Gaperon $8.99 lb. at Central Market (?), $1.89 for a big chunk. Very bitter. In the book, it comes in a little round with white mold on the outside. It has orange ribbons tied around it criss-crossing. In the picture, it looks firm, but the piece I got is runny, kind of like an older Brie. It has garlic (a little bit), pepper. It says keep refrigerated. Maybe it’s supposed to be served cold. Patrick didn’t like this one. The garlic is not too strong. It is more peppery than anything. I think it may be older than it should be, though. It is a little bit too soft and squishy. About the bow, Patrick said, “How cute. I bet it was the darling in grade school.” This cheese makes you think, and makes you stink. I liked it, but I don’t think that everybody would. It is from the Auvergne region. On the label, it says “Gaperon d’Auvergne, a hearty, interesting treat.” It is definitely hearty. Later, I saw some other Gaperon at Central Market and they looked better, firmer and with white rind. I had this Gaperon later and it was excellent. It was at its peak. It had a strange consistency in that it wasn't a very fatty cheese. It had a sort of rubbery, low-fat mouthfeel. You could play with it like Play-Doh. It was slightly runny towards the edge, but then firmer, bouncy, and textured on the inside.
Le Gariotin d’Alvignac
$19.99 lb. at Grapevine, $4.99 for a big crottin-looking hunk of cheese.
This is goat cheese from France. I
couldn’t find much info on it on the internet.
It has toad skin going on, white with some grey and black mold.
The inside is darker cream-colored on the edges and then chalky white
inside. I thought it was going to
be more aged, but it wasn’t. Boy is this good. This
is my new favorite goat cheese, I think. It
is a salty, very tangy, and has a good barnyardy goat aftertaste.
It feels good to touch. I
was told that this was supposed to be a stinky cheese, but I’m not smelling
anything yet. Maybe it’s not old
enough, or maybe my breath is just fooling me.
Ike the cheesemonger told me to try this with a Bordeaux. I did and it is delicious!
Nice and funky, and it brings out the fruit in the wine.
Then once that is gone, you taste the salty goat again.
Garrotxa $13.99 lb. at Central
Market, $2.66 for a very small wedge. Goat’s milk cheese
from Spain. The
outside looks like bark and the inside is almost has a green tint to it.
It’s a hard, aged goat cheese from Catalonia.
Yum! This is musty towards
the edges, salty, tangy, herby, and spicy.
It almost tastes like it has pepper in it, and the aftertaste has some
grass elements in it. It is very
goaty, but not bitter like the Rocamadour.
This would be a great party cheese except the rounds are so small and
it’s hard to cut. It’s better
for a small gathering. http://www.bacchuscellars.com/cheese/garrotxa.htm
German
Swiss $5.59 lb. at Wheatsville, $1.01 for a small chunk.
It is darker than the baby Swiss. It
has a sharper taste, not so sweet, firmer texture.
It doesn’t taste quite as itchy as a real Swiss.
It doesn’t have many holes at all.
In fact, I think I only saw one tiny hole.
Patrick said it would make good cheese toast cheese.
He says it’s a strong Swiss. I
feel like it is different because it has a sort of smoky, nutty aftertaste, but
it doesn’t make my tongue itch like some strong swisses.
It is interesting – mild, sweet, but with an interesting aftertaste.
Not too salty. It is good.
Has a rich, deep hue. Yellow,
but with tinges of brown, almost like you can see into the depths of the cheese.
It is a pretty cheese.
Gevrik Cornish cheese. $3.99 for a little round at Central Market. Gevrik means little goat in Cornish. It is made in Cornwall. The label is adorable -- white paper with a colorful little drawing of a goat's head, like a cameo. It has a clean, fresh, nutty taste. It looks like a baby bried and also like a Crottin. Very mild and mushroomy with a light, tangy goaty taste. It gets creamier as it ages. It is a nice little cheese. Read more about it at http://www.ccl-ltd.co.uk/gevrik.htm.
Gilboa
by Barkanit $14.99 for a 6 oz. wedge at Pomegranate. The consistency is a
little nutty, almost like chewing on cheese with some nuts in it. Tangy, long
long finish. It just melts on the palate. Sheepy, a tiny bit sour, like sour
milk and salt, tangy, with some nutty, tangy flavors. Intense cheese. What
strikes me overall is that sheepy (sour vomit) finish that has a tiny bite to it in the
back of your throat when you swallow, but then just mixes a lot of flavors
around, too, like a distinct "cheesy" flavor with some nuttiness. It
is an interesting cheese. It has such a nice finish. With the quince spread, it
is even better. The tart quince really plays off of that sheep taste and the
acidity in the cheese. This is a
marriage made in heaven--one that the Spanish dreamed up, but that the Israelis
have recreated in their own Israeli kind of way. This tastes saltier than
the 150mg of sodium per oz. listed on the label. This is a delicious cheese and
ideal for parties with the quince paste and a Rioja or other fruity red wine. It
is 6 oz., so it is a great size for a small gathering. It is even-textured
enough that the pieces taste about the same from the center all the way to the
rind, so not much cheese varies or is wasted; everybody gets a similar piece.
