A Cheese A Day

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Feta
2007-03-15 15:53:00
In an age of swirling complexity, simple charms are often comforting.That may be why so many people love Feta , the sharp, uncomplicated sheep's milk cheese made by the Greeks, Turks, and their Balkan neighbors.Large slices of the fresh cheese are soaked in brine and sold in slices (feta means "slice" in Greek). Bright white in color, Feta should be dense and crumbly, and deliciously salted, virtually pickled.While sheep's milk is the traditional base, it occasionally comes in a goat's milk version, or as a blend of the two.Hint: If it's too salty for your taste, soak it briefly in some milk. Always store it in brine.PAIRINGS: Feta is great in salads, with tomatoes, olives and other Mediterranean specialties. It's often wrapped in phylo, or breaded and fried. It can be paired with crisp white wines, or light, vaguely sweet beers.

Gubbeen
2007-03-14 15:00:00
St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with some beer and cheese?Gubbeen means "small mouth" in the Irish language. But the name of this cheese refers to the body of water near where it's made, certainly not the size of the bite you'll want to take of it.Gubbeen has an intense, nutty flavor and a big smell. Made in County Cork, the raw cow's milk cheese resembles some fine French ones, notably Reblochon.Gubbeen is just a bit firmer, and also differentiates itself with a pleasant, ever-so-slight smokiness.PAIRINGS: Serve Gubbeen with a pint of Beamish or Murphy's, two Cork-brewed stouts that are each just a bit sweeter than Dublin's Guinness.
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Lesson Time
2007-03-13 17:50:00
Today on A Cheese A Day, we'll take a little break from the cheese reviews to give you a small bit of information about how cheese is made.Although each type of cheese is made according to its own detailed recipe, there are a number of broad techniques and methods that all cheesemakers follow, regardless of the kind of cheese they’re making.Like beer, love, and other mysteries, chemical reactions create cheese. This involves sugars, proteins, enzymes, and many other things you forget from high school biology class.It’s not so difficult to understand, really. All cheese starts with some mammal’s milk, the fresher the better. From there, it is all about “controlled spoilage,” as the great cheese writer Steven Jenkins put it. Or, if you prefer Miss Muffett, minding your curds and whey.Want to know how cheese is made? Click here to read more.
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