THE CHEESE
COURSE
Legend has it that the first cheese was made
accidentally from goats milk that an Arab merchant was carrying in his saddle
bag. The jolting of his camel in the hot sun separated the milk into curd and
whey. The fact that the saddle bag was made with animal innards may have
something to do with it.
Cheese is a high protein dairy product made
from the milk of animals like cows, sheep, goat, buffalo, yak etc. There are
two methods of cheese production. In sour milk cheese lactic acid bacteria
thickens the milk and sweet milk cheeses (most cheeses are of this kind) which
are also called rennet cheeses. For this the cheese maker adds rennet an enzyme
taken from the stomach of suckling calves to separate solids in the milk from
the fluid. The rennet causes the milk protein to build up and the milk to
curdle without the milk turning sour. In this method all other solid particles
like fat, protein and vitamins get encompassed. When the process is complete
the liquid whey is drained off and the solid mass of curd or coagulated milk
protein is used to make cheese. Most of the rennet used today in cheese making
comes from the lining of a calf’s stomach.
KINDS
OF CHEESES
There are literally hundreds of kinds of
cheeses. They range in taste from mild to sharp and in texture from soft to
hard- usually referred to as soft, semi soft, firm and hard. They are also
divided into two groups Ripened (fermented with bacteria and moulds) or
un-ripened (fresh untreated). Cheeses ripened over a period of time are termed
as aged. The longer they age, the sharper their flavour and the higher their
cost.
HOLDING,
SERVICE AND STORAGE
In Europe people normally place the cheese on
a stone, cover it with a cover made of clay and store it in the coolest part of
the house.
All first class hotels normally have a
separate refrigerator to store cheese as the temperatures normally maintained
in the refrigerators are too high.
Cheeses are both held and stored under
refrigeration. Their most significant limitation is that they tend to dry and
harden when exposed to air. This means that as soon as you cut into a block of
cheese you must either use it or you must wrap it up tightly in a plastic wrap.
Hard and firm cheeses if wrapped can keep
from a week to several months if refrigerated. Even with the best of care ,
once a whole cheese has been cut it tends to dry out, get a sharper flavour,
and develop inedible moulds around the edges. Semi soft and soft cheeses keep
for about 1 to 2 weeks, The fresh cheese should not be kept for more than 1
week.
Cheeses should be served at room temperature.
Slices and bite sized pieces should be cut just before service. Once dried out
they are useless for service.
COOKING
WITH CHEESE
Cheese cookery poses no problems so long as
you keep the temperature low or the cooking time short or both. The high
protein content of cheese means that it becomes tough and stringy with high
temperatures and prolonged cooking. It’s fat content may also separate out.
Cheese used in starch infused sauces must not
be added until the thickening process is completed.
Cheese for gratinating should be added near
the end of the cooking process. A glaze administered in the salamander is
always a quick trip, whatever the product
Let’s take a look at some of the most
commonly used cheeses
CHEDDAR
Often called American Cheese, BUT it is
English and made in the Cheddar Gorge region in Somerset. It is a best seller among the cheese and is a
firm ripened type, it comes in many varieties ranging in flavour from very mild
to very sharp “rat cheese”.
It is used in sandwiches, and appetizers and
as a dessert cheese. It is also the most used cooking cheese, the one the cook
uses when the recipe says “cheese”.
PARMESAN
Another well known flavourer of salad dressings
and sauces . It is a hard ripe cheese with a piquant and sharp flavour. This is
the cheese you shake onto spaghetti, and it tastes delicious when you grate it
fresh from a hard block
BRIE
AND CAMEMBERT
Most French cheeses are soft and the luxury
end of the scale are two dessert cheeses Brie and Camembert-both almost sauce
soft. They taste much better than their aroma and rather unattractive
appearance which would lead you to beleive. But an odour of ammonia will tell
you when they are past their prime.
ROQUEFORT
It looks like marble, for its noble paleness
is patterned with blue veins and patches. It is made from sheep’s milk that is
full cream and unpasteurised. It originates from a classic sheep area in the
south of France called Roquefort sur Soulzon.
REBLOCHON
Comes from the mountains . It has a yellow
orange rind with a white mould. The elastic smooth creamy dough has a
pleasantly mild taste somewhat reminiscent of hazelnut.
GORGONZOLA
Originally produced near Milan in a town
called gorgonzola, from full cream pasteurized cow milk. It is very creamy ,
soft and marbled with blue veins. To allow the blue veining to spread through
it the cheese is punctured with long high grade needles from one side and then
a week later from the other side.
BEL
PAESE
Another delicious cheese from Italy which is
soft and yellow, sweetish and very mild. Made from pasteurized milk.
MOZZARELLA
Yet another famous one from Italy-the pizza
cheese, no pizza tastes right without this one. It is a creamy cheese made from
Buffalo milk
FETA
This is a goat cheese from Greece made from
goats or sheep’s milk and is an integral part of Greek cuisine.
STILTON
Considered the “king of Cheeses” and is the
best of all English blue cheeses and can take its place confidently alongside
the world famous Roquefort in France and Gorgonzola from Italy. Stilton is a
white cheese with a light yellow hue and a strong blue-green mold culture. The
taste is spicy and is mostly had with a glass of Port.
EMMENTHAL
Emmenthal cheese is equated with Swiss cheese
all over the world. It is made of raw cow milk and with the addition of rennet.
It is easily recognized by the large holes. The gas produced is partially
entrapped in the cheese and this causes the formation of the holes. The smoother
the production the more even and attractive are the holes. It is a mild cheese
with a nutty aroma.
GRUYERE
Another delicious cheese from Switzerland
which also has holes though they are much smaller. It’s mild when young and
sharper when older. Its basically a sharp cheese with a nutty aroma.
RACLETTE
Based on a variety of regional cheeses it was
a meal for alpine herdsmen and farmers. At some point of time we don’t know
when the cheese got too close to the fire. Melted cheese was found to be
delectable and thus the Raclette was born. Originally Raclette was limited to
just jacket potatoes and pickles. These days we have a whole new range with
chicken, meat, fish, game and vegetables count among the ingredients. A
Raclette oven or grill is indispensable. A Raclette grill has a heating element
under which you place your cheese and then serve it. Authentically the cut
surface of half the cheese is pushed towards the fire, and the melting cheese
is scraped onto the plate. The cheese is scraped with a knife . Actually it was
the knife which gave its name. Derived from French raclette means spatula or
scraper.
Cheese fondue
Switzerland attributes its standard of living
to cheese and has a great many cheese recipes of which the cheese fondue is the
most famous.
Facts worth knowing about fondue
A fondue pot with a handle is a must whether
it is made of glazed ceramic, clay or enameled cast iron. The basic recipe
contains white wine and two kinds of cheese grated or shredded, all combined
and stirred while heating. Usually emmenthal and gruyere are used in
combination as one alone would be too mild and the other alone would be too
sharp.
A little lemon juice should be added to the
wine to provide greater acidity to break up the cheese. The thickened and sharp
cheese dish is taken and served to the guest over an alcohol lamp at the table.
Guests help themselves to bite sized pieces of bread, spear a piece of bread
and dunk it into the cheese cream.