This cheese might even be able to go on a toothpick. Don't leave it in the
fridge for long, though, because since it still has a healthy amount of
moisture, it gathers some surface mold from the rind, I suppose. When it's in
the cryovac, the rind mold doesn't migrate, but unwrapped, it does.
Barkanit is an artisanal dairy in northern Israel near the Tabor Mountain. The
brothers at Barkanit traveled to France and Spain, learned cheesemaking, and
then went back to Israel where they set up a goat and sheep dairy. There they
make French and Spanish style cheeses, but with an Israeli twist and, of course,
Israeli terroir. From the label: "In the north of Israel, next to the Tabor
Mountain, the herd of Barkanit family dairy enjoys natural pasture all around
the year. Traditional cheese- making and personal caring and attention make this
unique cheese to be what it is: reflection of place and people. To enjoy the
full flavour and texture of the cheese please take it out of the refrigerator
one hour before eating." The ingredients don't say the type of rennet. It
is made on the Brakin Farm, Kfar Yechezkel, Israel Tel: 972-4-6531431 It
has about 115 calories per oz. and 10 g of fat, 150 mg of sodium. This wheel is
likely aged about a year, but the pre-packed Gilboa wedges, also for sale at
Pomegranate, are much younger and also from a smaller wheel of cheese. OU-D,
cholov yisroel. The label reads "chalav israel under Gilboa Rabbinate
Supervision." Compare with posting
on Manchego Pomegranate. Photo
of Barkanit Gilboa and Pomegranate "Manchego"
Gjetost Ski Queen. $8.49 lb. at Central Market. $3.06 for a small block. This cheese is from Norway. It looks like a big block of caramel, very golden brown. Rindless. It has a very strange consistency. Gjetost is supposed to be the most popular cheese in Norway. It is made from buttermilk which is heated until the water has evaporated. The milk sugars form a brown caramelized paste. Milk or cream may be added to up the fat content (38-45%) of the finished product. Its texture is firm/semi-hard. It is a sweet, yet salty cheese with a caramel and milk taste. It is good with green apples and crispbread.
Glacier Ridge Farms Hot Pepper Cheese $3.99 for an 8 oz. round at World Market. This is a 100% process cheese food, the type of cheese that would go well in a gift basket. I didn't bring my lunch to work one day and got hungry. I decided to try this. It was surprisingly good for a process cheese. The texture is not as gooey as some, and I like the jalapenos in it. It is very snackable. I keep eating it, in spite of its scandalous, process nature. It is made in Wisconsin. The label depicts a quaint farmhouse on a grassy hill with the words "naturally delicious" emblazoned underneath the picture. When I eat this cheese, the first thing that comes to mind is not "natural," but it's still a fun guilty pleasure.
| Goat Cheese, Amaltheia Organic Dairy Farmstead Goat Cheese $4.99 for a little 4 oz. tub at LifeThyme in Manhattan on 6th Ave. It is from Montana and is vegetarian and USDA organic. I picked it up off the shelf where I could swear it said "goat ricotta." I got all excited as I love any kind of quality ricotta, especially goat. I got a spoon at the counter, went out on the street to eat it, but it was the thickest ricotta I had ever had and didn't taste anything like ricotta. It was dense and ever so slightly gritty in the center where it was extra chilled, but it did have a fresh, clean taste, and in spite of the tiny bit of grit, it warms up nicely into a creamy cheese. I finally realized I was not eating ricotta, but rather, chèvre! This company does sell a ricotta, but I think the store had sold out. I'll try that next time. Here are the Amaltheia goats enjoying the music of the mountains and the eagles soaring overhead. | |
Goat cheese, Texas $11.99 lb. at Grapevine, $4.44 for a small ball wrapped in plastic. This cheese is great. It tastes very French. It is light, fluffy, floral, and citrusy, without being as tangy as Pure Luck. It reminds me of Jacquin ashed cheeses in its texture. It is almost bready. I think this is from Dallas Mozzarella Company.
Goat cheese spread, Pure
Luck, Basil and Pesto $17.99 lb.
at Central Market, $5.58 for a tiny tub. It
is freshy, mildly goaty, a little bit chalky in the finish, but with a very
light pesto taste. I really liked
this cheese, but Patrick wasn’t wild about it. It also has basil, olive oil, and garlic in it.
Goat cheese, Soignon 150 g (5 ½ oz.) for $3.49 at Whole Foods north. From France, spreadable goat cheese, à tartiner. It came in a little rectangular European butter tub looking thing. It has a cartoon picture of a mother and baby goat frolicking on the field, with a piece of toast covered in goat cheese spread. They seem proud of their cheese. 40% m.g. Low fat, 2.5 mg for 25 g, medium sodium (110 mg). It is so good. It is not very interesting, but it is really good. Patrick drove home and I ate fingerfuls of it in the car, and fed him some, too. It is like a creamy Chavrie, very smooth and milky tasting. http://www.soignon.com Again, this is not a very interesting cheese, not much goat aftertaste, but yum! It’s light, not as light as a fromage blanc, though.
