Easy Guide to Food And Drinks

January 15, 2011

Vasterbotten Cheese: The Tale Behind The Taste

Filed under: Food-And-Drink — Tags: , , , — CakeAuthor @ 8:43 am

The Tale
It is believed that the secret behind the well-matured taste of the Vasterbotten cheese was unrequited love. According to the story, an attentive suitor distracted a cheese maker quite a lot that she kept forgetting about the cauldron over the fire, in which she was making cheese. Because of her lack of focus, the fire under the cauldron went out time and time again and the poor cheese maker had to re-light it over and over again. The delay lengthened the cheese making process, so the cheese was stirred and cooked longer than necessary.

eager times dictate that no food was to be thrown away, however useless. The “failed” cheese was not thrown away but was instead placed on a shelf and left to be forgotten. A few years later, someone braved and decided to taste the cheese. The moment the crust touched the man’s tongue, he immediately knew that he have in his hands the best tasting cheese in all of Sweden. It was only a matter of time when everyone in town knew about the great tasting cheese – no one had tried a cheese as good as Vasterbotten cheese!

The Vasterbotten cheese instantly captured the heart of anyone who tried it because of its strong, aromatic, and sharp taste. There is no certainty to this day whether the love story was true or not, but rumor has it that the cheese maker actually knew very well what she was doing when the created the Vasterbotten cheese. This cheese holds a very special spot in the Swedish cheese history. it has received several recognitions and is well loved by people all over the world.

The Taste
Vasterbotten cheese is known for its sharp taste, with a crispy yet creamy golden surface. It is made near the Arctic Circle in West Bothnia, Sweden since 1872.  The Vasterbotten cheese is known for its superior quality, which is why the Swedish call it “The Emperor of Cheeses”. A cheese with a unique taste, people from all walks of life considers it a true Swedish delicacy.

Vasterbotten cheese is a prime ingredient for almost all Swedish recipes, especially for dishes served during the holidays and other special occasions. An essential part of modern Swedish cuisine, the Vasterbotten is perfect for any kind of dish – be it for salads, risottos, dips, pies, pizzas, puffs, breads, pesto, soups, brittles, quesadillas… the list can go on and on!

Including Vasterbotten in your ingredients will definitely make your cooking extra special. And as the holiday season afloat, a golden Vasterbotten cheese will definitely please your guests as they enjoy the taste of real good food! Bon appétit!

November 25, 2010

How To Buy A Cheese Basket This Holiday

Filed under: Food-And-Drink — Tags: , , , — CakeAuthor @ 5:50 am

Deciding to buy someone a cheese basket for the holidays is simple, but it is what that comes after that that’s more challenging – the narrowing down of choices of which type of cheese to include. Just like any gift that you want to give to a friend or to a business associate, there are some things to consider before buying a cheese basket.

Most important in how to buy a cheese basket is deciding what cheese to put in it. If the person likes a certain kind of cheese, include that one and maybe order a different variation of it. But if the recipient does not a particular cheese in mind, the best thing to do is to buy a cheese basket that has a sampler of a wide variety of cheeses. This way, the person who gets the basket will have to chance to taste different kinds of cheeses, some he may have never had.

Know that there are different kinds of cheese baskets. There are some baskets that are filled with cheese alone, while some include a bottle of wine to pair the cheeses or some meat. So decide what kind of cheese basket would be more appropriate for the person. If the person is not fond of meat, make sure that the cheese basket you buy contains non-meat items in it. If you are not sure whether the recipient eats meat or not, you will be better off buying a cheese basket filled with just cheeses or has other non-meat items.
Third, consider the recipients health. It is very important that you know whether the person has certain allergies or is lactose intolerant. For all you know, the recipient could be allergic to nuts or sesame seeds (on crackers), both items could be included in the basket. To make sure, go for a cheese basket that does not have these kinds of items.

If the recipient likes wine, then choosing a cheese basket is going to be more convenient. Most cheese baskets come with a bottle of wine that is compatible to the kind of cheeses included, either white wine or red. There are even some cheese baskets that have both red and white wines!

Always remember that the cheese basket should complement the taste and preference of the recipient. But don’t forget to be creative, and add a little thought into the gift. Buy a cheese basket with different treats the person can enjoy this holiday season. Call your favorite cheese shop to see if they have them on sale.

October 22, 2010

Jumpstart Your Sheep Cheese Adventures With P’tit Basque!

Filed under: Food-And-Drink — Tags: , , , — CakeAuthor @ 8:16 am

When it comes to cheese made from sheep’s milk, there are several forms to choose from – soft or hard, strong or mild. But regardless of the texture or the taste, one thing is certain for all of sheep’s milk cheese – it is very delicious. And if you have not tried having any sheep’s milk cheese just yet, it is never too late to try a P’tit Basque!

Unpasteurized and uncooked, the P’tit Basque is a hard cheese made from the Pyrenees Mountains bordering France and Spain. While majority of the cheeses that we have today dates back as far as the time of Charlemagne, the P’tit Basque is different. Unlike the rest of the cheeses, this little French cheese only had its debut in 1997.

But although P’tit Basque is technically a very new cheese, it is made using traditional methods. It is manufactured using the same techniques that local shepherds used several hundred years ago. The very first P’tit Basque was made from pure sheep’s milk that the farmers put aside while milking their ewes.

Cheese lovers believe that sheep’s milk cheeses are the answers to their prayers. Sheep’s milk cheese has more butterfat and protein, making it more delicious compared to cheeses made from cow or goat’s milk. That makes any sheep’s milk cheese extremely rich in the two very essential components that make good cheese. This unique quality makes the P’tit Basque one of a kind.

