Cheese #8: Juusto Baked Cheese with Jalapeño Peppers

Fellow cheese lovers I have heard your cries and after a long hiatus I am here to ponder my next cheese. Don’t call it a come back because who knows when I will feel such a deep desire to ponder again. Over Memorial Day weekend I was given a block of Pasture Pride Wisconsin made Juusto “Baked Cheese” with Jalapeño Peppers. As soon as I received this gift from our dear friends Megan and Matt I knew this was a cheese I needed to ponder. Now the cheese has sat in the fridge for two American patriotic holidays and the day has final come where I am ready to ponder again (don’t worry – the expiration date was checked).

I have a confession to make before I start a full review of this Wisconsin classic. Juusto and I have a history; I was introduced to Juusto not long after my last post in the summer of 2012. I was introduced to Juusto for the first time by the same couple that reintroduced us this summer. They say first impressions are everything and Juusto and I had a less than stellar first meeting. Juusto must be served warm (more on that later), and I did not give the cheese the proper warming time required due to a less than coherent state of mind after dancing and celebration at a friend’s wedding. If my memory serves me correctly, I ravenously devoured Juusto without cutting or taking the time to properly enjoy its flavors. For that, Juusto, I owe you my most sincere apology.

Now that I have taken the proper time to savor Juusto the way it deserves I will happily give it a proper review. I must address what I see as Juusto’s biggest flaw first; to enjoy it must be warmed. We warm and melt cheese all the time on food and I, like every other sane person, love melted cheese with almost every dish. What makes this a problem with Juusto is that the warming makes the cheese so it cannot be immediately snackable at a moments notice. When I want to enjoy cheese as an appetizer or anytime snack I have no desire to work for it, I want to be able to cut it with a knife and pop it in my mouth. As I mentioned in Juusto’s introduction it is a “Baked Cheese” and sections of the outside have the delightful look of a perfectly cooked pizza. When I saw the darker baked sections of the cheese I expected some of that same roasted cheese flavor but that flavor wasn’t present as expected. On the brighter side of Juusto because of its warmth it squeaks in your teeth. To some a squeaking cheese may sound strange but for anyone who has enjoyed a fresh Mid-western cheese curd you know how delightful that squeak is.

Fellow ponderers and readers you may be wondering about Juusto’s overall taste. As I mentioned the cheese was without the expected roasted cheese flavor, the overall flavor was very mild. The most distinct flavors in this particular cheese were the Jalapeños in combination with the natural oils from the cheese. This combination gave the cheese, when properly warmed, a similar flavor to fajitas. Overall I enjoyed the cheese but would love the opportunity to try other varieties of Pasture Pride Wisconsin made Juusto, as I feel that the Jalapeño flavor may have taken away from my full ability to review this cheese.

Now the moment you have all waited and wondered about. In comparison to Colby Jack, the pride of cheese, I would give this cheese one thumb up for two simple reasons; one being that I would like to try the original Juusto and give it a proper review, and the second reason being its low level of snackablity.

Until next time Readers!

Peace, Love, and Cheese

Cheese #7: Swedish Greves (it's just Swiss)

Loyal Pondering Cheese readers..... I'm back! I wish I could tell you I was off wondering the world in search of the best cheeses to review but I wasn't. I have just been caught up in the parts of life that are far less interesting than cheese. With that said, I will share one April adventure that I took where I had the opportunity to experience a cheese based sandwich with tradition. In early April I was privileged to accompany a friend at The Masters in Augusta, Georgia (A tradition unlike any other). Before our trip to The Masters I had no idea that this classic golf tournament is known for a delicious Pimento cheese sandwich. The sandwich itself was simple, two pieces of the whitest bread you can buy with a thick layer of the most wonderful Pimento cheese spread in between. Wrapped in a thin green plastic with a sticker on the front with The Masters logo, this sandwich was dense. In fact it was so dense that when you picked it up you could already feel the rock it was about to leave in your gut. I had two of these wonderfully heavy and delightful sandwiches within a few hours and was sure I would never need to eat again. The actual cheese in the spread was a perfectly shredded cheddar held together with a mixture of creamy greatness. Growing up in a NASCAR family, I worried about being shunned for attending a professional golf tournament but the risk was worth it because of these traditional Pimento cheese sandwiches that were unlike any other.

