I've got some stinky cheese tonight!

Cafe Society
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I got home earlier and realized I had forgotten I had a modest wedge of Tomme Crayeuse stuck in the back of the cheese drawer in my fridge. I bought it sometime in the last 10 days (the sticker on the wrapping said sell by Sept 25 so I guess I won’t die). Holy smokes was this stinky when I first opened it and put it on a plate. Now it is more earthly pungent than stinky. And it is going really well with the bottle of Pinot Bianco I have open.

Clearly I loves me some cheese. And I’m not a snob about it other than it has to really be cheese. Not cheese food, if you know what I mean.

Aged or fresh, stinky or runny, I don’t care. Cheese aged so long it would fracture your skull if it fell on your head? Let me at it!

Shropshire Blue, Brillat-Savarin, Gjetost, Burrata or Montgomery’s Cheddar. I really don’t think I have found a cheese I won’t eat.

What are some of your faves my fellow dopers?

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Ironically, I was looking at a Tomme Crayeuse this evening for our meal. The GF decided that, though it was soft, it was much too smelly for her liking.

I am absolutely loving, however, the Saint-Nectaire we picked up a few days ago. Absolutely wonderful aromas and richness. Pont-L’Eveque isn’t too shabby either, as a soft, wonderfully complex cheese. Gerome’s Munster is delicious too. Never picked up the appreciation for Epoisses though. I can recommend anything from Fromageries Rouzaire though. Both their Aviator and Gratte-Paille cheeses are delicious.

If you want to stick stateside, I love the offerings from Jasper Hill Farm, especially the Constant Bliss. Rogue Creamery in Oregon makes some utterly wonderful Blues, including their Smoky Blue and their Caveman Blue.

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<sniff>

Who cut the cheese?

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The title reminded me of a children’s book I used to read to my brother’s children, “The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales,” by Jon Scieszka.

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Epoisses de Bourgogne is yummy, I have enjoyed the re-created Liederkranz now available, caraway and aged Gouda is nice, I loves me a good Gjetost (ski queen will do in a pinch), 5 year old chipotle cheddar is to die for (I made a grilled cheese on sourdough out of it once), but a 12 year old white Cheddar from Wisconsin once pulled me through a normally fatal heart attack.

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I am a big fan of aged firm/hard cheeses - aged goudas, aged cheddars, parmesean, manchego, etc. I can post some recommendations when I get home.

Most “stinky” cheeses are either washed rind or bloomy rind. Washed rinds are usually stinkier.

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My kids had that book. “You can’t catch me, I’m the Stinky Cheese Man!” “We don’t want to catch him…we might have to eat him.”

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Aged Hard Cheeses

Boerenkass Gouda - from Extremadura, Spain. A sweet gouda that has caramel flavors from crystallization due to aging. Excellent caramel and nutty flavors.

Marieke Aged Gouda - Penterman Creamery, Thorp, WI. Another sweet and nutty aged gouda.

Cabot Clothbound Cheddar - aged at The Cellars at Jasper Hill, VT. Cabot sends a portion of milk to be made in to this artisan cheese, and it’s really, really good. Addicting, even. Has a nutty and complex flavor.

El Trigal Manchego - La Mancha, Spain. An aged manchego with a good sharpness and caramel/nutty flavors (do you see a trend?)

Bloomy Rind Cheeses - bloomy rinds are soft with a natural rind.

Chevre D’Argental - Rhone-Alps, France. Soft, mild, and creamy with a good amount of “barnyard funk”.

Green Hill - Sweet Grass Dairy, Thomasville, GA. A soft cheese that is incredibly buttery in flavor.
**
Washed Rind Cheeses** - these are the real funky-smelling ones. Usually have a hard rind and soft interior.

Hooligan - Cato Corner Creamery, Colchester, CT. Stinky, pungent, funky, and yet tasty. Supposedly good toasted, though I haven’t had it that way.

Tomme Du Berger - Sardegna, Italy. Brings you back down to the farm. Funky and quite salty, you can make some interesting pairings with other foods here.

Special Bonus - Bleu Cheeses

Caveman Blue (Rogue Creamery, OR), Ewe’s Blue Old Chatham (Old Chatham, NY) , and Maytag are all worth checking out.

Above all, don’t be afraid to shop around, ask for help, or try random things out of the blue. Cheese is fun!

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I’m glad to see all the love for Rogue Creamery; they’re right nearby me and I forget how good they are, especially because the little town that they’re in is so crummy. I’m about to go cut into a Limburger myself; I’ve never had it before but I do love strong cheese, so I’m hopeful.

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My favorite is Humboldt Fog.

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Have you tried Mimolette? (This description is going to make it sound rubbish) it’s like an aged Edam, but not like Edam at all. The cheese is orange and so hard and waxy that the knife polishes the cheese when you cut it. Taste similar to a very vintage gruyere

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I grew up on Kraft cheese and don’t think I even touched real cheese until maybe 10 years ago, so I have some making up to do. So far, I’ve tried and loved: Brie, Camembert, several others of that ilk; goat cheese (mostly local); I really like bleu cheese (blue cheese?) and feta on salads and vegetables and with olives; and of course a nice solid sharp Cheddar is always good.
Lately the food pantry has had this enormous wheel of white cheese. The lady who cuts it and distributes it always says, “We don’t know what it is exactly. It’s Amish.” I don’t recognize it either, but it’s strong and aromatic and almost hurts my tongue when I eat it. It’s not a really hard cheese–a little harder than feta, but somewhat crumbly. It’s lovely. Any idea what it might be?

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White Cheddar, perhaps? The Amish in these parts are fairly famous for their butter cheese and baby swiss, both fairly young, and mild/semi soft, white cheeses. I’ve not seen it, nor tried it, but these cheeses could perhaps conceivably be aged. I’ve seen aged swiss, so the aged baby swiss seems possible, but from your description of the texture it would seem likely a butter cheese.

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I haven’t, but I’ll definitely check it out next time I go to Wegman’s.