Cheese epicures?

Cafe Society
41

I’ve known French people that will keep a stinky cheese out the window.

We eat about a chunk of cheese per week. On Fridays I like to buy a new cheese and wine.

I’m partial to stinky soft cheeses. Taleggio is an Italian one with a great odor, but quite a mild taste. I normally just prefer camembert to taleggio.

Our supermarket sometimes carries St. Albray. This is the type of cheese you might throw out because it stinks so bad. You might even think to yourself, “Trunk said this stunk, but he couldn’t have meant it stunk THIS bad.” I do.

Our liquor store has a nice cheese section and always has tastings. Try to find a place that does that.

One of the more interesting cheeses I’ve ever eaten was “Stinking Bishop”. I got this at a cheese shop after asking for the smelliest cheese they had. We served it at a party and this one little girl got some on her shirt and started crying. Try it if you see it. It’s good. But goodluck finding it. It’s small.

Oddly enough, recently I heard an interview on NPR with a (the?) maker of Stinking Bishop because it is mentioned in the new “Wallace & Gromit” movie. The maker was worried about a run on his cheese.

About the only American cheese I’ll eat is Wisconsin cheddar. However, I’ve had some stuff from California and Colorado that was all right.

I recently had a delicious Spanish cheese, but I can’t remember the name. I just “try 'em and buy 'em.”

Normally, I like cheese with a slice of crusty baguette and wine, but sometimes I like a salty cracker with it, sometimes just cheese with no bread and sometimes with beer. Sometimes, I like to have grapes or melon with a salty cheese.

There are endless variations. Just get out there and try some, and don’t be dissuaded by stinky cheeses.

42

Should have been more explicit - yes I use what was supposed to be the lower vegetable bin. More cheese - less vegetables!

43

St. Nectaire (French)
Mahon (Spanish - Balieric Islands)

44

I agree with the aged Gouda. I’ve tried 3-year, 5-year, and 7-year. Personally, I like the 5-year the best. The 3-year is still a bit young, and hasn’t really developed that aged taste yet. The 5-year is fantastic, with an almost port-like, raisin like flavor with a vibrant nutiness and slightly caramelly flavor. It’s really complex and good. A tawny port would be a perfect accompaniment to this cheese. (Although, in general, I prefer to pair most cheeses with white wine, the already porty flavor of an aged Gouda pairs lends itself to the obvious pairing.)

45

Them’s nice cards, but ah’s don’t see ‘em beatin’ mah spread…

Smoked gouda, pickled roasted red chiles, and Guiness.

46

Oh, yeah, Maytag Blue!!! With Stilton, and Roquefort, it completes my Holy Trinity of Blue Cheese.

47

I’ve also had similar results with aged american cheddars where the 3-4 year old is still not quite got that “aged” taste, the 5-6 year old is close to perfection and the 8 and 9 year old varieties (by the same maker as the 6 year old cheese) were less satisfying in both taste and texture.

I did have the opportunity, while in Roma, to taste and purchase some 10-year old Bitto that was just incredible. While I have not had any 3-year old or less Bitto to compare against, the 10-year old had the same characteristics you describe of nuts and caramel (though I would characterize it as more like molasses rather than caramel).

I’m not a big Tawny fan but I do like Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) and I have two bottles of vintage port tucked away in my wine cooler for future consumption (like another 10 years or so). While many “texts” suggest matching many cheeses with white wines, I have never found them to be personally very satisfying. I find the “matching” combinations of a good syrah for example to go quite well with a Gaperon or other similarly herbed or peppery cheese and a good tannic fruity cab or cab blend to be great with aged cheeses.

48

There’s a gorgeous Spanish goat milk cheese called Murcia al Vino, which I haven’t been able to get for a while now. :frowning:

49

Liquor stores and many supermarkets have come to the realization that selling “higher end” cheeses can be profitable thus making more available to all of us. Whole Foods comes to mind as a national supermarket, though I no longer have any anywhere near me, but I do have a local chain that is offering some exceptional cheeses considering our limited market.

I also have had several Spanish cheeses that I would recommend, one of which has the odd name of “Drunken Goat” which is a washed rind goat cheese that is washed in red wine. Good but there are equivalent american cheeses that are cheaper. Also from Spain, in decreasing order of recommendation, are: aged mahon, which is worth the money; sheep’s milk manchego (don’t bother with industrial made brands but find the farmhouse type) which is actually called out in Cervante’s Don Quixote; and roncal, another sheep milk farmhouse cheese.

I also highly recommend Cabrales, which is Spanish bleu cheese that has more taste that roquefort or garganzolo.