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Has anyone tried store-bought queso fresco??? Anywhere near what is served in Mexican restaurants??
I haven't, but I have pawed through displays of it, hoping to find a cheese I used to see in Northern VA (can't remember what store!) but I have yet to find it since...
I'm on a quest.
It is Chihuahua cheese. So named for the region, not the dog, and if you're actually in that part of Mexico, apparently (thanks, Wikipedia) it's called queso menonita, because it was originally made by the Mennonites in the area.
This stuff is not tasty cold. You've got to melt it. But melted? It is pure heaven. Glorious.
One day...one day I'll find it again...
Meanwhile, I like:
Creamy Havarti on cracked pepper water crackers.
Port Wine Cheddar on Triscuits.
That stupid canned spray "cheese" on a Ritz, if I feel like thumbing my nose at the cheese gods.
The Yancey's Fancy smoked gouda with bacon melted in ramen thing I've been doing.
All kinds of sharp cheddars, though I like to experiment with various Irish cheddars and those made with different kinds of boozahol lately. The Irish cheddar with porter is yum. I like a sharp cheddar with ham on Challah bread, but that makes me feel like a wicked heathen, too. Heck, I'll throw an egg on there.
Monterey Jack and cheddar in tacos, Jack on pizza, melty melty white cheese everywhere baby!
And spaghetti ain't right without a pile of parmesan.
I like espresso or merlot bellavitano lately, too. Wish I could recall some of the names of other cheese bits I've picked up and tried recently...my grocer has a fancy cheese counter and they sell the little odd ends, tiny pieces, for a couple of dollars each, so you can try them without commitment. I love that.
One cheese that has somewhat limited availability (at least, where I am) and also has a pretty regional appeal, but is really quite good is Norwegian Gjetost. Ski Queen is a commonly imported brand, and is usually sold in a red wrapped cube. It is made with goat's milk or a combo of goat and cow milk. It's most easily found in areas that have a significant Scandinavian immigrant culture, here.
It's a brown cheese that is distinctive because the whey is caramelized. It's basically the color of wrapped caramels.
Norwegians cut it with a cheese plane in thin curls,and it is melted on warm toasted bread for a common breakfast treat. I like it any time of day, though. It's an unusual flavor for most people, and unexpected in a cheese. It's got a slight sweetness about it, from the caramelized whey, but isn't a sweet cheese, either...because it's goat cheese, there is a sharp, kind of tangy undertone that cuts the sweetness. It has a slightly waxy consistency, it isn't crumbly. It's not like anything else, really. And it's good. Melty on a warm toasted English muffin is a great way to enjoy it.
I remember when I first tried Gjetost. Before Wegmans had their superstores, they had "gourmet" departments, and I tried a sample of this cheese in the early 80s. I never pass up cheese lol but I was a little put off by the color.
I'm glad I tried it though. Today, I make another grilled cheese (what else?) with thin slices of Gjetost and banana--on Wegmans delicious cranberry sugar bread.
Yeah, I need to check the Latin stores...I did look at Walmart, because I vaguely recall that's where we found it back in Virginia, but ours doesn't carry it. Just piles and piles of "Queso Fresco."
Looking for uses in unusual ways...ie I like feta with scrambled eggs...
Please no negatives about eating cheese in general. We know what they are...
My favorite cheese is any cheese and I use it anyway. Well I guess if I have to pick one it would be Swiss. my least favorite is probably Feta. I have no unusual ways to use cheese, I just use it in almost anything. I even like to eat blue cheese by itself. Of course, which isn't really unusual anymore, steak topped with blue cheese is a winner.
My favorite cheese is any cheese and I use it anyway. Well I guess if I have to pick one it would be Swiss. my least favorite is probably Feta. I have no unusual ways to use cheese, I just use it in almost anything. I even like to eat blue cheese by itself. Of course, which isn't really unusual anymore, steak topped with blue cheese is a winner.
Oh, a fellow blue cheese eater! I can eat it alone too...hopefully it's a good Maytag blue....
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