If your drawers contain dried fruits such as dates, apricots, figs, cranberries as well as almonds, you are ready to convert them into a yummy treat. Port marinated dried fruit is a delicious companion for your cheese. (Even though someone only feasted on the cheese – see who at end of this post…)
Cheese, port and dried fruit – what’s not to like?!
Heat port and brown sugar in a small pot. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and it simmers.
Add dried fruit, almonds and cinnamon stick. Let it simmer for a short while.
Pour into scalded glasses. Seal and leave in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
Someone in particular licked her lips. My dog Lea. She was right on the spot when I went into the kitchen for a short while – suddenly the brie and the danablu (Danish blue mould) had gone…
The more you dig into the amazing cheese universe, the more nerdy details and complexities you meet.
Take for instance the shelves on which the cheeses mature. Have you ever thought about which material the shelf is made of? And why this is worth giving a thought?
Shelves made of wood
Originally, cheeses matured on wooden shelves as wood was all around. In some cases today, the wooden shelf has actually become part of the AOP-designation. Take for instance mont d’or AOP: This seasonal cheese must mature on spruce boards (as well as having a spruce belt around and is finally placed in a spruce box). The tannins contribute to the taste and character of the cheese (which actually is no different from wine maturing in oak barrels).
The wooden boards are washed between each production but you cannot sterilize wood as it is a porous material. Remains of cheese culture from former cheeses will always be present and passed on to the next cheese residing on the shelf. And thus the wooden shelf plays a roll in the maturing process.
These wooden boards are drying outside a farm dairy in the French Alps.
Once I met the tomme cheeses below in an Alpine dairy in France. When the cheese is ‘newly born’ (as to the left) they are placed in the cellar together with the elderly and grey cheeses (to the right). This is how the mould is spreading to the newcomers which aren’t sprayed or washed to get the mould. It is already in the room!
Symbiosis of moisture and wood
I need to mention another detail. Wood absorbs the excess moisture in the room and in the cheese – but it can also pass on moisture to the cheese in case it gets too dry. This moisture exchange does play a role in defining the texture and taste of the cheese. When a cheese matures, moisture dissappears – in a controlled way. When the cheese lies on wood, the wood absorbs the excess moisture and helps the cheese to form a rind. If a moist cheese is soaking in liquid it will instead create the perfect conditions for unwanted microorganisms. On the other hand, if the room is too dry, the cheese will absorb the moist from the wood and thereby prevent it from drying out. As simple as that!
Affinage of Danish cheeses
Some years ago, it was decided due to hygiene factors to ban the use of wooden shelves in the maturing of parmigiano reggiano. But soon the cheese masters discovered that the cheeses didn’t develop the same taste and soul as before. The result? Wooden boards are back.
Not all types of cheese mature on wood. Some mould cheeses or washed cheeses lie on shelves of plastic, stainless steel or on a layer of paper or cloth. It all depends on what the cheese needs in order to bloom as much as possible.
Today is National Cheese Lovers Day. I couldn’t find a better day to launch this cheese blog than today. The day for all cheese lovers. And the day I felt ready to spread the word about this new blog.
What is cheesetalks.com?
CheeseTalks.com will gradually be filled with stories about European cheeses. The classics we have known for centuries – and the newcomers which might (or might not) become a future classic. You will also find stories that will make any cheese nerd happy. And recipes. Hopefully, I can inspire you to use and enjoy cheese in old and new ways.
Who is this cheese blogger?
My name is Camilla and I have had my Danish cheese blog since 2012. Actually, I am the only cheese blogger in Denmark 🙂 If you want to know more about me – you can find it here.
Ok, what now?
If you love cheese, I will invite you to follow Cheese Talks and see what it’s all about. Please:
Follow Cheese Talks on Facebook (here you will be informed about new posts)
Of course I hope you will stay on for ever 🙂 but if you come to the conclusion, that Cheese Talks won’t make your cheese life better, you can always cancel your subscriptions.
After I made the cacio e pepe pasta dish with pecorino sardo I will share with you some background information about this cheese.
The name pecorino comes from the Italian word ‘pecora’ which means sheep. Thus, pecorino is a group name for (hard) sheep milk cheeses from Italy.
But pecorino isn’t just pecorino. As in every other family, the members come from different areas and have very different characters. Today, eight pecorino cheeses carry the DOP designation.
But for now, let’s focus on pecorino sardo DOP.
