An Exploration of Cheese (A GSW 1120 Honors Collaboration)

As I’ve hinted at in my Connotation Press column as well as in an episode of Spatula, I’m addicted to cheese. I eat it at least once a day, and sometimes well more than that. What’s beautiful about cheese is that no two are the same. I’ve even found very different flavor profiles among the same brand of cheese; for example, I’ve had Grass Point Farm Sharp Cheddars that are perfectly tangy and rich and others that taste like lavender dish soap; it all depends on the grass the cow ate. 

In an attempt to introduce source synthesis to the students in my food-themed Honors writing course, I took my love of cheese into the classroom. This past Thursday the nine of us chowed down five different cheeses and talked about the similarities and differences between them. Because they are an awesome, talkative, sharp bunch, our discussion was lively and intelligent. And the writing was even better.

The five cheeses we tasted and critiqued were:

Raw Milk GoatCheddar by Rosewood Products, Ann Arbor, MI bought at Whole Foods in Ann Arbor. 15.99/lb (Can be procured at Happy Badger too.)

Grass Point Farms Sharp Cheddar Cheese bought at The Anderson's. 10.99/lb

Naturally GoodKosher Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese from Meijer. 4.99/ 1/2 lb

Kraft Easy Cheddar Cheese from Kraft Foods Global bought from Kroger. $4.29 a can.

Kroger brand Marbled CheddarCheese by Kroger bought from Kroger. $1.88 1/2 lb

Without further ado, I welcome the following guest writers to The Everyday Palate: David, Kara, Alyssa, Laura, Tiffany, Spencer, Sarah, and Jess. Please enjoy these reviews of our tasting. Preferably with a glass of red wine (or sparkling grape juice, if you’re under 21.)

From The Cookbook Chronicles
"Photography internship
with Clare Barboza"

Cheese reminds of us many things: our grandmas, recipes, pizza, crackers, and, as Alyssa pointed out, mice. (Think about all the children’s books about mice can cheese!) While the French are the true connoisseurs of cheese, Americans have just as much love for this dairy product—we just show it in a different way; Spencer pointed out our love of fried cheese on a stick, when he jotted down his top five things that come to mind when someone says cheese. Tiffany, however, thought of France, and Sarah was reminded of the cheese tastings she had in high school.  Laura brings together Tiffany and Sarah’s thoughts when she recalled, “My favorite memory of cheese is from my French class. Every year, over the past four years, my French teacher would always take one day off of teaching the class and let us have a ‘culture experience day.’ That day would consist of eating or trying different types of cheese and crackers/ bread. Along with the cheese we would try different types of drinks and such as well. It was always a fun day every year of just hanging out with my friends, spending time with our awesome teacher, and discussing with each other. This is one of the things that made this my favorite class (aside from bio) in high school.”  But the sacred cheese dish that ignited ignites our senses and memories the most was Macaroni and Cheese. Jessica wrote, “A memory I have attatched to cheese is the paula dean mac and cheese my best friend makes it's my favorite mac and cheese, and she spent 4 hours making it for me for my graduation party.” Elaborating on Jessica’s memory that addressed the sacredness of Mac and Cheese is Kara who said, “My cheese memory that comes to mind is my Grandma's mac and cheese.  It is gooey and has bread crumbs on the top and is baked and really delicious.  I love it when I'm sick or if it is a cold winter day and I keep getting cravings for it while I'm at school, but I would have to go home to have it.  It also helps that Mac and Cheese is my favorite food, which is why I probably crave her Mac and Cheese so much.” For me, Mac and Cheese has always been attached to nostalgia; it was the first food that ever appeared in a poem on mine, and it remains a meal that conquers so many memories I don’t know where to begin. Essentially, cheese is part of the foundation of American food culture, and will probably always remain as such.

During our tasting we learned many things about our palates and the cheese we liked and didn’t like.

David and Kara ate Raw Milk Goat Cheddar, which is produced by Rosewood Products. For this review, we purchased it at Whole Foods in Ann Arbor, MI, but it can also be purchased at Happy Badger.  We would describe this cheese as being chalky and dry with a slightly grainy texture.  It also has a very distinct taste.  The distance to travel to get it is a little ridiculous as well.  David said that he thinks that "it was my favorite of all the cheeses, however I would not pay that much for any type of cheese."  Kara agreed about the price; however, she disagreed with David when it came to the goat cheese.  She said that it had a "strong aftertaste" and was only "good if you prefer the taste of goat cheese."  Essentially, this cheese is good if you have the palate for it; otherwise, there are better options available that are easier and cheaper to get a hold of.

