Gruyere is a hard yellow cheese that is named after the town of Gruyeres, in Switzerland. It is sweet but slightly salty, with a flavor that varies widely as it ages. It is often known to be creamy and nutty when young, becoming more firm, earthy, and complex as it ages. For a Gruyere Swiss Cheese to mature, it needs around five months to a year. This cheese grows small holes and cracks as it ages and gains a grainy texture. The spaces between the holes are wide and their size often do not exceed those of peas. Because gruyere has a distinctive but not overpowering flavor, it is an excellent addition to quiches, soups, salads, and pastas. Gruyere can be sliced or grated depending on the desired effect.
How Gruyere Cheese is Made
This cheese comes from unpastuerized milk that is heated and curdled with liquid rennet. The whole mixture is stirred until the curd gets thicker and then they take away the whey before it gets heated again. These pieces of curd are pressed into molds to be cured, and then salted in brine for eight days. Right after the cheese has been taken out from the brine it is left alone for two months until they are ready to be shipped and sold.
Preparing Gruyere Cheese
This cheese is great to eating with crackers, fruit, french onion soup and meat. Dipping it in fondue is also a popular idea. You can use some fresh fruit on the board such as sliced pears, apples, and seedless grapes. The blackberry jam also goes perfect with the Gruyere Cheese. Apple marmalade also goes well with this cheese. For a fantastic meal, try mixing Gruyere in pumpkin soup.
For a great tasting meal that would also melt the hearts of your guests, go and try cooking with the Gruyere Cheese now. Your local cheese shop would likely have this available. Nevertheless, this cheese is also available in an online cheese shop if you do not have access to one in your neighborhood. Have your family and friends get a treat from this exquisite cheese today.