Favorite Cheese?

And I am a lover of soft,ripe ,runny and  stinky cheeses like  a German ROMADOUR.

I love many cheeses, hundreds of them, it's hard to pick a favorite. In France you can get very local cheeses, meaning if I travel 20km in one direction I get cheeses I couldn't get where I live, and if I travel 20km in the other direction the cheeses taste completely different. I live in the valley and when you go up in the mountains the milk tastes different and so does the cheese. There are 3 different mountains just around where I live and each one has its own specialties. That's all while staying in a 50km radius from where I live. Go to Savoie, the land of cheese, and you'll get a completely different experience!

 

Nicko I just had some petit basque this morning! Have you ever tried Ossau-Iraty? It's like a fancy petit-basque, you would love it. 

I love dozens of cheeses as well. One of my new-to-me favorites is Bleu des Basques. 

I don't know if I could pick just one. I've probably got a dozen in my fridge right now:

 

1. Parm Reg
2. Pecorino Romano
3. Asiago
4. Jarlsberg
5. smoked gouda
6. cheddar
7. 18 month  aged gouda
8. Boursin
9. mozarella
10. cream cheese
11. ricotta
12. oaxaca
13. anejo
14. dubliner
15. cheese curd with garlic and chives

 

I like shavings of aged gouda quite well and would be a contender for favorite eating plain.

 

Oh, I've got a balsamic soaked bellavitano too. Pretty good stuff.

I will add Gorgonzola dolce. Mamma mia!

St andre

I LOVE cheese!

When I was a kid, I would sneak pieces of cheese (not candy), I’d go to take a bite and then my Mother would hear me in the kitchen and yell from the other room, “are you stealing cheese again?” and I’d quick stuff it under the sofa cushion…

Found this the other day at Trader Joe’s, thought we’d give it a go… real nice with some salumi, olives and fresh bread.  DINNER! (oh and a glass of wine)

 

Camembert and Brie have not been mentioned yet

 Sheep milk Paski Sir it was voted 1st in the world cheese awards best new cheese section.

Cow milk http://www.charlesmartell.com/products/stinking-bishop/

I lik thm all . But believe it or not, I like to sit down with a crock of horseradish , swiss almond, or port wine blends and some crackers.

Nice to see you posting Nicko!  I have mild taste when it comes to cheese, I pass on stinkers like Gruyere. 

 

Parmesan and kefalograviera for grating

Manchego

Cheddar for snacking

Provolone for sandwiches

Blue cheese of all kinds

Feta, for cooking only

Camembert, but only when paired with fig jam or honey

Lamb Chopper or blue cheddar.
 

Does anyone of you know what Supermarket in Florida sells BEL PAESE. I have only Publix and Winn-Dixie stores availabe and none of then has it.

I saw brie, that was I guess designed, specifically for dipping.

I didn’t get yet, DH is not a cheese fan (other Parm really) and I don’t think that I could finish the tub off by myself in a timely manner, well, yeah I could but I would pay for it later… 

Roi de Trefle (Cam)

Caprice des dieux

Halloumi - grilled

Munster

Chevre premier de Moulis - France

aged cheddar

 

@ Nicko: thats like asking me what chocolate I like.

 

When I was very young (I'm  old now ), my mother used to buy these little square cheeses that were packaged in  colored aluminum , different flavors. Tasted like flavored cream cheese. Does anyone remember those ?

 

A shave of good parm.

 

Petals.

Extra sharp white cheddar is top of my list.

Shropshire blue, Humbolt Fog, a good chevre, parm-reg, Mexican quesadilla, ...

 

mjb.

 

Huh? No, it was definitely not designed for dipping. Come to think of it, I don't think ANY French cheese was ever designed specifically for dipping. 

 

Having said that I recently had a grilled beef filet sandwich that came with metled brie and caramelized onions and it was absolutely stunning! 

 

 

 

My childhood right there. ;)

It's hard to pick just 1 or even my top 5 as I love cheese!!!  Many have been mentioned already, but here are a few of my favorites

 

-Cabrales (a Spanish blue often made from a mix of cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk)

-Petit Basque

-Manchego

-Stilton

-Vermont White Cheddar (from Cabot)

-any aged Cheddar

-Gouda (5 year aged)

-Pleasant Ridge Reserve by Uplands Cheese in Wisconsin

 

That being said, Wisconsin is home to some really great cheese.  Yes, I know, the state pumps out much of the average, everyday, grocery store variety of cheese, but there are also a lot of small cheesemakers here, in Wisconsin, producing a lot of world class cheese.  Bleu Mont, Uplands Cheese Co. Sartori, Grande, Saxon Homestead, Salemville Amish Blue, and Widmer are just a few of the great cheesemakers in Wisconsin worth searching for.

I've never seen a 5 year gouda. That would be a very hard cheese after 5 years.

They still make them only now triangle shaped. and newer more moderb flavors like Basil,tomato Roasted garlic and herbs etc

If I had to eat one cheese for the rest of my life it would be Havarti with dill. Following that would be a simple Muenster.

I get cheese at Fresh Market and Whole foods but I ould swear I saw Bel Paese at Costco in Southeast Fl

I do not have a membership card for Costco. But once or twice a year they let me in without one and I hope to remember Bel Paese. Thank you very much for the info. 

What is the difference between muenster, colby, and jack?  They all seem so similar.

Chedder for sure:) With russian bread, called "borodinski"

Love ALL cheeses and usually have 8 or so on the go at once.

Just checked and apart from a large block of Parm Reg, I've got

Stinking bishop
Dunsyre blue
Isle of Mull cheddar
Davidstow cheddar
Jarlsberg
Brie
Double Gloucester
Cornish Yarg
Roquefort

I haven't tried very much cheese but i like myself an end of a block of munster when I can get my hands on it. 

They are quite similar in that they're fairly young wet mild semi-hard cheeses.

 

I'd rate muenster as the mildest and softest, usually getting a little kick from a paprika coating. It's just a step up from processed cheese in that it's a real cheese. It's a US version of a french cheese, or so I've read, though why it's named after a german city I don't know.

 

Colby is probably the hardest and strongest of these three.  It's like a milder version of mild Cheddar though it isn't technically cheddared, which changes the structure and texture of the cheese. McGee's On Food and Cooking has some electron micrograph pictures of the changes in cheddaring and its pretty cool to a nerd like me.

 

Jack is a cheese originating in California originally by Mexican Friars so it is often used in place of similar mild semi hard Mexican cheeses. I usually skip it as there are other cheeses that do that job as well or better for less money and I have good access to mexican cheeses now.   There is an aged version of Jack cheese however, Dry Jack, that is worth trying out though it's pricey. It takes on the sharpness and protein granularity of a parmesan, grana padano or aged gouda. I think the last three have more interesting flavor and generally better pricing and availability in my area, but if you like that sort of cheese, you should try a Dry Jack. Vella Dry Jack is the variety I tried.   I have a friend who likes cheese, particularly the mild creamy ones and Jack is favorite cheese. He's also a big fan of butterkase.