Grass Point Farms Sharp Cheddar Cheese from The Anderson’s receives different reactions from altering consumers, making it hard to determine it’s worth. Alyssa, not an avid cheese taster, says that the Grass Point Farms Sharp Cheddar Cheese was “too strong for me and was dry in texture.” Laura disagrees with Alyssa saying that it “was creamy and had a slight taste, but not to strong taste.” Due to the differentiating reaction from the tasters, this cheese is not only easily favored but can also be disliked. When it comes to texture and taste of cheese, the two disagree. However, the two do agree on the fact that the cheese was not worth $10.99 per pound.

Tiffany considers Naturally Good Kosher Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese from Meijer to be quite delicious because of it's sharp, prominent flavor. Tiffany believes that this sharp flavor is the reason that this cheese went so well with the cracker it was accompanying. Tiffany also believes that this specific cheese would be a great addition to a fondue party. In concordance with Tiffany's opinion, Spencer finds the flavor of this cheese to be well worth the price, at $4.99 for every 1/2 pound. Spencer's opinion reflects on Tiffany's statement about the use of this cheddar for a fondue party because the flavor obtained is worth the amount spent on it and will ensure that the party will be a success. These two individuals both agree that Naturally Good Kosher Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese from Meijer is a fantastically delicious cheese.

During the cheese tasting experiment, Jessica and Sarah both refused to try the Kraft Easy Cheddar Cheese From Kraft Foods Global. This cheese can be purchased at Kroger in a can. Jessica stated, “I did not eat the spray cheese, because it is so processed.” Sarah agreed with Jessica, and further went on to state, “ I try to eat foods that are pretty healthy and that do not contain ingredients I have never heard of, as well as unhealthy chemicals.” The ingredients in this cheese include calcium phosphate, sodium phosphate, lactic acid, and sorbic acid as a preservative. In trying all of the cheeses, we chose not to try this cheese, because it just does not seem natural compared to the others. 

(During our writing time, Amanda said, “I did it. I ate the spray cheese. And, honestly, I had to stop myself from having more. I have no clue what that says about my food ethics. Here I am a true locavore, all-natural, gluten-free-endorsing home cook, and I could easily become addicted to spray cheese…”)

Overall, our exploration of cheese let us see the many flavor profiles cheese can have. And it showed us how essential cheese is to our diets here in the Midwest, which was more proof of how food has meaning beyond it’s nutritional value. 

Thoughts During Breakfast After Morning Yoga

Photo from http://earthyogi.blogspot.com/

Early morning is the most sacred time to me. The house is sleepy and dark, and all is quiet--a perfect time to begin the day on my yoga mat.

My favorite part of my routine is the one that remains unseen by all except me and FD. Almost every morning during my warm-up twists, my big black Labrador, Bleu, yawns and stretches his way out of bed to do yoga with me. He's quite the fan of downward and upward dogs, so he does a little routine of bows and planks as I begin my sun salutation. Then he lies down next to my mat and takes a little nap. But the moment I sit down for seated twists or hero's pose, he finds his way into my lap with a big hug and will lay there like a little puppy. A 92 pound puppy. He's so sweet and snuggly that I can slide him around so I can continue my practice. It's a private moment that I cherish. Seriously, if you know Bleu, it's hard to imagine him calm and snuggly. But ever since he was an 8-week old puppy, we've done yoga together; it's our morning bonding time.

Each morning I change up my routine depending on what I need for the day. Sometimes it's rigorous standing and balancing poses like Warrior series or Side Angle twists. Sometimes I spend an hour on inversions or backbends. Other days I choose more restorative poses like legs up the wall or forward folds. No matter what routine I do, the one pose that is always most difficult for me is Savasana, or Corpse pose. My impulse is to skip it but I realize it is the most important pose to hold in order to remind myself throughout the day to "slow down and take a moment." This morning I acknowledged the resistance and used it to help me relax. In a sense, the resistance became a reminder for why I need Corpse pose so much. Yoga has a strange way of teaching us things about life.

Over my standard breakfast of plain yogurt and tea (I save the calories for later in the day and snacks), only minutes after my yoga routine, I had to remind myself to hold onto the quiet of morning yoga as I whizzed through the countless emails, student essays, the menu for the day, and the events in my planner--all before spin class at 9. So quickly the day hits me, and so quickly I hit the ground sprinting from thing to thing.

