Finding an Old Cheese

We forgot about a reasonably large wedge of Bayley Hazen Blue. I had gently wrapped it in waxed paper, put it in a plastic bag so it wouldn't dry out, and moved on to a busy schedule for about two weeks.  I was shocked and a bit sick when I found it-- was it going to be beyond eating?  Was I going to make a rank fromage fort?

It was an orange, sticky, ammoniacal mess as I peeled away the damp and disintegrating waxed paper.  I dabbed with a dish towel.  Wielding knife, I got into it and appreciated that the external funk could be cut away yielding a somewhat discolored but seemingly serviceable paste.  You can appreciated the surface molds visibly penetrating in the undersurface of the cut away pieces towards the top of the picture.

Bayley Hazen Blue

You might ask-- is it good to eat?  Is it safe? The answer to the first question is easy-- if it tastes good, its good.  The history of food discovery is just that.  Is it safe?  This is a harder and sometimes very important question-- mushroom gathering comes to mind.  For artisan-produced cheeses with real rinds, consider this approach.  If the cheese is molding with what looks like its intended surface molds, this is fine. Just cut away what doesn't taste good and enjoy. If the color has dramatically changed, or the surface mold texture is totally different, this is more extreme.  You may discover a new food or flavor, and  perhaps just keep this process to yourself  until you are a little more sure about safety.

What remains of the Bayley Hazen Blue

As for the Bayley Hazen, turned out no one got sick, and its fudge-like texture and carmel-barnyard flavors were delicious with orange marmalade or a fruity honey.

Lastly, I include a post from a cheese blog I created a while ago about this topic.  This has more to do with commercial cheeses, but presents a slightly stricter view.  Curious to know reader's thoughts on this!

A few posts ago I said I would write again about what I learned about mold on cheese. In short, one should not consume molds that aren't supposed to be on or in the cheese. This is rarely difficult to figure out. If cheese didn't come with the mold in question, it probably is a bad actor. Almost always pink/yellow/black molds are bad. The mycotoxins they can contain can make you sick. Exactly what kind of sick isn't clear to me from the literature. Many know of aflatoxin, but this doesn't cause acute symptoms so much as it is a potent carcinogen.

1. Official guidelines say for hard (e.g. aged Gouda) and semi-firm (e.g. Fontina) cheeses, one can cut away 1 inch around and below mold spot (I use for spot bigger than eraser head, smaller I cut less) and the rest should be safe.

2. Entire package of pre-sliced or crumbled cheese with molding should be discarded. The mold is likely not just in the place you see.

3. It is true, a soft cheese with more than a very small bit of abnormal mold should be discarded in its entirety. The wetness allows the mold roots to grow deeply, even if the surface mold spot is not very large.

See this USDA site for more information.

More on Cheese Rind

Continuing fascination with rinds and what the microbes are doing--- I typed 'cheese rind' into Pubmed and there were 51 references that came up.  What is exciting is that all those nonculture-based technologies are being applied to cheeses, and they are finding unexpected microbial diversity and dynamics.

 I am glad that people are beginning to take these rinds seriously, just like the human microbiome is being taken seriously.

A recent visitor left us with some cheeses such that one evening we had the good fortune to have four cheeses for the eating (top right- Madeleine; top left Vermont Shepherd; bottom left Mil Ovejas; bottom right Lille).  We were drawn towards the Madeleine for its goaty floral herby flavors packaged in a firm bite, and this new cheese Lille.  It was still relatively young.  The heterogenous textures as one works from rind to center impressed us greatly, and the saline, gentle barn yard flavors won us over.

So, this had me thinking about those 51 references I found in Pubmed.  While this reference is talking about Idiazabal cheese, which I sampled for the first time in 2004 (the benefits of keeping a cheese log-- I suggest you start one!), I like the idea of thinking about microbial-derived volatile components changing as one moves through the different layers of cheese. In sum, the cheese tasting experience is the 'symphony' of textures and flavors from the different orchestra 'sections' that are the cheese layers you can really see in the Lille cut open.

Lille

Last, I leave you with a piece of culinary hardware not often encountered--- have you ever seen a pair of grape scissors?  I came upon these in the home of a greatly admired aunt named Dos. She had received them as a gift many years ago.  They really do come in handy, when you want to cut yourself the perfect clump of grapes to go with a mushroomy wedge of Camembert.

Dos's grape scissors

Edible ecologies

I was impressed by the Lake's Edge sample that found its way into our house this week. Notice the runny paste towards the rind (it ran over the edge of the cheese during storage- this was a real runner), and the way the rind can nearly be peeled away on its own.  This is all on account of the ongoing changes to the chemical structure of the cheese thanks to those bacteria and fungi.  When I ate the rind by itself, I wondered what let this happen, and what makes it still taste so good.

Lake's Edge

I think Rachel Dutton will find the answers. I have reported on Rachel Dutton's work before, and I found this update from edible Boston.  Look out for her scientific characterization of the life in and on cheeses!














As a side note, I had a run in with what I think were living things inside a Medjool date.

Unusual Medjool date

 Fascinating.  The only thing I could find on this with 10-15 minutes of looking was a string on a Flickr account.  Perhaps I will contact a manufacturer. Anyone seen this before?  Sort of makes you want to break open your dates before biting, but then again, perhaps we would be better served by embracing the unexpected.  Just make sure you do a body check after.  I found this on my nose hours later.

