Cheese

[Anneke]

One more thing: if you like a non-smelly but flavourful harder cheese, you must try Mimolette, the really old one. It's one of the oldest cheeses ever produced in France. It's a big orange ball (looks like a toddler's basketball), and it's so hard it has to be broken, not cut. The flavour is pure heaven!

[Mezzaluna]

Love that Mimolette, Anneke! Funny but true story about Mimolette: while visiting friends in France in 1985, I brought chili seasonings and offered to make a pot for them. Catch: I couldn't find any cheddar in that smallish, northern city. When I saw the Mimolette, I bought a chunk and grated it over the chili! Not the same flavor or texture, I can tell you, but makes for an amusing memory.

[Afra]

My favorites are cheddar cheese, mozarella cheese and montgomery jack cheese. I generally just cut a slice and eat it and sometimes I make lasagna or grilled cheese sandwiches. YUM! Hehe

[Kimmie]

I think I love them all. The ones I'm savouring in my head as I post are:

Parmegiano-Reggiano
Romano
Fontina
Taleggio
Gorgonzola
St-André
Reblochon
Brie
Camembert
Morbier
Swiss Ementhal
Swiss Gruyère
Stilton
French Triple Crème
Jack
Feta

and of course of Quebec cheeses
Le Migneron
Le Ciel de Charlevoix
Victor et Berthol

let's not forget raw milk cheeses:
Le Saint-Basile de Portneuf
Lechevalier Mailloux
Le Sarah Brizou
L'Ange cornu

and there's more that I can't think of

I have to end with Cheez-Whiz and Velveeta, these two are my comfort cheeses!

Like Anneke, I don't like cooking with really good cheeses either, for the same reason.

Thanks for asking CC!

[Isa]

L'explorateur, Roblochon. I miss those cheeses

[Anneke]

Isa, what do you mean you miss them. Are they not available in Mtl?

[Isa]

The Reblochon is easy to find, it's a bit expensive so I get it on special occasion only. L'explorateur is sometime hard to find but so wonderful. If you like St-André you'll love that cheese

[monpetitchoux]

What do you know? Saying cheese does bring a smile to our faces.

[Anneke]

I don't know about you but personnally, it gives me an uncontrollable craving. Gotta go!

[Afra]

Me too, Anneke. Kimmie made me hungry right away just naming all those different cheeses. Shame on you, Kimmie! hehe hehe

[youla]

I really love all cheese but mainly those with a bit of bite like a good reggianno or a good smelly one like a reublochon,...by the way my favourite is a cheese called esrom...similar in texture to a havarti but with a strong smell and a similar flavour to the reublochon.....I also love pure goats cheese unpasteurized...australian laws wont allow certain cheese into the country if they are made of unpasteurized milk and I have only been lucky enough to try these when overseas..so thats all I eat when I travel to europe is all these cheeses! but try the esrom its hard to find here in australia and when I do I BUY THE LOT! AND STINK THE FRIDGE OUT!!

[Olive Branch]

Cape Chef mentioned Manchego, and there is another Spanish cheese that I love, Tetillo, "Little Breast". Not only is it yummy, it's beautiful. too!

Love ~ Debbie

[Shimmer]

Once at a winery in Oregon, my friend and I ordered a cheese and fruit plate. There was this hard Spanish cheese (Manchego, I learned much later) that I had never had or heard of, and asked if I could buy some separately. It was served with pears, apples, roasted nuts, and grapes.

The waitresses said I would have to come back and buy some when the owner was there, because they were not strong enough to cut through it!

So I left, and went several places after that trying to find this particular cheese, only desribing it as "Hard Spanish Cheese."

My husband took me to lunch at this catering place in Indianapolis, and they also have a huge food shop including cheeses and meats and imported stuff. I knew as soon as I saw all the cheese that there was no way they could NOT have it. And they did! I was in heaven!

I'm thinking of buying some Manchego and other cheeses with some fresh fruit for our Thanksgiving dinner appetizer. Yum.

So now that I've gone on and on about it, I'll say what other cheeses I like.

I like the combo of Gruyere and Swiss in fondue. Nothing like melted cheese. We have it every year on New Year's Eve.

And I love, love, love myzithra cheese, simply prepared (on pasta with browned butter).

Tillamook cheddar is also excellent, but I think I really like it because when I was little we went to Tillamook and watched the process (before they required the vats to be covered) of cheese-making, and how can you not love the taste of something you watch being made!

Okay, thanks everyone, I am STARVING now.

~~Shimmer~~

[Risa]

I'm probably going to be shot for this, but I don't know much about cheese or wine. I eat and drink both but I rarely bother with names, vintage, etc. I usually just try everything and if I like it, I have more. In any case, there are very few cheeses that I don't like. I don't much care for velveeta and kraft singles but those don't count do they?

Tillamook Cheddar is a favorite of mine and for basically the same reason as Shimmer's. One of the best family holidays I ever had included a visit to the Tillamook factory. I can only get the mild here in Springfield and only occassionally at that but I prefer the extra sharp.

I miss MacLaren's cold-pack cheddar every now and then, but again, that's just association with good memories with my mom.

I love myzithra with buttered pasta, fresh bocconcini with warm from the oven foccaccia and some nice olives, camembert and brie with all sorts of fruit, asiago baked into an ensaymada (brioche-type buns), boursin with a crusty loaf, etc. Actually almost any kind of cheese on a homemade slice of bread is heaven to me. I wish there was a better cheese store/department where I live just so I can go cheese exploring. I have to go to like 4 different places to get different cheese and even then there's no guarantee I'll find what I want. I guess there's always mail order and the internet. All the posts have given me a sizeable list of cheeses to hunt for. Thank you all!

[shroomgirl]

Manchengo is served in Spain with guava paste (or was it quince paste) anyway it's a really super combo....I served it at the Spainish lamb roast last Summer....
I had the Wine Merchant speak on the differences of farmstead cheeses and artisinal .....farmstead you raise the animals you milk and make the cheese yourself.
When Nicko came to visit St. Louis we made a special hike to check out the cheeses....he took several back to Chicagoland.
***When in Chicago go to the Ritz-Carlton and have their cheese service!!!!I have few words that can discribe the variety, presentation, I adore cheese and they had several I was not familiar with....this was a great treat....The knowledge the cheese waiter (is there an actual name for that position?)had on each selection...A destination.