Home Kosher cheesemaking?
My wife thinks I’m obsessed with cheese, so if you, dear Reader, agree with her, I apologize in advance. It’s my blog, and I’ll post if I want to … this time about attempting a kosher cheesemaking hobby.
I was always taught that if you want something done right, do it yourself. Couple that with my lifetime inability to follow through on ill-conceived hobbies, and you end up with a closet full of half-painted model aircraft carriers and a box of dusty blockprinting supplies. This time, however, will be different! I’m going to document (in blog form) each step in my learning process and each tidbit of peripheral information I come upon. That way, I can keep track of my progress, draw out any helpful suggestions and ideas from the general Internet world, and, with luck, end up with an invaluable online resource for Kosher Cheesemaking.
I believe my first step will be acquiring books on cheesemaking. Two candidates: Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll and Laura Werlin and Making Great Cheese At Home by Barbara Ciletti.
¶
Tnuva enters U.S. market, my market
Tnuva, a farmer-owned marketing collective which supplies 70% of Israel’s dairy (milk, butter, cheeses), has entered the U.S. market, according to this week’s Jewish Advocate. No sooner had this report emerged than I saw their products in the Allston Stop & Shop dairy case.
I picked up an 8.8 oz. container of Tnuva’s “Feta-style sheep’s cheese” (from the “Mediterranean Collection”) and an 8 oz. packet of Emek sliced cheese. My first reaction was that they’re both quite expensive. Stop & Shop charges $6.99 for the feta and and $4.99 for the Emek. Those prices might be defensible if the cheese were exceptional, but they both fall short. While both are fresh and pleasant, the “feta” tastes more like salty cottage cheese, and the Emek was nothing special (texture of swiss cheese, very mild flavor like muenster).
Though I’m happy that New England supermarkets will have a wider selection of Kosher cheese, I don’t think I’ll be buying these varieties again.
¶
The Last Word on Parmesan
Through my extensive research into Kosher cheese, I have indeed found one Miller’s product worthy of praise. Their “Italian Grating Cheese” — Parmigiano-Reggiano — is the best Kosher Parmesan available, and for good reason. Miller’s oversees, in Italy, a special Kosher run of traditional Parmigiano-Reggiano, made in just the same way as its non-Kosher cousin. The result is a rich, crumbly, incredibly fragrant cheese, which, when freshly grated, will enliven any dish even in small quantities.
It is important to know what distinguishes it from the alternatives: Miller’s also produces a pre-shredded Parmesan. Most significant is its domestic origin: made in the United States, not Italy. Though a good cheese (and Kosher for Passover), it lacks the intensity of the Italian variety. Besides, pre-grated cheeses almost always pale in comparison to freshly grated.
If your only Parmesan experience involves a shaker-jar, find out what you’ve been missing. Make Parmegiano-Reggiano a permanent addition to your well-stocked Kosher pantry.
¶
Cappiello Mozzarella & Scamorza
From the Double-Take Department: You stroll by the non-Kosher specialty cheese case in your favorite supermarket, and notice an inconspicous OU heksher in the corner of your eye. After the double-take, you’ve discovered Cappiello’s line of Italian cheeses, which only happens to be Kosher. Their braided mozzarella and scamorza are possibly the finest I’ve used.
Scamorza, for those unfamiliar, is essentially a drier, saltier mozzarella and is traditionally made in a gourd shape. You may find it easier to shred than Cappiello’s mozzarella.
Both are delicious on pasta or pizza, cut up in salads, or in baked dishes like lasagna. The Cappiello website lists where their cheese is available in the Northeast, Southeast, and West Coast.
¶
Les Petites Fermieres Brie & Camembert
I began the process of evaluating these cheesew with some excitement, and ended with mild disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, the cheeses (properly served at room temperature)were tasty — but I found little if any difference between them.
Both the mini cheese wheels (about 4″ diameter) had a thin, white, nutty-smelling rind, as was expected, and a soft, creamy interior, which, at room temperature, spread handily on my favorite crackers.
Neither had a particularly profound flavor. Understandably, camembert is normally quite mild, but the brie should have been more pronounced. In this case, side by side, you’d be hard pressed to distinguish one from the other.
However, this might not be the fault of Anderson International Foods (maker of Les Petites Fermieres cheese). According to Janet Fletcher of the San Francisco Chronicle, true French camembert is made with raw (unpasteurized) milk and aged only three weeks — an illegal act in the U.S., which requires a minimum of 60 days ripening for raw-milk cheeses. So, for that reason, American camemberts may never attain the true taste level of their French counterparts.
