Tasty or not tasty…that is the question
Last week I happily attended a discussion where Heston Blumenthal (renowned chef of Fat Duck restaurant, England) was the star guest. One of the subjects was flavor and what makes us like or dislike certain foods. It was interesting to hear what he had to say. Stated simply, he thinks it’s a combination of habits, culture and memories (and ideally the great preparation of food). Earlier that day my spouse and I had discussed taste when Arabella our daughter seemed to enjoy an accidental mouthful of cat litter way more then her oatmeal that we had cooked for her. Heston’s flavor theory did not apply to baby Arabella -- since she is nine months old I guess her taste still is in the developing stage and eating is definitely associated with newness, adventure and experience.
(Emmenthaler cheese close-up)
A stinky story
It is a bit paradoxical that a moldy and stinky gooey pile is served on a marble slab in front of me. Theoretically it does not seem to fit into the delicious food category but in cheese you want these characteristics. Often creamy and noticeably grey/blue spotted moldy. That is what many people find even more appealing.
(left - stinky Fourme d'ambert cheese from France)
(right - smelly Swiss Gruyere with that hint of hazelnuts)
The last time I attempted to eat an Asian fruit named Durian -- also known as “stinky fruit “ -- it had an incredibly rotten smell. I actually gagged with disgust when I tasted this fruit and it seemed inedible to me. I wasn’t into having cheese characteristics in my fruit – but that is just me. It is interesting to note how context and culture really do come into play. I am accustomed to cheese having these qualities and rather than disgust its admiration I feel for those nasty cheeses. But I’m sure to many the nastiness of the durian yields that same sense of appreciation.
(left - local cow's milk cheese from Hawthorne Valley Farm)
(right - house-made ricotta still warm - delicious)
Cheese has a long history going back to the times when milk was transported in a slaughtered animal’s stomach. Originally cheese served as a holding vessel which has natural enzymes in it and makes animal milk curdle. Eventually that curdled milk lead to a soft crumbly cheese. People figured out that milk was able to be stored for many days or even a month without refrigeration, which was not even created or known at these times.
Cheese is versatile
In Europe we’d create tasting menus in most restaurants where I worked and for certain there was a cheese course towards the end of the menu. Here in the States we have many guests ordering cheeses as an appetizer right from the beginning of their meal or sometimes as a late night snack.
Cheese often finds its way into diverse seasonal salads either crumbled or thinly sliced in my restaurant. Currently we feature a soft crumbly cow’s milk from a nearby certified-organic farm. It compliments seasonal escarole or arugula salad wonderfully next to roasted squash tossed into the mix.
(left - a sharp sheep's milk cheese with black pepper corn)
(right - a soft goat's milk cheese 30 days aged with a hint of paprika)
Cheese Tips
- If cheese is refrigerated remove from refrigerator 20 minutes before eating – this way the cheese will come to room temperature and taste much better (just like wine)
- Store cheese in a tightly sealed Tupperware-style container in the refrigerator – otherwise stinky cheeses will “contaminate” neighboring foods such as milk, eggs or butter
- Go with spiced or heavily seasoned crackers or breads if you serve an inexpensive cheese. For better cheese go with simple unseasoned crusty bread or crackers
Chef’s Note: In preparation of our newest restaurant – Little Cheese Pub - we changed course; it was supposed to have many more wines and focus on cheese and wine pairings. Now there are a lot more beers on the menu. Focused tastings of beer, wines and cheeses together – and a lot of research -- brought us to the conclusion that a cow does not eat grapes but rather tons of grain, which is one of the main ingredients in the beer making process. The subtle grain flavor nuances in beer pairs perfectly with cheese. Truth in taste guided and ultimately shifted our concept.
