Saturday, April 01, 2006

The Stinky Cheese Girl
In lab yesterday, we had cheese tasting. As I have mentioned before, one of my goals this year is to cultivate myself to like strong cheeses. I'm pretty serious about that; it's on my Things to Do Before I Turn 20 List. I like to think that I eat almost anything, but cheese is one thing that is tougher for me. I will love cheese by the end of summer, if it's the last thing I do.

Soon, the class began to "smell like feet." Among other things uttered my by peers, "it smells like a dirty belly button!" We had a taste of fresh yogurt, mozarella, cheddar, jarlsberg, asiago, bucheron, catiembere, limburger, stilton, roquefort, and American. The yogurt had a sour milk aroma, but I actually liked it a lot. Mozarella and cheddar were typical. The jarlsberg was...much more offensive. It was very pungent and even slightly nutty. Moving on, I did like both the bucheron and camembert cheeses. Very creamy, soft, and not as rancid tasting as the asiago. My favorite of all, though, was the limburger. It definitely has a very pronounced aroma; I liked how it had hints of spiciness, sweetness, and saltiness. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless.

Roquefort. I still can't get myself to stomach the mold-injected, cave-aged cheese. The taste is definitely distinct--slightly metallic from the mold and near rancid from the sheep's milk. I think I'll have to look into psychotherapy to really love this stuff. A wise 80-year-old man said to me, "Roquefort is the Annette to your Sebastian Valmont." I couldn't have said it better myself.

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3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

LOL. you're hella cheesy, friend.

4/02/2006 7:32 PM  
Blogger Danielle said...

HAHAHA, J's wit astounds me.

4/03/2006 8:29 PM  
Blogger Michael Mahle said...

Hey there, as a cheese freak myself, let me give you a few suggestions:

1) At the Greenmarket in Union Square - go to Cato Corner Farms cheese stand. My favorites = Brigid's Abbey, Dutch Farmstead, Hooligan, Despearado, Misty Morning.

Don't ask for brie or a camembert or a cheddar. They don't make them. They make their own things that are truly wonderful. The Hooligan and Despearado are very stinky but truly remarkable. Misty Morning is a delicious, gnarly-molded blue cheese - but nothing like Roquefort.

Also, be sure to go to Murray's (I used to intern/assist there). Some really great creamy cheeses you should try include Fleur de Lis from New Orleans (ask about the farm - great people) and Red Hawk from Cowgirl Creamery in California. Its one of the best cheeses anywhere, ever.

These are really great cheeses and should get you started on your quest. Bon Appetit.

Michael Mahle
www.BigAppleDiningGuide.com
www.cheeseandwineshop.com
www.myspace.com/michaelmahle

4/28/2006 1:37 PM  

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