Posts Tagged ‘Swiss Cheese’

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Gruyere Cheese: A Fabulous Treat for Your Family and Friends

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Gruyere is a hard yellow cheese that is named after the town of Gruyeres, in Switzerland. It is sweet but slightly salty, with a flavor that varies widely as it ages. It is often known to be creamy and nutty when young, becoming more firm, earthy, and complex as it ages. It takes about five months to a year to have a fully mature Gruyere Cheese. When fully aged, it will develop small holes and cracks which impart a slightly grainy feeling when eaten. The holes rarely exceed the size of a pea, and are widely dispersed within the cheese. Because Gruyere has a distinctive but not overpowering flavor, it is an excellent addition to quiches, soups, salads, and pastas. Gruyere can be sliced or grated depending on the desired effect.

How Gruyere Cheese is Made

Gruyere is made from unpasteurized milk which is heated before being curdled with liquid rennet. It is stirred until the curd has begun to get dense, and then it is quickly cut to release the whey before being heated further, until the curd begins to shrivel slightly. These pieces of curd are pressed into molds to be cured, and then salted in brine for eight days. Immediately after being heaved out from the brine, the cheese is ripened for two months at room temperature. Once the cheese has been ripened, it is aged for three months to one year, with more aged cheese having a more developed and intense flavor.

Serving Gruyere Cheese

This cheese is great to eating with crackers, fruit, french onion soup and meat. It is best known for its contribution to fondue.  You can use some fresh fruit on the board such as sliced pears, apples, and seedless grapes. The blackberry jam also goes perfect with the Gruyere Cheese. Another choice would be apple marmalade. You may also make a pumpkin soup with Gruyere cheese.

Gruyere is a popular cheese around the world, where it appears in a wide variety of dishes. For a great tasting meal that would also melt the hearts of your guests, go and try cooking with the Gruyere Cheese now. You can visit your local cheese shop in your neighborhood. If in the event that it is not being sold in the shop, you can always go to the Ideal Cheese Shop’s website and order from there. Treat your family and friends with this superb cheese now!

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Tete de Moine: Swiss Cheese That Complements Any Dish

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Have you heard of the Tete de Moine cheese? If you’re tired of buying different kinds of cheese for different kinds of dish then this cheese is the solution to your dilemma. Tete de Moine, in English translation, is monk’s head. This refers to the bald head monks in Bellelay, Switzerland. This cheese dates back to 1520, made at the Swiss Alps called Bernese Jura.  Tete de Moine is defining what real gourmet Swiss cheese is all about. It is a true masterpiece of cheese making. This Swiss cheese is an unpasteurized cow’s milk that is cooked lightly. The aroma is simply amazing. Its flavor is so complex and this particular cheese exhibits much more flavor and aroma compared to other Swiss cheeses. It is truly a fantastic gourmet Swiss cheese.

Cutting the Cheese
Tete de Moine cheese is very aromatic even before you cut them into pieces. To be able to experience the full extent of its aroma and flavor, it would be best to have it shaved with a knife into thin slices. A wonderful tool that is so perfect for shaving this cheese is the Swiss made Girolle. This tool is specially designed for accenting cheese platters and making perfect cheese rosettes. This will give you a perfect shaving with your Tete de Moine cheese at a minimum effort.  But if you don’t have this particular tool, you can use your knife. You can thinly cut the top off with your knife and then shave it.

Keeping it Fresh
To keep the freshness of your Tete de Moine, store this cheese in the refrigerator. You can wrap it with aluminum foil or a waxed paper can also be very useful. You can serve this gourmet cheese with almost anything. It is certainly fantastic to serve it in fresh salad. You can mix it with fruits like apples and grapes. It also complements well with prosciutto or other cured meats. You can put in on top of crackers or for whatever food that you will serve it with. When you use this Swiss cheese, rest assured that there won’t be any leftovers.

You can buy Tete de Moine Swiss cheese in gourmet cheese stores or you can also order it online thru online cheese shops. Although it would be best to buy it on cheese shops so you can really check the quality of the cheese, buying this cheese online through the Ideal Cheese website will be as good as buying it in your local retail cheese store. You may also ask the stores cheese expert for some advice on what is the best wine that you can pair with this cheese. Before you buy Tete de Moine cheeses just make sure the shop you are buying is trusted in selling authentic cheeses. This cheese is certainly worth the price.  If you are looking to buy for the top quality Swiss cheese, then Tete de Moine cheese is the right choice. So go and try one now!

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Vacherin Mont d’Or is in Season Again

Saturday, October 30th, 2010

It’s that time of year again. The onset of the fall and the winter months signals the launch of the Vacherin Mont d’Or! Spearheaded by the Swiss village Les Charbonnieres, Vacherin Mont d’Or is officially on the market.

Vacherin Mont d’Or is a seasonal cheese, popular for being extremely unique. It is sold in a round wooden box with an orangey pink washed rind wrapped in spruce bark. Its packaging is the primary reason why this particular cheese stands out. Its orangey yellow crust is firmer than the rest of the cheese, but it is not in any way a hard crust. Its supple crust has a rippled look, with a buttery and velvety flavor.

Vacherin Mont d'Or Cheese

Vacherin Mont d'Or Cheese

This seasonal cheese comes in four different sizes, and you can buy according to your needs. A ripe Vacherin Mont d’Or has a pale yellow cheese underneath the crust, which is very soft you can spoon it off the box. Although it is gooey and creamy, its rich creaminess is enhanced by woody notes coming from the spruce bark that embraces the cheese inside the box.

History has it that the name “vacherin” was coined in order to tell it apart from “chevrotin”, another Swiss cheese made from goat’s milk. In the 19th century, Vacherin made from raw milk was already known as a fine cheese from the Les Charbonnieres area in Switzerland. However, the Vacherin that you can buy today is no longer made out of raw milk, but is made from thermized cow’s milk. But despite that, the flavor and the texture of the Vacherin Mont d’Or still remains thanks to the spruce bark strips that encircles the cheese which is actually sets its delicious taste.

In Switzerland, Vacherin Mont d’Or is considered  as a fall and winter cheese delicacy. The Swiss takes it as a meal in itself, pairing it with small boiled potatoes or butter potato pancakes (another Swiss local dish). But just like any cheese, Vacherin goes well with meat like slabs of ham. You can put in in your green salad or make a sandwich out of it using crunchy farm bread, some pickled onions, and some tomatoes.

But what makes the Vacherin Mont d’Or interesting is that, unlike any other kinds of cheeses, you can actually bake the Vacherin whole and eat it afterwards! Simply take the lid off, then wrap the bottom part of the box in aluminum foil and stuff it in your oven! Experts advise that if you have friends coming over, cut the Vacherin into small bite sizes for baking to make sure it is served optimally hot and that its creamy texture is maintained.

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