Quick and Easy: Tropical Cheesecake Tart

I think I may have mentioned that I don't bake very often. I may also have mentioned that I love cheesecake. In case I haven't, I love cheesecake :) About the only dessert I make is a cheesecake. And so this is a recipe for…wait for it… cheesecake :)

I try to limit myself to once or twice per year and then completely pig out when the time comes. It's not a pretty sight.

After being good and suppressing an intense craving for it for quite some time, one day I caved. I came up with this one-gazillionth way of enjoying that smooth, luscious richness that is the cake of cheese.

This is a very simple and easy recipe that doesn't require much in the way of baking skills, fortunately for me. It's useful if you have whipped cream before but it isn't a difficult task to master. Just remember to chill the bowl beforehand and don't over whip. It is also important to fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture, don't stir or beat.

1 pkg puff pastry, thawed and rolled ( I picked up pre-rolled for greater ease)
1 pkg cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup whipping cream (35%)
1/3 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
400g fresh or frozen mango chunks, thawed
1 ripe pineapple, pared, cored and chunked

Bake puff pastry according to package directions - usually for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, after poking holes all over with a fork. Let cool. (Push down all bubbles in the crust before spreading on the cream cheese mixture.)

Put mango and pineapple chunks into food processor and whiz up. Transfer to a small bowl and rinse and dry container. Place room temp cheese, icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla into processor container and whiz until creamy and smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl.

In a chilled bowl, whip the 35% cream until soft peaks form and fold into cream cheese mixture, just until blended. Spread an even layer onto puff pastry. Cover cream cheese with a layer of mango/pineapple mixture and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours.

Cut into squares to serve and garnish with mint leaves.


all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2015

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Cleansing the Palate

Timeless beauty

What would any of the 12 days of Christmas be without a cheese tray? Well…nothing in my house. I live for cheese at any time of the year but it's this season that I allow myself to be excessive. Cheese is traditionally served at the end of meals in many European countries and I am happy to carry on a heritage tradition of serving a cheese plate with a bit of savoury nibbles on the side. It is lovely on the tongue after a heavy meal or a strongly flavoured one in place of a sweet and filling dessert. After a lighter fare a cheese tray can be a course all its own and should be served with a more substantial accompaniment such as hearty breads and compotes or a charcuterie board.  It's just a shame the cheeses I love are so expensive that this has to be a special occasion tradition.

Along with the cheeses shown below I served a Le Sauciflard sausage with a Parmesan rind, a Mennonite Summer Sausage, Spanish Olives of differing types such as cracked and spiced small and Jumbo plain. I managed to find dilled pickles the size of my little finger as sweet pickles such as gherkins aren't popular around here. 

To go with the 'cheese ball' I made, I served Kashi fire-roasted vegetable crackers and Pita crisps with Sea Salt. Absolutely delicious ! I mention the cheese ball with quotes as it isn't truly a cheese ball - more of a thick spreadable dip wrapped with phyllo dough. I originally thought of this as individual appetizers made from Goat's milk but a dearth of the necessary time demanded a change in the plan. This is what I came up with.

To make this again as a whole offering, I would make a bowl out of the phyllo rather than treat it like a galette with a top, like I did here. That way guests can scoop out a spoonful at a time onto their plate without wrestling with temperamental phyllo dough that tends to become shards of confetti when baked. 

Since the filling is the most important part of the dish, I am including the recipe here even though the presentation was a last minute compromise that probably won't make it to my kitchen journal as is.

A sampling of what was served: Top left to bottom right:
Kaltback Gruyère (Switzerland); Swiss Babybel; Snowdonia Smoked Cheddar (Wales); Kerrygold aged cheddar (Ireland);
 Saint Agur Blue Cheese (France); Snowdonia Cheddar (Wales): Cheddar Babybel

Left: The Smoked Cheddar is a grainy, crumbling cheese with a mildly pungent flavour holding a light smokiness.
Right: The aged cheddar in the black wax is simply lovely. Although a firm cheese, as soon as it hits that
sweet spot between the tongue and the upper palate, it turns into a slightly sweet creamy paste that is divine.

Left: The fabulously wonderful Kerrygold along with a Double Gloucester, a Wensleydale or a Red Leicester will be
my favourite go-to cheeses from across the pond.
Right: I do love Stilton and a mild Irish or Danish blue but I can't say this Saint Agur is a favourite. I found the mustiness to be too overpowering for me. I'd rather have a bit more tartness and a little less damp basement.

Oh yeah!! I love me a good gruyere and this one doesn't disappoint. Firm, slightly granular but with the teeniest of
grains, pungent without curling the toes and a milky paste made in that sweet spot all lead to an enjoyable mouth
feel and taste.

How I served this : wedge of galette onto plate with crackers and spread knife

Cheese, Pepper and Artichoke Spread/Dip

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

130g Pickled Peppedaw Peppers from South Africa

175g Pickled Artichoke Hearts

Salt and pepper

butter, melted

phyllo dough, half a pkg

In processor, add softened cheese, peppers, artichokes, salt, pepper and whiz until blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Remove half of the phyllo sheets and return rest to plastic wrap to stop from drying out. Working quickly, lay a sheet at a time onto a baking tray, lathering on melted butter onto each sheet. Place cheese ball in centre of sheets and fold up one corner. Brush melted butter onto fold and repeat on the other three corners, brushing on more butter as you go.

