Author Topic: Looking for new flavors  (Read 11866 times)

CheeseSnipe

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Looking for new flavors
« on: July 09, 2011, 06:03:17 PM »
I've got a steady supply of goat's milk now and I'm looking to branch out on flavors for my fresh goat cheese. So far I've done things like Herbs d Provence, honey lavender, scallions parsley, etc.

Wondering if any of you have some killer combos. I'm open to unusual (curry, thai spices, Cajun, etc)  A)

Tomer1

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2011, 06:47:14 PM »
You might want to make pesto or sun dried tomato filled rolls or balls.
Its very nice when you cut into it with green\red in the middle,
You want to season your cheese with salt and black pepper so its not bland,
Deeping it in olive oil for presentation is an added bonus.

smilingcalico

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2011, 11:50:27 PM »
Curry is a great one.  Try also dried fruit and honey along with some spices.  You can either let the fruit soak up moisture from the cheese, or rehydrate first. 

stoneyridge

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2011, 03:49:05 PM »
I add ham and green onion.  It's more of a cheese-ball type, but it's extremely popular.  To 1 lb. of Chevre, add about 4 ounces of finely chopped ham and about 4 green onions (scallions), also chopped very fine.

Dill and garlic is my personal favorite.  Basil and sun-dried tomato drizzled with olive oil is good, too.

D

CheeseSnipe

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2011, 06:38:59 PM »
Thanks all. I'm going to be flavoring today! In the past I've added the herbs directly to the milk before the cultures and rennet which makes for an amazing infused flavor. But since I made an extra large batch I'm going to just coat these individually and let them soak for a while.

velward

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2011, 06:48:08 PM »
I layer mine in the draining stage with Good Seasons Italian Dressing  mix. Just put half the cheese in the cheesecloth or strainer or whatever you use, sprinkle half of the package of dried mis on , then ladle the other half of the cheese, sprinkle with remaining mix. Let it drain. MMMM

Offline Gürkan Yeniçeri

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2011, 10:46:40 PM »
I like the taste of japanese miso soup and I discovered that it is available as a sauce in the market. I wonder how that would work in or around the cheese.

In the address http://www.fuchu.or.jp/~kanemitu/misomaking.htm it explains how to make miso. Also Koji fungi may work like P. or G. Candidum outside the cheese or Koji can be used in combination with P. or G. Candidum to create a layer.

I just don't know where to get koji fungi. Maybe a japanese restaurant around you or Hattori Hanzo  ;D can help.

Edit: more story about Koji here

linuxboy

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2011, 11:09:42 PM »
Quote
Also Koji fungi may work like P. or G. Candidum outside the cheese or Koji can be used in combination with P. or G. Candidum to create a layer.
Aspergillus can indeed work like that. I have used it to create accelerated maturation cheese that does not proteolyse as much as p candidum, and contributes lipolytic properties, especially in breaking up TC6 and TC8 triglycerides. I used a modified rice paste. Basically, a modified form of PDA that's inoculated and painted on. Was a decent cheese, but too gimmicky for me. A better use would be to match umami with umami, and create a bean paint with aspergillus and ripen it on a higher moisture parm variant, in a smaller form factor.

Offline ArnaudForestier

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2011, 11:22:15 PM »
Quote from: Gürkan Yeniçeri
I just don't know where to get koji fungi.

It's been a long while, but I used to buy koji for sake making, through Momokawa.  Nice people, too.  Don't know if they provide koji any longer, however.
- Paul

CheeseSnipe

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #9 on: July 18, 2011, 07:40:44 PM »
So some of the new flavors were a hit at the picnic yesterday.
Favorites of the group: garlic/dill, sundried tomato/basil, vindaloo curry.  Herbs de Province is the all around staple that everyone always loves. I also liked my new creation: szechwan peppercorn/hickory smoked sea salt. though the feedback was that it needed a bit more kick.  ;)

For the tomato/basil I took DRY sundried tomatoes (hard not marinated) and put them in the food processor with dried basil and turned them into a powder and then rolled the cheese in the dust. Let it sit for about 5 days to absorb the flavor. It was pretty intense and the flavor was solid throughout the cheese.

Thanks all for the input!

Saltysteele

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #10 on: August 31, 2011, 10:55:30 PM »
do you typically use dried herbs for cheeses?

i've got fresh thyme, basil and oregano (i think mint, too, but pretty sure that's gone to seed).

i hope to make chevre this weekend, and am thinking of doing a sun dried tomato and basil.  how much would you suggest using (speaking specifically of the sun dried tomato) for a pound of cheese?

how about salt and pepper? just to taste, or is there a recommendation for a starting point?  just regular black pepper (or mixed), or would white pepper also work?

did you mix your herbes de provence yourself, or is there a spice mix you can purchase for this?

thank you!  :)

CheeseSnipe

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #11 on: September 08, 2011, 09:18:05 PM »
Sorry for the delay Salty. I don't get on here as often as I used to.
1. I used dried although I'm sure as long as your herbs are clean you could use fresh, but fresh requires move and might add a fiber quality to the cheese where as dried can be crushed to dust.

2. Ratio is really up to you and how long you are going to let it sit before eating. I have found 2-3 days is perfect. Any sooner and the flavor is just on the outside (if coated vs. mixing). And after a week + it gets too strong and overpowering.

3. For the sun dried I used 3 or 4 small dried tomatoes for 1/4 pound and it was way more than enough. I would say a tablespoon or two for a pound. I found it was best to mix more favorable  to the basil than tomato.

4. For Salt and Pepper I was using hickory smoked sea salt for a smokey spicy twist. I just added the relative amount the base recipe called for instead of using cheese or kosher salt. I used lots of large cracked peppercorns, much like you would coat a burger. This one takes some time to soften up the peppercorns and too many was not a good thing.

5. I buy all my spices from Savory Spice Shop. They have great stuff and do their own blends and onsite grinding and mixing. They ship too. savoryspiceshop.com

Hope that helps!

Myrrh

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #12 on: September 13, 2011, 09:27:08 PM »
My two favorite flavors for fresh cheeses are Olive and Chive as well as Date and Walnut. I used pitted olives and dates so that I can use the food processor to chop them up.

drumbeat

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #13 on: September 14, 2011, 04:13:11 AM »
I'm not sure how this would go in a tangy goat milk cheese, but on my last cream cheese I decided to sweeten it up a little - cranberry, apricot, a little crystallised ginger and some chopped nuts - it went down a treat with everyone who tried it - they all want more.

CheeseSnipe

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Re: Looking for new flavors
« Reply #14 on: September 19, 2011, 06:06:10 PM »
both the olive and crystalized ginger sound awesome. Never thought of anything like that.