Goat Cheese, Texas See Texas Goat Cheese
Goat Cheese Medallions, Les Petites Fermières Fine Herbs & Garlic These delicate little goat buttons come from Canada. They come nine to a pack and are very soft and mellow, not at all overbearing in their goatiness or herb mixtures. They taste, in fact, more French than North American. Each little button is about 30 calories with 2g of fat. They have a soft floral and light buttery flavor, and a gorgeous spreadable, smooth texture. When I first opened the package, there was such a floral aroma that I thought the cheese might be molded, but no, it was just the rosemary and maybe even some fennel mixed in. The original packaging had photos of the goat medallions in action; you can set a few on top of a salad, on a hot pizza with tomatoes and fresh basil, leave them to melt on their own over pasta dishes, or put them out with bread as bite-size appetizers. Since they are all formed into perfect medallions, they lend themselves to interesting arrangements on trays and for photography. The medallions tend to stick together a little so that you can make small "leaning towers" or prop them up against each other in a whimsical way on a small plate. OK kosher certified and vegetarian. Other flavors are Plain and Cranberry & Maple syrup. Photo of Goat Cheese Medallions Fine Herbs & Garlic
Goat’s
milk cheese, Coach Farms $16.99 lb.
$5.10 for a little cone/pyramid. Coach
Farms from Pine Plains, New York. Soft-ripened,
pasteurized goat’s milk. It won the first prize in a “fancy foods” show.
It is supposed to be aged about 6 months.
http://www.coachfarm.com
This cheese has a white mold rind on the outside, darker towards the
edge, light and flaky on the inside, and with peppercorns.
They must have messed up because the label didn’t say that it was a
peppercorn cheese. It came wrapped
in white plastic paper. It is
slightly tangy, herby, really mild, just a little bit musky.
Salty on the outside. It’s
a yummy cheese. I’ll definitely
buy this one again. This is a very
good, basic cheese. It is not
overwhelming, but it has a nice character to it.
This company breeds their goats to be the best producers of milk and also
sells prize-winning goat sperm.
Goat Cheese, Creamy Goat Cheese by Vermont Butter and Cheese Company $4.29 for 4 oz. at Grapevine Market. This is the olive and herb flavored version. It is a spreadable cheese, but not as gooey and sticky as some of the bigger factory versions. It was delicious. The texture is slightly crumbly, but still creamy and moist, but the most exciting thing was that it was chock full of black olives. It also contains an herb blend and garlic. "May contain pits," the label says. This cheese disappears in no time, it is so good. Low fat and low sodium. They have a couple of other flavors of this creamy cheese as well.
Goat Cheese, Blackberry Wine, by Stone Hollow $16 a jar at Western Supermarket in Birmingham, Alabama. See Stone Hollow for a description of all the goats and links to my Stone Hollow pages. Photo of Blackberry Wine Goat Cheese
Goat’s milk cheese cone from Coach Farms, aged, with green peppercorns. $16.99 lb. at Central Market. $4.76 for a cone. I took half of it to Liz’s party and kept the other half for breakfast. It is older than the little round that I bought last week. It is flakier, bright white rind on the outside, then dark cream-colored, and white and chalky on the inside. It is delicious! I like it just as much as the other, if not more. It is also salty. People were hesitant to eat this one at first.
Goat's milk cheese from Haystack Mountain Applewood Smoked $5.99 at Whole Foods for a 4 oz.cylinder. Basic Chèvre, tangy, white, crumbly soft texture, acidic, but with a delicious smoked wood flavor. This cheese comes from Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy, 5239 Niwot Rd. Niwot, CO 80503. I assume that the smoke is real because it is not listed in the ingredients, fake smoke. This cheese is made from vegetable rennet. It is delicious. Even though it's expensive, it's still cheaper than the Capri I had been buying. I could eat this cheese all day.
Goat
Peppercorn Cheese – Lonestar Peppercorn Cheese “A Texas Specialty Cheese”
A pillow of 4 oz. Cut pillow
and squeeze expensive cheese out! Very
soft, creamy, creamier than most chevres, extremely tangy.
Upon first taste, all you notice is the goat, salt, and cream, but the
aftertaste reveals spices. Vague
peppercorn aftertaste. The
peppercorn variety will not leave bad breath, but the pesto will.
From Cleveland, Texas. Logo
is a goat in the middle of a Texas flag star.
We also tried the garlic/cilantro, and it was way too strong.
It was so strong, that we tried to mix it with cream cheese and serve it
at a party, but still freaked out the guests except for one Italian guy.
Finally, we ended up throwing it away.