Bake in 375 degree oven for approx 20 minutes or until golden brown all over. If top is browning too quickly, cover the top loosely with foil, removing near the end of cooking time to continue browning.

Can be reheated in the oven - just cover any cut parts with foil or parchment paper to stop the exposed parts from drying out as it reheats. (If you are following my suggestion of a phyllo bowl, cover the entire top when reheating.)

Lovely Chenin Blanc from South Africa is a wonderful wine for both the cheese platter
and the rabbit dish I served for Christmas dinner.

all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2015

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Quick and Easy: French Onion Soup

This lovely bit of gooey, chewy tactile bliss could also be a part of the upcoming Leftover Wednesday posts as it makes use of what is left in your cheese drawer, your bread box and any boxed stock/broth you may have on hand in the pantry or homemade stock from the freezer. With only three main ingredients it is a quick and easy soup, in terms of difficulty although caramelizing the onions will take a small investment of time. However, it isn't 'hover over the pot' kind of time so other aspects of the meal making can take place while the onions are transforming into their golden goodness. This also isn't an overly expensive meal to incorporate into your weekly budget, especially if you are using leftovers rather than cheese purchased just for this dish. All I purchased was the bread and the onions while the rest I had on hand, including the wine I used to deglaze.

Why name this recipe "Peasant-style"? 

In the history of many people of European descent, where a large percentage of Canadians originate from, farmers and such had to make do with what was in season and available to eat. Many times before landlords in the feudal system realized how treating their tenants well resulted in higher gains for them, peasants scrounged for whatever they could after giving the landlords their due. Hunting or rather poaching whatever meat they could was a hit or miss proposition so they improvised with filling, yet cheap to produce/procure foods like bread and cheese. Once landlords were made to see that a farmers full belly usually resulted in more children, which meant more farm labour, they ensured that farmers could drink all the milk they wished and allowed them to make unlimited amounts of cheese for themselves and families. Grain was available at either low costs or as a allowed portion of the whole that was due to the landlord. Meat animals were kept by the farmers, for their own use as well. In the in-between times of feast and famine, a soup such as this one would have been welcomed as a filling and fun meal. A good beef stock either store bought or homemade gives the soup just enough of a meaty flavour that you don't miss the absence of any meat in the soup. 

The bread you use is of equal importance as it should be dense, hearty or chewy and filling. I haven't tried it with a dark rye or pumpernickel as I would be concerned about adding an unwanted flavour but give it a go, if you like. A multi-grain bread would add a crunch dimension that I personally would not mind but I could probably do without. Again, experiment to see which you like best. In this version I used a hearty french bread that was a few days old and I put quite a bit into the individual pots. The bread and the onions were placed in the pots first, then the broth was ladled over to the appropriate level for the cheese topping. The bread will soak up a lot of the broth and begin to break down. Add a few cubes to the top just before sprinkling on the grated cheese and placing the pots under the broiler to brown.


An onion by any other name… would make breath stink just the same

The best onions for French Onion Soup, in my opinion, are Vidalias from Georgia. A good second choice is a local sweet onion - I know, I know what happened to 'shop local'? Let me 'splain :) As a cook, I believe that the most important element of cooking is ingredients and Vidalias are simply the best sweet onion there is and it is available for only a limited time. As it does come from our neighbour to the south shipping costs, while high, are not as high as imported fruits nor are the retail prices higher than the off season summer vegetables from the greenhouses in our own country. Stocking up in late summer and early fall on local sweet onions and storing them in your cold room is ideal to cut costs but the most budget friendly version of this soup made at any time of the year utilizes inexpensive cooking onions. They can be strong flavoured but the addition of demarrara sugar when caramelizing cuts the pungency of these onions down to a more palatable level. The version below uses local sweet onions and my previous posted recipe here uses Vidalias, yellow and pearl onions.

Hey, was that you?

In my previous articles on cheese I make a big deal over delicious local cheeses of which we have plenty. This time I purchased these cheeses knowing I would be making this soup between Christmas and New Years, in addition to being a part of a cheese plate, and a strong cheese is wonderful with French Onion soup. I wanted a mixture of melting styles and a range of sharpness and pungency so I went with the mainly imported cheeses you see above. They were first used on a cheese plate that was served with wine and the leftovers were used in the soup making it an affordable option for special occasions. However, if you are a cheese lover like I am, excuses and special occasions are not necessary!

The Lancashire Crumbly and the Camembert offer a smooth and creamy flavour to the mix while the others add sharpness and pronounced taste, especially the 26 month old Beemster. This hard grating cheese is similar to Parmesano Reggiano or Asiago but with a sweeter note and a less grainy texture. It has a melt-in-the-mouth consistency and a pungency that woos your nose and sweet-talks your taste buds into falling in love. 

One of my favourite cheeses is the BellaVitano Gold so I was eager to try the Merlot type. It is still the same lovely cheese but with a very subtle wine note that hits the nose more than the palate. The Extra-old Cheddar is the only 'commercial' cheese I used - it is one I use on a daily basis so I wanted to include it to lower costs as well as to have a good melting cheese.

