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Favorite cheeses!!

Gypsy

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Trekkie|1413456490|3767842 said:
Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!!!!!!!!!

OMG, I am obsessed with the stuff! My tastes are quite tame (plebeian?) compared to most of yours, but I love, love, love good cheese!

When I lived in Greece I gained 5kg (12lbs) aaaaaaall because of cheese! My ex is Greek so we ate Greek style every day. His friend/cousin/whatever produced some of the BEST feta I have had in my life! I also had a lot of really good halloumi, kefalotyri and metsovone to name a few... I must be honest, Greek cheese tastes best in Greece and I haven't been able to find anything nearly as good locally.

I LOVE Stilton but detest brie and camembert. I'm told they're acquired tastes so who knows maybe one day I'll turn into a grownup.

Out here we mostly buy mature cheddar and gouda (boring :angryfire: ). DH can't stand blue cheese - he usually makes me eat it out in the garden and makes me brush my teeth the moment I enter the house. His idea of "daring" is to buy Boerenkaas - a South African version of Gouda :nono: .

Should any of you ever end up in South Africa, I would strongly encourage you to do a cheese and wine tour through the Cape Winelands. Essentially you just drive from Cape Town towards the mountains, stopping off at wine farms as you go. You pay around $2 and are given three or four quarter/half filled glasses, and move on to the next farm to repeat the process. Some wine farms provide pairings - for instance, a sample of their $50 port with an imported chocolate truffle or they offer cheese samples to show which wine goes best with which cheese.

We did it in February this year with my sister and her partner who visited from the UK. They loved it, but by the third wine farm they were swimming! My DH was at school with many of these wine farmers, so wherever we went we had extras and bottles thrust upon us! Eventually we stopped off somewhere (can't even remember where) and had something to eat so they could soak up the alcohol.

The scenery is amazing, the wines are cheap and the cheese is good!



Taken at Simonsig





Taken at Muratie. This is without a doubt one of the weirdest places I have ever been, but has a beautiful story. The wine farm was founded by a German soldier who was given a land grant by the then governor of the Cape Colony. He fell in love with a slave woman, and would trek three days by foot from Stellenbosch to Cape Town so he could see her. Their love affair was illegal so had to be kept a secret. After 14 years together she was finally baptised, and therefore no longer a slave, and he was able to fetch her and their three children and take them home.

And a gratuitous winelands shot :) :


Trekkie, that sounds A M A Z I N G!!!
 

Trekkie

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April20|1413516355|3768343 said:
Trekkie|1413456490|3767842 said:

DH and I did the wine/cheese/chocolate from CT to Stellenbosch and Paarl when we were in SA back in 2011. Loved every minute. We ended up in Jo'burg for 6 months but only got a week in CT. I am still obsessed with Fairview wines. I am constantly on the hunt for it.

Oooooh! I'm glad you enjoyed it! DH went to boarding school in Paarl and then to university in Stellenbosch, so he knows the area very well. When I said "Fairview" he went "ooooooooooh". I think that means he approves! ;-) Do you have many Cape wines out there in the US? :)

Gypsy said:
Trekkie|1413456490|3767842 said:


Trekkie, that sounds A M A Z I N G!!!

Gypsy, you'd love it! :)

Oh, and have I ever mentioned that there are dozens of diamond dealers in Cape Town...? :shifty: :naughty: Just don't buy anything at the Waterfront - their prices are insane! :-o
 

Gypsy

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That sounds fantastic. Maybe once we move out of Nor Cal we'll be able to travel. That would be so lovely.
 

LLJsmom

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Where do I begin??

My favorites:
1. Abbey de Belloc - sheeps milk cheese, from France. Very high in fat content. Starts out salty and then ends sweet and nutty. Kinda like the petit basque but smoother and a bit more complex. Cowgirl creamery in SF sometimes has it.
2. Petit Basque if I can't get the abbey de Belloc
3. Dubliner - there is another British cheddar that I forgot the name of. I will figure it out.
4. Old Amsterdam
5. Aged Gouda
6. Stilton

My daughter's favorite is Stilton. She like the sheeps milk I listed above. She's 9, and she been eating cheese with me her whole life. We live for cheese tasting at cheese shops esp cow girl creamery.

