Slashfood

• Unique Cheeses to Add to Fondue - Cheese Course
  

  Filed under: Cheese, Lists, How To, Artisan Foods, Cheese Course

  
  Emmental and Gruyère are the usual suspects when choosing cheeses for fondue. Occasionally, people use Appenzeller, Comté, Beaufort, and Tête de Moine. When I make cheese fondue, I like to try cheeses that I've never used before - experiment! Cheeses that work well in a fondue are dense creamy cow's milk Alpine cheeses, like the ones mentioned above.
  
  Some people strongly believe that a fondue should consist of only one cheese. I'm not from that school of thought. In fact, I think it's a good idea to have one cheese be the...
  



• Cheese Course - Are Local Buronniers a Dying Breed?
  

  Filed under: Cheese, Europe, Artisan Foods, Cheese Course

  
  My first taste of the cheese Laguiole was unforgettable. I was told that part of the reason it tastes so unique is that it's still being aged in burons, small huts, in the mountains of the Aubrac region in France. Unfortunately, EU rules stipulate that cheese be made and aged in temperature regulated facilities; the burons are not approved. I am fascinated by the burons and the buronniers that inhabite them.
  
  At the end of the seventeenth century, these fragile wooden cabins made with clods of earth started to be made with...
  



• Cheese Paper - The Perfect Stocking Stuffer
  

  Filed under: Cheese, New Products

  
  New products come across my desk quite frequently, but only rarely does one stop me in my tracks and make me want to test it right away. Please welcome one of my new favorite products, Formaticum Cheese Paper. The perks of my job have allowed me to try some of the country's best cheeses, and even take them...
  



• Cheese Course - Festive and Soft-Ripened
  

  Filed under: Cheese, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year's, Artisan Foods, Winter, Cheese Course

  
  Fleur de Maquis, the above cheese, epitomizes the festive soft-ripened cheese. This deliciously creamy and sweet Corsican cheese is covered in rosemary and thyme. During the holiday season, I enjoy rich soft-ripened cheeses, such as Vacherin Mont D'Or, that are in season. A festive cheese is one that you can have with a feast. This means it's important for it to be able to go along with several other foods at the celebration. Choose a cheese that will not dominate everything else being served. Fleur de Maquis...
  



• Cheese Course - Queso de Flor
  

  Filed under: Cheese, Europe, Cheese Course

  
  Last week, one of my friends from Spain brought back an interesting selection of cheeses from Guía, a city on the Canary Islands just southwest of the Moroccan coastline. I was struck by one of the cheeses in particular: Queso de Flor. The one I ate was dry yet had an intriguing pungent meaty sheep's milk flavor reminiscent of Torta del Casar. The cheese is handmade with sheep and cows' milk mixed with the juice of the thistle-like flowers that grow on the isalnds. Knowing about the flavor of cheeses, like Torta del Casar, I am tempted...
  



• Cheese Course: Robiola di Roccaverano
  

  Filed under: Cheese, Italy, Cheese Course

  
  If you love Italian cheeses as much as I do, you probably know that the term "robiola" is vague and can refer to a variety of different style cheeses from all over Italy. For example, in Campania, you can try an ash-coated buffalo milk cheese called Robiola in Cenere. Despite this diversity, Robiola di Roccaverano comes closest to the original conception of this cheese that was first produced by Ligurian Celts in the eleventh century. Robiola di Roccaverano has a luscious cakey creamy texture and a lightly acidic taste that is balanced by a rich grassy taste...
  



• Cheese Course: Ouray
  

  Filed under: Cheese, America, Artisan Foods, Cheese Course

  
  I just cannot help myself from yelling "Hooray for Ouray!" every time I eat this intriguing cheese from upstate NY. Or, as cheesemonger Anne Saxelby says, "One bite and this cheese will leave you exclaiming OO-ray!" Ouray's luscious buttery texture and floral aroma combine elements of some of my favorite European cheeses. It has the minerality and milkiness of an English Cheshire. And, at the same time, it has the sweet bright taste and granular texture of an Italian Parmiggiano Reggiano.
  
  While this cheese tastes delicious plain, its interesting texture and taste make it fun...
  



• Cheese Course: Saint Maure Belgique
  

  Filed under: Cheese, Europe, Artisan Foods, Cheese Course

  
  Several months ago, Tim Bucciarelli from Formaggio Kitchen recommended that I try their new Belgian cheeses. This past weekend, to celebrate my birthday my friends and I tasted their incredibly rich and smooth Saint Maure-style goat's milk cheese with a glass of champagne. My taste buds were pleasantly aroused by the dense creamy texture and the floral and grassy aroma emanating from the paste.
  
  In many ways, this Belgian style Saint Maure tastes closer to an authentic French Saint Maure de Touraine that you might find in France. The French Saint...
  



• Nostrale di Elva - Cheese Course
  

  Filed under: Cheese, Italy, Artisan Foods, Cheese Course

  
  Last year, at Slow Food's cheese festival in Italy, I tried Nostrale di Elva, a rich cow's milk cheese with a slight cheddar-like taste and a creamy texture. What first attracted me to this cheese was it's circular patterns on the rind and its oozing light pale paste. The cheese's bright earthy, lightly acidic flavor, pairs well with drizzled honey, in particular wild dandelion honey. Interested in a decadent sandwich? Put Nostrale di Elva in a variety of sandwiches to add a more interesting texture and flavor.
  
  In Italian, "Nostra" means "our." Nostrale di...
  



• The Ball of Shame
  

  Filed under: Parties, Hors D'oeuvres, Cheese, Recipes

  But it's just a humble cheeseball, you say, why call it "the ball of shame?" Well, because shame is what you feel when, in mid-manufacture, you say you'll just take one swipe with a cracker to see how it tastes and wind up scarfing down a half-dozen. Shame is what you feel when you find yourself standing in front of the refrigerator at night, licking off the Saran wrap. However, pride is what you'll feel when you bring it to a party and watch people fall on it like starved hyenas.

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