What you need to know

Like in the Cornish Hen recipe I recently posted, you will need to caramelize the onions, this time in two to three batches as there are a lot of onions. The only other skill that I find important is how to make a good stock. This recipe is best if made from stock from your freezer but of course that is not always possible. If you are making this as a Quick and Easy dish, boxed stock/broth will do. My choice is the No Salt Added Beef Broth from Campbell's but you can use whichever you like, just watch the sodium levels. I am not a fan of bouillon cubes, canned broths or the bottom of the barrel - powdered stock from the bulk food stores. 

When a great stock can be so easy and inexpensive to make, it seems rather foolish to me not to do it and to instead ingest chemicals and imitation food.

I used my Cuisinart to process the onions as I had my son helping me and well, boys and power equipment - what can I say? There is a tricky bit to the operation and that is to not over process. Stop when the onion pieces are still a good size and only place one layer in the chopper at a time to ensure consistent size in the pieces. If you over process you will get onion puree which contains too much moisture to be able to brown.

A note on the pots to use:

You'll notice that I used saucepans for the individual servings and there is a reason for it. I don't own French Onion soup bowls. I should but I haven't gotten around to it as I don't make this often. I used corning ware style bowls before but they proved to be too small for a decent man-sized serving. This time I decided to hit the second hand stores to see if I could lay my hands on some of the Onion pots. I didn't have any luck but I noticed these small saucepans all about the same size and thought they would work. I was a bit concerned about the handles so I wrapped them in tinfoil to protect them, even though they would not have been in the oven long. They worked wonderfully. Although I plan to invest in some good earthenware soup bowls (which will also help with getting a better photo of this messy goodness), I am glad to have another option until that time. A little bit of ingenuity and flexibility go a long way so don't be afraid to improvise in the kitchen!

Putting it all together

4 very large sweet onions, chopped bite-sized
3 garlic cloves, minced or 
        1/2 tsp granulated garlic
butter
olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme, twice
1 tsp dried Herbes de Provence, twice
fresh ground pepper to taste
2 tsps demerrara sugar - I insist on this type as the molasses adds great depth of flavour :)
a couple of splashes of red wine, about 2 tbsps 
  
           *No wine? use some balsamic vinegar, just a splash or some of the beef stock/broth

3 boxes of beef stock/broth, 900mL each or
        11 cups homemade stock
large loaf of bread, large cubes
grated cheese, about two large handfuls + a bit per serving

Heat oil and butter; add one layer of onions to pan with a sprinkling of sugar. Once the onions soften and shrink, push them to one side of the pan. Add more butter if necessary, place raw onions onto the cleared side. Doing it this way ensures a constant rotation, making things go faster. Once the onions have been caramelized, add to soup pot. With the last batch of onions, add the garlic and herbs. Once they are done, add red wine to pan and scrape the bottom of all lovely stuck bits. Empty into soup pot. Add stock ; bring to boil. Lower heat to simmer and add second dose of herbs & pepper; cook for 20-30 minutes.

Prepare your pots by placing them on a baking tray (with sides). If you plan to really load the cheese on top of your soup, line the tray with tinfoil to catch the spills, otherwise don't bother. 
Drop a good handful of bread cubes into each pot and separate a ladle or two of onions from the broth and place in pot. Top with the broth. You will need quite a bit so don't be alarmed at the bowl of bread you seem to have. Just keep adding the soup to just below the rim of the bowl/pot. Add a few more bread cubes and sprinkle on the cheese. Place under broiler until bubbling and browned. Serve immediately. 

This will make anywhere from 5 man-sized servings to 7-8 more modest-sized servings, depending on the size of your bowl/pot. With the ones I used I ended up with leftovers for three of the modest-sized servings.




all photographs and text©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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Say Cheese...one more time!

The festivities are over, the guests are gone and you are left with the task of wrapping up the cheese from your cheese board. What to do with it all?

You could constantly snack upon it until you and everyone else in the house are cheesed out. You could dig out and dust off the fondue set you inherited from your parents or if it was long enough ago, that you received at your wedding. You could have a blue cheese omelette for every meal for a week. You could try freezing some but soft and fresh cheeses suffer for it. Cheddar can be shredded and frozen but it is only suitable in cooked foods, like the fast and delicious soup recipe below. I'd go for the soup.

Quick and Easy: Cheese and Vegetable Soup


This soup is a great way to use up left over cheeses, like the ones I was left with after New Years Eve. While cheese soup isn't the most ideal food if you are needing to watch your fat intake, it is nutritious, easy-to-make, and kid friendly.

I used a Thornloe Blue, Monforte Tuscano hard sheep cheese, PC triple cream Brie, Camembert and some old Cheddar. Some cheeses melt better than others but, as is the case in the one I made, the ones that don't melt nicely can be scooped out with the spoon or a cracker; an extra bit of fun out of your food! So don't worry if it turns out funny--it's food not a fashion show, just eat it!

For the uber-fat conscious, (shouldn't be eating this anyway!) you can let it cool and remove the disc of fat off the top. Save the disc to use in cooking or to put a pat or two onto some vegetables. You can also skim the fat off while it's still hot if you are wanting to eat the soup straight away. Just be sure to save the hot fat in a mason jar for future use, when a cheese flavour would be compatible with what you are cooking.