It left very bad breath. http://www.cheesemakers.com
They are located in Cleveland, TX, I guess near Houston.
281-593-1319
Goat cheese Gouda HEB This cheese was great. It is very firm, white/cream-colored. It has a wax crust. It’s a nice, lightly tangy, mild cheese that wouldn’t offend most people, but is more aged than the soft goat cheeses.
Goat Gouda, Yodeling See Yodeling Goat Gouda
Gorgonzola, Aurichio, domestic $6.99 lb. at Whole Foods, $2.70 for a big slab. Very dry and salty. It is a little too salty to let all the mold flavor come through. It is creamy and pasty. It is ok. I like Italian Gorgonzola better. The Italian is creamier. Patrick says that this cheese is like a cheddar with mold growing on it.
Gorgonzola Dolce $9.99 lb. at Grapevine. Yellowish, semi-soft. Light cream color. It doesn't have much veining in it. It is smooth and creamy with a smooth taste. There is a residual sweetness from the milk. It doesn't linger much. It dissipates quickly. It s a great cheese! Makes you want more. Gorgonzola is washed in brine and sometimes its rind can turn a little orange and slimy like a washed rind. Sometimes I also get one that is a little too earthy for party tastes, so I taste them at the counter to see if they are what I am looking for or not.
Gorgonzola Montagna $9.99 lb. at Central Market, $4.00 for a good slab. It is not too dry, light beige/cream-colored, with some spindle-pokes of blue and limited marbling elsewhere. It tastes salty, but it’s not really that salty – 240 mg. It is smooth-textured with a light, yet sharp, taste of crunchy mold. It’s a luscious cheese, even vaguely nutty. It’s not too strong or bitter, but does burn the tongue. It makes my ears itch a little. This is a great cheese.
Gorgonzola Montagna Piccante by Gelmini $? at Garden of Eden in Hoboken $6.97 for about 1/3 lb. This cheese came straight off the wheel, cut by Sonia at the Garden of Eden. This cheese is super creamy, just like its color, and with big jags of thick blue spikes stuck into it. It is a striking cheese to behold. When I first taste it, it has that "paint" flavor that so many blues seem to have. They taste like water or paint, this one more like paint. Excellent rind with a light orange color. The rind is as yummy as the cheese. There are even little flecks of salt mixed in and it is strong, but not overly ammoniated at all. The inside is creamy, but in an almost fudgy way. It has a burn on the finish, as I've noticed before. It is a weird cheese because it starts out so mellow and almost floral, and then finishes up with a bang. Sonia mentioned that it was "piccante," as in "sharp." When I breathe out, I start to taste some nuts. Photo of Gorgonzola Montagna
Gorgonzola Naturale
$9.99 lb. at Central Market. Cow’s
milk from Italy. This is a creamy,
smooth blue cheese. The paste is
sweet, but with a nice sharp blue that is not overpowering.
This cheese is spreadable and rich.
Fabulous! Patrick and I
loved this cheese, though most of the people at the party were too frightened of
it because it was blue. I can’t
decide if I like the Gorgonzola Naturale or Montagna better.
Arina Goat Gouda $9.99 lb. at Central Market, $3.63 for a slender slice. It came in a white wax crust. Emily at CM suggested this cheese for a smooth red zinfandel that I had bought. It is an excellent cheese. It is white, semi-hard, and has little crunchy granules in it. I guess it’s salt. It has 210 mg of sodium per ounce. The flavor reminds me of Parrano, with a little bit of a goat tang in the aftertaste. It is not too goaty at all. It is very creamy-tasting, nutty and flowery. It reminds me a little bit of a candy like marzipan. This is a really good cheese. Although it is smooth and full-bodied, it still didn’t mix with my red wine. When I ate it with the red wine, it made the wine taste too tart. When I ate it with the cheap chardonnay, there was too much goat flavor. Overall, it worked best with the white wine, though. Boy, is this a good cheese. It would be great at a party.
Gouda, Balarina Premium Aged Goat Cheese from Holland. $14.99 lb. at Central
Market. $3.15 for a slender slice.
It is a smaller gouda than the cow goudas, and it is cream-colored with a
pink hue and gets darker towards the edges.
The picture on the front is a painting of a little boy laughing and
petting a goat. I don’t know how
long this cheese is aged. It is
nutty with flavors of caramel. It
is salty with little crunchy bits in it. It
has a little bit of a mineral taste. I
love this cheese. It is like eating
salty candy.
Gouda, raw cow's milk from Cheeseland, Inc. The Cheeseland guys gave me this for free. It has a yellow wax, firm paste, and small holes. I thought that they said it was aged 2 months, but it looks more like 6 months. It gets a little darker towards the edges. I like this raw milk Gouda. It has a lot of flavor, and the flavor is long-lasting. Hold it in your mouth for a second and it will just melt. I taste fresh milk and cream, tang, and light roasted nuts. It is a mild cheese, but it sticks with you. The finish is extremely long, probably because of the raw milk and also because of the good mouthfeel.
