Author Topic: Leaf Wrapping Cheeses  (Read 36771 times)

Alex

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Re: Leaf Wrapping Cheeses
« Reply #30 on: November 02, 2009, 05:32:14 AM »
But they won't have theit original taste and flavor. When I cook with brined leaves (as not always I can get fresh) the main result is the texture I feel in my mouth and not the taste. Huge difference. I wouldn't even try preserved leaves for cheese wrapping. Try almost anything else you can get fresh.

Missy Greene

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Re: Leaf Wrapping Cheeses
« Reply #31 on: December 29, 2009, 02:46:29 AM »
 You folks are all so great.  This is so exciting, I have been trying for months to find out about leaf wrapped cheeses. Do any of you know of any books that include this? I feel like I have too many basic questions about it  to ask here.
thanks, Missy

Offline DeejayDebi

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Tea

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Re: Leaf Wrapping Cheeses
« Reply #33 on: December 29, 2009, 09:05:22 PM »
Well I wondered why my comment on the first page was quite inane, two threads have been merged.  Whew, I was thinking what an idiotic post.

Anyway, Deb the cheese in the second link that you posted, looks like it has slip skin.  Is that how it is supposed to be?

I have also been wondering if you could do this with a basil leaf.  Just place one leaf on the top and bottom, or round the sides of a cheese?  Do they stick on, or do they need to be tied there.  Alex's cheese looks like it is sticking, while others are wrapped.

Thanks for everyone for a great informative post.
« Last Edit: December 29, 2009, 09:16:30 PM by Tea »

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Leaf Wrapping Cheeses
« Reply #34 on: December 30, 2009, 03:48:15 AM »
Tea -
I kind of thought it looked like a brain but the idea of using cabbage leaves was what I was looking at.

FRANCOIS

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Re: Leaf Wrapping Cheeses
« Reply #35 on: December 30, 2009, 08:14:15 PM »
Well I wondered why my comment on the first page was quite inane, two threads have been merged.  Whew, I was thinking what an idiotic post.

Anyway, Deb the cheese in the second link that you posted, looks like it has slip skin.  Is that how it is supposed to be?

I have also been wondering if you could do this with a basil leaf.  Just place one leaf on the top and bottom, or round the sides of a cheese?  Do they stick on, or do they need to be tied there.  Alex's cheese looks like it is sticking, while others are wrapped.

Thanks for everyone for a great informative post.

Banon is a very, very fragrant cheese.  It is supposed to look that way.  I don't care for the stuff.  You can place a single leaf on these cheeses, make sure it is moist and you are using a flexible/thin leaf.  It also needs to be handled gingerly.

Good luck.

Tea

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Re: Leaf Wrapping Cheeses
« Reply #36 on: December 31, 2009, 03:23:57 AM »
Francois thankyou very much.  Your advice is always much appreciated.

I was wondering, just from looking at some of the pic, whether a herbal leaf, could be added externally to a cheese like Brie/Cam for extra flavour, which would then be incorporated in with the mould.  Would the addition of a herb ruin the flavour.  I realise that it probably wouldn't be traditional, but is it worth playing around with?

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Re: Leaf Wrapping Cheeses
« Reply #37 on: December 31, 2009, 03:32:56 AM »
Gee I have a big ole fresh bundle of dill maybe I'll wrap my next Havarti?

Alex

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Re: Leaf Wrapping Cheeses
« Reply #38 on: December 31, 2009, 07:14:13 AM »
Tea, I would give it a try, I mean basil leaves. Freeze them for 12-24 hours, they will soften and pliable to cover all of your cheese. For a better result, I would go for a longer aged cheese, not Cam. Try washing a Cam with beer or cider or sweet white wine.

Debi, I think dill is much tricky to wrap a havarti, mix it with the curds.

When I wrap a cheese with leaves, I wipe it regularly with salt brine like a natural rind aged cheese.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Leaf Wrapping Cheeses
« Reply #39 on: January 01, 2010, 03:36:39 AM »
Alex I always mix it in the curds. I bought the dill for the next Havarti which hopfully with be tomorrow. I have to  try that water bath trick I was thinking of setting the cheese on a bed of dill and covering it wilth it also.

Brie

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Grape Leaves
« Reply #40 on: June 03, 2010, 02:41:05 AM »
Great looking cheese, Alex--I wish I had access to fresh grape leaves. I have been wiping my current Manchego with Sweet Paprika--can't wait to try it.

Alex

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Re: Grape Leaves
« Reply #41 on: June 03, 2010, 03:33:57 AM »
Thanks Lee, good luck and don't forget to keep us updated.

Brie, very nice looking rind. The season of fresh grape leaves just started by us now. May be you can find something else. We use them for stuffing as well. I am not sure about the contribution of the paprika to the taste of the cheese, but to the rind only, I like it, I eat the rind. The leaves wrapping wasn't edible. I prefere the rind treated cheeses, unfortunately, I not always have the time to dedicate to such "activity".

Brie

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Re: Grape Leaves
« Reply #42 on: June 03, 2010, 04:24:15 AM »
How funny, Alex--I spent the last weekend trying to find your pics and recipes for the cheese you have, again, posted. I love the method you used with the beer wash. Excuse the pun, but it is "utterly" amazing. How did it end up tasting?

Alex

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Re: Grape Leaves
« Reply #43 on: June 03, 2010, 04:59:27 AM »
Brie, you may always call me here or through messages.
To be honest, I didn't like the "rotten" taste of the 3 M old fresh parsley. If I could isolate that, it would be awesome. I'll have to try other herbs.

iratherfly

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Re: Grape Leaves
« Reply #44 on: June 03, 2010, 06:30:35 AM »
Beautiful cheeses you guys!
Funny thing, I spent the entire weekend looking for fresh grape or chestnut leaves and couldn't get any. I couldn't even get the preserved kind (which I am not sure are useful because of the citric acid used to preserve them). Alex, how do you use them? My intention was to boil chestnut leaves, then dry them and soak them in Brandy, Grappa, Marc or Calvados and use them to wrap my new goat's cheese experiments. I don't know if I would have boiled grape leaves but I am looking for advice here. Olive leaves is another interesting option. Do you guys know of others?

I love the Pimenton (sweet paprika) rind; it's very common with Spanish cheeses. It lends character to the flavor as you eat the cheese but doesn't seem to deeply affect the flavor profile during maturation, at least not as much as herbs or bacterial rinds.

Alex, your parsley issue is the reason I put nothing in cheese. I would only put stuff in the rind. Fruits, nuts, herbs, spices for me belong on the side. That being said... this is a gorgeous cheese (reminds me of Spanish Tetilla). Can I get the recipe?