4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 tbsp minced banana pepper
2 c thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced  optional  (I didn't use any but of course it would go well. )
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
butter as needed
1 tbsp flour
1/4 c white wine
1 cup milk
6 - 8 c chicken stock, depending on your cheese amounts
800g - 1 kg cheese, shredded or diced
salt and pepper to taste
fresh herbs to finish

Heat up a large soup pot and drop the bacon into it. Cook until browned then add the onions. Lower the heat, cover and let cook for ten minutes. Add the pepper and the mushrooms and seasonings; cook 5 minutes longer.

Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes to remove the 'flour' taste. It may be necessary to add more fat to the pot before adding the flour.

Deglaze the pot with the white wine, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the stock and milk; bring up to heated. Add the cheese to the hot broth a little at a time, stirring to blend. Serve immediately upon all the cheese being melted. Top with some fresh basil or thyme or finely chopped flat leaf parsley.

Serve this rich and delicious soup with some whole grain bread or crackers and a fresh green salad (or one out of the bag, just try to avoid ones that have iceberg lettuce or add-ins. Iceberg lettuce is notorious for chemical use, poor handling conditions due to a low personnel: high product demand ratio and it is the most nutritiously defunct lettuce of them all. I stick with a blend of radicchio and romaine or even plain baby spinach and arugula mixed at home).

I reheated this the next day in the microwave and although it was separated, the oozy-gooey dollop of melted cheese at the bottom of the bowl was a simply wonderful treat after slurping up the very flavourful broth.

Quick and Easy: Artichoke Cream Cheese Pie

This is another recipe utilizing leftovers, my favourite kind of cooking--resourceful and creative! Here I used up the leftover artichoke hearts from the olive/pickle platter. Once you become experienced at leftover creations, you'll be able to purchase any ingredients you'll need for them beforehand. I knew there would be some food still so as I was shopping for those items I served at New Years, I had this idea in mind and picked up the phyllo dough, cream cheese and cream at the same time. Everything else I already had on hand which makes it not only an easy dish to make but inexpensive as well. This flan is very portable in spite of the fragility of phyllo dough and it is equally good cold as well as hot.

2/3 pkg of phyllo dough

10 thick cut slices of bacon, chopped

8 oz canned or deli-serve artichoke hearts, drained

8 oz block cream cheese

1/3 c Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise)

1/3 c 4% cottage cheese

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 onion, chopped small

1/4 c 18% cream

salt and pepper

1 tbsp dillweed

hot sauce (optional)

bacon drippings for phyllo sheets
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Sauté bacon until well browned. Drain and set aside.

In processor, pinch off chunks from the block of cream cheese. Whiz. Add artichokes, miracle whip, cottage cheese, parmesan, salt and pepper. Whiz. Turn out into a bowl. Add bacon and mix.

In a bowl, beat eggs and cream with the dill weed.

With a pastry brush and bacon drippings grease a springform pan. Lay a sheet of phyllo in the pan and brush with drippings. Keep layering and brushing, turning sheets 45 degrees each time until about 2/3 of the package is used. As you layer gently push dough into the pan to fit.

Add the egg mixture to the cream cheese mix and incorporate loosely. There should still be large chunks of cream cheese.

Pour out into the pan. Fold over the phyllo ends and brush with more drippings. Cover with foil and bake at 400 for about 35-45 minutes or until puffed and cooked through like a fritatta. 

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History in the Making Part Three

So, we've learned a bit of cheese history, and how it is made--at least fresh cheeses--and picked up a few ideas for rainy day busy-work...Now let's get to the fun stuff!

Basic after dinner nibble: old cheddar, Meddo Belle, Mennonite sausage      Wine: Nugan from Australia

Entertaining with Cheese
Sparkling candlelight, the murmur of pleasant conversation, gentle clinking of silverware upon china; rings upon crystal, the sounds of smoky jazz playing softly in the background, the burst of grape or hops on the tongue, the mounds of delicacies arranged on trays, enticing the eyes to sate the stomach...the classic sights, sounds and tastes of a cheese and wine party with friends or strangers-soon-to-be-friends. The lovely bit about a cheese tasting party is that it goes with every occasion, from wedding showers, dinners for two to a Superbowl Sunday get together--it doesn't just have to go with the stereotypical elegant cocktail party.


A wine/beer and cheese get together is a wonderful opportunity to experience local foods and drink as well as the accompanying sides, such as fruits and breads. Pairing local produce, cheese and the wine/beer produced in the same area is one way to ensure an easy and successful tasting. At one time in history, it wasn't heard of to have wine and cheese from outside the local area. These items were usually produced and consumed within the same geographical spot. If you are in an area sparse in local wines or beers, then the second point to remember in pairing drink with cheese would be essential to follow: keep your choices light and simple. White wines pair better with cheeses, except with in the case of red wines that have a low tannin content. Strong and rich red wines are generally ideal with more pungent cheeses-think Stilton and Port. A dry or fruity white wine will pair with most cheeses as long as you keep in mind what other qualities are found in the cheese such as spices, herbs or another other factor that will influence the taste of the drink.