Gouda 2 yr Black from Holland $9.99 lb. at Grapevine, $5.39 for a good slab. This is a deep yellow cheese that comes in a black wax. It has a light caramel and nut flavor, and really coats the tongue. This would be a great cheese to take to a party. It is very salty, so it will make people want to drink. It makes me want a beer. I tried it with a beer and it was pretty good. I tried it with a Bordeaux and didn’t really like it. It clashed and was bitter.
Gouda
4 yr. $12.99 lb. at Grapevine. $5.72 for a big slab. Dark orange, brown. It
tastes like butterscotch, salt, and nuts. It is very good. It's also crunchy.
Gouda, Aged by Fair Oaks in Indiana Tasty and Toasty! This aged gouda
contains 280 mg of sodium, which is within the average range for aged goudas.
The longer this type of cheese ages, the more moisture evaporates, thus leaving
a higher ratio of salt, protein, and fat. With the aging, the flavor intensifies
and becomes more complex. However, this gouda doesn’t taste too salty as some
aged ones do. It is smooth and rich, and at full room temperature, it
practically melts in the mouth. I taste a unique finish for an aged gouda—not
the caramel and butterscotch flavors found in some aged Dutch cheeses, but
rather a milky nuttiness with tangy notes of fruit. There is something toasty
about this cheese. It goes well with hot, toast or fresh baked bread. I tried it
melted and it melts well, but the protein separates too much so that it becomes
oily. This cheese is best for snacking with fruit and wine.
Gouda, Amsterdam Reserve Aged Gouda by Uniekaas "The Naturally-Aged Gouda," it says. $12.99 lb. at Whole Foods, $6.75 for a medium-sized slab. It is a golden brown/yellow, hard, with a dark brown wax rind. It is robust, earthy, and roasted-tasting with flavors of nuts and caramel. It is very salty and has crunchy bits in it. It is very good. I love this kind of cheese. It has 300 mg of sodium per oz., 137 calories, and 11g of fat. It is an intense cheese. It reminds me a lot of Old Amsterdam.
Gouda, Dutch Gouda $5.99 lb.,
$1.50 for a big chunk. It is light
orange/yellow, few curd holes, thin orange wax, soft, but not like a havarti.
You can cut it with a knife. This
is a very mild cheese. It has a
little bit of a musky aftertaste, salty, but not excessively.
Tiny bit of sharpness in it. Very
mild.
Gouda, Eichten's Hidden Acres Hot Habanero Gouda $9.39 lb, $5.16 for a big slice. This cheese is extremely hot! The label has a bright orange sticker on it that says "Hot!" and now I believe it. It is still very good. I am just eating a little piece and it is burning my mouth. At first, I taste tangy, creamy cheese. Then I taste sweet peppers and fruit, almost like ripe tomatoes and grapes. Then a super hot flavor burns my entire mouth, all the way down my throat. Afterwards, I taste some wood and cheese again. It is intense. I can't say I taste a lot of the Gouda, but they call it a Gouda. This cheese is made at a small farm in Center City, MN 55012. They have won awards for their aged Tilsit (see Tilsit) that is 7 years old. The Goudas all seem to be made from the same recipe, but with different flavoring. There is also a plain Gouda.
Gouda, Eichten's Hidden Acres Smoked Gouda
$9.39 lb. in Minnesota. $4.51 for a big slice. This cheese is made from
vegetable rennet. A small farm in Center City, MN 55012, makes this cheese. They
have won awards for their Aged Tilsit (see Tilsit) that is 7 years old. The
Goudas all seem to be made from the same recipe, but with different flavoring.
There is also a plain Gouda. The smoked Gouda is light cream-colored and rubbery
textured (but not in a bad way.) The smoked flavor comes from "smoke
flavoring," so I'm not sure if it is natural or not. It tastes a lot like
sausage and not so woody. The cheese is very mild and milky. Slices well.
Gouda, Eichten's Hidden Acres Tomato Basil Gouda $10.49 lb. in
Minnesota, $11.75 for a small, but hefty, round. It is made from part-skim milk.
Even though this is part-skim, it tastes really creamy. This cheese contains
tomatoes, sweet basil, onion, and garlic. It is a very mild, milky Gouda that
tastes, to me, like mushrooms. It has an earthy flavor. Salty, creamy, and
flavored with herbs. I can get some bitterness from the sun-dried tomatoes. This
cheese is made at a small farm in Center City, MN 55012. They have won awards
for their aged Tilsit (see Tilsit) that is 7 years old. The Goudas all seem to
be made from the same recipe, but with different flavoring. There is also a
plain Gouda.
Gouda, Mustard Seed from
Cheeseland $7.99 lb. at Central
Market, $3.68 for a big slice. It
is colored with annatto and has mustard seeds in it, as the name suggests!
It is straw-colored, semi-soft, and reminds me of Leyden.