And now on to this weeks (or months) cheese. When I bought this cheese a couple weeks back I was ready to scoff at it. I was ready to make several comments about how its appearance makes it look like the perfect cheese for a cartoon mouse. The cheese itself was a long skinny wedge with appropriately placed holes through the entire wedge. This large wedge of Swedish Greves was just a wedge of Swiss Cheese with a fancy name. I wanted so badly to come back strong with negative feelings about a stupidly stereotypical looking cheese, but I can't. This hunk of Swiss was fantastic! It was not overpowering like some Swiss cheese. This Swiss was mild and smooth. It cut with ease right out of the refrigerator and was so perfectly snackable that I almost finished the entire wedge in one sitting. I ate this cheese on crackers and feel this was probably the best use for it as mixing it with other tastes might have hidden the mild taste of Swedish Greves (Swiss). For this reason Swedish Greves was not the most versatile of cheese but I would give this fancy Swiss cheese a 4 out of 5 when compared to the most wonderful cheese of all times, Colby Jack.

Peace, Love, and Cheese

Cheese #6: Cotswald/Cotswold from England

Lets get down to business quick on this week's cheese. Cotswald or Cotswold cheese from England is really, really good. I bought a small wedge of Cotswald at our local market thinking it looked like a hearty yellow cheese that I would probably enjoy and boy was I right. I am unsure of the exact spelling of the cheese as it said "Cotswald" on the package that I bought but most other research has lead me to the spelling "Cotswold". Either way, this is a fantastic cheese. If you have never had the pleasure of tasting Cotswold, let me take a minute to help you imagine what it tastes like. Close your eyes and think for a second about what the toppings on a baked potato should taste like when the sour cream, cheddar, and chives are mixed perfectly. If you are reading this that means you have opened your eyes again, which is good because I want you to read the rest of my thoughts. When I eat a baked potato, I do not eat it for the potato, I eat it for the toppings and to save money the next time I think baked potatoes sound like a nice dinner option I am not going to buy all of those things, I am simply going to buy a wedge of Cotswold (an English cheese) and melt it generously over the top of my potato.

Cotswald was rich and creamy and it had perfect cut-ablity for cheese snacking which I am always looking for. It also had a wonderful kick with the chives added right into the cheese. If I were looking for a cheddar with some class to serve with any zesty meal, I would choose Cotswold (an English cheese) to help complete the meal. Cotswald gets a nine on a scale from one to ten with Colby Jack as an eleven and there is not much that is better than that.

We had a friend visiting this weekend who has been one of my most avid Pondering Cheese followers and she bought a nice herb and garlic goat cheese that also had chives. I would say that this goat cheese was the cousin of Cotswald with how delicious it was even though it lacked the amazing cheddar taste and did not come from cows milk, as my new beloved Cotswold.

Peace, Love, and Cheese.

Cheese #4: Swedish Vasterbotten & Cheese #5: Rocinante Goat Cheese with Red Wine

Hello Cheese Ponderers from around the world! Just after last week's post I was gifted two new interesting cheeses for this week. The first was a thin block of Swedish Vasterbotten and the second was a wedge of a fine Rocinante Goat Cheese with Red Wine. When our dear friends gave us these cheeses they said they were looking for something that looked interesting and fun and I would have to say they were successful. As I was thinking about these cheeses as "gifted cheeses" I could not help but think of "gifted children". These cheeses, much like gifted children in the school setting were a little odd, with interesting qualities but very lovable. As I unwrapped these cheeses for our weekly cheese photo shoot I smelled both of them and had some initial concerns these gifted cheeses may be too similar based on their smells but just like gifted children the cheeses were very unique.