While it is impossible to give absolute recommendations in your pairings there are some tried and true suggestions:

photo credit: michelle L. 2012

Wine
~For all Cheeses: light, low in alcohol and tannins such as Riesling, Silvaner
~Soft Cheese and Goat Cheese: rosé, dry sparkling wine or champagne
~Blue-veined: strong reds with a sweet note
~Hard Cheeses: hardest to pair, pardon the pun, but stick with the light white wine.

Beer
This is more difficult as a there are a vast range of flavours; almost too much choice. 
I personally taste tested with Okanagan Springs Pale Ale and I found it went well with all the cheeses I tried--including the Stilton.


~Fresh cheeses: American and German lagers, wheat beers
~Soft cow's milk cheeses: pilasters and pale ales
~Washed-rind cheeses with some pungency: English brown or amber ales
~Semi-firm: Belgian ales, pilasters
~Hard and Blue-veined: stronger porters, stouts and heavy dark beers

The most important thing to choosing the right beer is to choose one without much of a bitter note in the beer. A strongly bitter beer is going to add a taste to some cheeses that will turn on the tongue to something unpleasant. Try a craft beer or an import for a variety of options beyond the commercial domestic brands, which I do find contain a finishing bitter note.

Cheese
Allow for a third of a pound per cheese per person as a guideline for a smaller sized get together or one that is followed by a meal; a larger gathering needs a bit more to be a filling 'meal'. You will want to not overload the tastebuds by presenting too much variety in your cheese choices. Three or four complimentary tasting cheeses covering a few different types of is ideal, for example: a blue, a Camembert, and a 4 year old Cheddar will go lovely together. Serve your cheese at room temperature, letting it sit for no longer than two hours before serving, for safety reasons.

Serve your cheese choices in order of taste-mild to strong, finishing with the strongest tasting cheese. Alternatively if serving all at once on a board, include a label with each cheese describing the qualities of each cheese with the recommendation of the order of consumption.

photo credit: michelle levasseur

     

Serve in the following order:
~Fresh and goat cheeses
~Bloomy and washed-rind cheeses
~Semi-firm cheeses
~Firm cheeses
~Blue-veined cheeses
~Hard cheeses

Arrange your cheese board, if using, with large pieces of cheese rather than slices of cheese for a buffet gathering as they do not dry out as quickly. Alternatively, cover your tray of sliced cheeses with plastic wrap just before setting out your board. 

Round soft cheeses such as Brie should only be cut into fat wedges. Your guests can cut the rind off themselves with their individual knives. Wax coated cheeses should have the rind removed already for greater ease of handling for your guests and cut into thinly sliced wedges. Hard cheeses can just be broken off with a forked cheese knife either by you or your guests.

Equipment and Presentation
No matter the occasion, a wine/beer and cheese party requires a few items for serving and eating.
Forgo the plastic boards, utensils or platters. Wooden cutting boards, marble slabs with or without wire cutter, and china are ideal for serving.

The following items won't be necessary for every occasion but can be selected from as your party needs change.

~Rimless platters of different sizes and shapes
~Wooden boards or
~Wooden-base cheese bell
~Knives with forked tip -for individual use
~Mini-boards or small plates for individual use
~Large two handled knives (for larger gatherings: larger pieces of cheese to cut from)
~Cheese wires and knives for cutting -one per cheese to avoid mingling of flavours
~Labels for cheese identification 
~Wine glasses, red and white
~Champagne flute (only if serving champagne)
~Half-pint beer glasses
~Small sherry glasses if experimenting with an Icewine and Roquefort pairing, for example

Cheese Bell       google images

There is no real need to purchase extra equipment unless you have an adequate disposable income and love to shop. If you love a bargain and/or are on a budget, try a store like Value Village or your local thrift store to find glasses, platters and the like for a very cheap price.




Side dishes and Garnishes
For an elegant note to a wedding shower and events like it, you can cut cheese into bite-sized appetizers and 'dress' them in different garnishes, all served with a toothpick inserted for ease of eating.

Garnishes
~Combine a mild semi-firm cheese with a blue-veined cheese. Sandwich a slice of blue between two slices of your choice of mild cheese and cut into cubes.
~Top Emmental and Swiss with a walnut--pairs nicely with the nutty flavour of the cheese.
~Cheddar goes very well with a chile pepper or a dollop of chile relish on top of a round of very old cheddar.
~Roll cubes of aged Gouda in sweet paprika or stamp out with a cookie cutter and dip one side into sweet paprika.

Side Dish Suggestions
Serve your cheese board with crusty, fragrant, soft-centred breads, fruit and nuts.

~Wedges of apple and pear, dipped in lemon juice to retard oxidation, for stronger cheeses 
~Grapes and berries for a palate cleanser between cheese courses
~Assortment of walnuts, pistachios and pecans, for a sweet note
~Italian, sourdough, French baguette

Storage
Since cheese is a living product that continues to ripen and change after manufacture, storage is an important part of keeping your cheese fresh and tasting as it should. The temperature where you store your cheese is also important, enough so that refrigerator companies make a special compartment just for your cheese. You can also store your cheese in a cool, dry cellar or pantry as long as temperatures do not exceed 54℉ for short term storage and 39 to 42℉ for longer term storage.