It tastes extra salty because of the mustard seed, but it’s really not
all that salty – 250 mg. per oz. I
like the spiciness and herbiness of the seeds against the creaminess of the
cheese. It would make a great cheese for rye bread and beer, and
maybe even sandwiches. Plus, it’s
not too expensive. It looks exotic
on a cheese tray. I don’t quite
know what Cheeseland is. I thought
it was a company, but I’m not seeing it online.
I did find a role play site called Cheeseland http://www.cheeseland.net.
I have since met people from Cheeseland. Their website is http://www.cheeselandinc.com.
Gouda,
Organic from Holland Cow’s milk.
$5.99 lb. at Whole Foods, $3.77 for a nice big slice.
It was out on display. It is
light yellow with some fermentation holes.
It came in red wax with some other ace-bandage looking stretchy plastic
stuff underneath. It’s sharp,
kind of like a cheddar, but much creamier than cheddar.
It’s really good at exactly room temp.
It is a little soft and sticky when it gets to Texas room temperature.
“A hint of Italy in it,” Patrick says.
I think it reminds him of Parmesan.
It’s salty, Patrick loves it. I
like a lot, too, but felt like it needed more.
Since it got such great response, I give it a star for party cheese.
I know people at a party would love this, but when you cut it, it sticks
to the knife if it has been exposed to the weather.
On the other hand, a day later I realized this was a cheese that I kept
coming back to. It may not be the
most interesting in the world, but it was definitely a keeper.
Gouda, Aged.
Old Amsterdam $11.59 lb. at
Central Market, $4.29 for a thinnish slice.
Holland, cow’s milk. It
was hard to find a cheap slice that was big enough for a party.
This is a dense cheese. It
has some annatto color added to it, so it is light orange, but more brown than a
regular gouda. It is delicious!
It is salty with some flavor crystals in it that make it crunchy, but
it’s also very creamy-textured. 280
mg per oz. It has some small
fermentation holes, but not many. It
has a light caramel, butterscotch, nutty flavor, but also the milky cheese
flavor. The aftertaste is sharp and
woody. It says on the label to eat
it with a fine wine or port. Pasteurized
milk.
Gouda,
Old Amsterdam, Dutch cheese $11.99
lb. at Whole Foods south, $5.40 for a big slice.
They had this cheese on display and it was really good.
Light orange/peach color, hard cheese, some big fermentation holes here
and there. It looks like the shape
of a gouda. It is very salty.
It has some wax on the rind. It
seems to also have a little bit of crystals in the cheese, like parmesan.
This cheese is really good. It
has a nutty, butterscotch aftertaste.
Gouda, Goat from Uniekaas in Holland. I think the name of this cheese is something like Hollandkaas. $10.99 lb. at Grapevine, $3.41 for a slender slab. This cheese is creamy, firm, and milky white with a tinge of cream-color. It smells tangy and olivey. It is great. It is creamy and a little bit chalky. I think I may like Arina better. It is salty, lightly goat, and very tangy. It is a lot like a Cheddar. It is also a little bit nutty, like a Gouda. Patrick thinks it tastes like Provolone.
Gouda, Aged Goat $17.99 at Whole Foods, $7.52 for a big slab. It was really a little expensive. It is straw-colored, semi-hard, and has a little bit of crystallized casein in it. It is salty, nutty, and butterscotchy like other aged goudas, but this one also has a nice light goat flavor. It is absolutely delicious.
Gouda, Smith's Extra Aged Gouda Aged over 2 years. $12.99 lb. at Central Market. $2.99 for a small wedge. This cheese a farmstead style from Massachusetts. It doesn't look like a Gouda at all. It is light yellow and very hard and flaky-looking. It is semi-hard and tastes a lot like an aged British Cheddar. It also burns my mouth a lot. It is interesting. The flavor is very sharp and the texture is of a Mimolette.
Gourmet Goat – Fresh Mediterranean Goat Cheese $4.49 for 8 oz. at HEB Far West. It came in a little plastic pouch full of soft goat cheese. On the label, is a goat’s head transposed on a map of Cyprus. The goat looks like it is wearing a Beatle’s wig. It is low sodium – 45 mg. It is basically a mild, fresh, young goat cheese, not crumbly, but more crumbly than an Alouette or something spreadable. You could spread this cheese if you didn’t let it dry out or eat it too cold. It has a taste of lemon in it, though none is listed in the ingredients. I like it. It would be good to mix spices into for a party, or even to mix with cream cheese. Pepper would be good. It was really cheap for how much you get. It’s not the most exciting goat in the world, but it is young, so there. Cyprus is to the East of Greece, we found out after we studied. It is towards the Holy Land, Damascus and such. The country speaks Greek and it looked like they had some mountains, so I guess there are a lot of goats. The country is shaped like a guitar. On the label, is a picture of what looks like an electric guitar with a goat’s head wearing a Beatle’s wig hovering above.
