Stretched Curd, Cheddar & Round Eye Cheeses

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="14028661egerdp.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>www.headchefsupport.com</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.headchefsupport.com"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >back to  </FONT><A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="All About Cheese"><B>All  About Cheese</B></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=120 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="765781c2egerdp.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="id187.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Cheese Making Process Categories">The Cheese Making Process & Categories</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id188.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fresh Cheese Mould Ripened ">Fresh Cheese  & Mould Ripened </A></div> <div> <B>Stretched Curd, Cheddar & Round  Eye Cheeses</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id190.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Goats, Sheeps Milk Cheese Commonly Aske">Goats, Sheep's Milk Cheese & Commonly Asked Questions</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id191.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Australian Cheese Varieties">Australian Cheese Varieties</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id192.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Serving Storing Suggestion for Cheese">Serving  & Storing Suggestion for Cheese</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id193.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cheese Wine Matching">Cheese & Wine Matching</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id194.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cheese Terms">Cheese Terms</A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFF80" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Stretched Curd, Cheddar & Round  Eye Cheeses</I></div> <div> <B>STRETCHED CURD CHEESE </B></div> <bR> <div> Originally produced in Italy these cheeses are characterised by working the curd to a plastic state in hot water and stretched to be moulded into various shapes. Heating the curd reduces the moisture. </div> <bR> <div> Cheese shapes are retained by emersing the individual cheese in cold water. </div> <bR> <div> <B>STYLES </B></div> <div> <B>1)</B>. Mozzarella </div> <div> Very mild in flavour and rather rubbery has become famous with the popularity of pizzas.  Is now made with cow’s milk. </div> <bR> <div> <B>2). Provolone </B></div> <div> A mild and smooth textured cheese used either as a table cheese or when older for grating. </div> <bR> <div> <B>3. Bocconcini </B></div> <div> Italian for little mouthfuls. Little egg shapes of fresh mozzarella, cheese with a very short life should be eaten as   fresh as possible.  Stored in milky whey to keep it moist - very fresh cheese.</div> <bR> <div> <B>4. CHEDDAR</B> </div> <bR> <div> <B>CHARACTERISTICS </B></div> <bR> <div> The origin of the name "cheddar" comes from “cheddaring", a cheese-making method that originated in Somerset, England. After the curds are scalded, the whey is drained from the vat and the remaining crumbs of curds settle and "knit" into a solid, rubbery mass. This is cut into large blocks and hand-turned, or cheddared. </div> <div> The process is repeated until the acidity is distributed evenly throughout the curd, ensuring a homogeneous texture. </div> <div> Low in moisture and quite firm. Traditionally made in Cheddar in England the cheese generally has a long life because of its reduced moisture. </div> <bR> <div> <B>POPULAR  STYLES OF FIRM CHEESE</B> </div> <bR> <div> <B>1) Cheddar </B></div> <bR> <div> Cheddar, a firm close textured cheese with a delicate to full rich flavour depending on the age of the cheese. Although there are no hard and fast rules with cheddar ages it is generally accepted that: </div> <bR> <div> Mild                         1-3 months </div> <div> Semi Mature          6-9 months </div> <div> Mature                    9-12 months</div> <div> Vintage                  12-16 months </div> <div>  </div> <div>  <B>2) Club Cheese</B> </div> <div> A combination of the left overs mixed and milled and pressed and often with flavour enhances - not a traditional cheese. </div> <bR> <div> <B>3)Smoked Cheddar </B></div> <div> Very few are traditionally smoked - King Island Stokes Point being the exception. </div> <div> The processed smoked cheese is chemically smoked. </div> <bR> <div> <B>5. ROUND EYE CHEESE </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>CHARACTERISTICS </B></div> <div> Smooth close texture created by heating the curd to remove the moisture. Typical Swiss style cheese is identified by the size and shape of the holes "eyes" in the cheese. </div> <bR> <div> <B>STYLES </B></div> <div> <B>1). Gruyere</B> </div> <div> A Swiss style cheese mostly used in cooking, Gruyere has small pea shape holes dispersed throughout and a nutty full-bodied flavour. Swiss field Gruyere is a good example. </div> <bR> <div> <B>2). Emmental </B></div> <div> A Swiss style cheese with large round eyes and a mellow, sweet nutty flavour. Emmental is another popular cooking cheese. Swiss field is a good example of this type of cheese. </div> <bR> <div> <B>3). Edam</B> </div> <div> A mild cheese with firm very small round eyes, Edam is characterised by a distinctive red exterior and should last between 3 and 6 months. </div> <bR> <div> <B>4) Jarlsberg </B></div> <div> A very popular Norwegian cheese, Jarlsberg is a mellow cheese with a slightly sweet flavour and an elastic texture. The centre is golden yellow with variously sized round holes. Jarlsberg is matured for six months and Australia is a major importer of this type of cheese. </div> <bR> <div> <B>5). Gouda (Netherlands) </B></div> <bR> <div> The most famous Dutch cheese. Character of the cheese depends on its age - generally quite mild with scattered irregular holes.</div> <bR> <div> <B>6. HARD CHEESE</B></div> <div>  </div> <div> CHARACTERISTICS </div> <div> Generally a well matured cheese, excellent for grating and with a very long life. Very little moisture, very dry. -- </div> <div> POPULAR STYLES OF HARD CHEESE </div> <div> Parmesan, Romano, Pecorino, Pepato. </div> <bR> <div> <B>1) Parmesan</B> </div> <div> A very hard cheese generally not released before 15 months. This cheese has been known to mature for 8 years and is used extensively in Italian cooking. </div> <bR> <div> <B>2) Reggiano </B></div> <div> The King of Parmesan cheese. It is only made with spring milk and can be anywhere between 18 months and 8 years old. It is only allowed to be made with milk from a certain region. </div> <bR> <div> <B>4) Grana </B></div> <div> Is made all year round with milk from various regions. The maturing period varies. </div> <bR> <div> To identify genuine Parmesan the rind is stamped with the name either Reggiano or Grana. </div> <bR> <div> <B>5) Romano </B></div> <div> Similar to and often used as a substitute for Parmesan, Romano is generally released between 4-6 months. </div> <bR> <div> <B>6) Pecorino </B></div> <div> Pecorino is made from ewe's milk. It has a tangy flavour and is released between one and twelve months. </div> <bR> <div> <B>7) Pepato </B></div> <div>  Pepato is a hard cheese with peppercorns scattered throughout. Released between 4-12 months. </div> <div>  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>