It's the third week of the month, and you know what that means! It's Cheese Roundup time! As you may have heard, Johnny gave me a cheese-of-the-month club subscription for my birthday. I received my first cheese pack in November and totally meant to write about it, but forgot. (To be fair, they were pretty boring cheeses- Parmigiana, Gouda, and Gruyère.) So, from now on, you'll be treated to Cheese Roundup on a monthly basis.
This month's cheese shipment was considerably more exciting than November's. I received Roquefort, Pinconning, and Purple Haze Chèvre. (For those wondering, yes, I did laugh at the last cheese.) I'd never heard of Pinconning and never tasted any of the three.
Pinconning, according to my cheese newsletter, is an aged yellow colby-style, semi-soft whole cow's milk cheese. Developed in 1915 in Pinconning, Michigan, it's typically eaten instead of Cheddar or Colby. This is by far this month's favorite. It tastes very similar to Colby cheese and has a mild flavor. The cheese newsletter recommends using it in macaroni and cheese dishes, but I think I'll probably just eat the whole quarter pound with Triscuits in one sitting. (Where are my elastic waistband pants?)
The Purple Haze Chèvre is the most interesting of this month's cheeses. It smells strongly of fennel, but tastes like a typical goat cheese. (By which I mean tangy and tart.) It's soft and spreadable and is recommended as an accompaniment to kalamata olives, bread, and Zinfandel wine. The Purple Haze derives its name from the lavendar buds added to the cheese.
Roquefort (pronounced "ROKE-fore") is hands down the most disgusting cheese I have ever tasted in my life. Seriously, it's nasty. Made of sheep's milk, aged in a cave, and containing veins of green mold, this cheese tastes like my Sperry Topsider shoes smell. People are apparently in love with these cheese, proclaiming it excellent for consuming on salads, during fine dining, or after smoking. Now, to be fair, I tried it on its own, without any food, wine, or cigarettes, so perhaps a recipe like Steak with Roquefort Sauce will better use its salty flavors. However, I'm not holding out hope for something that can be used to treat gangrene.
That's it for the December Cheese Roundup- I hope you've enjoyed it. I'll keep you posted on uses for these cheeses and let you know if that Roquefort ruins the steak or not.
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