No Whey!
OK, picture this: The year
is 6000 BC and you’re a member of a nomadic tribe, probably in what is now
modern day Iraq. For sustenance along the journey, your caravan carries
milk in pouches made of sheep’s stomachs. You stop for lunch, nestle up
against a walnut tree, and break open a pouch in eager anticipation of a
refreshing drink of goat’s milk. But wait. Something’s wrong. What once
was a creamy and uniform fluid is now a mixture of coagulated masses
surrounded by this thin, almost watery liquid. Congratulations Omar, you
just invented cheese! Now how did you do it?
Our early Mesopotamian
wanderer inadvertently followed the same basic cheese making steps that we
employ today. Milk is combined with rennet, a protein found in the stomachs
of sheep and cattle. It contains enzymes that separate the milk into the
liquid whey and the solid curds. The whey is drained off and the curds are
then processed in multifarious ways depending on the type of cheese being
produced.
Curds that are not aged
or “ripened” produce what is known as a fresh cheese. Classic
examples include cottage, feta, and mozzarella. If the cheese is aged, it
is then classified based on its texture. There are soft cheeses such
as Brie, semi-soft, e.g., Muenster and fontina, hard, e.g.,
cheddar and provolone, and very hard cheese known as grating, such as
Parmigiano and Romano. Finally, there are blue cheeses, such as
Gorgonzola and Stilton, so named because of the color of the mold that is
injected into them. Oh and by the way, some cheeses are made just from the
whey, such as ricotta, so yes, whey!
If you’ve ever treated
yourself to a fine French restaurant, you’re well aware that it is customary
to serve a cheese course at the end of a tasting menu. What decadence! Can
you imagine an array of rich and exquisite cheeses, (with the accompanying
wines of course), to top off your gourmet meal?
But you don’t need to
visit a four star establishment to partake in such hedonism. A homemade
cheese platter is perfect for many types of social gatherings. I find it
especially useful for those impromptu and informal get-togethers. No need
to cook. Just put out a variety of cheeses, add some bread, nuts, fruit,
and of course some wine, and you’re good to go.
When choosing the cheeses
for your platter, be mindful of the aforementioned categories. The general
approach is to include at least one cheese from each of the textural
classes, with the possible exception of fresh cheese which usually isn’t
included in such a presentation. If you’re assembling a large platter with
more than one cheese per category, select a mild and a strong cheese within
each subdivision. For example, for the blue category, combine a Stilton,
(which is milder), with a strong Danish blue. Now you can run the gamut of
textures and flavor intensities.
As for wines, the
pairings follow a similar principle as with food: lighter and fruitier
wines with milder cheeses and more assertive wines with stronger cheeses.
But of course there are always exceptions. Some classic combos include Brie
with chardonnay or champagne, blue cheese with port or sauternes, provolone
with Chianti, sharp cheddar with Cabernet, and one of my personal favorites,
Romano and Bordeaux, (although most Italians would scoff in favor of a
Chianti or Brunello di Montalcino). If you really wish to be pedantic, a
progression from lighter to more robust cheeses and wines is typically
served. So now that you know the “book” version you can throw the book out
the window. Eat whatever cheese you like with whatever wine you like.
Life’s too short for stodgy rules.
Turning now to cooking
with cheese, here’s a recipe for a yummy spinach and cheese soufflé. This
recipe comes from Lynne Kaplan, a chef who owns the Victoria House Bed &
Breakfast in Spring Lake, NJ. For a gourmet B&B check them out at
victoriahouse.net.
SPINACH AND CHEESE SOUFFLÉ
Butter, as needed
1 package chopped frozen
spinach thawed
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar
cheese or Swiss cheese
8 eggs, separated
2 shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 350
degrees. Butter the bottom of a 2-qt round soufflé dish and place it on a
cookie sheet. Squeeze the liquid out of the spinach. In a bowl mix the
spinach and the cheeses. Beat the egg yolks until slightly thickened, about
two minutes. Sweat the shallots in some butter in a skillet until soft.
Stir in the flour and cook one minute. Add the cream and bring to a boil
for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove the cream from the heat.
Temper the egg yolks by stirring in a small amount of the cream mixture into
them, (this will prevent them from scrambling). Then pour the egg yolks
into the cream mixture stirring constantly until blended. Now stir in the
spinach and cheese mixture, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Whip the
egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk
mixture. Pour the mixture into the soufflé dish and bake in the oven until
set, puffed, and slightly browned. About 45-50 minutes.
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