Ski Queen (Gjetost)!

I know, Constant Readers, I know.  This blog post is a day late.  But lucky for us, Cheese Cheese Everywhere is never a dollar short.  We always give full value for money here.

Today’s cheese is something very different from the usual cheeses we try.  It was based on a recommendation from SHhhhhh!!!!! and CDT so blame them if you don’t like it.  Of course, if you do like it, you can thank me for making you aware of its existence.

Ski Queen (http://www.norseland.ca/en/cheeses/ski-queen) is a Norwegian whey cheese.  It’s also known as Gjetost (which is Norwegian for goat cheese).  Truth is I’m not sure which is the name of the cheese and which is the brand, it’s all a little confusing.  Apparently, it’s also known as ski cheese because it’s supposed to be a good snack for when you’re out on the slopes  Whatever you want to call it, I have another word for it:  interesting.

 It truly is like no other cheese I’ve seen before.  First, it comes in this square red packaging, which seems odd.  Then you unwrap and you think it’s in a brown box.  But no, that’s the actual cheese.  Brown cheese!  So you try to slice off a piece and it’s firm, very firm.  You get a piece off and put it in your mouth and?  And what?  How do I describe the taste?  Caramel?  Fudge?  Like cheese dipped in chocolate?  But you definitely know it’s cheese.  Maybe not when you first take a bite but then the aftertaste hits you and you’re like “yep, there’s the cheese”.  I found it disorienting, actually.  It makes me question things I thought I knew.  I’m not sure if I like it or not.  I’m not sure if I’ll ever be sure if I like it or not.  If you have a lot of uncertainty in your life, don’t buy this cheese.  It will just add more uncertainty.

I can’t see myself eating this cheese by itself.  Or even on crackers, as I think the taste is too strong and would overwhelm the cracker.  I also found it very salty, which is another reason to eat it with something else.  But, if I paired it with other foods, it might be good. SHhhhhh!!!!! says it’s good on Norwegian pancakes (or crepes) with raspberry jam.  And I’ve read it’s quite good in a fondue.  CDT says she hates the cheese.

One last thing… I don’t think this cheese is sold everywhere.  I bought mine at Boushey’s Fruit Market on Elgin, which you may remember from last Friday’s post.  Also, it’s kind of expensive. 14.99$ for 500g.  I suppose you are getting a fair quantity of cheese for that price, and it does have a fairly long shelf life,  The one I bought is good until October 1st.  Still, 15$ all at once seems like a lot.

This cheese was definitely outside the box (off the rind?).  I’m glad I tried it but I don’t know if I’ll buy it again.

Stay cheesy!

Captain Cheese

Manchego!

As promised, here is the second post of the day!  Today’s cheese is one that I purchased on my trip to Boushey’s Fruit Market last Friday.  And if you haven’t read that post, go ahead and do so now… yes, now.  We’ll wait.  Yes, I know some people have already read that one.  They can wait here.  Or better yet, go read it again.  Or think about this…  What’s orange and sounds like a parrot?  Oh look, they’re back, guess you’ll have to wait for the answer.

Today’s cheese is a Spanish cheese called Manchego.  It is another cheese imported by Agropur and is part of its Agropur Import Collection.  It is a firm, ripened cheese made from sheep’s milk and is aged between 60 days and 2 years.  The particular one I bought was aged 3 months.

Other requirements for cheese to be labeled Manchego are:

• It must have been produced in an area that is restricted to designated parts of the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Toledo that lie within the La Mancha region.
• It can be made only with the whole milk of sheep of the manchega breed that are raised on registered farms within the designated area.
• The cheese must have been aged for a minimum of 60 days and a maximum of two years.
• The cheese must be produced by pressing in a cylindrical mould that has a maximum height of 12 cm and a maximum diameter of 22 cm.

Also, be aware that the rind is not edible.  So don’t eat it!

This is the first sheep’s milk cheese that I’ve had and I have to say that I found it to be rather pleasant.  A word I’ve heard used to describe it is creamy and I think that applies quite well here.  It’s definitely creamy and doesn’t have very much of an aftertaste.  Overall, I don’t think it has enough flavour to eat it on its own or even just with crackers.  However, if you were to grate it and serve it on pasta, I think that would be a welcome addition to a dish.  I would also try it in a caesar salad instead of parmesan. A solid choice that I would also incorporate into a cheese tray for a party to give it a little variety and exotic flair.