For cut cheeses
~Blue-veined cheeses should be wrapped with aluminium foil that has perforations in close spacing.
~Hard cheeses can be wrapped with plastic wrap.
~Soft cheeses should be wrapped with parchment paper or a damp cloth that is moistened daily.
Store all cheeses in the compartment of your refrigerator or your vegetable crisper. If you can adjust the humidity level of your crispers, make sure it is set to high humidity.

Taste Test

photo credit: michelle L. 2012

I took myself shopping at Covent Garden Market in downtown London--the one here in Ontario, damn my luck. I perused the coolers at Smith Cheese and I found that they have quite the selection of Ontario artisan cheeses. Although I tried to select a range of cheeses, I seem to have accidentally left out soft cheeses like Camembert, which I adore. However, I did include a blue and two raw milk cheeses. I paired my cheese choices, like I mentioned above, with Okanagan Springs Pale Ale. I absolutely love this beer. I have never been one to have the 'pizza and beer' as commercial beers never paired well with food, for me. Cheese has always been paired with wine for the same reasons. However, not only can I drink this beer with Italian food, it goes so very well with all different types of cheeses.

Cheese Selections
~Smith Cheese 4 year old Cheddar from raw milk--no other information on the label, strangely
~Thornloe's 'Casey Stilton'
~Monforte's 'Tuscano' Sheep Milk Cheese
~Back Forty's 'Bonnechere' Raw Sheep Milk Cheese
~Gunn's Hill 'Gouda' Sheep Milk Cheese

Although contrary to a previous statement about the availability of sheep milk cheese, this plethora of sheep milk cheese in one location is a rare occurrence in my experience. I took advantage of it!

Opinion
~I found the 4 year old Cheddar to be sharp, creamy tasting with a nice smooth texture-not grainy as some can be at that age.
~The 'Casey Stilton' was a bit of a surprise as the pungency level was rather young for a blue. The texture was creamy and supple with just a bit of bite.
~The 'Tuscano' from Monforte with it's unique flavour profile is my personal favourite . This semi-firm has an almost 'green' taste to it accompanied by a smooth feel on the tongue.
~The 'Bonnechere' raw sheep milk cheese has a mild, fresh almost 'curd' like flavour.
~'Gouda' from Gunn's Hill was an interesting selection as I was only aware of their cow's milk Alpine cheeses. While I can't really taste the 'Gouda' in the cheese, it is still a lovely, smooth and mild cheese.

Finishing Note
Cheese, in all it's types and uses, is not just food. It is artistry, it is history, it is representative of the homestead spirit that we used to have and respect. Cheese making is more than a business. It is a world of science and art, it is tapping into ancestry and skills almost forgotten in this world of convenience. Artisan cheese makers are an integral part of our economic and cultural future; important to our identity. They are the embodiment of the Canadian spirit of small business, despite the direction we seem to be going in, as well as a sustainable, ecological business that will only benefit Ontario through tourism dollars, local sales, online and supermarket sales.

Making your own fresh cheese or even graduating into the more advanced cheeses let you into a world of antiquity that lives and will live as long as there are those who live off the land and what she provides. Let us hope our government, in it's headlong rush to personal monetary solvency, doesn't destroy that possibility.

Cheese Makers in Ontario
According to an article at the Ottawa Citizen(newspaper) website the best places for cheese in Ontario are as follows:

Back Forty Artisan Cheese

Lanark, Ontario

www.artisancheese.ca 

Sheep milk cheese

Best Bea Dairy

Fergus, Ontario

www.ewenity.com

Raw sheep milk cheese, aged 60 days

Black River Cheese

Milford, Ontario

www.blackrivercheese.com

Aged cheddar, mozzarella

Fifthtown Artisan Cheese

Picton, Ontario

www.fifthtown.ca

15 types of sheep milk cheese

Les Brebis sur le toit bleu

Oxford Mills, Ontario

www.sheepcheese.ca

Sheep milk cheese, obviously

Monforte Dairy Company

Millbank, Ontario

www.monfortedairy.com

30 types of sheep milk cheese

Thornloe Cheese

Thornloe, Ontario

www.thornloecheese.ca

68 years in the business

Thunder Oak Cheese

Thunder Bay, Ontario

www.cheesefarm.ca

winner 2002 Grand Prix for their Gouda

Upper Canada Cheese Company

Jordan, Ontario

www.uppercanadacheese.com

2 cheeses using local Guernsey cows

Wilton Cheese

Odessa, Ontario

www.wiltoncheese.ca

Aged cows milk Cheddar

I encourage everyone to try these or their own local cheeses--they are there, you just have to find them. I also encourage everyone to try their hand at some fresh cheeses, especially if you are a cream cheese lover, as I am.

Written Sources

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/best+places+cheese+Ontario/1210454/story.html  

www.dairygoodness.ca 

www.metro.ca 

www.fabregion.ca 

Making Artisan Cheese by Tim Smith edition published by Crestline.

The Cheese Bible by Christian Teubner published by Prospero Books

For more information on cheese and cheese making, it is only a click away on the web. There are some great books out there as well. There is a new one I haven't read yet but you may want to check out-Artisan Cheese Making at Home by Mary Karlin and a link to the book website is here.