As I chow down breakfast and open up my laptop, sometimes I forget I only awoke from corpse pose an hour or two ago. The house brightens as the sun stretches through the windows and my to-do list gets longer and longer. Recording these special kernels of time, like my morning yoga with Bleu or my sacred dinner with FD, helps me remember and keeps me focused on what's really important in life.

Goodbye Summer & Picnics at the Quarry

Tomorrow  the semester starts and summer ends.

While I really excited to get back in the classroom with my students, I'm a little sad too. It means I'm going to have a lot less time to cook.

One of my favorite summer activities has been going to the Portage Quarry with our friends N & I. They are as food obsessed as me.

So really, while swimming was totally fun, what was even more fun were our picnics. All of us brought A game to every meal. We're talking spreads that would shame wedding buffets. And what a better way to use up all that fresh produce that was overtaking our refrigerators' crisper drawers?

Also, what picnic days taught me was how to think outside the box of what was picnic food, and they forced me to experiment more with grains, chilled salads, and sides, most of which could easily become main dishes.

I had a blast spending the whole day before our outings scouring through online and magazine and cookbook recipes, creating various flavor simple syrups, testing adult lemonades, finding plastic containers with tight fitting lids, and cooking.

Thanks to our picnics I've learned to love lentils even more, and I feel much closer to N & I (and our friend J who joined us once too!), who were rad to begin with but who are even more rad after I got a chance to chill, swim, and eat with them.

As homage to the last of our picnic days (and summer, in general), here are photos from our summer of good eating, good swimming, and good friends.

Homemade grape leaves, homemade hummus, egg salad, chicken salad, coleslaw with beets, beet salad, etc.

N & I made their own pickles. True love at first bite.

A lot of our produce came from the community garden and farmers markets.

N's baking is divine. This is her cupcake with mint (or basil?) frosting. It's hard to remember everything...

Lentil wraps, fried chicken, bbq chicken & tofu, pasta salad, kale salad, roasted potatoes, peach crisp, etc.

Green bean and cherry tomato salad with onion--produce from my friend Sarah's garden.

Say Cheese!

This past week my Honors 1120 students and I taste tested 5 different cheeses to further develop our palates and to practice source synthesis. The five cheeses were:

Raw Milk Sharp Cheddar by Rosewood Products, Ann Arbor, MI bought at Happy Badger.

Canal Junction Grassfed Sharp Cheddar from Defiance, OH bought at Kazmaier's Family Grocery.

Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar from Vermont bought at Kazmaier's Family Grocery.

Kraft Natural Mild Cheddar Cheese from Kraft Foods Global bought at Meijer.

Velveeta from Kraft Foods Global bought at Kroger.

Here's our collaborative narrative. We hope you enjoy it!

Most of us associated cheese with mice, "holes," and pasta dishes. Mostaccoli is one such dish that came to mind. Megan writes, “In Chicago we have a really popular restaurant called Barnelli's and I always get their baked mostaccoli, it's the best I've ever had. Cheese is kind of like a comfort food to me cause I have loved it ever since I was a little girl.” Jessica agrees with Megan and further describes Mostaccoli: “My favorite cheese-related dish is a baked penne pasta in tomato sauce. You can get it at the italian place called DiBennedito's downtown on the same side of the street as Panera. It's penne pasta and chicken, prosciutto, mushrooms, peppers, and all kinds of good stuff in a thick cream tomato sauce and the whole dish is covered in baked mozzarella and parmesan cheese, which is the best part.” As a class we determined that when most people think of cheese, they think of pasta and comfort foods, such as Mostaccoli and Macaroni and Cheese. Megan and Jessica illustrate this love of pasta cheese dishes.

After many taste tests, the Happy Badger cheese turned out to be a well accepted cheese by most of the students in the class. The raw milk sharp cheddar cheese appeared to be white in color and it smelt just like a regular cheddar cheese. Erin says, “I didn’t think that it had a whole lot of flavor but I still enjoyed it.” Her opinion is echoed by Megan: “I like most cheeses, especially cheddar cheese and I thought this one was really good.” Rachel describes this cheese as having “a nice flavor to it.” Several students described the cheese as difficult to cut and it appeared to have a firm consistency. Some students were skeptical about the appearance of the cheese, however most of them decided to try it. Lin-z says, “This cheese looks a lot like the gross Canal Junction cheese, but I gave it a shot.” We would recommend this particular cheese because overall it was well-liked by most of our classmates. It maintains an original cheddar taste, but was not too extreme.