Medjool date dust

More Gifting of Cheese

Weeks have gone by without a post. Shame on me.

I thought I would wedge in a little post before the week starts.  Mostly because I wanted to give a 'shout out' to my medical school teaching last week.  I posed challenge questions to the students to work on at home.  I was impressed with the number of spot on responses, and randomly chosen winners went home with reasonably hefty pieces of Tarentaise.  This cheese was chosen for its delectability, travel friendliness, and local production, with a harkening to methods used in the beautiful mountains of France.  I think the students were pleased, although a view wondered of the prizes could be a little more varied--- apropos an interesting discussion of lactase non-persistence, some would have preferred an artisan produced bar of dark chocolate.

After getting through the thick of the teaching, I rewarded myself with a Rush Creek Reserve, apparently none too soon because this was the last lot for a while. I was ready for its voluptuousness, and its meaty woodsy flavors combined perfectly well with a simple fresh baguette and a lusty red wine.  This could not have been upstaged, save perhaps by a 6-hour message.

Rush Creek Reserve, a few minutes after removal from the  fridge (it should be a little more molten). 

I like to provide items from the news world that are cheese related.  See if you might like to get into the cheese describing industry. Click here.   I am frankly just ok at it.  

Aged

It has been ages since I have written anything.  Some news to share since that last sweet installment.

1. A Nation That Eats Together.... Italy may be having financial difficulty, but this can't stop them from celebrating their King of Cheese.  I understand there was a recent earthquake and some damaged Regianno Parmesans.  So, a chef came up with a national dish that uses the Parmesan and other Northern Italy ingredients.  NPR story here.  I wonder if The Sicilians thought that risotto was such a good choice?

2. Another King  Comté Extra Grand Cru.  Also an aged wonder. We had this cheese for Thanksgiving (yes, its been a long time) and I think it got forgotten in the corner.  No matter--- we had a lot more to enjoy.  It is aged long enough that it has flavor crystals like Regianno.  It really triumphs with swirling flavors that linger and change over time.

Comté Extra Grand Cru

Comté - note that thick rind- months of aging!

3. The Data Show...Early Civilizations Made Cheese!! Archeologists have been studying shards of sieve-like pottery from the Neolithic period and found fat residue that suggests that these early cultures were turning mlk into curds.  They argue that this advancement makes sense because not only did it preserve protein and nutrients in a form that could be stored, but it also allowed the milk sugar lactose to be drained away in the whey-- no more embarrassing visits to the bushes! See paper abstract here.

Sweetmeats

What does it take to be a sweetmeat fan?  What are sweetmeats anyway?  I am not sure how the name came to describe small bits of food preserved in sugar or sugar syrup, but perhaps because the texture is that of flesh.  A classic is Turkish Delight.  I cherish sweetmeats because they have to be crafted, they usually grandstand a delicious food or ingredient, and they are historical.  Oh, and they are always sensuous eats, these meats.  Lastly, in an age of fructose avoidance, why yes (damn it!) they contain fructose, but a little goes a long way.

Fig sweetmeats

A typical Saturday morning began with a Formaggio Kitchen visit.  On the counter, something different-- a container of preserved figs, presented in a wooden box much like a Camembert.

exposed sweetmeats

Heavy in the hand, intriguing to a sweetmeat lover, they went in the basket. A wise cheesemonger offered a classic, and a reach.

Stichelton

The classic pairing was a Stichelton (aka 'Stitch'), a version of Stilton made with raw milk.  Traditionally eaten with Branston Pickle, this made sense.  At home, it made sense, but I think just that.

Azeitao DOP

It was the reach that won the day.  Azeitao DOP, a washed-rind sheep's milk cheese from Portugal.  Yeasty! Glossy, rich, with a grassy piquancy that set free the luscious sweet fig.  Then the entire combination thundered symphonic with a swig of fruity young red wine.

The combo-- oh, all with Tortas de Aciete-yum! 

The figs were $30.  Don't get them if you aren't into sweetmeats. Recognize that one of these sticky jewels feeds one generously, and two perfectly.

Cheese Party

Cheese Party Offerings

A cheese party occurred at our house almost a month ago.  Seems wrong that I haven't written about it by now.  Perhaps I should be eaten by the cheese monster?


The optimal number of cheese parties to have ---  maximizing pleasure and minimizing financial, nutritional, and psychic distress figures in at every two weeks.  Have each guest bring a cheese, and have an online sign up so you don't get 3 of the same thing.  No more than 10 people.  Lots of wine, and toss in some nuts, olives, salami if you like, and something sweet like honey, jam, or some dried fruit.  Choose Saturday mid to late afternoon so folks can move on to lesser activities, and people don't have the Sunday blahs.

Based on my one time point, and memory of past parties, it is reasonable to take issue with this recommendation. No matter--- you don't have to come.

The Cheeses

There was no wining cheese.


I took a picture of the Valencay 2/3 the way through the party.

Valencay

The multiple paste phases won nods and interest, and its goat flavors were perfectly concentrated and  morsels felt luscious in the mouth.  I can't say for sure what ailment that characteristic treats, but consider it more like a vitality vitamin.