Cheese

CHEESE

COMPONENTS OF CHEESE MAKING

Milk - The various cheese of the world first owe their character and taste to the type of milk used - double cream, toned, or skimmed milk. The character also greatly depends on the what animal the milk came from - cow, goat, ewe, or water buffalo.

Starter - If left in a warm place, milk will sour by itself. This souring is due to the action of bacteria on the milk sugar, lactose, and its conversion to lactic acid or sour milk. To speed up the process of souring and to prevent the milk from becoming bitter and unpleasantly sour, a little warm sour milk from the previous day’s milk is added to this batch. This speeds up or starts the process of coagulation, and is known as the starter or starter culture. In the case of pasteurized milk, all bacteria is killed, and hence the starter consists of a combination of cultures grown in the lab.

Rennet - Although the starter culture speeds up the process of souring milk, and would eventually cause it to curdle, it produces quite a sharp, acidic taste. The use of rennet, which is an enzyme from the inner lining of young hoofed animals like lambs and calves, significantly improves the product. Rennet also helps break down the curd into a smooth, even consistency, contributing to the texture and flavor.

TYPES OF CHEESE

The type of cheese produced by the cheese maker depends on the amount of moisture he wishes to eliminate and the size of the cheese. The amount of moisture in the cheese will also determine what kind of rind or mould will grow on the cheese.

1. Fresh Cheeses

Fresh cheeses are usually made by setting the curd with starter and rennet and are high in moisture. The young curd is placed in sacks or perforated containers and drained slowly without pressure for a few hours so that the curd retains much of the whey.  Once sufficient whey has been drained off, the curds are either mixed or sprinkled with salt.  They are now ready to be eaten.  For some cheese, like fromage frais, the rennet is not added.  Such cheese are called ‘lactic cheese’.  Some fresh cheeses are allowed to mature and grow either a white or bluish grey mould.

Fresh cheeses are always mild and high in moisture and therefore low in fat.  They have a slightly acidic or lactic taste.  Most are used for cooking but some may be wrapped in leaves or dusted with paprika or fresh herbs for serving as a table cheese.

2 .Soft Cheeses

The curd is ladled gently into perforated moulds and left to drain in an atmosphere of high humidity so that the curd does not lose too much whey.  After a few hours, the cheeses are turned out of their moulds and left to mature for a few weeks.  Their high moisture content, coupled with high humidity, attracts and encourages the growth of classic white pencillium mould, which helps to break down the curd and contribute the flavour and texture of the cheese.  The result is a creamy, smooth, interior that looks as though it is almost ready to run

3. Semi-hard Cheeses

To obtain a firmer cheese, the curd is cut up to release some of the whey before the curd is placed in the moulds.  It is then often lightly pressed to speed up the draining.  After a day or so, the cheese is turned out of its mould and washed in brine.  This seals the rind before the cheese is placed in cellars or ripening rooms where moulds are encouraged to grow. 

The lower moisture content means the fermentation process is slower, producing cheeses with a round, full bodied, rather than strong flavour.  Their taste often seems to be embodied with the 
oils and esters of the wild mountain flowers of Europe.  When young, semi-soft cheeses have a firm yet springy, school eraser texture, becoming elastic and supple.

4. Hard Cheeses

To make a hard cheese, the curd must be cut more finely - from small cubes to rice-sized  pieces.  - The  smaller the pieces the more whey will be lost from the curd.  The curds are then gently heated in a vat to force out more moisture before the whey is drained out.  Salt is then added to the curd, which now resembles rubbery, lumpy cottage cheese.  They may be cut again before being placed in large, perforated moulds that are frequently engraved with the unique symbol, logo, pattern or name to identify the finished cheese or its maker.  This is then sealed and left to mature for weeks or even years.

 Hard block cheeses are pressed into shape and then matured in special plastic wrap that allows the cheese to age without the development of either mould or rind.   The moisture that would normally be lost during maturation is also retained. 

5. Blue Cheeses

Blue cheeses are neither pressed nor cooked.  Most frequently the curd is crumbled, eliminating much of the whey, then scooped into stainless steel cylindrical moulds, each with a wooden disc on top.  The curd remains in the moulds for one to two weeks and is churned frequently to let the weight of the curds to press out more of the whey.  Once the cheeses can stand up on their own, they are removed from the moulds, rubbed with salt, and returned to the cellars. 

The blue mould is a strain of pencillium that is added to the milk before the rennet is added.  For the blue mould to grow however, it needs to breathe, and this is aided by piercing the cheese with rods.  The blue then grows along the tunnels and into the nooks and crannies between the loose curd producing shattered porcelain look that typifies blue cheese.  Most blue cheese are normally wrapped in foil to prevent them from drying up. 

