Cheese (with recipes)

            All cheeses are made of coagulated milk, but the methods of aging cheese are so innumerable and the types of milk used so various, that we are faced in our lifetimes with the happy prospect of savoring hundreds upon hundreds of deliciously different kinds of cheese.

            The character of a cheese depends on whether cow, goat, sheep, or buffalo milk is used; on how much cream is added to or left out of the milk; on what kind of coagulator is used (nowadays this is usually rennin, an enzyme taken from the stomach of a calf, but in times gone by vinegar, fig juice, and decoctions of thistle tops and artichoke flowers were also used); and on how long the cheese is aged (this can be anywhere from two days to two years).  Spices, wines, or herbs may be added to lend distinctive flavor.

            Cheese making used to be a local farmhouse activity. Farmer Brown’s cheese would be different from neighbor Jones’s because their cows grazed on opposite sides of the dirt road. Today, however, cheese markets are monopolized and degraded by giant concerns. We find “Swiss” cheese made in Wisconsin and “Italian fontina” made in Sweden. Inevitably taste and quality suffer.

            And then there are the additives (not to mention pesticide residues, an enormous problem) – stabilizers, emulsifiers, dyes, bleaches, preservatives. Ever wonder why cream cheese and cottage cheese will last for six weeks in your refrigerator? Try making your own (see recipes below), and you will find that if the delicious stuff is not eaten in three days or so, it starts ferment and then to mold – that is a healthy sign! Always rejoice if you find a forgotten piece of cheese that has gone moldy on you; that means it is alive. There are Wisconsin “Swiss” cheeses that can sit looking beautiful in the icebox for months with absolutely no change in appearance or flavor – just imagine the unwholesome chemicals that must be used to produce such an unnatural state of affairs.

            Try to buy traditionally made regional cheeses. There are still true Vermont cheddars and smoked Oregon Tillamooks and homemade Italian ricottas around, and the recent rebirth in the United State of fine cheeses produced by small family – run farms has made it possible to experience the truly delectable nature of a fine, fresh cheese. Try to find cheese made from the milk of organically raised cows, and if possible, from certified raw milk. Then you will enjoy the full benefits of the calcium and protein with which cheese abounds, without fear of pesticide contamination.

            Never resort to processed cheese. It is prepared from ground-up low-quality cheese and made smooth or spreadable by the addition of harmful emulsifiers. There are a myriad of excellent European cheese available to us, but they too have their problems with pesticide residues and additives. Whether native or foreign, try to buy cheese that you can watch being cut from its original large piece; often additives are listed on a large round of cheese but omitted when it is repackaged in small pieces.

            Here are some recipes for naturally curdled cheeses that can easily be made at home. They will show you what good fresh cheese should taste like.

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CREAM CHEESE

·        Let a pint of heavy cream sour at room temperature. This will take about 2 days. Pour into a cheesecloth bag and let it drain. When solid, refrigerate.

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COTTAGE CHEESE

·        Heat 2 quarts milk in a large enamel pot until barely lukewarm. Place covered in a warm spot – in the sun in summer, or in the stove in winter (warm the oven every once in a while to keep the temperature at about 85 degrees).

·        In 1 or 2 days the curd will have risen to the top and the whey will be on the bottom. Put curd in a colander lined with a piece of cheesecloth, drain, then draw up cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. This can be flavored with salt, caraway seeds, chopped chives, etc.

·        If a harder cheese is desired, more like mozzarella, keep the milk at a slightly higher temperature – about 115 degrees.

·        Makes about 14 ounces of cheese.

These cheeses can be used to make:

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COEUR A LA CRÈME

½ cup cottage cheese

½ cup cream cheese

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup raw sugar

1 tablespoon kirsch (or ¼ teaspoon vanilla)

·        Cream all together. Press into traditional heart-shaped baskets or porcelain molds, lined with cheesecloth. Chill for 2 hours. Unmold and serve with jam or fresh fruit.

·        Serves four.

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TOMATO AND CHEESE PIE

1 piecrust

2 large onions, thinly sliced

¾ tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

4 tablespoon butter

3 large tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

10-ounce mozzarella cheese, sliced into ¼ - inch slices

1 (2-ounce) tin flat anchovy filets, rinsed and patted dry with paper towel

            (reserve oil)

8 black olives (preferably oil-cured), pitted, sliced in half

·        Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

·        Sauté onions and rosemary in the butter until soft and slightly colored, set aside.

·    Dip tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and slip skins off. Cut in half horizontally and squeeze to remove seeds. Chop. Cook tomatoes in olive oil over moderate heat until they are soft and almost all the liquid is gone. Season with salt and pepper.

·  Sprinkle grated cheese into the pie shell. Spoon cooked onions onto it. Spread tomatoes over the onions. Layer the mozzarella on the onions and tomatoes. Arrange anchovy filets in a lattice over the cheese. Dip olive halves in anchovy oil and place in the lattice openings.

·        Bake for 30 minutes.

·        Serves four to six.