However, there should be some identifiable taste difference given that Brie and Camembert are properly made with unique combinations of enzymes: camembert with Penicillium camemberti; brie with P. camemberti, Brevibacterium linens, and others. Perhaps there are kashrut concerns with the extra brie bacteria, limiting a kosher cheesemaker’s latitiude.
Taste aside, it would be nice if these cheeses were available in larger wheels, especially for entertaining.
¶
Kirkeby “Danablu” Blue Cheese
I’ve decided that the problem with my local kosher market isn’t that they don’t have the products I want — they just don’t organize their store well. Products are stuffed in every visible inch of wall/shelf space, with no attention to aesthetics. The cheese section is no exception — it’s loaded with products of all varieties and origins with no logical organization strategy. So, even though they have nice Italian, Danish, and Israeli varieties, it all looks like a crappy hodge-podge, where the Miller’s Cheddar “Stick” is indistinguishable from the finer alternatives.
Regardless, I dug around the dark recesses of the dairy case, and found Kirkeby Danablu, a Cholov Yisroel Danish blue cheese, cut and wrapped as a convenient wedge (see photo). I sampled it in very small pieces, cold, on its own and on a cracker. It has a bold, salty flavor that makes it a perfect accompaniment to sweet foods (typical recipes pair it with pears, apples, nuts, and dessert wines).
To spice up an old side dish, the Wisconsin Dairy Board suggests tossing hot green beans with crumbled blue cheese and slivered almonds. They also offer extensive details on the characteristics and uses of blue cheese.
(If you can’t find it locally, it’s sold online, too.)
¶
Sugar River Cheese
I stumbled upon Chicago-based Sugar River Cheese recently, and inquired if their products (like White Cheddar with Chipotle) were available in my neck of the woods. The closest they get to the Hub is New York City — so, Knickerbockers, visit your local Zabar’s, Fairway Market, or Amish Market. (The cheese will appear on New Jersey shelves later this month.) If you find Sugar River and try it, please drop us a comment here and let us know. Fellow Bay Staters might like to request by e-mail that they make their way further north. Kashrut by Chicago Rabbinical Council.
¶
Natural & Kosher Mozzarella
Produced by Anderson International Foods
Kashrut by O.K.
This product is Cholov Yisroel and may be used for Passover
Background: Mozzarella is a cow- or buffalo-milk cheese, available in low- or high-moisture varieties. High-moisture mozzarella, sometimes called “fresh mozzarella”, is very soft and spungy, has a bland flavor and smooth texture, and is often served uncooked. Low-moisture mozzarella (and its dried cousin Scamorza) is the variety most frequently seen in America and used in Italian-American cooking (lasagna, pizza, etc.). It has a firmer texture, though still soft, and a saltier flavor.
Review: This a truly delicious part-skim, low-moisture mozzarella. It has an ideal texture, firmness, and flavor. I’m finding it great just for snacking, and I imagine it would hold up well even against non-kosher alternatives. The shape and firmness of this product should make it good for grating or slicing. More details to come on its fitness for pizza.
Overall: Receives high marks in all areas.
¶
La Chevre Kashkaval
Imported from Chile by Anderson International Foods
Kashrut by O.K.
Background: Kashkaval is a sharp sheep or goat’s milk cheese that originates in Bulgaria.
Review: This is my first cheese review of the day because it’ll likely be the shortest. I could not stomach even one bite! I attribute this to my relative inexperience with firm goat’s milk cheese. (I’ve used soft goat cheese in my cooking with much success -delicious caramelized onion and goat cheese foccacia.) Two of my (non-Kosher) coworkers who enjoy strong cheese both tried and enjoyed this kashkaval.
Overall: This cheese has a strong bite, and is recommended for folks who enjoy the flavor of goat’s milk products. For the untrained, it’s probably best to stay away.
¶
Tuesday’s Mission
Tomorrow morning, my mission is to find new kosher cheeses to critique. This time, I’ll be looking for Natural & Kosher brand products, Les Petites Fermieres brand products, and Kirkeby brand products. Those first two brands are produced by Anderson International Foods of Los Angeles, which has been featured in several Kosher Today articles.
Have any critiques of your own? Please share by posting a comment. Have any suggestions for future cheese critiques? E-mail us at submit[at]kosherblog[dot]net
¶
