Let’s Open Some Cheeses!

I’ve opened a bunch of new cheeses in recent weeks, so how about a little show and tell? (Some of these will be featured in upcoming YouTube videos, but I decided you Splashed! folks deserve a sneak peak.)

Pink Gouda
In an “oh-why-the-heck-not” moment, I decided to add a bunch of crushed pink peppercorns to a Gouda.

In case you’ve never tried them, pink peppercorns are spicy with a hint of floral. The flavor of the cheese was nice but the occasional whole seed was a bit overwhelming – my husband actually spit those out. If I were to do it again, I’d grind the seeds smaller, or maybe just add the pink husks and omit most of the seeds.

Oil-Rubbed Gruyère
This is an 8-month-old Gruyère that’s been hanging out in the wine fridge. Back in the beginning, it had gotten quite moldy, so I cleaned it up and oiled it and then it just sat there for the next six months doing nothing.

Before cutting into it, I tried brushing it, but that didn’t really do anything (the oil gunked up the brush), so then I scrubbed the cheese under hot tap water – that got the oil and junk off right quick.

The cheese itself tasted nice. Nutty and sweet – just a plain old good cheese.

Marinated Feta
I’ve been loving my marinated feta, so I cubed the last of the Bulgarian feta and packed it into jars with marinade.

Now I have a hefty stash that should get us through all the fall salads. (Recently, we’ve been eating it tossed with garden tomatoes, peppers, onions, and chickpeas.)

Lady Zella

This is an Appenzellar, a fast-to-make, high-temp cheese that then gets washed in a tea of French herbs, mead, and b.linens – super sexy, yes?

The cheese didn’t really taste of herbs and mead, but even so, it was outstanding.

Smoked Gouda
I smoked a couple fresh wheels of Gouda and then aged them for a few months. 

The cheeses are fantastic, but you wanna know what’s really good? Smoked Gouda Cheesy Chips. Holy heck, they are AMAZING.

Tete de Moine
A friend gifted me a Tete de Moine cheese slicer/shaver so then I had to make the cheese to go with.

The flavor is quite nice – deep and a little meaty – but the texture feels a bit dry. Maybe I aged it too long? But no matter ‘cause . . . 

LOOK AT THOSE FLOWERS!