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History in the Making Part Two

History in the Making Part Two

Here is a clip from one of my favourite British sitcoms, Lenny Henry's "Chef". The whole episode is great but the reason I uploaded it here for you to watch is the first three minutes. Using his trademark acerbic wit, Henry's character, Gareth Blackstock lances the boil of an issue--pasteurizing milk for cheese making.

Making Cheese at Home

There are many reasons to begin making cheese in your home not the least of which is the high cost of cheese products in the supermarkets. Ideally you would use raw milk but good luck finding any that's legal to buy, here in Ontario. Consensus is that no matter your view on raw milk vs. pasteurization , drinking and making cheese from milk that has all the microflora and enzymes present is a healthful practice. If you have to get your milk for cheese making from the supermarket, try for milk that has been pasteurized using the low temperature method so that a few of the necessary enzymes to make tasty cheese are still present in the milk. Supermarket milk (non-UHT milk only) will do but know that you are not really going to make a better cheese than that found in the supermarket not to mention what is available from cheesemongers today. Sometimes, the cheese will be better however, for example cream cheeses. Take a look at the label next time and you will see things added to the cheese to extend the shelf life, which of course changes the texture and flavour. 

Making cheese at home can range from an easy task, as in the case of yoghurt cheese, to a time consuming task requiring more equipment and advanced skills as with Gouda or Cheddar. Starting out with a few fresh cheeses will let you know if that is all you can handle doing at the moment or if you love it and want to do more.

Sanitation
Cheese is a relatively safe product to eat but only if you follow the basic sanitary rules of preserving and canning( long term storage i.e. canning requires bacteria control like cheese making).

Put a pan of water on to a rolling boil and place your equipment i.e. spoons, cheesecloth into the water and keep boiling for 5 minutes minimum before removing. Air dry completely or you can leave the items in the water until you are ready for them. Larger items such as the colander can be washed in the dishwasher or hot water and soap right before use. You can sterilize your pan for the milk by boiling water (about 2") in it for ten minutes, with the lid on, then draining.

A separate room like an enclosed porch or summer kitchen equipped with electricity is ideal for cheese making but a clean and pet free kitchen will do as well. In older times, farmhouses usually had an attached summer kitchen for all baking, preserving and cheese making needs and if you went further back in time, the farm would have had a separate 'dairy' just for the cheese and butter making. Today, an adequately equipped kitchen is more than sufficient.

Note: some books or other sources of information will say to use a diluted bleach solution to sterilize your equipment but I don't recommend it. Food and bleach do not mix, in my opinion, even with rinsing,  Bleach is toxic to septic systems and respiratory systems and I don't use it anywhere in my house.

Equipment
Even though making fresh cheese is quick and easy, there is still some equipment necessary. As you advance in cheese making you will need more equipment and more time to devote to the process. I am only going to be covering the making of fresh cheese in this article but there will be future articles on intermediate and advanced cheese making.

Most of the following items can be found in your kitchen so no extra purchases need to be made yet.

Fresh Cheese
Colander: 
                  choose one that has a high foot to the bottom to keep the curd away from the       
                  whey while draining.

Slotted spoon: 
                   stainless steel is the better choice

Cooking pot: 
                   stainless is best as other metals can be reactive to the acids present and will  
                   impart a metal taste to the cheese. It should be big enough to hold 8 to 12 
                   litres of milk (2 to 3 US gallons).

Cheese cloth or Butter Muslin: 
                   loose-weave cheese cloth you can get at the supermarket  
                   or bulk store is adequate for fresh cheese if you double or fold over the cloth but  
                   butter muslin, which you get online or at a cheese making supply store, is better  
                   for more advanced cheese making.

Thermometer: 
                   a candy thermometer is not going to be adequate here as the measuring  
                   must be in 1℃(2℉) increments. A digital thermometer, instant-read or clip-on 
                   constant-read, is best for monitoring milk temperature. 

Catch bowl:
                    any bowl for catching the draining whey.

Method
There are two types of fresh cheeses you can make in your home - cultured milk cheese where acid or a starter culture is used and uncultured milk cheese such as yoghurt cheese. Both of these types require curdling which separates the fluids and solids (whey and curds) so that you can drain off the whey and retain the curds. (Yoghurt cheese is already curdled in the yoghurt making process.)

Cultured Milk Cheese
Curdling milk for fresh cheese making can be done one of two ways: with acid in the form of lemon juice or buttermilk and using bacterial cultures.

Curdling with Acid: 

• place cooking thermometer in cooking pot or into top of the double boiler, if using; add water to the base.
• turn burner to medium-low (pot) or medium (double boiler), add milk to pot (or top of double boiler) and heat slowly about 20 to 30 minutes until it reaches 77℃ (170℉).
• remove from heat as soon as it hits that temperature and place pot into sink or basin filled with ice water to cool. Don't use just ice as that will not be as cold as ice water. Keep in the ice water, adding more ice as necessary, until the milk is between 21℃- 22℃ ( 70 to 72℉).
• remove from ice water and wrap with a kitchen towel to keep at that temperature.
• let sit the length of time called for in your recipe.         

Curdling with Bacterial Cultures:

• follow above directions with the exception of the heat temperature you need to reach, which in this case is 38℃ (100℉).
• when temperature is reached, add the starter culture type and amount called for in the recipe, stir and wait for the curds to form.

