Surprise cheese!
I was a little surprised when I got an email from Culture magazine saying that "something perishable" was going to be shipped to me in August. I was on a tasting panel for a blue cheese from Point Reyes cheese, but they said for sure is wasn't a new version of that cheese.
Let's see, something perishable from Culture magazine. What on earth could it be? Let's see ... bananas? Parsley? Or maybe it would be cheese.
Wow, I was right. It was cheese.
The cheese came with a letter. This is part of what it said:
"... we wanted to share a sample of some VERY special cheese that our cheese maker, Kuba Hemmerling, has been working on. Enclosed you'll find a sample of our Point Reyes Tomme. This hard cheese is pasteurized, aged about 18 months and similar to Tommes you would find in France or Switzerland. The aroma is very citrusy ad the texture is crumbly with definite flavor "pops" that are a result of crystalized proteins that form throughout the long aging process."
The interesting thing is that Point Reyes Tomme isn't for sale. I'm not sure if it will be for sale, but for now I'm feeling very, very special. Mostly because I'm nibbling a bit of cheese while I'm writing this. The cheese is aged just enough so that it's firm, but it can still be sliced,
Honestly, I didn't notice the citrus note, but that didn't matter. This cheese is pretty addictive. We've nibbled our way through quite a bit of it already.
The interesting bits are really the crystallized proteins. I've noticed that in cheeses before and never thought about way caused it.
The effect is sort of like finding a chocolate chip in a cookie or finding the crunch of salt on a sweet or savory dish. It's that extra little present in the cheese.
If it ever goes on sale, I'll be picking it up. Meanwhile, it's good to be me. Oh, and who am I? Donna from Cookistry (http://cookistry.blogspot.com/).
Point Reyes Cheese
As I dragged my weary butt up the front steps from a terrifying 48 hours in Sodom and Gomorrah, a.k.a. Las Vegas, I was greeted with the familiar cheese box from Point Reyes. Just what I needed to soothe my jaded soul. I didn't even unpack, I simply stood in the kitchen and ate the Point Reyes all by itself. Ahh!!!, real food, simple and spectacular. Did I see much of a change in this cheese? No, but I loved the first version and this second version seemed just as good. Would I pair it with anything different? Perhaps I would experiment a bit more this time with vegetables and even some fruit. How about a sauteed pear half with stuffed blue cheese lightly broiled as a finish? Or mashed potatoes with a bit of blue cheese thrown in. Some roasted asparagus, broccoli, or cauliflower with a dusting of blue cheese on top. Perfect for the upcoming holidays. A nice roasted garlic and potato soup with blue cheese, a blue cheese custard flan, the possibilities are endless.
Sorry to blog so late but have been felled by the flu!!!!!!
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