Texts from Zombie World: Post-Apoc Treats I

Feast: Twinkees a la "The Deer Hunter"

Original Recipe:  Hostess Twinkees dipped in French's Yellow Mustard from the jar

My Presentation: Hostess Twinkees frosted with French's Yellow Mustard

Cheese of the week: Denmark's Finest Havarti

Name: Denmark's Finest Havarti (Tilsit)

Brand: Denmark's Finest from Arla Foods 

 

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

Country of Origin: Denmark

Price in Iowa: $8.49/lb

Milk: cow

Processing:A creamy Danish Havarti inspired by Prussian Tilsit cheese

Texture: semi-soft

Color: cream

Rind: natural

Aroma:Unsalted butter

Taste: creamy, buttery, sweet with a musky aftertaste

Mouth feel: A dense, buttery paste

Notes: Luscious.  That is the best word I can use to describe this creamy cheese.  The paste is smooth and consistent.  I'm sure that you could spread this cheese at room temperature, but it holds together as slices.  The flavor is rich and buttery, but not very complex.  As you would expect from a Havarti, this is a light snacking cheese.

Cheese of the week: Prairie Sunshine 2-year Cheddar

Name: Prairie Sunshine 2-year aged Cheddar (Limited Supply)

Brand: Milton Creamery

 

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

Country of Origin: Milton, Iowa

Price in Iowa: $17.67/lb

Milk: pasteurized cow

Processing: Cheddar processing and two years of aging

Texture: semi-firm

Color: Pale yellow

Rind: natural

Aroma:Warm and nutty

Taste: Sparkling sweet, nutty, umami, sharp dairy

Mouth feel: a nice firm paste that turns creamy in your mouth, crunchy protein crystals have formed during the extended aging

Notes: I tried a sample of this cheese at the Co-op and it really reminded me of sunshine.  The mixture of sweet and sharp flavors exploded in my mouth.  That little sample cube was not enough, so I picked up a wedge.  The added protein crystal crunch rounded out the cheese with an amazing, electric mouth feel.  It has the paste of a sharp cheddar, but a more complex flavor profile.  It's not a Gouda, however, but an amalgam of the two cheeses.  This is a limited edition from Milton Farms.  It is not one of their typical stable of cheeses.  So, if you can't find it, give them a call and see when another batch will be ready.

Cheese of the week: Tintern Shallot and Chive Cheddar

Name: Shallot and Chive Cheddar

Brand: Tintern

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

Country of Origin:Wales (Cymru), UK

Price in Iowa: $14.75/lb

Milk: pasteurized cow

Processing: A creamy, Welsh cheddar flavoured with chives and shallots from the Tintern Abbey

Texture: semi-firm

Color: cream with shallot and chive pieces

Rind: natural with a green wax coating

Aroma: creamy dairy and fresh chives/shallots

Taste: warm, salty, tangy, herby/aromatic chive and shallot, cream

Mouth feel: at room temperature, the paste because crumbly and creamy, like a moist feta.

Notes: This cheese is delicious and amusing.  The lime green wax draws the eye to the wedge on a cheese plate.  The pale cream paste accentuates the striking green of the chives and shallots.  It just looks delicious.  It smells delicious, like fresh herbs.  It tastes delicious.  If you plan to add this to a cheese plate, get a big wedge, because everyone will want some.

Cheese of the week: Coolea Irish Gouda

Name: Coolea Irish Gouda

Brand: Coolea

 

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

Country of Origin: Ireland

Price in Iowa: $24.58/lb

Milk: pasteurized cow

Processing: Gouda process with Irish milk

Texture: semi-hard with a few small holes

Color: Straw yellow

Rind: natural, washed rind

Aroma: mild, grassy dairy

Taste: Sweet dairy, cream, salt

Mouth feel: Yielding, creamy paste.

Notes: I picked up this gouda because it was new and different.  While it was tasty, it is a pretty young gouda.  It reminded me more of a creamy cheddar, rather than a Dutch gouda.  Still, I ate it all up and loved the sweet and warm dairy flavors.

http://www.cooleacheese.com/

Cheese of the week: Marieke Gouda Burning Melange

Name: Burning Melange Gouda

Brand: Holland's Family Farm

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

Country of Origin:  Wisconsin, USA

Price in Iowa: $14.70/lb

Milk: raw cow

Processing: Gouda with added stinging nettle and other spices

Texture: semi-hard

Color: pale cream with big holes

Rind: wax and basket-weave

Aroma: Sharp dairy

Taste: sharp, umami, subtle onion and vegetable aromatics

Mouth feel: firm and rich, with a tingling feeling

Notes: This is kind of a neat cheese.  As a gouda, it's pretty top notch for an American cheese.  But the addition of onions and chives adds a richness to the cheese that I really liked.  The spices weren't overpowering, they just added to the experience.  Then, there's the stinging nettle.  It added a tingling, metallic flavor that lingered and was very pleasurable.  I finished my last piece 10-minutes ago and I'm still tingling.  I'm not sure if this qualifies as unique or just a neat trick, but I like it. 

Cheese of the week: Le Chimay à la bière

Name: Le Chimay à la bière

Brand: Chimay

Place of Purchase: QFC in Bellevue, WA

Country/Region of Origin: Belgium

Price in Washington: $24.99/pound

Milk: cow

Processing: all I know is that it's aged for three months and bathed in beer made by Belgian Trappist monks


Texture: semi-soft

Color: cream to apricot

Rind: Natural washed with beer made by the Trappist monks of Chimay

Aroma: slightly stinky dairy

Taste: dusky, strong aging like limberger, cream, salty, bitter (maybe hops?)

Mouth feel: Soft, in-between a string cheese and a brie
 
Notes:  I got this cheese during a trip to Seattle.  My friends tell me that the Chimay beers and cheeses are very popular in the Northwest.  This cheese is very strong, capturing the most intense flavors found in an aged cheese and an artisan beer.  You can taste both cave and cask with this cheese.  I wouldn't recommend it to the casual fromageophile, but if you can appreciate the complexity of flavors of this very well-made Trappist cheese, then I think that you're in for a treat.