The Vacherin Mont D'or this year was the best in years. After the years it was off the market.

It was creamy and, which was odd, cheaper in price than other years. To get your spoon in there was just out of this world.

But, even living in Swissland. I did get some Stilton and it was crap. I do love a bit of gorgonzola, you can eat it just with a bit of bread. or you can mix it with cream to make a nice pasta sauce.

But, number one this year has to go to Mont D'Or - the French or the Swiss versions. Yumsky.

If any of you have never tasted that cheese, you have to. It is heaven for cheese lovers. A bit of bread, a spoonful of cheese - and oooooooh!!!

Or heat it up and dip the bread in.

Sometimes, i am surprised that i am skinny.

May i addd,

Every year for about 15 years i have taken a Vacherin home to my sister for Xmas. This year i did not go home for Xmas, she almost had a hissy fit!!

That shows how much that cheese is loved and eaten etc.

'Du vin, du pain, et du Boursin!...'

oh...I'se justa Pasadena lad an' don't know nuthin' about dem nice euro cheeses...

whaddya suppose these folks had in the way of 'le fromage' for their picnic (there's tutsi on the left back in '38 wid s'penders and 'mon chapeau'...)

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/dec/23/henri-cartier-bresson-the-decisive-moment-reissued-photography

Some Favourites among many:

Stilton

Blue Danish

Mature Cheddar

Smoked Gouda

Gorganzola

I get 1 kilo of absolute top quality cheddar cheese, aged and double aged ( white ) for 200-250 baht - across the border in Washington State.. they make it right there at the farm.. using milk from their own cows..

Last year I brought some to LOS..I gave some to an expat friend - said it reminded of the proper cheese he use to get in England. He savored it all right..

I'll be sure to bring 3 or 4 kilos this year,to pass some around.. in Phuket..

and then there was Kenny when we was 19 y.o. and he was a sephardic jew from an old Pasadena family wid lotsa bucks but ended up on the gardening crew at Cal Tech...he was a crazy lad and believed in the prophesies of Edgar Cayce...

one day he sneaked into the kitchen at Cal Tech and 'liberated' a huge chunk of the finest bleu cheese...he brought it back to the digs and I said: 'whaddaya gonna do wid dat then?...'

he sneered and then broke off a chunk and mixed it with mayo and then dribbled the mixture on some fresh chopped up salad veges...and it was sublime...

just goes to show that them Edgar Cayce acolytes maybe gots more that what they normally reveal...

there is a famous canadian orange cheddar that's made in the Anderson Valley (?) east of Vancouver...

I was on the tramp up in 1971 in British Columbia in Fort St James a ways west outta Prince George one summer lookin' for work and in a little general store there I stole a hunk of the Anderson Valley cheese under my coat and then later devoured the lot out on the road with some Wonder Bread...the kindly middle aged woman that ran the place later gave me a credit facility that I later skipped out on 'cause I was broke and went elsewhere lookin' fer work...I finally found a saw mill at the end of a gravel track further north up outta MacKenzie...

when I got some money I sent what I owed back to the little store in Fort St James and extra for the cheese that I stole...I hope that the kindly woman at the store received it...

one tries to do the best that one can...

oh...'halleluya I'm a bum...' sorta fancied meself as a late 20th century northwest America 'bindle stiff' in the manner of Joe Hill and the IWW...I was a history student at university at the time and Joe Hill and Charles Bukowski were my heroes...all that and the Anderson Valley cheddar cheese...

Two name calling posts removed

You are talking hard cheese, not the nice creamy ones.

I can tell you, that mont d'or is the bestest.

Hi tutsi, what do you think about having gay Jewboy for the queen of the forum? Shise that sound bad... Bann me. I am not homophobic,

I did scrole around the internet and found him a 50 million dollar tiara. Nice one pats. Never got it back.

Angry pats, ban me give me five days etc. I want David back.

I'm sure he will be back, in the fullness of time!

Stilton - white and blue, red Leicester, Lancashire, Cheddar, double Gloucester, Port Salut, Brie, Camambert, Parmesan, Gouda, Eadem, Feta, Haloumi, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cheese on toast, croq monsieursm cheese and onion, cheese and pickle (all sorts), cheese salad, fondue, cheese cake.