Grand Ewe "Special Edition Vintage Grand Ewe" Sheep's milk cheese from Holland, aged one year. This is imported by Best Cheese Corp. in NY. It is a vegetarian cheese based on microbial rennet and it is made of 100% pasteurized sheep's milk. Sodium content of 221mg per ounce, so it's salty, but many aged Dutch cheeses are. This cheese is very firm, but sliceable with a It is nutty and savory with a good butter and salt contrast. There are also some floral notes and a texture that is every so slightly granular. It is yellowish cream in color, and then towards the rind, it darkens. The rind is an orange-ish red stretchy plastic thing coated in thick clear wax, so it is double-coated. When I got the cheese, the way it was cut, somehow it broke diagonally. It reminds me of a super mellow Pecorino Romano. If you ever wanted a Pecorino Romano just to snack on without all that biting sharp flavor that is excellent on pasta, but abrasive by itself, then this is a good cheese to choose. Crumbly and also a little rubbery, it has a texture that makes me think it might also be good for crumbling over salads or lighter dishes, especially those recipes that call for Pecorino Toscano. What surprised me was that this cheese wasn't all sweet and caramelly like many aged Dutch cheeses are. I don't know if it is because it is a sheep or if it is just a different style. It slices beautifully, in spite of having broken, and its savory salty flavors would make it an excellent match for fruit. Photo of Grand Ewe
Graskaas by Beemster Cow's milk cheese from Holland. $9.99 lb. at Central Market. This is a limited edition cheees and the first time it's been seen in the U.S. The name Graskaas means "grass cheese" in Dutch, and it's so-named because it's made after the cows have feasted on the very first grasses of spring. The display at the store has a photo of black and black and white cows storming out of a barn door. When the grass has gotten high enough and the flowers have started to bloom, the farmers let the animals loose to feed. They have been cooped up in the barn eating boring, dried up hay all winter, and finally get to taste the sweet grass that they've been sniffing through the slats of the barn for so long. Once they get out into the pasture, they are so happy, they actually leap in the air like puppies. They devour the fresh grass and then are milked. The result is a very rich, creamy cheese. Graskaas is semi-hard, softer than a regular Gouda. It is more like a Monterey Jack. It is light orange and has some annatto added to it. It melts well and pretty much does everything a Cheddar does. There are a few eye holes. Overall, it is a light-tasting cheese, but if you let it melt in your mouth, as it tends to do, you will taste the fresh grasses on the finish.
Gratte-Paille $21.31 lb. at Central Market, probably $8 or so for a little brick. Rouzaire, 180 g. 70% m.g. Wedding cheese. French, cow’s milk It is like a Brie. It came in a small rectangle, had a dark, thicker, yellow/brown crust. It has a more bitter, mushroomy taste than brie, is soft, almost runny inside. It is really good and a lot of people liked it, even though it was much stronger than the Fromage d’Affinois. It is supposed to be from the Ile-de-France, and have a distinct Linens bacteria and spicy taste. It was yummy and interesting, with a good consistency.
Great
Hill Blue $10.99 lb. at Grapevine. $3.41 for a nice slab. From Massachusetts.
It is bright white with beautiful purple/blue striations. It looks like the
spindles have gone really deep. It doesn't have a lot of marbling. It tastes a
little sour. Raw milk. Great Hill blue cheese is the only East Coast blue cheese
made from cows' milk. It's also the only non-homogenized blue cheese produced in
the United States. This ages for about 10 months (sometimes just 6-9) and the
flavor levels off after about a year. It is also soft and spreadable at room
temperature. It is salty, musty, and very sour. It tastes like mold in the way
mold smells, not like blue veining. It is a really weird cheese. It goes through
a slower aging process unlike other homogenized blue cheeses that end up too
acidic. Oddly enough, this one seems really acidic and tart to me. Maybe it's
not as old as what the reviewer tasted. Read more about it at http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/pages/c00088.asp
or http://www.greathillblue.com. It's
supposed to be good on sourdough bread. From Taunton.com, "Blue cheese
develops its particular flavor when enzymes from mold (usually Penicillium
Roqueforti) break down fat globules in the milk. In homogenized milk, the
fat breaks down faster, and the blue cheese flavor emerges sooner. The advantage
to the cheesemaker is a shorter aging period, only 60 days. But Tim says that
such fast-aged blue cheeses have a more acidic finish. Some people like that, he
said, "but we personally did not."
Greens English Farmhouse
Cheddar Premium Handmade
Traditional Raw Milk Cheddar, English Semi-hard Cheese, English West Country
Farmhouse Cheesemaker, $11.99 lb. At
Central Market, $2.40 for a small chunk. This
must be a good cheese. It looks
like the British Empire has designated this one cheesery to make cheddar, just
like the wines are controlled in France. It
is the color of a parmesan and looks, at first, like it would be just as hard.
It has a tough, moldy, yet probably edible rind, hard near the rind, and
then supple in the middle. It has a
fresh, plant taste to it, like grass, and then something sharp.
