Cheese of the week: Brick Cheese

Name: Brick Cheese

Brand: none listed

Place of Purchase: Wheatsfield Organic Co-op in Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: Wisconsin

Price in Iowa: $11.67/pound

Milk: pasteurized cow

Processing: Simple cheddar processing with higher heat

Texture: semi-soft

Color: cream

Rind: Natural

Aroma: mild dairy

Taste: Creamy, buttery, mild cheddar finish

Mouth feel: Soft, silky, almost fudge-y
 
Notes:  There are plenty of fancy cheeses out there.  Then there is brick cheese.  This "sandwich" cheese is a simple cheddar created at a slightly higher heat to encourage higher fat content.  The cheese is pressed with clay bricks (hence, the name) and a Limberger culture is used to surface ripen the cheese block.  It's washed with whey and turned for a few days before packaging.  This cheese will continue aging in the package, starting off as a soft, very mild cheddar; then increasing in piquant and sharp flavors as the cheese matures.  However, most applications employ the young cheese.


I just ate this cheese as is, right out of the packaging.  It was sweet, buttery and silky.  My next application was a grilled cheese sandwich.  Like raclette, this cheese was almost designed for melting.  However, the young cheese doesn't provide much flavor.  It offers a creamy mouth feel, but I found myself reaching for some mustard after a few bites.  I'm going to try to find an older brick, but as a straight snacking cheese this is one of the best I've tried.