Favorite fruits with it are apples. Cheese and apples and we are done for dinner!!

I was so excited I didn't even read the it get posts. I'll circle back now!
 

Karl_K

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ame|1413411883|3767615 said:
I like Provel (
Thanks!
I had never heard of it so looked it up and it sounded good so I picked some up for the next time we make pizza.
 

LLJsmom

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This is my daughter enjoying a UK cheddar, Westcombe cheddar, and quince with a whole wheat sourdough. So good!!!! She is savoring every nibble.

_23347.jpg
 

Gypsy

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LLJsmom|1413597470|3768848 said:
Where do I begin??

My favorites:
1. Abbey de Belloc - sheeps milk cheese, from France. Very high in fat content. Starts out salty and then ends sweet and nutty. Kinda like the petit basque but smoother and a bit more complex. Cowgirl creamery in SF sometimes has it.
2. Petit Basque if I can't get the abbey de Belloc
3. Dubliner - there is another British cheddar that I forgot the name of. I will figure it out.
4. Old Amsterdam
5. Aged Gouda
6. Stilton

My daughter's favorite is Stilton. She like the sheeps milk I listed above. She's 9, and she been eating cheese with me her whole life. We live for cheese tasting at cheese shops esp cow girl creamery.

Favorite fruits with it are apples. Cheese and apples and we are done for dinner!!

I was so excited I didn't even read the it get posts. I'll circle back now!


Heya, you live right by me. If you like goudas go to Sigona's market in Redwood City (right across the street from Costco) and try the Moo Na Lisa.
 

LLJsmom

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Gypsy|1413600115|3768877 said:
LLJsmom|1413597470|3768848 said:
Where do I begin??

My favorites:
1. Abbey de Belloc - sheeps milk cheese, from France. Very high in fat content. Starts out salty and then ends sweet and nutty. Kinda like the petit basque but smoother and a bit more complex. Cowgirl creamery in SF sometimes has it.
2. Petit Basque if I can't get the abbey de Belloc
3. Dubliner - there is another British cheddar that I forgot the name of. I will figure it out.
4. Old Amsterdam
5. Aged Gouda
6. Stilton

My daughter's favorite is Stilton. She like the sheeps milk I listed above. She's 9, and she been eating cheese with me her whole life. We live for cheese tasting at cheese shops esp cow girl creamery.

Favorite fruits with it are apples. Cheese and apples and we are done for dinner!!

I was so excited I didn't even read the it get posts. I'll circle back now!


Heya, you live right by me. If you like goudas go to Sigona's market in Redwood City (right across the street from Costco) and try the Moo Na Lisa.

On it!!
 

Gypsy

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It's mild. But paired with a good apple (Honey crisp) it's yumtastic. Hubby also likes to have it a nice Genoa Salami (Columbus has a 'premium" one you can buy packages of).

There's so many nice markets around here.
 

TooPatient

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Just had a really good 18 month aged gouda from Whole Foods :lickout:

Also had the "red wax gouda" that tasted sort of like a good jarlsberg but with the yummy gouda flavor.

The others we had were good too, but those were my favorite of that plate.
(others were a 3 month Manchego, smoked gouda, and a jarlsberg)


Served with a crispy "big white" loaf from the French bakery (they really call it that) and a nice bottle of blanc de blanc.


We had a cheese plate as our first course for dinner. The chef paired it with some herbed crackers, strawberry preserves, and glasses of blanc de blanc.
 

GliderPoss

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We are so lucky here - so many wonderful gourmet cheeses. At the moment we are munching our way through a delightful ash-rind made locally from http://goldfieldsfarmhouse.com.au/ and this international favouritehttp://www.castellocheese.com/en-ca/our-cheeses/castello-traditional-danish-blue/

A favourite of mine is pretty much anything from http://www.kingislanddairy.com.au/ which are widely available in all supermarkets here in Oz. I love their soft blue, camembert and brie especially!

