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Fresh Cheese Soft-Ripened Cheese Washed-Rind Cheese Blue Cheese Goat Cheese Cheese Specialties Pressed Uncooked Cheese Pressed Cooked Cheese
Fresh Cheese Of all the cheeses, fresh ones are the quickest to produce. The cheese-maker simply adds starter culture to the milk which changes its acidity, causing the milk to curdle. The solids are then drained and voilà! There is no aging, whatsoever. These curds can then be cut, shaped, and molded. They may also have savory or fruit flavors added. It all depends on the desired end result. One fresh cheese, Mozzarella, is considered a Pasta Filata because the curds are boiled and stretched before being cut and shaped. This process gives the cheese an elastic quality.
Soft-Ripened Cheese The bloomy rinds found on most soft-ripened cheeses are downy white and edible. This cheese family has a smooth, supple paste. During ripening, Penicillium forms a white “bloom” around the cheese, which may become speckled with brown as the cheese ripens. The fat content, maturing time, and cheese-making process all contribute to the flavor. For example, a double crème Brie will have a very buttery taste as compared to regular Brie, which is more assertive.
Washed-Rind Cheese The rinds in this family are washed and brushed in brine during the ripening process. The brine, depending on the cheese type and region, may include wine, beer, eau de vie, etc. The brushing allows the salt to penetrate the cheese and keeps the paste soft. This treatment smoothes the rind and gives it a coloring that ranges from straw yellow to dark, brick red. The washed-rind family includes many of Europe’s strongest flavored and most aromatic cheeses, such as French Munster, German Limburger, and Italian Taleggio.
Blue Cheese Blue-veined cheeses are mostly made from cow’s milk. Roquefort and some blue cheeses from the basque region, are made from sheep’s milk, and some goat’s milk blue cheeses are available, though they are hard to come by. To achieve the blue marbling, various Penicilliums, depending on the cheese, are sprinkled in powdered form in the milk, or later, over the curds. During the ripening stage, needles are injected into the cheese creating holes that allow air to enter so that mold can grow. Usually sharp when young, the flavor becomes sweeter and more mellow as the cheeses mature.
Goat Cheese Goat’s milk cheeses have become very popular in recent years, mostly due to its wide variety and unique flavors. Most people tend to think of goat cheese as a white, fresh, log-shaped piece of cheese. On the contrary, goat cheeses can be found in other styles, such as soft-ripened, washed-rind, blue-veined and pressed uncooked, and can come in many shapes and sizes. The flavors can range from a mild, sourish flavor, found in young goat cheeses, all the way to a full, velvety flavor found in goat’s milk gouda.
Cheese Specialties Cheese
specialties are a relatively new category. Under its umbrella are any cheeses
that fall into more than one family, or any others without true classification.
This family is the most creative due to the inventiveness of the cheese maker.
Stilchester, for example, is classified here as it is a Double Glouester
(Pressed Uncooked) with lines of Blue Stilton (Blue). Cheeses that are blended
or heated fall into this category. Common blending cheeses include Cheddar,
Gruyère, and Gouda. Also, added herbs, smoke and other flavors help to make this
a family full of fun, pleasingly mild cheeses.
Pressed Uncooked Cheese The pressed uncooked family offers a variety of textures, from the very creamy (Morbier), to more supple (Doux de Montagne), to firm (Manchego). Some have rinds while others don’t. Even the colors and flavors vary from mild (Cheddar), to full-flavored (Etorki). Created by taking the curds and pressing them into molds, they are then carefully aged anywhere from five weeks to six months, although some can mature as long as three years. This family will please almost everyone due to its versatility.
Pressed Cooked Cheese Often large in size and taste, pressed cooked cheeses are created by heating the curds (cooked), and then placing and pressing them in molds. The cheese is then soaked in brine. As fermentation proceeds, depending on the temperature and specific enzymes, the cheese will have many holes (Emmental) or very few holes (Gruyère). A famous member of this family, Parmigiano Reggiano, is hard and granular, and is ideal for grating. This versatile family may be perfect for sandwiches, melting, grating and shredding.
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