Cheese!

[Frank]

Cheese, I love it. I don't care very much about meat, but I really want my cheese!

I rather eat some random vegetables topped with cheese, or a sandwich with any kind of cheese (and some raw vegetables and pepper to soften the flavor) than most regular dishes I can think of. Potatoes, pasta, bread or other carbohydrates are required, of course, but only in the amount needed. A bit of those, lots of vegetables and some nice cheese to flavor it is all I require.

Of course, I mostly eat Dutch (Gouda) cheese daily, but I like just about all the others as well. French, Danisch, Italian, Swiss, you name it and I eat them!

What is the cheese you like best?

 

[Frank]

Btw, my overall pick would be Port Salut cheese.

 

[AlNom]

Cottage cheese for me.

 

[dizietsma]

A nice strong brie melted so it goes all gooey or a nice strong bit of Stilton or roquefort on a cracker. Some goats cheese with cherry tomatoes and basil sprinkled with cracked pepper and salt and some olive oil as well.

Some of the buttery cheeses are good as well, they just melt in your mouth.

 

[Frank]

Cottage cheese for me.

Yes, I like that a lot as well. We call it "kwark", it's often used as salad dressing and in deserts. It's relatives are (among many others) the Greek Feta cheese (soft in texture as well as taste, with a bit of tang) and the Eastern European milk products like Kefir. Soft, sweetish and a great replacement for creamy stuff in dishes.

 

[Frank]

A nice strong brie melted so it goes all gooey or a nice strong bit of Stilton or roquefort on a cracker. Some goats cheese with cherry tomatoes and basil sprinkled with cracked pepper and salt and some olive oil as well.

Some of the buttery cheeses are good as well, they just melt in your mouth.

Oh, yes! But I want the bries that have a bit of bite: like the Roquefort, or even with a small sprinkling of Danish Blue on top. And the goat cheese is almost always a winner.

Basil and olive oil, paprika and cherry or italian tomatoes is yummie. A sprinkling of oregano or basil is great as well.

 

[RussSchultz]

Lately its been chevre w/honey and nuts on cracker with a cab wine.

Of course, with Superbowl coming up, I would be remiss not to mention the heavenly party concoction of velveta & spicy rotel.

 

[StefanS]

Yes, I like that a lot as well. We call it "kwark", it's often used as salad dressing and in deserts. It's relatives are (among many others) the Greek Feta cheese (soft in texture as well as taste, with a bit of tang) and the Eastern European milk products like Kefir. Soft, sweetish and a great replacement for creamy stuff in dishes.

I don't know about Holland. But here in Austria, Quark (Austrians call it "Topfen", Germans call it "Quark") != cottage cheese at all.

Anyway, the cheese is kind of grew to love is Quargel ; 30 % protein, 0.3% fat. Pretty strong smell, but has a fairly mild taste. Great with tomatoes and some bread.

 

[Frank]

I don't know about Holland. But here in Austria, Quark (Austrians call it "Topfen", Germans call it "Quark") != cottage cheese at all.

Well, I think we call it Kwark, and Quark is alike, but more like Kwark that has been made into more solid cheese; ripened a bit more.

Anyway, the cheese is kind of grew to love is Quargel ; 30 % protein, 0.3% fat. Pretty strong smell, but has a fairly mild taste. Great with tomatoes and some bread.

Yes, that sounds like the same thing as well. I think the main difference is in the (lack of) solidity and ripening.

Try some Kefir some time: it is in between milk and K/Quark/gel. You can make it yourself, by dropping some Kefir in regular (pasturized, not sterilized) milk.

 

[Frank]

Lately its been chevre w/honey and nuts on cracker with a cab wine.

Of course, with Superbowl coming up, I would be remiss not to mention the heavenly party concoction of velveta & spicy rotel.

Do you have to go to delicatesse shops to get "strange" cheeses, or are they available in the large superstores as well?

I got the idea, that except for cheeseburger cheese, there is very little, if any cheese available in the US outside those delicatesse shops.

 

[RussSchultz]

Nope, most supermarkets have a selection of cheeses at their delicatessan (or at least the ones I've shopped at) Some are better than others, but even the normal grocery stores have a decent mix (though perhaps not a lot of different bleu cheeses, and very likely no sheep). But feta, havarti, brie, swiss/emmentaler, monterrey jack, cheddar, 'american', mozzarella, etc. are commonly available.

Of course, strangely, the standard cheeses are in one spot, but the 'specialty cheeses' are usually in another spot in the store.

 

[Frank]

For flavor, I would definitely go with Danish Blue, but only in small amounts.

For fondue, a mixture of Swiss Gruyere and Emmenthal or Dutch Gouda is hard to beat.

For enhancing food, Parmesan cheese runs close with Mozzarella.

For heated sandwiches, Rockefort, Brie and Gouda go very well, depending.

For sheer taste, I would select non-pasturized Dutch farmer cheese, with herbs if wanted.

For a nice texture and overall taste, Port Salut.

For a side dish, Greek Feta or Old Amsterdam, depending.

For a light snack, Camenbert and Cheddar are nice.

And there are so many others I don't even know the name of, I only know how they tasted!

 

[Frank]

Nope, most supermarkets have a selection of cheeses at their delicatessan (or at least the ones I've shopped at) Some are better than others, but even the normal grocery stores have a decent mix (though perhaps not a lot of different bleu cheeses, and very likely no sheep). But feta, havarti, brie, swiss/emmentaler, monterrey jack, cheddar, 'american', mozzarella, etc. are commonly available.

Of course, strangely, the standard cheeses are in one spot, but the 'specialty cheeses' are usually in another spot in the store.

Cool!

Half the time, when thinking about going to the US, I was (uncounciously) thinking: 'but no cheese, or "normal food"'.

Stupid, eh?

 

[Frank]

Btw, if someone knows a really nice cheese I should try, tell me!

 

[Sxotty]

I like extra sharp cheddar cheese the best by far. A bit with a granny smith apple...

 

[Bludd]

The cheese I eat the most is Norvegia, but I really like Jarlsberg, Mozzarella, a matured Cheddar and Parmesan too. Brie and Camenbert are good with paprika and crackers, but I don't eat it very often.

 

[Dresden]

Pepperjack and whatever doesn't turn to Sakrete in my stomach.

I feel like an uncultured boob. Some 3 dollar Stop & Shop malarkey will make my day, while you cheese aficionados are naming cheeses I can't even pronounce.

 

[Captain Chickenpants]

For the greatest cheese on toast in the world I recommend Green Thunder, available here
http://www.snowdoniacheese.co.uk/default.asp

In general I like a good Cheddar for sandwiches/toppings.
Feta goes very nicely in a salad.
Deep fried Brie and cranberrys
Brie and Bacon Sandwiches.
Black pudding and Goats Cheese salad.
Camembert goes very nicely in a little parcel of Filo pastry served with Cranberry sauce.

CC

 

[Simon F]

"Not even Wensleydale?"

...

 

[pascal]

Love cheese too.

One word missing, catupiry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catupiry
Great for pizzas, shrimps, etc...

Just as example:
http://www.maria-brazil.org/camarao_com_catupiry.htm