I’ve blogged before about the lengths my friends will go to in search of new cheeses for me. My friend Rachel (yes, we have thought about forming a girl band called The Rachels) found this beauty at Waitrose on a recent trip to Dubai. Hailing from Wales, The Snowdonia Cheese Company has been making contemporary cheese and more traditional types for several years now. This cheese is perhaps their most popular. They market it as a “cheddar with attitude” and that is very accurate. So sharp it could cut itself, it has what I call a “drawback factor”. That is “ooooooof that’s sharp”. It’s made from pasteurized cow’s milk with non…
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The Secret Life of Cheeses and Other Ugly Truths
Like many things in life – sausage making lawmaking being two – I try not to dwell on the finer points on what makes cheese taste as awesome as it does. I mean, we all know it’s about mold, and bacteria, but frankly, if we think too hard about it we wouldn’t ever eat it again. Which is why this piece on the BBC website both fascinated and repelled me at the same time. The Strange World Inside Cheese Read it at your own peril. Spoil the mystery if you must.
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Paneer to the Action
The thing about cheese, is that it’s actually really simple. Milk, a souring agent and time is all it takes to produce a simple white cheese. No complications. It’s when you start adding things like flavor, smokiness, rinds that things get complicated. Kind of like relationships. Except they don’t have rinds.Well, you know what I mean. I’m glad to have introduced my friends to the power of paneer and Indian cheese. It’s to the point where we actively seek it out, like DVD copies of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. We had a couple of brushes with this cheese on our recent trip to Mumbai. This included a unique paneer salad…
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A Dosa the Action in Mumbai
Six women board a plane to go to Mumbai, India. What happened next will shock you. It’s a wonder we all actually made it to Mumbai. With visa and immigration hassles and the copious quantities of bubbles consumed in the lAl Mourjanounge at Hamad International Airport, I was pretty sure there was some kind of black notice issued by multiple authorities. I will admit, there was a moment when I thought this trip would never happen. It was when one of our crew was forced to get her visa at the very last minute. This required the speedy skills of our driver Shafi and many Hail Marys. Many dosa, samosa…
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Wheel of Cheese Fortune
Everyone loves a winner – especially when cheese is involved. This fabulous cheese wheel has been doing the rounds (see what I did there?) on the interwebz and I couldn’t resist sharing it. a few of my faves are missing, but it’s a great resource. Maybe one for the kitchen wall?
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Fromage Fortifications
As a cheese blogger, having a fridge full of the good stuff is an occupational hazard. As of yesterday I have leftover pieces of Manchego, Parmesan, Swiss, Cheddar, Gorgonzola and several unidentified randoms. Now you know how I hate waste as much as losing perfectly good cheese, so I dug out this recipe by the amazing David Lebovitz for Fromage Fort. Fromage fort is a French cheese spread, literally “strong cheese”. It is traditionally made by blending together pieces of different leftover cheeses, white wine (or other spirits) with garlic, herbs and whatever takes your fancy. I made mine with around seven kinds of odds and ends cheeses The recipe calls for…
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Fromage to You – Review of The Cheese Market
OK yes I did a bit of a Gone Girl and disappeared off the food blogging scene for a couple of months. I would love to tell you I was getting drastic plastic surgery, or had eloped with a billionaire. Truth is, I just needed a break from blogging. As you sometimes do. And I also ran out of cheese puns. What dragged me back was several people telling me how they missed the blog. And not just my Mum. So while I was away something interesting happened in Doha. A dedicated cheese shop opened. The Cheese Market requires a special trip to find at The Pearl Qatar. Although I plan to open…
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Friend in Cheeses – Lenten Edition 2013
Today is Ash Wednesday. If I were half the Catholic I allege that I am, I would be giving up cheese for Lent. But instead I am giving up drinking at home, sugar and talking to strange men. Which pretty much leaves me with sitting at home (sober) in my dressing gown watching the Kardashians…and cheese…as my only remaining vices. Speaking of drinking at home and vices, this is the second part of coverage of our American Cheese Tasting held at my friend Alicia’s house. It wasn’t meant to be a series. I just forgot to post the other ones…