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Cheese Prep: How to Use a Box Grater

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Culture Magazine: Cheese IQ

Culture Magazine has an interesting read on adjunct cultures, looking into the question of whether the native microbial inhabitants of raw milk can be isolated, and then reintroduced into the milk after pasteurization, in order to retain the unique characteristics of terroir and milk source. A study was undertaken in Australia, a country with even stricter raw milk laws than those of the US (the first raw milk cheeses have only recently gone into production down under, thanks in large part to the tireless advocacy of Will Studd). Via Culture:

Cheese IQ: No Taste Like Home

Sonia Cousins | April 7, 2016 Raw milk from healthy animals is teeming with microbes. These yeasts, molds, and bacteria make up a microbiological fingerprint that distinguishes the milk of one herd from that of another. In raw-milk cheesemaking, indigenous microbes remain. However, milk loses its microbiological character during pasteurization.

Skilled cheesemakers can create layered flavors in pasteurized-milk products. But what if the microbial complexity could be reintroduced into this milk? Would resulting cheeses have distinct, location-specific characteristics? And might the enhanced flavors add market value to the cheeses?

Recently a group of cheesemakers from the Australian Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association (ASCA) completed a project to find out…a team of cheesemongers, judges, and sensory experts conducted a blind tasting in late October 2015 to answer the pressing question: Do indigenous microbes improve cheese flavor?

“Undoubtedly, yes,” says ASCA committee member Miranda Sharp. “We were overwhelmed by how distinctly different the cheeses tasted. While the regular cheeses were excellent, the ones made with the adjunct cultures had far more complexity and depth.”

The cheeses were put to the test at a public tasting, too. “In every case, cheeses made with the indigenous cultures were preferred by the public,” Sharp says.

Now the Australian cheesemakers are faced with serious questions: Will these novel cultures create a regulatory minefield? And will consumers pay more for cheese made with them? (Producers who adopt this cheesemaking method will need to outsource some of the scientific work, and additional costs in seeking commercial approval are likely. Inevitably, these costs will be passed on to consumers.)

Read the full post. 

(Photos ©2016 Culturecheesemag.com)

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NEW HOT DOG: An all-beef Hot Dog topped with Bacon Jalapeño Poppers and Parsley Lime Cream Cheese!

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This? This is a triple Reuben. Any Arnold competitors (or otherwise adventurous eaters) interested?

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Mark your calendars! National Knish Week is coming up soon! And while we're on the topic, today's specialty knish is SPICY BACON.

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(John Lennon voice) "Cherry Fields forever..."

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Care to see a picture of smoked salmon dip with bacon? Good. Because this is it.

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Remember: Leap Day calories don't count!

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A sea of Stealer Brownies...Sail it!

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Don't forget to eat your fruits! Lemon meringue pie, key lime pie, and cherry cheesecake can help (sort of)!

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Seasonal cheese (”cheeseonal?”) info!

I love this infographic from Saxelby Cheesemongers. It does a great job of visualizing the seasonal changes of animal production and milk composition, and explains why you might not find your favorite cheeses at the counter at certain times of the year (or The Doldrums, as Saxelby’s calls it). You can read more about it at their blog:

ABC’S OF CHEESE – D IS FOR DOLDRUMS

When it comes to cheese, the Doldrums refers to the middle of winter – short days, long nights, cold as hell – when the goats, sheep, and even some cows like the ones are Meadow Creek Dairy in Virginia are pregnant and not making milk. Our supply of young sheep cheese trickled to a close in mid-autumn; now the goats’ milk cheeses begin to drop like flies as the herds have been dried off for winter and the last of the season’s cheeses are sold.

This is just my definition of the Doldrums – I’m sure it won’t show up on Wikipedia, and most certainly not in more respectable dictionaries, but to me there’s no better way of describing this moment in the world of seasonal cheese.

Since time immemorial, the breeding cycles of animals have coincided with the shortening of days. Breeding takes place in the late fall; the animals are pregnant all winter long, and then give birth in spring. It was basically Mother Nature’s way of ensuring that babies were born at the cusp of spring (which in New England can still be freezing by the way) when the promise of longer, warmer days and good green pasture is just around the corner…

Read the full post. 

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@seecbus favored a Reuben and a club. And, of course, our pickles! Try one of our classics today!

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New inspirational bread decor. Don't settle for anything less than the best. Right @mediterrabakehouse?

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NEW SPECIAL: Southwest Chicken Salad --- Grilled chicken, salad mix, corn-bean-tomato relish, Goat Horn peppers, roasted red peppers, onions, tortilla strips, and cumin vinaigrette!

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Baker's Choice: Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan Streusel Cake! Try it heated up!

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Caramel Apple Pie! Because I'm pretty sure that "brunch" actually means "morning dessert entree."

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Take advantage of this suspiciously beautiful February day. Stroll through @germanvillage588 and grab a Reuben!