I also love the "Sharp & Crumbly" cheddar from http://www.merseyvalley.com.au/home/

Yummmmmmmm........... :lickout:
 

Gypsy

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Mmm... all these cheeses make me hungry.

So good.
 

lambskin

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Anything sharp, stinky and blue. Seriously. Love super aged sharp cheese and hardly met a blue I did not like. Also like Brilliat Savrin-a triple cream from France. My guilty pleasure cheese is a tangy horseraddish cheese.
 

Karl_K

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Karl_K|1413599750|3768870 said:
ame|1413411883|3767615 said:
I like Provel (
Thanks!
I had never heard of it so looked it up and it sounded good so I picked some up for the next time we make pizza.
We tried it and we loved it!!
yummy!!!!
 

KristinTech

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"We could get cheese, you know, from the nice part of the store...." Bridesmaids is on and that line just came up! My favorites are havarti with dill and Drunken Goat cheese... Until I try my next delicious variety!
 

aljdewey

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I spent this weekend in the Bay Area, and I've found a new favorite cheese - Mt. Tam by Cowgirl Creamery! I hear that Whole Foods carries it, and I hope that's true in New England stores too!

Beyond that overwhelming new favorite (seriously!), I love cheddar, gouda (regular and smoked), a good gruyere, and the king of all cheese - parm. reggiano. Also, fresh mozzarella and burrata.

It's hard to find a cheese I don't like! In fact, so much so that a friend and I had tentatively planned to do the cheese tour together this weekend. Sadly, it was sold out - so we had to comfort ourselves with a visit to Cowgirl Creamery. ;-)
 

tmot14

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aljdewey|1414391724|3773207 said:
I spent this weekend in the Bay Area, and I've found a new favorite cheese - Mt. Tam by Cowgirl Creamery! I hear that Whole Foods carries it, and I hope that's true in New England stores too!
Did you try Pierce Pt? It's similar to Mt. Tam but is made with field flowers and is sooo heavenly. My favorite Bay Area cheese has to be the lavender honey goat cheese from Harvey Farms (really, any of their goats cheeses are amazing). Luckily the little market down the street from me will special order it--before I realized, I was driving down to Half Moon Bay once every few weeks to get it :).
 

AGBF

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I hope those who have listed Brie have eaten it with Bosc pears. There is a saying in Italian which I quoted here once years ago:
"Do not let the peasant know how good cheese is with pears". It is so true!

I do agree with those who love baked Brie. As long as it is baked with fruit!

Deb/AGBF
:saint:
 

Tourmaline

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I ate some cheese today that tasted like DESSERT! It was maple (goat) chevre from a local farm, and it was one of the best-tasting cheese I had ever eaten. I shared it with my dad.

A couple of weeks ago at a sheep and wool festival, I tasted an amazing pecorino that was like parmesan, but softer and easier to chew. Amazing. I meant to go back and buy some, but I forgot! :(
 

tmot14

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Tourmaline|1414545863|3774177 said:
I ate some cheese today that tasted like DESSERT! It was maple (goat) chevre from a local farm, and it was one of the best-tasting cheese I had ever eaten. I shared it with my dad.
That sounds heavenly!
 

FrekeChild

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AGBF|1414409853|3773238 said:
I hope those who have listed Brie have eaten it with Bosc pears. There is a saying in Italian which I quoted here once years ago:
"Do not let the peasant know how good cheese is with pears". It is so true!

I do agree with those who love baked Brie. As long as it is baked with fruit!

Deb/AGBF
:saint:
My mom used to make a baked brie and covered it with some kind of peach and jalapeno marmalade. I wish I could find that again. It was delicious.
 

LLJsmom

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I found out today that Cowgirl isn't carrying Abbaye de belloc or lambchopper, two of my favorite cheeses! I'm so sad! They said that the Abbey is from France and they aren't importing it. huh?? I think lambchopper is domestic. So sad. But I tried a new one. Mona, Wisconsin. I know. Weird name. that was on the sticker. Cow and sheep blend, definitely milder than the other two, and a little nutty and sweet at the end. My daughter thought it was ok. She's my gauge.

And I just found abbaye on http://www.formaggiokitchen.com.

Hallelujah!!
 
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