Not something that seems to appeal to the Asian taste buds though, sadly

You are talking hard cheese, not the nice creamy ones.

I can tell you, that mont d'or is the bestest.

Hi tutsi, what do you think about having gay Jewboy for the queen of the forum? Shise that sound bad... Bann me. I am not homophobic,

I did scrole around the internet and found him a 50 million dollar tiara. Nice one pats. Never got it back.

Angry pats, ban me give me five days etc. I want David back.

I'm sure he will be back, in the fullness of time!

And Patsycat has not got her claws out yet. That was a simple hiss

Milleens running off the cheeseboard please.

The Vacherin Mont D'or this year was the best in years. After the years it was off the market.

It was creamy and, which was odd, cheaper in price than other years. To get your spoon in there was just out of this world.

But, even living in Swissland. I did get some Stilton and it was crap. I do love a bit of gorgonzola, you can eat it just with a bit of bread. or you can mix it with cream to make a nice pasta sauce.

But, number one this year has to go to Mont D'Or - the French or the Swiss versions. Yumsky.

If any of you have never tasted that cheese, you have to. It is heaven for cheese lovers. A bit of bread, a spoonful of cheese - and oooooooh!!!

Or heat it up and dip the bread in.

Sometimes, i am surprised that i am skinny.

Patsy you are a real connoisseur...next time you get a vacherin cut a small hole in the top take one or two spoons out and pour some young white Jura wine in it than put in the oven at 180C for about 12-15 min ...out of this world .the light acidity of the wine combined with the rich and creamy flavor of the cheese..stop dreaming Chef...

I was told to do the same with it with a bit of Kirsch. A bit like getting a wheel of stilton and up ending a bottle of port into it.

You know, when i beought it to take to Scotland a couple of years ago. It came with a oven proof dish. to be able to cook it. I still have the dishes. but sadly not the cheese.

But, my sister in Edinburgh actually ate it in a restaraunt hot with bread. Like a little fondue. This is the woman who is craving it, so i suggested she gets in touch with the Bistro and orders one when they get their new batch in.

But it is seasonal, and can never ever be frozen. But she was so happy to have actually found a place that served it, she actually called me to gloat.

If anybody reading this and thinks - what the hell are they going on about and if you are a cheese lover or think you are.

You have to get your spoon into Vacherin. It's the foie gras of cheeses.

I was told to do the same with it with a bit of Kirsch. A bit like getting a wheel of stilton and up ending a bottle of port into it.

You know, when i beought it to take to Scotland a couple of years ago. It came with a oven proof dish. to be able to cook it. I still have the dishes. but sadly not the cheese.

But, my sister in Edinburgh actually ate it in a restaraunt hot with bread. Like a little fondue. This is the woman who is craving it, so i suggested she gets in touch with the Bistro and orders one when they get their new batch in.

But it is seasonal, and can never ever be frozen. But she was so happy to have actually found a place that served it, she actually called me to gloat.

If anybody reading this and thinks - what the hell are they going on about and if you are a cheese lover or think you are.

You have to get your spoon into Vacherin. It's the foie gras of cheeses.

Patsy as stated before you know what are you're talking about...but i have to disagree with the Kirschwasser,it is just too dominant and disguise the special flavor of the Vacherin.as you know Vacherin is made from the last milk when the cows coming down from the Alm,the last few weeks there where no real grass anymore though the cows had to feed on herbs and lichen, that's the reason this cheese has such a unique taste...

but i talk about the Vacherin Mont'dor different with the Freyburger Vacherin(best mix for a cheese fondue 70% Freyburger Vacherin and 30 % Greyerzer-than the Kirschwasser works enhancing)...

God i miss cheese...

Moitie moite fondue is the best. You have the mix of gruyere and the vacherin.

Now, for our people who think that Switzerland is Swaziland. Here is a widdle video of how our cows are pampered. And don't forget they give you that cheese that you all love...

And the cow that gives the most milk whilst up on the mountain gets the biggest flower headress on the way down.

And then there are the ones that fight,,, these are called the Queens,

Last year i had my money on Margarite. Shakira won. What i love is the fact that you can go to or live in any country in the world and odd things go on.

