Great big cheese

tillamook, McLachlan, RBST

Dairy Foods, Dec, 2005 by David Phillips

A few years back I had the opportunity to shed some sweat oil an Illinois farm. It was for a series of newspaper articles about farming. About

once each week from April to November I spent a day with the McLachlan family who worked about 800 acres in the central part of the state. Flat as a pool table, their land was blessed with black soil eight feet deep. They grew corn and beans from their porches to the speed limit signs. The family had been working the same land for more than 100 years.

I helped them plant in late April, walked beans in May and July, went to a church picnic, and a county fair. In the fall I drove a combine, and visited the hospital when the family's third child was born.

Obviously it was an experience I'll never forget, and one that traveled with me the two times that I've visited the home of Tillamook Cheese in Oregon. Dairy Foods' 2005 Processor of the Year is a company that's made up of farm families like the McLachlans. To be exact, there are 142 farm members in the cooperative which is officially known as Tillamook County Creamery Association. Most of the families have been running dairy operations and making cheese for a century or more.

In the dairy industry the Tillamook name is synonymous with quality cheese, and the organization is known for its professionalism. In helping us select our 2005 Processor of the Year. members of our editorial advisory board overwhelmingly indicated that Tillamook continues to live up to its reputation.

There are lots of smaller companies making great cheese in the U.S., but few make great cheese in 40 lb blocks.

Tillamook has overcome a number of obstacles in building and maintaining its name, and it has also taken some risks, including the recent decision to discontinue the use of rBST. The company has grown substantially in the past ten years and is currently in the midst of transforming itself into a national player, a process that required the bold step of establishing a second production facility far from the comforts of home. For all these reasons. Tillamook is a great choice for our processor of the year.

If I ever get back to the McLachlan farm I have a story to tell them about the farmers who make cheese among the fir trees and the fishing boats along the rugged Pacific coast. Readmore »»

Cheese Sauce "Adventures in Microwave Cook

dry mustard, cheddar cheese, microwave


Serves: 1 Servings

Ingredients:
2 tb Butter or margarine
2 tb All-purpose flour
1 c Milk
1/4 ts Salt
1/4 ts Dry mustard
1/2 c (2 ounces) shredded sharp
Cheddar cheese

Instructions:
*** Melt butter in a 1-quart glass measuring pitcher in microwave oven
(about 30 seconds at High). Add flour and blend to a smooth paste. Add
milk gradually, stirring constantly.

*** Cook uncovered in microwave overn 4 minutes at High, or until thickened;
stir vigorously after 2 minutes, then every 30 seconds.

*** Add salt, dry mustard and cheese to sauce; stir well. Cook uncovered in
microwave oven 1 minute at High; stir.

Yield: About 1 cup. Readmore »»

Cheese Pudding

cheese sandwiches, chicken stock, black pepper

Serves: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

4 Eggs
8 sl Stale bread
60 g Softened butter
150 g Chedder cheese; grated
1 c Chicken stock
1/2 c Cream
Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 150 deg C. Remove crusts from bread, butter each slice one
side only. Sprinkle 2/3 of the grated cheese onto 4 slices, sandwich with
the remaining bread. Cut cheese sandwiches in half diagonally. Grease a
shallow ovenproof dish with remaining butter. Arrange cheese sandwiches
over base of dish. Beat eggs, stock and cream, pour egg mixture over
sandwiches making sure each one is moistened. Allow to stand 30 minutes.
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, season with ground black pepper. Bake for
30 minutes or until pudding is set and golden. Readmore »»

Don't treat goat cheese as if it were from a cow

breads, goat cheese, pasta


by Teresa J. Farney The Gazette

Italian-style goat cheese comes in two varieties: hard and ricotta.

The hard version can be grated, sliced, baked and even fried, but forget about melting it over foods or breads.

"You can tell if cow's milk has been added to this type of goat cheese if it melts," says Hoehne dairy owner Doris Zubal. "The best way to enjoy this cheese is sliced thin and eaten. Or use it grated over pasta."

The ricotta, on the other hand, can be used for cooking. It is much whiter than cow's milk ricotta and has a smoother, creamier texture.

Holly Mervis, chef and co-owner of Garden of the Gods Seasonings & Gourmet at 2528 W. Cucharras St., recently started carrying the LePlatt Hi-Country Goat Dairy cheese.

"I like the ricotta over the hard goat cheese," she says. "I'm going to start using the ricotta in our stuffed shells and other dishes to let people know how it tastes."

You also can get flavored goat cheeses. Vallorie Philpott sells a popular jalapeo and red chile cheese, and also offers garlic and basil, whole black pepper and tomato and basil.

Whether you choose hard or ricotta, don't expect Italian-style goat cheese to taste or behave like the creamy, French-style chevre. And with the hard variety, don't be surprised by the texture, which can be, well, squeaky on the molars.

"That's right -- a lot of people refer to this as the 'squeaky' cheese," Zubal says. Readmore »»