 Starting with Rocinante Goat Cheese with Red Wine, I must say I was impressed like I often am with goat cheeses. While many Americans consume tremendous amounts of cheese from cow's milk each year they must be unaware of the quality and richness of many goat cheeses. Rocinante Goat Cheese with Red Wine was very rich in flavor with a smooth texture. This was not the type of cheese that crumbles upon touch or dulls the blade of a knife with one cut but instead (listen closely) cut perfectly the way a chilled Colby Jack might. Before tasting, I judged this cheese the way we are all told not to judge books. The cheese looks like it could be seasonal with its deep red/purple rind and printer paper white body. Like many cheeses that have been cut from a full wheel of cheese there was a partial section of label still left on this wedge. From first glance the label could have been confused for a circus advertisement or a colorful candy wrapper meant to attract the interest of candy lovers. This goat cheese screamed fancy pants, with "Red Wine" in its title but oh-my, it was fantastic. The hints of red wine were subtle and brought out the cheese's smooth, rich flavor. This cheese gets two big thumbs up from this amateur cheese expert.

I said before that I was concerned the two cheeses would be too similar because of their initial smell, it was clear after eating the two cheeses that my nose was overpowered by the odor of one of them, Swedish Vasterbotten. This Northern European cheese had a light waxy coating which regular readers know I appreciate in a cheese. It had a strong "smelly cheese" odor and was very hard. When you look at it up close you may think it is a miniature Swiss Cheese with its tiny holes that are placed randomly throughout the block. The tough nature of Swedish Vasterbotten makes it hard to cut but after it is cut or broken into smaller pieces, it crumbles into even smaller pieces as if it is sad to have left its original form. On first taste, I was struck by its likeness in taste to a Parmesan that might be shredded over your soup or salad at an Italian chain restaurant that serves endless quantities of food. I would give Swedish Vasterbotten a grade of B+ because it was nice but seems to have few practical, daily uses.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and enjoying Pondering Cheese and as always please feel free to leave your comments or concerns about the things you have read.

Peace, Love, and Cheese

Cheese #3: Celtic Vintage Irish Cheddar with Malt Whisky

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all. I picked this week's cheese in honor of this day. From what I know, I have Irish heritage but would not say St. Patrick's Day is something I look forward to each year. My most fond memories of St. Patrick's Day come from my childhood when each year our family's Rat Terrier (his love for cheese is mentioned in my personal history with cheese) would "get loose" and come back after being attacked by a leprechaun, all of his white fur died green. My brother and I later figured out this was our father's attempt at getting us excited about St. Patrick's Day. Usually the dog would remain green until mid-May when the dye finally all rubbed off.

Enough is enough, let's talk about the cheese of the week. To celebrate St. Patrick's Day I picked up a wedge of Celtic Vintage Irish Cheddar with Malt Whisky from our local DeKalb Farmers Market. I prefer going into my reviews with an open mind free of others opinions but this week as I was bragging to friends about my holiday themed choice and friend said to me, "I have had that cheese from the market before and it is not very good". I am happy to say that in my own kind opinion she was incorrect. I knew I was going to love this cheese from the second I picked it up. What was there for me not to love? I am supposedly Irish, I love malt whisky, anything vintage is cool and it is all mixed together in a beautiful white cheddar.

The cheese itself gets a solid four and a half stars in my book. It is once again not as versatile as the undisputed most pot of gold worthy cheese in the world, Colby Jack, but it is still pretty darn good. It came wrapped in wax for freshness unlike many other more snobby cheeses with their own protective rind. The cheese was perfectly sharp and crumbled wonderfully when it was cut or broken the way a dry cheese should. My friend with the incorrect opinion about this cheese said she ate most of hers with apples which improved the taste. While I thought the cheese was wonderful on its own, she was correct, apples were an awesome addition, making this cheese a well rounded snack. I have only two complaints with this cheese. The first is that I had high expectations for a stronger whisky taste in the cheese and my second is that this Irish cheese has to share part of its name with the oldest most washed up team in professional basketball. As I see it if those are truly the only two issues this must be a cheese you would be lucky to find at the other side of a rainbow.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Peace, Love, and Cheese