From bloomy rind Bries and Camemberts, to pungent washed and ash-ripened wheels, to aged Cheddars and the various styles of blues, cheese is milksa国际传媒 greatest gift.
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Curiosity, and getting to know your local cheesemonger, can be the first steps in uncovering the wonders of fromage. And concentrating on a cheese-making region is another strategy for exploration.
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The Alpine cheeses of France and Switzerland for example, produce an abundance of cheeses distinct with flavours of buttery, sweet nuttiness, the result of their cows feeding on natural meadow grasses. The majority are made from raw cows鈥 milk, include semi-hard, washed rind and smear-ripened cheeses 鈥 and all are delightful.
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When melted, they鈥檙e transformative, concentrating their flavours with gooey, stretchy and runny lusciousness. And whatsa国际传媒 not to love about a luscious pot of melted cheese?
Letsa国际传媒 dig in to a trio of iconic dishes from the region, ones that invite for a delicious exploration to share with family or friends.
Raclette is a Swiss mountain cheese, aged three to four months. It has a creamy mouthfeel, supple and smooth, with a lovely fruitiness that melts on your tongue. While itsa国际传媒 a wonderful table cheese, it has superior melting qualities in a dish of the same name, traditionally served with cooked potatoes, pickled pearl onions, cornichons and freshly-ground black pepper.听
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An ovenproof casserole or gratin dish in a hot oven gets you on your way to cheese nirvana, or you can buy one of the several non-stick raclette baking pans on the market.
If you鈥檙e planning a raclette party, you can purchase the cheese at La Cucina in Penticton, Oliver Eats in Oliver, or Perseval & Young in sa国际传媒 鈥 who also carry a smoked version and one with a line of pink peppercorns running through its centre.听 And I suggest having the cheese sliced so it melts easier.
Reblochon, an assertive cheese hailing from the Haute-Savoie region of France, commandeers the rich and comforting dish known as tartiflette. High in butterfat, the raw milk, washed-rind and smear-ripened cheese 鈥 aged only six to eight weeks 鈥 is creamy in texture with a nutty flavour and a beautiful straw-coloured rind. The milk is sourced from three different breeds of cows, and was the first cheese of the region to be granted an AOC designation in 1958. (AOC is a classification that protects the style, ingredients and origin of a product.) Reblochon is also deliciously smelly. A cheesemonger once told me, 鈥淚t will leave your house smelling like a chalet in the Swiss mountains for at least a few days!鈥 I鈥檒l let you be the judge.
I recently made tartiflette, in individual gratin dishes, layering in slices of cooked potato with onions saut茅ed in a bit of wine, partially cooked pieces of good bacon, and sliced Reblochon. A session under the broiler to make it hot and gooey鈥 et voila! For counterbalance, I recommend a crisp green salad, and the next day, a few extra laps around the park!
Last but not least, the most convivial cheesy Alpine party dish is fondue. It always makes an impression. The communal hot dish can be rolled out for casual gatherings as an appetizer, or as I prefer, a sit-down dish for brunch or dinner, with various other ingredients for dipping ranging from cooked meats and potatoes to lightly steamed vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, and even Brussels sprouts.
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You can use a variety of Alpine cheeses, but I prefer a half-and-half mixture of grated Gruyere and Emmental, as both have creamy and nutty characteristics. For four people, I use 250 grams of each cheese, totaling 500 grams. For substitutions, you can use Appenzeller or Vacherin Fribourgeois, or any other good non-Swiss melting cheese such a Comte, Jack or Fontina.听 Grating the cheeses first allows them to melt faster, and a splash of white wine with a good acidity cuts the richness 鈥 but you could use a beer or dry cider.听 Many recipes ask for a bit of cornstarch to be tossed into the grated cheese, as both the wine and starch aid in stabilizing the cheese, preventing it from separating.
The basic premise is to first rub the inside of a ceramic-lined or enamel pot with garlic before heating up the pot with white wine.
The grated cheeses, tossed with a bit of cornstarch, are added to the wine, slowly heated and stirred until it achieves molten perfection. A splash of kirsch is a traditional flourish. The pot is brought to the table and set above a tea light or container of fondue fuel (methyl hydrate), ready for you and your guests to dip away to their hearts鈥 content.
Shelora Sheldan, writer, cook and curious traveller, goes in search of the delectable.