By the way, the answer is carrot.

Stay cheesy!

Captain Cheese

Afterthoughts Week 5: Fiveterthoughts

Hello Constant Readers!  I hope you had a good weekend.  The Captain’s was busy as he has little captains (and captainettes) visiting from out of town.  Fear not, however, for today is now a 2 posts day!

First up, a recap of the last week in cheese…

Monday:  Oka swiss cheese (close to the Captain’s hometown, pretty good but not a first choice)
Wednesday: Red Leicester (the one month anniversary post, an excellent cheese!)
Friday:  Instead of a recipe review, a review of Boushey’s Fruit Market (very impressed with it)

Cheese in the news:

I know that I like some older cheeses but this is ridiculous…  3600 year old cheese was discovered along with mummies in China.  And it’s even lactose-free:  Old cheese

And a punny joke to get your week started off right:

A little boy went to a birthday party in a very nice suit. When he returned home, his suit was full of holes, and his mother was mortified. When she asked him what they had done there, he replied that after pin the tail on the donkey they were playing store and he was the Swiss cheese.

Ba-bum-tish!

A review of what I hope is not a baaaaaaaaad cheese to come :) Stay cheesy! Captain Cheese

Boushey's Fruit Market

I know what you’re thinking, Constant Readers.  Isn’t today Friday, Captain Cheese?  Don’t you usually have a recipe review on Fridays?  Boushey’s Fruit Market is a weird name for a recipe, don’t you think?

The answers to those questions are yes, yes and I’ve seen weirder.  But you’re right, it’s not a recipe.  Boushey’s Fruit Market is a local Ottawa business, located right downtown on Elgin Street.  I’ve passed by it several times as I’ve run errands and visited other establishments but I had never stopped in and shopped there.  However, what really caught my eye this time was the sign outside that said “Cheese of the World, Over 150 Varieties”.  How could any self-respecting cheese blogger have a cheese shop literally blocks from him and not try it out?

The store has been owned by the Boushey family since 1946.  They have a wide variety of cheese, as indicated on their sign, as well as grocery items, fruits, vegetable and a hot buffet section.  They also provide catering services and prepare gift baskets. So this morning, I took a walk over to Boushey’s to see what they had to offer.  I must say that I was impressed.  Many cheeses that I had not seen elsewhere and quite an international selection. Cheeses from the UK, France, Ireland, Switzerland, Spain, etc.  They have cheese made from cow’s milk, goat’s milk and sheep’s milk  I even saw some cheese products that I’m unsure I would ever want to try (I’m looking at you unripened cheese twists in brine).  In the interests of being a complete cheese blog that tries all kinds of new things, though, I will probably at one point try them.

Did they have 150 varieties, as advertised?  Well, I didn’t count them all but there certainly was a lot. I’ll let you know as I work my way through them.  The first one will be reviewed on Monday.
Visit their website at bousheys.com, and... Stay cheesy!

Captain Cheese

One month (Red Leicester)!!!

Today is a milestone at Cheese Cheese Everywhere.  One month today, Captain Cheese started this blog.  In that month, we’ve gone through a name change and a schedule change.  We’ve had 21 posts, 731 page views and visits from 12 countries.  Thank you to all our visitors from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Poland, Ukraine, Costa Rica, India, Syria (?!?), Germany, Hong Kong and Qatar.  Here’s to at least one more month and hopefully many more months and years to come.

In honour of this milestone, we’re going back to a cheese that the Captain tried at the very beginning of the blog but did not have a chance to review…

Red Leicester (pronounced Lester) cheese is a cow’s milk cheese from Leicestershire, England.  An interesting fact is that the cheese was originally made on farms in Leicestershire with milk that was surplus once all the Stilton desired was made. It was originally coloured with carrot or beetroot juice. The Red Leicester cheese that I tried was from Oak Manor: Red Leicester


Over the course of this past month, I’ve come to the conclusion that I provide firm cheeses with strong flavours over soft “smelly” cheeses.  Red Leicester is one of the ones that I loved.  It’s simply excellent.  I could easily sit down with the whole block and eat it, haha.

Red Leicester is very similar to cheddar but makes a nice change if you’re getting tired of eating cheddar.

In summary, I’m an investor for Red Leicester!

Stay cheesy!

Captain Cheese

Monday's post

Welcome back, Constant Readers, to another week here at Cheese Cheese Everywhere!