The P’tit Basque is the perfect cheese alternative for the lactose intolerant. However, the main health benefit that one can get from a sheep’s milk cheese like the P’tit Basque is its high calcium content – it will only need two cups of sheep milk to get the daily minimum calcium requirement for an average person, while it takes three to four cups of cow’s milk to provide the same nutrition.

Since sheep’s milk cheese often needs a little getting used to when it comes to the taste, the P’tit Basque will be the best jump-off point to the world of sheep’s milk cheeses The P’tit Basque has a mild flavor because it is only aged for seventy days. That means that it is very enjoyable in the tongue, tasting like nuts and fruits with hints of caramel. So before you hop on to more complex and sheepy flavored cheeses, get to know sheep’s milk cheeses through P’tit Basque.

The P’tit Basque goes pretty well with sliced tomatoes, some olive oil, and hearty bread or, you can slice it thinly and make a sandwich out of it. But either way, the P’tit Basque will not be a disappointment what with its rich flavor and intense aroma! Slice some apples, open a fresh Burgundy, and order the P’tit Basque cheese today!

Get it now at your nearest cheese store.

September 16, 2010

Brie De Meaux: Soft And Creamy French Cheese With A Place In History

Filed under: Desserts — Tags: , , , — CakeAuthor @ 6:20 am

If you are wondering what kind of cheese the French have been eating since before you were born, Brie De Meaux is the closest you will to the real thing. Its light pungent taste that is a mix of intensely mushroomy and grassy notes has captured the hearts of everyone since the Middle Ages.

In the 19th century, the Brie De Meaux was considered as the cheese of the kings, as it was often preferred by Diplomats because it tastes rich and luxurious in the mouth, but not cloyingly buttery. In fact in 1814, the Brie De Meaux played an important role in creating world peace – during a heated Vienna meeting, the Frenchman Talleyrand proposed a friendly competition among parties to know which country produced the best cheese in the world.

An English Lord made sure that it was the English Stilton, while a Swiss noble touted for Switzerland’s Emmenthal as the best. Talleyrand remained still until a chap arrived with his nominee, the Brie De Meaux. One historian recorded the Brie De Meaux to have rendered its cream to the knife; it was a feast, and no one dared argue from then on.

But before that incident in the Congress of Vienna, the Brie De Meaux has already marked its place in history. The emperor Charlemagne is chronicled to have tasted the Brie De Meaux in the year 774. On top of that, facing the guillotine in the upshots of the French Revolution, Louis XVI has expressed as final wish a last taste of the Brie De Meaux before his execution.

The Brie De Meaux was originally from the region of Brie, thus the name. It used to be strictly a Parisian cheese, but has now become far more widespread due the spread of railways. However, the AOC made sure that the Brie De Meaux is produced in certain provinces near Paris only so that consistency and quality is ensured.

Raw and unpasteurized cow’s milk is used to make the Brie De Meaux. The secret of its creamy and soft texture is the massive 23 liters of milk that are used to make each wheel of Brie De Meaux cheese. It is heated during the renneting stage, but is never actually cooked. And faithful to twelve centuries of tradition, the Brie De Meaux is molded by hand on a “pelle a brie”, or a perforated ladle.

Brie De Meaux is smooth and creamy on the tongue, richly flavored with hints of hazelnut and fruit. It has to be allowed to breathe in room temperature before eating, in order to appreciate its rich flavor of hazelnut and fruit. If you want to dine like royalty, a slice of the Brie De Meaux and a glass of red Bordeaux or Champagne is all you need. Eat like a king and try the Brie De Meaux today!

July 17, 2010

How To Find French Cuisine In Sydney

Filed under: Restaurant Reviews — Tags: , , , — CakeAuthor @ 9:48 pm

French cuisine Sydney style is an interesting concept. Many have maligned the state of Australian cookery, particularly in attempting to emulate the refined dining of continental Europe. Our fare is, for the most part, experimental. This explains much. Our chefs would rather create their own dishes than rely on refining others.

Just take those three words: French cuisine Sydney. They’re not particularly well suited to each other, and don’t really fit. So what’s the problem? The mixture of cultures doesn’t really seem to go very well. Take French food’s history. They have a lengthy history at being self-satisfied with their food. Indeed, there have been many cases where the French government has banned words from official usage because they are not in keeping with the culture. Two notable examples include ‘hot dog and hamburger’. If course those two are in use today, as they’re as ubiquitous as any word in world language. French cuisine in Sydney doesn’t have this well protected history, and as such doesn’t hold the revered position it might in Paris. An Australian chef might, for example, slaughter a Bouillabaisse by, god forbid, making it look nice. This simply isn’t the idea, and as a result French cuisine Sydney style doesn’t automatically result in the most traditional of French fare.

That said, there are a number of exceptional French restaurants in Sydney, and if I’m honest, it’s all a matter of taste. For example, taking a common French delicacy, Pate de foie gras and applying it to every course as the French often do would be seen to be not only extravagant, but simply pointless in most other countries.

Much the same could be said about French cuisine in Sydney from the patisserie point of view. The bakers of France have been almost religiously studying recipes and styles for hundreds of years. Even the humble baguette has a tradition as old as our country itself, and while French cuisine in Sydney may replicate it well, there is little doubt that the French revere their food a good deal greater than we ever could.

Finding a restaurant with either a French Chef, or a French trained one is a good indicator, and where this happens, you can be sure to find out through the grapevine, if you are an avid restaurant goer. Much of the differences between French Cuisine in Sydney, and French cuisine in, say, Paris could be seen in the differences between our attitudes in wine. We generally dislike the pomp and ceremony attached to wine, as it’s a functional thing. The French, however, have a greater history with the stuff, and rightly or wrongly, associate it far closer with their history. In short, you are bound to find great French cuisine in Sydney, but you may not be able to find the real French attitude to it. Let’s face it, that’s no bad thing, really.

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