The Wonderful World of Cheese

In addition to a large and diverse selection of domestic cheeses that our Hen Houses have always carried, we have,of late, focused on building an ever increasing repertoire of imported cheeses. The variety and quality continues to grow, as does our excitement, along with the public’s interest and consumption.

The US Dairy Export Council reports that “The U.S. annual cheese consumption is reaching

30 lbs per capita and growing”. This interest can be seen in upscale restaurants, many of whom have added sophisticated cheese plates/trays/courses to their menus. A highly successful restaurant in New York City, ARTISNAL, is built entirely around the concept of cheese, complete with its own temperature-controlled cellar under the restaurant to ripen each cheese to its own individual state of perfection.

Each month we highlight a particular cheese, which we will tell you about here. More importantly, we invite you to come into our stores and taste them, developing your own repertoire of favorites.

Cheese of the Month for February, 2010

Carr Valley Bread Cheese

Bread Cheese is a firm cheese based on the Finnish cheese Juustoleipa.  What sets this cheese apart from its peers Halloumi or Paneer is it does not melt when heated.  You can throw Bread Cheese on a grill pan or into a microwave and have little squares of delicious warm cheese.  When warmed this cheese has a salty and close to mozzarella in flavor.  The texture is that of a hunk of bread that has been soaked in cheese.  On the outside, the cheese is browned and tastes nutty and quite wonderful.  This cheese is created in molds and then baked or broiled to create the texture and flavor of bread like qualities.

This is a fun cheese to pair with a jam or a fruit of any kind, the sweet with the salty is rather wonderful.  Bread cheese is a simple appetizer or snacking cheese and should be served warmed. It makes a pleasant hostess gift, because it takes only a minute to prep up and serve to guests.  The mild flavor is very easy on the palette and pairs with both white and red wines.

Bon Appetit!