Canal Junction Grassfed Sharp Cheddar from Defiance, OH bought at Kazmaier's Family Grocery is a cheese that is loved by some and hated by others. The majority of the class disliked the Canal Junction cheese. When describing it one person, Lin-Z Tello said said, “This tasted like cow poop. Disgusting. It smells innocent enough but once you take a nibble its like 'KA-POW' and your mouth is fighting against the farm. Not cool.” Erynn was one of the taste testers who preferred the taste of this cheese. When addressing her ideas on the cheese she shared knowledge of cheeses produced in different areas to give insight to why this cheese has the distinct taste. She wrote, “I love this cheese. … There is a distinct flavor you can tell what the cows were eating. It Italy, the people who live on the flat part are so obsessed with their cows and cheese, they keep them in barns and only feed them certain grasses and herbs so the milk tastes a certain way, and the cheese produced is very strong like this.” Though these opinions are very diverse, it appears to be a matter of person taste preference for the Canal junction cheese from grass-fed cows.

The Vermont cheese is one of its own, a truly unique piece of cheese. This variety of cheese is white, has a thicker substance, and was generally liked by the entire class. In regards to this cheese, Eryn writes, “This is a good cheese. It's not to sharp, not too smooth, a good consistency in your mouth. It breaks apart crisply from the brick and sort of cushions your teeth as you chew, truly a pleasure for the mouth.” Stephanie also liked this type of cheese, writing, “It had a little bit sharper of a taste than the Raw Milk one, but way less sharp than the Canal Junction one. Overall, it had a nice consistency.”

In America, when we think of cheese Kraft is a brand that comes to mind. It's a very common and accessible product in all major grocery stores and food chains. There is no preparation involved for this product. All you must do is simply cut the cheese, place it on a cracker and enjoy! People seem to have different reactions to this cheese, with some enjoying it and others not. As one classmate, Jessica, stated, "The Kraft cheese had a sharp flavor, but it tasted a little fake, like it had wax or oil or something added to it. It's after-taste made me feel like I was sick for a split-second." This shows that she was not very fond of the Kraft cheese. Rachel, on the other hand, really liked the Kraft. She said, "I enjoyed the Kraft cheese...the cheese stays together when I cut into it, and long after. The flavor seemed like what classic cheddar cheese should taste like - the flavor I imagine whenever anyone mentions cheddar cheese." These classmates reactions are an example of how different people enjoy different things.

Velveeta cheese is made by Kraft Foods Global and can be bought at Kroger grocery store. Jessica Miller thought that Velveeta cheese was "gross. It looked like margarine...and it kind of tasted like it too." Tracy Zack had like thoughts, asserting that "[it] smooshed together when I cut it. It didn't smell authentic...It was packaged in a foil wrap inside of a box." Jessica believed the cheese was too processed to the point it didn't feel or taste like cheese, and Tracy would agree. Both girls had immediate reactions of distaste for Velveeta cheese, and they would not recommend it to others.

As a class we were struck by the differences between each cheese's texture and taste. We realized, too, that even though Velveeta was clearly the most processed of the cheeses, it was one that recalled many memories and feeling of "home," which we found important because it showed us that all food has meaning.

The 67th Golden Globes

In honor of a tradition that stems from a good friend from grad school, I hosted a Golden Globe party last night. Guests were required to fill out ballots and a grand prize was awarded to the one who guessed the most wins. In addition to this healthy competition I upped the ante and help a "best appetizer" contest as well that had a nice grand prize too!

There's nothing like opening the door to guests with elaborate dishes and determined game faces.

While being a hostess is in itself very rewarding, I didn't have a chance to take a picture of each app. However, I'm going to do my best to recount each dish.

The grand prize winner: bacon-wrapped dates. A date wrapped in bacon is a perfect date for the Golden Globes. (Horrible pun intended.)

Also on the menu: bite-sized Caesar salad phillo cups; fresh from Sarah L.'s backyard hens deviled eggs with homemade mayo, caviar, and chives; red curry salmon bites; prosciutto bites with basil and cream cheese; mini Oreo crust cheesecakes; cranberry and sauerkraut meatballs, chocolate mascarpone toffee squares; and tomato swiss canapes.

