L. I made half the recipe and ended up with a good amount of cheese, maybe about 200-250 grams.

Here is the recipe:

Fresh Goat Cheese Recipe

2 L goat milk
3 c buttermilk
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 c fresh herbs ( I used dried marjoram, savory, and thyme and in total I put about 1 tsp of the mixed herbs)

Bring the goat milk up to a boil in a pot over medium heat. Add the buttermilk and stir until the milk comes back to a boil. The mixture will separate into curds and whey. Strain through cheesecloth. After strained, place in a bowl to mix in sea salt and herbs. Wrap cheese into a roll with cheesecloth. Hang it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days (about 1/4 c of whey will drain out of it.)

Crumble cheese over a salad with a vinaigrette dressing. Or enjoy it any way you like.

If you try it out and you enjoy it, let me know by posting a comment. I'd love to hear from you!

Chevre (Goat Cheese)

A dear friend of mine shared a recipe with me for making fromage de chevre (goat cheese.) It's a simple recipe, but I'm hoping the outcome will be spectacular.

I blended in some thyme, marjoram, savory, and salt. It's now hanging from a cheesecloth inside my fridge so it can finish draining overnight.

I'll post and let you know how the cheese turns out. I also made some cottage cheese with the leftover buttermilk and it turned out great. It's so simple to make as well.

Isn't it amazing that milk can turn into such a beautiful, delicious thing?

Monterey Jack

We've recently discovered Monterey Jack cheese. It has the consistency of cheddar and slices nicely. I've had the good fortune of enjoying recently in a baguette bread ham and spinach leaf sandwhich. It has a nice mild taste that would probably be called a mild to medium. It is creamy, rich, and very flavorful.

Out of ten, I'd rate it an 8. It's perfect for use in sandwiches as I did or shredded on Mexican food. A fine, versatile cheese.

Stilton and Double Gloucester

Last week, I tried a wonderful cheese. It was a layered wedge of Stilton and Double Gloucester.

The majority of the cheese was a velvety soft yellow Double Gloucester and layered twice was a nice veiny cream-like Stilton. If you picture a layer cake, cut in a slice, you have the cheese I tried.

I was tempted by its drastically reduced price. Two dollars and six cents bought me a decent wedge, probably around 200 grams worth of pure eating pleasure.

Normally, I don't go for the veiny cheeses since I've found some a little too strong for my taste. But, balanced with the DG, it was a nice treat. I enjoyed it both warm (crumbled and tossed with some warm capellini and a little garlic) and cold, in slices.

On a scale of 1-10, this English cheese was an 8. I recommend it if you've tried blue cheese and enjoyed the result. I wouldn't recommend it if you are adverse to vein cheeses or strong ones. Even the DG, which is usually mild, was permeated with the unique taste of Stilton. A taste experience not to be missed.

Cheese Reviews

Watch this space for reviews of cheeses.