Goats, Sheep's Milk Cheese & Commonly Asked Questions

<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> <A HREF="id189.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Stretched Curd, Cheddar Round Eye Chee">Stretched Curd, Cheddar & Round  Eye Cheeses</A></div> <div> <B>Goats, Sheep's Milk Cheese & Commonly Asked Questions</B></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>Goats, Sheep's Milk Cheese & Commonly Asked Questions</I></div> <div> <B>GOATS AND SHEEPS MILK CHEESE    </B> </div> <bR> <div> Goats and Sheeps cheese have only recently become popular in Australia with goats cheese becoming particularly popular and featuring strongly on restaurant menus and in recipe books. </div> <bR> <div> The influence has come strongly from European settlers. </div> <bR> <div> <B>GOATS CHEESE</B> has a distinctive flavour, slightly goatee, though smooth and creamy in texture. Goat’s cheese is available in cryovac imported from France and is now more readily available locally. </div> <bR> <div> Some people have had a bad goats cheese experience, i.e. very acidic bad tasting cheese, like a bad goat. This is a result of bad milk and was more common several years when backyard operations were producing goat’s cheese with very little care taken with goat hygiene. </div> <bR> <div> Encourage those that have had such an experience to try again, a good goats cheese is a treat and makes a terrific entree or addition to a salad. </div> <bR> <div> <B>SHEEPS MILK CHEESE </B>has a much softer less distinctive flavour than goat’s milk. It is much creamier milk, and 70% higher in calcium than cow’s milk. Sheep’s milk cheeses are traditionally Greek (although the Greeks are probably more well known for their sheep’s milk yoghurt). Well-known local producers of sheep’s milk cheeses are Milawa who produce Ewes milk cheese in a Washed Rind. Pecorino is traditionally made' with ewes milk and Meredith Sheers Cheese is a good example of this type of cheese. </div> <bR> <div> <B>                                                  COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS</B> </div> <bR> <div> <B>1. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BET\VEEN BRIE AND CAMEMBERT?</B> </div> <bR> <div> Originally it was tile region the cheese came from in France, Brie and Camembert. Then it was the size of the cheese, Camembert was small (about 200gms) and Brie was large (around 3kgs). . </div> <div> Today there are no standard rules of sizing and companies make various sizes of both Brie and Camembert. </div> <div> The simplest explanation today is; </div> <div> Camembert has </div> <div> 1)    less moisture</div> <div> 2)    less fat </div> <div> 3)   Jess flavour </div> <div> 4)    Does not bulge like Brie </div> <bR> <div> Technically the above information is correct, however a different bacteria is used for mould development in Camembert, which also has a bearing on the flavour. </div> <bR> <div> <B>2. HOW DO I KNOW WHEN A CHEESE IS READY TO EAT? </B></div> <div> A very personal choice, some may consider a cheese may well past its edible stage, but to others it is just ready to eat. This choice is mainly in the soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert, where the older they are the more aromatic and some consider the more flavour some they become. </div> <bR> <div> You should rely on your own sense of smell. Some cheeses have a unique aroma however, there is a distinctive smell when they have passed the edible stage. </div> <bR> <div> When buying specialty cheese the ‘use by’ dates should be used as a guide. Some cheeses however are about to enter the best stage of development when their "use by" date expires. </div> <bR> <div> If planning to eat the cheese soon after purchase, buy cheese with the shortest ‘use by’. If planning to store the cheese for a few days, naturally look for a cheese with a longer 'use by'. However, generally speaking from date of purchase. Hard cheeses keep for several months, cheddars and other firm cheese from weeks to months, </div> <div> soft cheeses and blue cheese from one to four weeks and fresh cheese several days. </div> <bR> <div> <B>3. HOW SHOULD CHEESE BE STORED? </B></div> <bR> <div> Store cheese in its original wrapper where possible to prevent the cheese from drying out. Wrap blue cheese in foil and keep white mould cheeses loosely wrapped in plastic. Cheddars should be stored in an airtight environment to prevent drying out. </div> <div> Fresh cheese and soft cheeses absorb odours; therefore store them away from other strong cheeses. </div> <bR> <div> Mould sometimes develops on cheese when. stored for long periods. This mould is harmless and can be cut off with little waste. </div> <bR> <div> Cheese should be stored in a refrigerator in the warmest part of the fridge (i.e. in the vegetable drawer). </div> <bR> <div> <B>2. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FARMHOUSE & SPECIALTY CHEESE? </B></div> <bR> <div> Farmhouse cheese is defined as cheese made on the farm with milk from the cows on that farm. Generally speaking farmhouse cheeses are handmade on a small scale, in limited quantities. King Island cheeses are a good example of farmhouse cheeses. </div> <bR> <div> Specialty cheeses are generally hand made by traditional techniques. Using milk drawn from a small number of farms based in a specific region. Farmhouse and specialty cheeses are generally short life products. </div> <bR> <div> Commodity cheeses (Dairy Case) are mass-produced. The milk is sourced from various regions and all cheese is mechanically made. These cheeses are consistently the same and do not develop with age. They lack the character and uniqueness of the specialty or farmhouse cheese. Commodity cheese has been heat treated to extend its life on the shelf. </div> <bR> <div> <B>3.WHAT IS PASTEURISATION? </B></div> <bR> <div> It is law in Australia that all cheese must be made with pasteurised milk. Pasteurisation a process, which involves heating the milk to a level that kills all the harmful bacteria is a safety precaution to prevent food poisoning and sickness. </div> <bR> <div> Purists believe that by pasteurising the milk. some of the bacteria which gives flavour and character to the cheese are also being killed thus cheese made in Australia is bland and lacking in flavour. This is an ongoing debate between the health authorities and a small band of purists, but while there is the possibility of outbreaks of health problems these laws will stay. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>