Did any of you ever know that that goes on in Switzerland? And have you seen the size of those cows!!!

btw Patsy what is you expert opinion on Mimolette 18 months aged?

Never heard of it, but i can assure you that Shakira's hips did not lie. As you can see.

Cheese doesn't taste the same as when I was a nipper; not as good as it was back then when there were actual cheese shops. I love a sharp Lancashire or a strong, mature Cheddar. Try steaming a black pudding (don't forget to prick it first, chef) and serve with melted Lancashire cheese and English mustard.

However, my favourite cheese dish is equal quantities of Gorgonzola, single cream and butter, all melted gently in a pan till the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Serve with fusili (don't forget to cook it first, chef). Heart attack on a plate, but utterly divine. Can be embellished with fried pancetta lardons or a hint of garlic. Give it a cheffy look with some chopped parsley. Bet you didn't know that, chef.

I did mention above about making a yummy pasta sauce with gorgonzola and cream.

Another is Carbonara - egg yolks, cream and grated cheese. Lots of garlic too. Any old cheese will do. And for the meat eaters throw a few bits of bacon in there. I made some the other day - i ate one plate then two hours later the second plate and had the rest for lunch the next day.

And i still weigh 49 kilos. So all the cream and cheese do not make you fat.

Cheese doesn't taste the same as when I was a nipper; not as good as it was back then when there were actual cheese shops. I love a sharp Lancashire or a strong, mature Cheddar. Try steaming a black pudding (don't forget to prick it first, chef) and serve with melted Lancashire cheese and English mustard.

However, my favourite cheese dish is equal quantities of Gorgonzola, single cream and butter, all melted gently in a pan till the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Serve with fusili (don't forget to cook it first, chef). Heart attack on a plate, but utterly divine. Can be embellished with fried pancetta lardons or a hint of garlic. Give it a cheffy look with some chopped parsley. Bet you didn't know that, chef.

certainly i can't know all-many thanks for the inspiration...

I've never tried black pud and cheese. But can see that it could be good.

One cheese i don't like is parmesan. it is dry and smells like old socks.

I've never tried black pud and cheese. But can see that it could be good.

One cheese i don't like is parmesan. it is dry and smells like old socks.

get outta here, pats...if parmesan smells like old socks then gorgonzola smells like vomit...

howdoye make yer pesto if parmesan smells like old socks?

now dem mexicans got the right idea wid de panela...it don't smell like nuthin; just roll up in a couple of corn tortillas and down the hatch...wid de campesino cheese quesillo in de andes they ain't got money to buy bread so ye just crumble some over sum boiled potatoes and dig in wid yer spoon...('chomph, chomph, mumble, mumble...' tutsi: 'sorry but I don't speak quechua'...'tastes good, no?' tutsi: 'c'est deliceuse...'...)

the weather outside is bad and then tutsi then rolls up inna poncho and crashes on the dirt floor of a campesino hut at about elevation 8000 feet...and then he wakes up feelin' fine and someone already has a pitcher of chicha punatena on the go in early morning...an indigenous woman squats on the floor and is scrapin' the fur offa guinea pig to add to the pot wid potatoes and quinoa on the go...a classic andean 'lahwah' in preparation and I'se de guest of honor...

I'd be interested to know Crazy Chef's opinion of smoked cheese - Austrian, Dutch, German in particular. I've baked thinly sliced potatoes with smoked cheese & thin sliced onions and it is a dreamy dish; very rich so only small portions required. This great thread would be even better if the OP published a weekly cheese recipe that we could all try at home.

about the smoked cheese its a wonderful thing and i know about the German ones.only difficult thing is you have to smoke it cold at best below 15 C and not too long otherwise it gets bitter.back in the old country i smoked quiet a few ones.

about the recipes- just need a reminder otherwise- loom...

ok first one:

cut a cauliflower in medium sized chunks and blanch them,pour into a cocotte.

take about 400 g of sour cream and grate 200 g of feta cheese and mix together add 2 egg yolks- pour the mixture over the cauliflower. now sprinkle some breadcrumbs over it and top with some cold butter flakes.

now place it in the oven at 180 c for about 20 min and serve with a fresh baguette and if you need some meat with it just add to the mixture some fried bacon( preferable) pancetta.

enjoy