Draining Fresh Cheeses:

• line a colander with doubled over cheese cloth, making sure that the cloth is big enough to cover the cheese in the finishing process.
• spoon curds from boiler or pot into colander, fold the cloth over the curds and drain whey into catch bowl for two hours.

Finishing:

• with some fresh cheeses, gather cheese cloth into a ball, tie to wooden spoon and let hang for the length of time called for in the recipe instructions.
• when cheese is drained to recipe specifics, remove from cheese cloth and place in airtight container.
• store for two weeks or as long as the recipe states.

Yoghurt Cheese

This cheese is the easiest to make and is fun for kids to help with--the making and the eating!

(Although yoghurt is made with a starter culture, for the purposes of cheese making, this step is not necessary so I have included it in a category all its own.)

Yoghurt cheese is simply following the last two steps in the above list substituting the curdled milk with yoghurt. You can use any flavour yoghurt as long as  it is labelled as containing live cultures and it is not the Swiss-style or custard yoghurt as that will have gelatin(e) in it to stop the whey and curd from separating.

Fresh Cheese Recipes

Yoghurt Cheese

900g (2 lbs) low-fat or non-fat yoghurt --will make half as much cheese as yoghurt used

1. line colander with doubled over cheese cloth, place catch bowl underneath.
2. pour yoghurt into colander and spread cheese taking care not to compress yoghurt. 
3. cover with plastic wrap and place whole set up into refrigerator to drain.
4. after two hours gather cheese cloth and tie to spoon, suspending from the rim of pot or deep bowl.
5. continue draining in refrigerator for another 8 to 24 hours. 8 hours will give you a soft spread;  24 hours will give you a consistency like cream cheese.
6. remove from cheese cloth, shape into a ball and store it in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Lemon Cheese

1.9L (1/2 gallon) whole milk

60 ml (1/4 cup) fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1. heat milk to 74℃ (165℉), stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
2. remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
3. let rest for 15 minutes. If you are using homogenized milk, the curds after 15 minutes will resemble thin threads.
4. pour into colander lined with doubled over cheese cloth, gather and tie the cloth. 
5. drain into catch bowl in refrigerator and drain for one hour or until the whey stops dripping.
6. remove from refrigerator, discard cheese cloth and place in bowl. 
7. add salt to taste and add herbs like chives or dill for added flavour.
8. store in airtight container and keep for up to one week.

Cream Cheese

1L (4 cups) non-ultra pasteurized half and half (10%)

250 ml (1 cup) non-ultra pasteurized whipping cream (35%)

28 ml (2 tbsp) buttermilk

salt

herbs (optional)

extra tools: glass or stainless steel mixing bowl

1. heat both creams to 32℃ (90℉), stir in buttermilk
2. pour into glass or stainless steel mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap.
3. wrap a few towel around bowl and place in warm area for 24 hours.
4. consistency should be like yoghurt with no movement when bowl is tilted sideways.
5. let sit if desired consistency has not been reached, from another 6 to 12 hours.
6. place mixture into cloth-lined colander, fold cloth over and let drain for 15 minutes.
7. place colander in deep bowl and continue draining, covered with plastic, in the refrigerator for 12 to 14 hours.
8. remove curd and add salt to taste and optional herbs.
9. reshape into balls and wrap in fresh cheese cloth; put back into refrigerator in the colander/catch bowl set up.
10. cover with plastic wrap and let sit 36 to 48 hours, until desired consistency is reached.
11. store in airtight container for up to two weeks.

Cottage Cheese

3.8 L (1 gallon) skim or whole milk

calcium chloride (about 1ml (1/8 tsp) diluted in 60ml (1/4 cup) water per 1 gallon milk)

about 1 ml (1/8 tsp) mesophilic direct-set culture

cheese salt

heavy cream (optional)

will yield approximately 454g (1 lb) cheese

extra tools: bowl or cup to dilute calcium chloride

                     long, thin knife to cut curds

1. heat milk to 22℃ (72℉), add the calcium chloride and the starter culture, stirring well between additions.
2. let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Don't let milk fall below 20℃ (68℉)
3. after 24 hours, cut curds into 4mm (1/4") cubes and let sit for 15 minutes.
4. place pot on stove and heat curds to 38℃(100℉), stirring occasionally. It should take 25 minutes to reach that temperature.
5. when temperature is reached, keep there for another 10 minutes, continuing to stir.
6. slowly increase temperature to 44℃ (112℉)-will take 15 minutes.
7. keep at that temperature for 30 minutes and then check curds for firmness.
8. if they are still soft, cook for an additional 5 minutes. 
9. let rest for five minutes when desired consistency is reached.
10. pour into cheese cloth-lined colander and tie cloth into a ball.
11. dunk ball into a bowl of cold water several times to get rid of any extra whey.
12. place colander in catch bowl and let drain for 5 minutes.
13. in a bowl of ice water, rinse the cheese cloth bundle of curds and let drain in colander for another 5 minutes.
14. untie cloth and break up any large pieces of curd.
15. salt to taste and 30 to 60 ml (1 or 2 tbsp) of heavy cream for creamier cheese.
16. store in airtight container for up to two weeks.

Note: since these recipes were originally written with Imperial measurements, I'd trust them over the metric conversions.

End of Part Two

Read Part Three

Read Part One

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