Specialty and fine cheeses (cheese for the search)

[Sarah.]

We bought some Torta Gorgonzola while we were on holiday. It's basically Gorgonzola layered up with marscapone in alternate slices. It's also probably the most delicious way to eat yourself into a dairy based heart attack.

That sounds delicious but you are European and did not help me with my swiss problem.

Wiki reliably informs me there are around 450 types of Swiss cheese. You might have to try them all

[mookie]

My go to comfort food is a baked brie (with current jam).

Other noteworthy cheeses I've enjoyed would be

-Smoked gouda & pepperjack varieties (both shredded), because they are both fantastic to layer in together with scalloped red potatoes.
-Aged white cheddar; the sharper and most crumbly - the better.
-Baby Fontina; it's a great melting cheese for an appetizer dip (broiled in a 6" cast iron pan).


Where's the specialty and fine salts thread?

[E.H. Ruddock]

My dream is to someday open a gourmet cheese store. Seriously.

[mookie]

Seriously?

Just cheese? If you sell cheese, you almost have to sell crackers too.

[malice]

all these years the french have been doing it wrong. who knew?

[mookie]

all these years the french have been doing it wrong. who knew?

Are we still talking about cheese?

[E.H. Ruddock]

I'm attempting to smoke some cheddar and gouda in my smoker this weekend, fingers crossed.

[mookie]

Nice!

Good luck!

[mookie]

Expresso Bellavitano.

[Harry Lime]

A cheese & sausage tray (w/ crackers) is the greatest thing ever.

[doug rr]

thats the best picture you could find? geez

[Harry Lime]

Well most are pictures of the food wrapped up in these fancy baskets. No thank you.

[ABNorman]

I've recently got into searching out unique cheeses. I worked in Cheddar for a couple of years, so got really into cave-matured Cheddar, but scored a few months back:

1) I stopped by a cheese shop in Amsterdam and got a 3-year aged gouda which was freakin' amazing grated over everything I could find (though it was so hard that my grater could barely handle it).

2) I dogsat for my cousins while they were in Switzerland, and they brought me back Raclette (melt that shit on everything), Vacherin Fribourgeois (excellent), Gruyere (just OK) and Emmental (yuck).

Moving on to British cheeses next. Stilton, Wensleydale and Double Gloucester are all on the list.

ITT: Relate your cheese-eating experience and expertise. What pairs well (cheddar + granny smith apples = heaven), recommendations, etc, etc.

[ABNorman]

Americans may not be able to contribute to this thread: the cheese I had there was universally shit. I'm sure there's some great varieties about, though.

[Norah]

Bonjour, ya cheese eating surrender monkeys

[Kaius]

We have Wisconsin you jerk

[ABNorman]

The state? Or is that a variety of cheese? These are the things I need to know for the next time I swing by the US.

[EJ]

a nicely aged smoked gouda is still the top dog for me

[Norah]

Europeans won't eat foam cheese wedges.

[ABNorman]

Europeans won't eat foam cheese wedges.

Depends on how fancy a name you could give it.