Thursday, July 25, 2013

OMG: Sheep's milk camembert

My mother's a big fan of sheep's milk cheese. She once transported a duffel bag full of cheese across thousands of miles by land and by air. I didn't know what she was up to until the day after we'd landed in New York. I opened our refrigerator and founds a shelf full of cheese with Portuguese labels or no label at all. I'm reminded of that episode of I Love Lucy where Lucille Ball attempts to smuggle an obscene amount of cheese from Italy by pretending a slab of cheese is a swaddled baby. [Season 5: Episode 26]

I'm embarking on a cheesescapade. I plan to taste each of the varieties of cheese listed by Fresh Direct, an online grocer. And, it's been marvelous. My latest discovery is the buttery heaven that is sheep's milk camembert. Here's the strange thing: I have recent memories of turning up my nose at camembert. It was tooo strong. And that smell. Something was rotting and why on earth would I want to put that rot in my mouth?

But now the white mold that forms the ripe rind of the cheese doesn't bother me. I use to cut it off as though it had cooties. Now it's part of the cheese's charm. Perhaps, I'm finally growing up. That is, before I had immature taste buds, and therefore I liked the bland. Now, I'm judging cheese on it's own terms. Yes, it's moldy milk. But there are ways to cultivate mold that bring out the greatest flavors.

"You can't get this cheese here," my mother explained when we questioned her about the alleged craziness of her heist. Pasteurization kills the flavors. The best cheeses are local, as is the cheese that caught my fancy. It's made by Old Chatham Sheepherding Company of Hudson Valley. Spread it in some toast. It's like butter. Literally.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Eat Like a Gorilla

That's right. Eat like a Gorilla. As part of my quest to eat as many kinds of cheeses as possible this year, I'm diligently cutting non-cheese calories. But smaller portions are not my style. I like food, and lots of it. So I've decided to eat like a gorilla. Serve myself with a trough.

The catch: I gotta fill that trough with fruits, vegetable, and other high-fiber foods. Gorillas get to EAT ALL DAY. And so can you, if you eat the high-fiber way. I'm lucky. My job has an excellent salad bar, complete with lightly marinated grilled vegetables. I simply ask for ALL the available items (except meat). Unlike the proverbial gorilla, I add both feta and goat cheese to my salad. OMG, the saltiness! Such briny beauty. I used to eat Athenos feta, but now that I've tried real creamy, salty fresh feta, I can never go back. Never.

I also add fruit to my green salads. Like grilled nectarines. And all kinds of berries: blue-, black-, straw- and raspberries. So yummy.

Because the ingredients are super-fresh, I don't need to add much dressing. I used to plop on tablespoons of an lemon-Italian House dressing, but I found that my salads actually tasted better when I added just a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinaigrette.

Basic rule of thumb: the fresher the food, the less work it takes to prepare yummy meals, and the less fat needs to be added.

With less dressing, you actually taste the crispness of the lettuce, and benefit from the bite of the vegetables. The individual flavors hold sway, whereas when you over-dress, it all blends into a fatty mush.

Don't dull your salads by coating your taste buds with too much oily dressing. I'm loathe to repeat the cliche, but alas, it's apt: less is more.

Friday, July 12, 2013

The Holy Cheese Plate

I'm embarking on a quest. Try all cheeses made available by Fresh Direct, the online grocery shopping site. They have lots: probably literally so.

Fresh Direct organizes cheeses into the following categories: New & Noteworthy, Cheddars & Jacks; Brie & Friends; Chevres & Goats; Swiss & Alpine; Blues; Fetas; Fresh & Soft; Firm; Mozzarellas; Parmesan & Grating; Light & Soy; Goudas; Stinky; Sheeps; and Semi-Soft.

First, I will try all the cheeses that are meltable or spreadable to use as condiments for spectacular sandwiches. Then I will experiment with all cheeses recommended by readers and friends. Let me know what your favorite cheese is, and I'll blog about it.

Then, I'll move onto the exotic, i.e., out of the ordinary cheeses. Then, onto cheeses that I don't remember tasting, but might have tasted, in order to give them a second chance. Then all the rest. I am, however, not looking forward to Soy & Light (even more fear-inspiring than stinky cheese). But, onward ho. All cheese must I try!

After I've tried at least one version of each kind of cheese, I'll try variations, i.e., a second variety of feta.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Cheese Pleases

I faced a dilemma. Should I write about healthy eating or the magic of melted cheese? Background: I'm doing the president's challenge fitness program, which includes eight healthy eating goals. One goal, which I'm struggling with this week, is "I chose fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk, yogurt, or cheese." I'm into week four of the program, which I'll discuss in greater detail in another post. For now, see: https://www.presidentschallenge.org

"Fat-free cheese." Oh please. And low-fat cheese is not the answer either. Portion control (another presidential eating goal) will be important. But it's not enough. One of the requirements of the president's challenge is 30 minutes of daily exercise. Unfortunately, whenever I embark on a major exercise program, my appetite explodes. Sometimes I'm so hungry, particularly at night, I need more food than your average diet would allow. I need volume AND I need fat. Fat fills your belly and triggers that "I'm sated" sensation that tells us to stop eating.

So, I'm giving up beef for the time being in order to free up fat calories for cheese, and to preserve my right to super-size a few items. And I'm trying to get more of my protein calories from beans, fish, and low-fat milk and yogurt (2%). I'm not giving up beef forever. Perish that thought. I like vegetarian food, but sometimes you NEED a hamburger. No, I'm merely shaking things up.

I'll drink 1% milk, but never skim. And seriously is 2% fat dairy such a big deal? Two percent is still much less than the fat percentage of your standard cut of beef, right? Healthy eating is important, but pleasure is a worthy goal that merits daily attention, i.e., pleasure in non-negotiable.

So I do the math. Two percent Greek yogurt has 170 calories per cup, of which 40 comes from fat. So 2% translates into 24% of calories from fat. One percent milk has 100 calories, of which 20 are fat. So 1% = 20% of calories from fat. Yikes, that's some unexpected math. But still, it's only 20-40 calories. Let the fat remain.

Next post: Doing the Math for Cheese.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Necessary tools: Sandwich Press

I recently bought a grill/sandwich press, and I don't know how I survived four decades without one. Ordinarily, I would say simplify, simplify your kitchen. Give away your gadgets and sweep out specialized equipment. But "necessary" tools save time. To become "necessary," an object must be used almost daily.

The beauty of the sandwich press is that it converts what would have been limp leftovers into gourmet food.

Jamie Oliver, the Naked Chef, is also a fan of the sandwich press, and uses it to make signature sarnis.

A few days ago, I used the grill to quickly cook boneless spare ribs. The following day, I thinly sliced the pork and layered it with ham and cheese to make a freshly pressed Cuban. For another day, I used the Cuisinart to make pancakes, bacon, and eggs for a "breakfast for dinner" meal.