The Saturday Seven: Favorite Cheeses

Our Christmas holiday was blessed with a series of gastronomic pleasures. Delicious meals, paired with enjoyable wines, fresh baked breads, fantastic cheeses and scrumptious desserts. There is something quite enjoyable about cheese. Typically when I go out for a fine restaurant, I like to end the meal with a selection of cheeses. It is a practice quite common in Europe, but less-so here in the US. It isn't hard to find good cheese here, but most people think of cheese as a before dinner food. I find cheese to be a wonderful way to end a meal. Last night we enjoyed a quiet dinner at home, and finished off with a fantastic wedge of Rugged Coastal English Cheddar Cheese. It was deliciously sweet, with calcium crystals in it, signifying its proper aging. It was the inspiration for this week's edition of The Saturday Seven: Favorite Cheeses. I don't profess to be a connoisseur of fine cheeses, or to have a particularly advanced palette, but none-the-less, here are my seven favorites:

#1 Cheddar: Without question my favorite variety. I am partial to English Cheddar, but I usually eat American Cheddar, made from happy California cows, or from Wisconsin. Cheddar is usually aged from nine to twelve months. A mature cheddar has a firm, smooth texture and a rich, full flavor. It can be "white" or "yellow", but either way I find it delicious.

#2 Stilton: A magnificent cheese, known as the "king of English cheeses", it is smooth and creamy with a slightly acidic flavor. It is a delicious dessert cheese too. It is made from whole cow’s milk cheese, aged for four to six months with some Roquefort added to grow the mold. It is creamy yet slightly crumbly and has delicate blue-green veins. It has a somewhat mild flavor, not too heavy in the usual 'blue cheese" family.
#3 Buffalo Mozzarella- seems like an odd choice among flavored and hard cheeses but I love it! It is a soft, slice able curd cheese that originally comes from Italy. Some readers may recall I saw fresh mozzarella being made before my eyes while in Sicily this past fall. I was amazed and enthralled by it that day. Traditional mozzarella is made from water buffalo milk, which is high in fat. This cheese is not aged like most cheeses and is actually best when eaten just after it has been made. I love to eat it with fresh ripe tomatoes and basil, a touch of olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.

#4 Stinking Bishop: is a soft cheese from the South West of England. It is made from cows raised in the Gloucestershire area and is distinctive for its flavor. As the name suggests, it is a cheese with an odor, but it is quite pleasant. Its color can be white, yellow or beige and often has a rind that is usually white, but sometimes orange or grey. It's nice on crackers, or fresh baked, warm crusty French or Italian bread. Add to it a glass of wine? Mmmm I get excited just thinking about that, don't you?

#5 Caerphilly: It is a fine Welsh white cheese, moderately firm and creamy. Its delicate flavor is slightly salty and lightly acidic. Caerphilly is made with a long and complicated process. It curdles at high temperatures, is cut into cubes then is stirred for awhile before it is able to age. It is probably the most famous of all Welsh cheeses-I first became enamored by it while living in the UK back in the early 80's. I spent many a time in Wales and learned to partake in the local pleasures such as Caerphilly cheese!
#6 Havarti: a well known, semi-soft Danish cheese made from cow's milk aged for three months. Havarti is aged without a rind and has a smooth buttery, slightly acidic flavor, with a white cream to yellow color depending on how it is made. It is known for having "eyes", small and irregular openings throughout. The "holes" are not as large as Swiss cheese, these are much smaller and not as hard in texture.
#7 Lancashire: a creamy, textured cheese with a mild flavor, aged for two to three months. It's light, creamy flavor makes it perfect for breakfast, sandwiches or even with tea. It can be slightly crumbly and has a mild acidic flavor, aged for just two to three months. It is an "easy" cheese to enjoy, not offensive to anyone. It is a safe choice when having guests who may not be cheese fans. I guess I would compare it to things like Monterey Jack cheese, although that is a little more soft and creamy.

What kids of cheeses do you like? Go ahead, leave a comment. Even if you are a velveeta or cheese whiz person, I welcome all comments and opinions.

-Rick Rockhill