As you’ll notice, the title of today’s post is Monday’s post.  But, you might say to yourself, isn’t today Tuesday?  Aren’t there only 4 days left till the weekend?   Not 5?  Please tell me there’s only 4 days!  Please, I’m begging you!  I can’t handle two Mondays!!!

It’s ok, you’re not all losing your minds.  Well, not about which day it is.  I don’t know about the other stuff.  Today’s post was supposed to go up yesterday but the life of a Captain is jam-packed and there are many adventures to go on.  So the Captain apologizes for the delay.

On to the review…

As many of you know, there is a Sobeys not far from the Captain’s abode.  Recently, there have been several cheeses on sale at not insignificant discounts.  2 weeks ago, it was brie at 50% off.  This week, Oka L’Artisan is 40% off.  If there’s one thing the Captain loves just as much as cheese, summer, cruises and Disney, it’s saving money.  Also, I noticed I hadn’t yet reviewed an Oka cheese.  It’s a well-known brand so I thought it was time.

First, a little history on the cheese because I actually think it’s quite interesting…  Oka cheeses are named after the town of Oka, where they were first produced.  Oka is a small town about 60 kilometres (or 45 minutes) northwest of Montreal (the Captain’s hometown).

Oka is known for two things.  One is its cheese and the other, especially for those who grew up in Montreal, is the Oka crisis.  I remember the Oka crisis quite vividly and invite you all to read up on it.  It’s a fascinating story that, to this day, I believe has not yet been completely resolved and involves a lot of issues that should be important to us as a society (urbanization, gentrification, inequality, relations with First Nations, etc, etc).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oka_Crisis

*steps down from soapbox*

As I mentioned above, the other thing Oka is known for is its cheese.  In fact, the cheese is named after the town.  It was first produced in 1893 by monks who had established a monastery in Oka.  The monks created an agricultural school, through an affiliation with the Université de Montréal, and started producing cheese as well.  In 1996, the monks sold the rights to the cheese to Agropur, a Quebec company.  So no, the cheese in Oka is no longer made by monks.  Although, research shows that monks at Our Lady of the Prairies Monastery in Holland, Manitoba produce Oka brand cheese as well.

Agropur’s website for Oka L’Artisan cheese: http://www.pleasureandcheeses.ca/cheeses/oka-lartisan

Oka cheese is a cow’s milk cheese that is ripened for about 5 weeks.  It’s very similar to Swiss cheese and even has holes in it.  I had 3 of my coworkers try it with me and their comments were as follows:

Clementine:  Like a creamy, smoky, Swiss cheese
Vanellope Von Schweetz:  Strong cheese with a subtle aftertaste
Morgans Grant:  Brah, that’s good.  You get some red wine with that and you’re good, brah.

For myself, I liked it.  But there are other similar cheeses that I like more.  Also, it was expensive (even with the 40% off).  So I don’t think I would buy it again.  There’s not enough that’s special about it to make me choose it over other cheeses.

Come back tomorrow for a milestone event at Cheese Cheese Everywhere!

Stay cheesy :)

Captain Cheese

Afterthoughts - Part 4

Another week in the books, another week closer to summer.  Last weekend was SO COLD!!!  As much as the Captain loves cheese, he loves summer just as much.  So this winter business is getting old.  Not to mention that, one year ago today, the Captain was headed to New Orleans for a one week cruise to Honduras, Belize and Cozumel.  Yes, in addition to cheese, the Captain is an aficionado of cruises and anything Disney theme park related.  So don’t be surprised if you see a lot of cruise related info over the course of the next week.

This week on Cheese Cheese Everywhere was an interesting one.  We didn’t actually review any particular cheeses, just cheese dishes and products.

Monday:  Tostitos Salsa Con Queso (“cheese” dip that is handy in a pinch)
Wednesday: Elgin Street Diner’s 4 Cheese Poutine (guest review that was given 3 out of 4 cheeses)
Friday: (Cheese) Salsa Chicken Rice Casserole (simply amazing and delicious)

Cheese in the News

A sad article this week, brought to us by Miss Lebanom-nom-nom: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-16/the-parmesan-cheese-you-sprinkle-on-your-penne-could-be-wood

Basically, what it comes down to is that while we shouldn’t be afraid to try new things and types of cheese, we still need to be careful.  Not everyone has our best interests at heart.

Something on the lighter side, this funny:

I hope everyone has a grate week :)

Stay cheesy!

Captain Cheese