I omitted myself from the competition, but I made chile-corn custard squares, spice crispies, and pimento cheese. (Please visit links for recipes.) The pimento cheese seemed to be the biggest hit of the apps I prepared, and it was definitely the easiest to prepare. I liked the spice crispies a lot. And the chile-corn custard squares were good but a little greasy; I don't think I'd oil the non-stick pan before baking.

And where there is good food there is always good company! I have to thank all of our guests for their generous and adventurous spirits. Seriously, it was the first party I've ever hosted where I left everyone gel and become a community of common folk. It was divine. I'm lucky to have such fabulous friends.

Congrats to Sarah L.--the app AND Golden Globes winner! She swept all the categories. In true Hollywood style.

Now, if only I could feel content that Sandra Bullock won best actress in a drama...

The Martha's Vineyard Table: A Cookbook Review

When I was a kid, most of my friends played outside, watched cartoons, or read Nancy Drew stories. I devoutly studied fashion magazines.

When I was 10, I remember obsessively

examining a particularly preppy spread of models having fun-in-the-sun in Martha's Vineyard. From that moment, I've wanted nothing more than spend one summer complete where I could stroll the brick sidewalks, sail the beautiful blue waters, ride my bike to a lighthouse, and sip a tasty cocktail from a porch that overlooks the ocean.

This dream began when I lived in Florida. And this dream sounds like something that could have happened in Florida, but the Florida fashion scene didn't have what I wanted: polo shirt dresses, patchwork shorts, a gingham print bikini. A linen dinner dress with a cashmere cardigan to keep me warm from a cool evening breeze on my walk home from a friend's cottage dinner party.

I've never been to Martha's Vineyard. Not yet.

But the dream is alive, especially after upon finding at my country library and reading Jessica B. Harris' The Martha's Vineyard Table.

I figured I had the clothes nailed; now I had to see what the Vineyard food was all about.

I found out quickly I am screwed.

In the tenth grade, after I moved back to Ohio from Florida, I developed a shelled-seafood allergy, the bane of my wanna

be-foodie existence.

Yes, I am one of the unlucky many who must always tell the waiter about my allergy, who gets salmon instead of scallops during celebrity chef 5-course meals or New Year's Eve 8-course meals.

So when I discovered what should have been obvious to me--that shelled seafood is a staple in the Vineyard--Harris' cookbook become more about researching Martha's Vineyard than trying to cook Martha's Vineyard foods in my Ohioan home.

One of the most fun aspects of this cookbook is that each section is paired with a Vineyard neighborhood and some interesting facts or reflections on it. For example, Oak Bluffs is the neighbor described in the "Beverages" section, and smartly so because it is one of the two (Edgartown being the other) wet towns on the the island. Obviously, when we visit Martha's Vineyard FD and I must stay in one of those two neighborhoods.

The other neat feature of this book is before every recipe, there's a brief narrative about that specific dish, whether it's about being a dredger when preparing fried chicken or having an overabundance of lavender that comes in handy when making lavender syrup (photo), my favorite recipe from the book.

~

Ingredients:

6 cups of water

1/2 c dried lavender buds (I got mine from Calico, Sage, and Thyme)

3 cups sugar

Directions:

Combine water and lavender flowers in a 3-qt saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to simmer and simmer for 3-5 min. Remove from heat and let steep for 5 minutes.

Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing down on the lavender buds to make sure that all of the liquid is released. Return the liquid to the saucepan, add the sugar, and place over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 min. Raise the heat to medium, bring the syrup to a boil and remove from the heat. Let cool, then decant into sterilized bottles.

Syrup will keep for several weeks. Use it to sweeten tea, lemonade, or gin & tonics (photo).

~

There are many recipes from this cookbook I plan to try: Spicy Edamame; Curried Chicken Salad; Lavender, Garlic, and Rosemary Leg of Lamb with Spicy Mint Sauce; and Lavender Cookies.

However, I couldn't justifying owning this book. At least not yet. Because of my shelled-seafood allergy and the abundance of shelled-seafood recipes in Jessica B. Harris' The Martha's Vineyard Table, this cookbook, for me, would be more of a gorgeous display cookbook--with mouthwatering pictures of food and dreamy pictures of Vineyard landmarks--than a practical, which, as a beginner cook, I'm more in need of. For those who eat shelled-food regularly I would definitely recommend this fantastic find!

3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Fair Food

Mike's Wisconsin Fried Cheese Curd.

Best deep fried cheese I have ever eaten in my life.