It tastes like chewing on shamrock stems.
I like it a lot, though I don’t think it would be enhanced by bread.
Grès des Vosges "Affinage traditionnel en Alsace" by Fromi This cheese is made of pasteurized cow's milk, rennet, lactic ferments, and salt. It comes in a small, oval chipwood box with no lid. The back label describes it as a soft cheese with a washed rind. It is made from Alsace near the Vosges mountains in northeastern France. Pronounced gray day vozh. It has a tacky, slightly gritty washed rind that is a warm cream color, decorated with a fern leaf on top. On the inside, the cheese is soft and buttery like a Brie, but more cohesive. This is definitely a cheese to spread on bread. Smelly little cheese. It looks so dainty with its fancy leaf and tiny box, but it has some force. Only 7g of fat per oz, 224mg sodium, and 83 calories. Fromi is the broker and Fischer is the manufacturer.
Gruyère,
Swiss Gruyère
$6.99 lb., $.28 for
a tiny chunk at Wheatsville. Just
at the foothills of stinkiness. It
is semi-hard, a tad crumbly, white/yellow.
Has an odor. Tastes kind of
fruity. Creamy, milky, salty,
stinky foot aftertaste. This is
good, though I don’t think it would be a great party cheese.
People often cook with it.
It is like a very mild Raclette. It
has a little bit of mint/herb/grass taste in it.
It is good. I would like it
by itself. The mint taste gets
stronger as you go along.
Gruyère, Cave Aged $13.99 lb. at Whole Foods. This is a great cheese. It is fruity, nutty, and fragrant. It is a deep beige color with a bark-like rind and some crunchy crystals in the cheese. I like this sometimes with Riesling, but it also went with Merlot.
Gruyère, Cave Aged $24.99 lb. at Whole Foods. $3.52 for a tiny chunk. This is the best Gruyère I have ever had in my entire life. It is super salty, luscious, nutty, and crunchy with the little crystals. Boy, this is excellent cheese. No wonder it cost so much. This just melts in my mouth, as much as a hard cheese can do. What is strange about this cheese is that it is not as fruity as some Gruyères. The rind is thick and ashen. It looks like the bark of a sycamore tree.
Gruyère, Etivaz $11.99 lb. at Grapevine. $7.43 for a big slab. Delicious! It is a tad on the salty side for me. I do like it, however, for it’s crunchy texture and sweet nuttiness. It kind of coats the tongue and then you taste all the little crystals. The finish is a little strong and woody. I tried this with a Bordeaux and it was ok, but not so great. Since it’s so salty, I think it needs to go with something a tiny bit sweeter and fruitier.
Gruyère, Reserve Wheel, Raw Milk $15.99 lb. at Whole Foods in NYC, $5.28 for a thin slab. They had a huge Gruyère display set up in the Chelsea Whole Foods with fondue pots for the cold weather. There was a dome of samples at room temperature and I "caved" in and bought a chunk. I had forgotten how much I love real Swiss Gruyère. It melts in your mouth and then just trails on with all sorts of flavors ranging from cheesy to fruity to nutty to woody. It has a savory, almost meaty finish like an animal, but then it switches back to sweet. It is not very crystalline. I don't know its age, but the label says that it is at least 60 days old since it is raw milk--part skim raw cow's milk.
Gruyère, Swiss Antique $11.99 at Central Market. This is a milder version of the Cave Aged Gruyère. It went well with a Riesling and a Burgundy. It had fruity and nutty flavors, but they weren't too strong. I have tried this on many occasions. It is mild and nutty at first, and then it just blooms into a wonderful milky aftertaste that is long-lasting. It is fruity and nutty at the same time. I think this is one of my favorite Gruyères just because it is so laid back. I could eat this for breakfast every day. It is aged just enough to have nice crystals in it. It has a nice, mild, earthy aftertaste. Outdoorsy taste like herbs, but not too strong. This is absolutely delicious and will please any palate.
Gruyère, Swiss Wheel $9.99 lb. at Central Market, $4.50 for a big slab. Of the Gruyères at CM, the Cave-Aged is the strongest. Then comes the Swiss Antique. Last in place is the Swiss Wheel. It has a flavor that needs to unfold -- mild, creamy, lightly nutty and luscious. It is a lot like a Baby Swiss, but with much much more character. It looks just like the other Gruyères, but maybe a little lighter in places. It has a very faint fruit/nut/earth flavor, great long-lasting milk, and a wonderful, almost chocolately finish. It a nice snacking cheese. This is a great alternative to the usual Baby Swiss. This has so much flavor for a mild cheese.
Gubbeen,
Neal’s Yard Dairy British cow’s milk
$12.99
lb. I got a small piece for $2.73.
It is medium textured, seems a little rubbery.
Stinks a little bit. Has
little holes in it, strong crust. Nutty,
musky, woody flavor, smelly cheese, seems milder than the Tilsit.
Reminds me of mushrooms.