I thought I had exhausted the repertoire of Cheeses of the Middle East. That is until I came across Baladi cheese. Baladi is a soft, white cheese originated in the Middle East. It is known Jibneh Khadra or Jibnah Baladi in Arabic. In local language, Baladi means local cheese made from a flock of “baladi” goats. Alternatively, it is also called ‘cheese of the mountains’ because it is made in high mountains all over Lebanon by the local shepherds. Since Baladi is made from unpasteurized mixture of goat, cow and sheep’s milk, it has to be consumed within three days. The cheese appears similar to Akawie, but it has more…
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You Goat-a Love This Cheese
My affection for Lebanon is well documented. And when I needed a little bit of comfort food after a stressful and somewhat strung out week, I called for reinforcements from the Levant. Despite my whinging and revisionist tendencies of former residents, there is quite to love about where I live. The variety of fabulous food just a phone call and Evil Kenieval motorbike trip away. Malaysian, Turkish, Chinese, Mexican, Italian…and of course Lebanese joints are all within shouting distance. This includes the terrific little eatery Al Balad I was actually craving a dish called Eggplant Fatteh – comfort food personified – which is fried strips of eggplant with toasted pita,…
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Whatever Floats Your Goat
Whoever woke up one morning and decided to milk a goat and use it for cheese is clearly, a genius, and most probably a woman. There is nothing my delicious for a cheese lover than goats cheese treated well. You can have it simply on its own or, as I recently tried it at the W Hotel Doha, who hold a monthly foodie event – Sommelier’s Dinner – at the award winning Market by Jean Georges (yes, THE Jean Georges) The five course meal encompassed seafood, meat and of course dessert, but it was the starter of goats cheese cream and beetroot as well as a baked cheese that really…
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I am the Walnut …. or what does this cheese and the Kardashians have in common?
Listen, it’s a fact. I don’t like my cheese tampered with, adorned or prettied up. In my view, this usually means the cheese itself is bland and in need of some “styling”. And so it is with this creation – Rambol Walnut Cheese. I may have been feeling a little desperate, stuck in a generic supermarket and keen to get my cheese obligations done for the week. In a moment of weakness, I bought it, as you can see, I deigned only to try the smallest piece the deli girl allowed. I mean I love cheese, like walnuts, what could be so bad? It’s a processed cheese with layers of…
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Kofta-esque Fantasy – Show Me the Curry!
I will go to great lengths to get my hands on a cheese dish, regardless of its availability. This is what happened on my recent trip to Mumbai. I had been craving Malai Kofta, a vegetable and cheese dumpling in a creamy curry sauce, from the minute I booked my ticket to Mumbai. What I didn’t count on was this amazing dish being from a different part of India. And we all know how justly parochial Indians are about their cuisine. Luckily for me, the chef at the Grand Hyatt Mumbai where I was staying knew how it make it. And the results didn’t disappoint. Kofta are balls made from…
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The Italian Job
In honor of the looming Papal Conclave, this post is dedicated to those two great Italian staples – Mozzarella and Parmesan. Mozzarella has to be one of the most abuse cheeses in the world – how many of us have had bad mozza on a pizza or in a ubiquitous “Caprese Salad” (usually served at a Baltic temperature). I like my Mozzarella white and of the Buffalo kind and I found this fairly good interpretation in the dairy cabinet at my local supermarket. While not exactly fresh, it was creamy and the perfect addition to my grand Italian plan. Friends know that I have somehow rediscovered or unearthed my latent…
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Shake, Ricotta and Roll – Or Why Ricotta is the Yanni of Cheeses
In a couple of weeks, Yanni is coming to the city that I live in for a concert. You know, Yanni. The Greek composer born Yiannis Hryssomallis and the architect of such memorable ditties as ummmm…quickly looking up Wikipedia….Keys to the Imagination…allegedly. He calls himself “new age”. Look, Yanni’s most interesting claim to fame is that he was in a relationship with Linda (Khrystal Carrington) from Dynasty – she of the shoulderpads and the fight with Joan Collins that ended in a pond. Stick with me, there is a point. Yanni remains popular for all his NEw Age metrosexuality in spite of his blandness. Ricotta is the Yanni of Italian…
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Everything is Better With Burrata
I’m putting this out there – I have only just discovered the wonder that is Burrata. I mean seriously, where has this creamy wonder been all my life? And to my eternal shame, Burrata means “buttered”, and you KNOW how I feel about butter. This folks, is a cheese so great that it even has its’ own Facebook page Burrata Fan Page Apparently, Burrata is “poor man’s Mozzarella”, something I seriously can’t fathom given its lushness. Again, it owes its origin to buffalo milk, which I discovered in my research this week, is actually richer and higher in protein than cow’s milk, making it a perfect candidate for creamy cheese…
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Going Whey Back…Evidence of Cheese Making Dating Back Thousands of Years Unearthed
Going Whey Back…Evidence of Cheese Making Dating Back Thousands of Years Unearthed What is it with Poland these days? Milk extracts have been identified on 34 perforated pottery vessels or “cheese-strainers”, which date back 7,500 years have been excavated in Poland. The only other written evidence for cheese-making activity occurs much later in the archaeological record, around 5,000 years ago. That’s some aged goodness…
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Pole Dancing
Warning. There are Poles, but no dancing as such in this post. If you feel misled, please feel free to complain. There is much ado about Poland this week in Doha, with the start of flights to the Polish capital Warsaw, which in my view is more famous for shipyards and some bloke named Lech. But it seems that there is more to Polish cuisine than piroskis and beer. I was invited to a gourmet dinner to launch this new route at the Grand Hyatt Doha The five course menu included venison, duck and an amazing cod dish, but I was stuck on the amuse bouche, which was a cream…