Pecorino sardo from Sardinia
Pecorino sardo is one of the most known pecorino cheeses and comes from Sardinia. As with other origin protected cheeses it is all about a cultural and geographic heritage which is now described in details in the DOP designation.
On Sardinia they have a long shepherd tradition. Three million sheep are walking around on the island, grazing wild plants which influences the quality and taste of the milk. The milk used for pecorino sardo must be full fat sheep milk from a sheep which has grazed on Sardinia. The milk may be pasteurized or thermized.
Two maturations
Pecorino sardo comes with two maturations:
Dolce is the mild type, matured for 20-60 days. The cheese has a green label and is about two kg / 4.4 lb. The cheese curd is cut to the size of nuts.
Maturo on the other hand matures at least two months but most often between four to six months. It wears a blue label, weights around 3 kg / 6.6 lb and the cheese curd is cut to the size of rice grains. (By having smaller cheese curds you have a larger total surface which the whey can leave more easily. Thereby, the texture gets more solid – and more suited for a longer maturation).
Sheep milk contains more lactose compared to cow milk and this gives a slightly more sweet taste. The two types of pecorino sardo are quite different. The dolce is delicate, flexible/soft and has a bit of acidity whereas the maturo on the other hand is more crumbly and has a pleasant sharpness.
On Sardinia, the locals use the mild cheese for cooking and the matured for tapas. They suggest you serve the cheeses with white wine (for instance an oak matured chardonnay) or a red wine with acidity (such as a beaujolais).
Experience pecorino sardo on Sardinia
There are around 20 producers on Sardinia. They are happy to welcome visitors who have the interest and desire to know more about pecorino. On the website of the consortium you can see how to get there (and do take a look at the other attractions now you are there). So far, the website is in Italian – but with a bit of will power and Google Translate – you can make it! 🙂
Cacio e pepe is a very very simple dish which originally comes from Rome in Italy. The signification of the name is ‘cheese and pepper’ and that is exactly the two main ingredients. The trick is to use the pasta water which contains starch to melt the finely grated cheese and with the correct temperature you create a creamy sauce. Pure magic!
There are several ways of making the sauce. You can mix pasta water and cheese to a creamy sauce. Or you can mix water, pasta and cheese together. It is all about melting the cheese and avoiding big rubber lumps due to a wrong temperature. A tablespoon of butter is your helper in this process.
It sounds so easy and yet I found it a bit hard to make the perfect sauce by mixing hard cheese and pasta water. I did get the lumps. But every time I melt the cheese when mixed with pasta and pasta water, I succeed.
If you want to dig into the nerdy details, please read this wonderful article, which really goes into details with the dish and the method behind.
Or you can try my version of Cacio e pepe – see recipe below.
Boil the pasta until it is ‘two minutes before al dente’. Put aside 2 1/2 dl / 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta.
While the pasta boils, toast the peppercorns on a hot, dry frying pan for a couple of minutes. Crush the peppercorns in a mortar.
Melt the butter in a deep pan, add pepper and mix. Stir in half of the water you set aside. Add the boiled pasta and mix.
Add the cheese and stir until it is melted. Add more water if you need more sauce.
Sprinkle with thyme and serve immediately.
A few words about the cheese
Originally, this dish was made with pecorino romano. It is quite salty and sharp which brings character to the dish. I have used pecorino sardo, another sheep milk cheese which also has a lot of taste but is more balanced in my opinion. You may also use parmigiano reggiano, grana padano or another matured cheese which can be grated finely.
Think about the cheese as you would do with spices – which taste of cheese do you want in the final dish?
These beautiful roses are elegant on a plate. Eighter as an element on a mixed plate for starter or as a side to a main course.
It takes a little bit of patience to make them – but I think it is worth the effort. I have used emmental which melts well and gives a nice taste of cheese. You can of course choose other cheeses depending on the taste and intensity you want.
Wash the vegetables and peel the carrot. Use a mandolin (or a carrot peeler) to make long and thin ribbons.
Mix herbs with oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Place two ribbons of zucchini on a board, brush with oil and sprinkle with cheese. Add a layer with carrot, brush and sprinkle. Top with a layer of potatoes, repeat with oil and cheese.
Let the two piles overlap. Now you have one long ribbon with three layers of vegetables. Carefully you role the ribbons until you have a rose. Place it in a greased muffin form. Make five more roses.
Bake the roses in the oven (180°C / 350°F) for 40 minutes until the cheese is golden and the vegetables are tender.
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