CHEESES OF THE WORLD

CHEESE	TYPE	COUNTRY	MILK
Cottage	Fresh	Universal	Cow, goat, buffalo
Cream	Fresh	Universal	Full cream milk of cow, goat, buffalo
Mozzarella	Fresh	Italy	Cow, buffalo
Ricotta	Fresh	Italy	Cow
Feta	Fresh	Greece	Ewe, cow, goat
Quark	Fresh	Germany, Austria	Cow
Barbery	Soft	France	Cow
Bel Paese	Soft cream	Italy	Cow
Brie	Soft	France	Cow
Camembert	Soft	France	Cow
Bonchester	Soft	Scotland	Jersey Cow
Munster	Soft, with orange red rind	France	Cow
Stracchino	Soft	Italy	Cow, buffalo
Appenzeller	Semi hard with pale yellow or burnt orange rind	Switzerland	Cow
Caerphilly	Semi-hard with buttermilk flavor	Britain	Cow
Cantal	Semi-hard	France	Cow
Cheddar	Semi-hard	Britain	Cow
Cheshire	Semi-hard	Britain	Cow
Chevre	Semi-hard	France	Goat
Danbo	Semi-hard, caraway flavored, square cheese	Denmark	Cow

Derby	Semi-hard	Britain	Cow
Edam	Semi-hard with yellow or red wax rind	Netherlands	Cow
Emmenthal	Semi-hard	Switzerland	Cow
Esrom	Semi-hard, with red rind	Denmark	Cow
Gloucester, Double Gloucester	Semi-hard, full cream	Britain	Gloucestershire cow
Gouda	Semi-hard, with yellow or red rind	Netherlands	Cow
Gruyere	Semi-hard, with pea size holes	Switzerland	Cow
Havarti	Semi-hard	Denmark	Cow
Jarlsberg	Semi-hard, with yellow coating	Norway	Cow
Lancashire	Semi-hard	Britain	Cow
Leicester	Semi-hard	Britain	Cow
Limburger	Semi-hard, pungent	Belgium, Germany	Cow
Pont l’Eveque	Semi-hard, square cheese	France	Cow
Port Salut	Semi-hard	France	Cow
Reblochon	Semi-hard, creamy with a mild flavor	France	Cow
Tilsit	Semi-hard, strongly flavored	Germany	Cow
Raclette	Semi-hard	Switzerland	Cow
Asiago d’Allevio	Hard	Italy	Cow
Bergkase	Hard	Germany	Cow
Caciocavallo	Hard, saddle-shaped	Italy	Cow
Kefalotyri	Hard	Greece	Cow
Sauermilchkase	Hard	Germany	Cow
Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan	Hard	Italy	Cow
Pecorino Romano	Hard	Italy	Cow, buffalo
Provolone	Hard, smoked	USA, Australia, Italy	Cow, buffalo
Sapago	Hard, green, with dried clover aroma	Switzerland	Cow
Bavarian Blue	Blue, cream	Germany	Cow
Blue d’Auvergne	Blue	France	Cow
Blue de Bresse	Blue	France	Cow
Blue de Laqueuille	Blue	France	Cow
Blue Shropshire	Blue	Scotland	Cow
Blue Cheshire	Blue	Britain	Cow
Danablu	Blue	Denmark	Cow
Dorset	Blue, hard pressed, crumbly	Italy	Cow, skimmed milk
Gorgonzola	Blue, soft, with sharp taste	Italy	Cow
Roquefort	Blue	France	Ewe
Stilton	Blue	Britain	Cow

SERVICE OF CHEESE

Cover                          Side plate                   

                                    Side knife

Accompaniments       Cruet set

                                    Pepper Mill

                                    Mustard

                                    Butter

                                    Radish sticks, when in season

                                    Castor sugar for cream cheeses

                                    Cheese crackers

1.      Cheese board or trolley will be presented to the customer containing a varied selection of cheeses in ripe condition together with cheese knives.

2.      If cheese is wrapped in foil, it must be removed before service.

3.      If the rind is not palatable, it must be removed before service.

4.      If rind is palatable, it need not be removed.

5.      Best way to serve cheeses is by cutting out thin wedges across the surface of the cheese.

6.      Recognition by the waiter of all cheeses on the board or trolley is of the utmost importance.

MATCHING WINE AND CHEESE

CHEESE	WINE
Fresh Cheese	Fresh light, crisp white wines like Sauvignon or Chenin Blanc Frascati, Soave or Loire whites
Soft cheese	Slightly sweet wine with the mild, slightly sharp or salty cheeses Fruity wines with  rich, sweet and creamy cheeses Sauvignon blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
Semi-hard Cheese	Full  bodied gusty whites or light, fruity reds Chianti Rioja Merlot
Hard Cheese	Mild - fruity reds like Merlot Medium - Cotes du Rhone, Cabernet Sauvignon Strong - Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon Extra strong - Port  or Madeira
Blue Cheese	Mild - fruity whites or Rose wines like Vouvray, Chenin Blanc Piquant -  Cotes du Rhone, Shiraz Roquefort - Sauternes Stilton - Port