Mungalli Creek Ricotta

Mungalli Creek is a bio-dynamic dairy located in far north Queensland and they produce a range of products that include milk, yoghurt, cheese and dips. The cheese I'm looking at today is one that is very well known to Italians - Ricotta!

Cheese Maker: Mungalli Creek
Cheese Name: Ricotta
Location: Brooks Road, Millaa Millaa

Mungalli Creek has a tasting and tea room called Out of the Whey and it's open daily from 10am-4pm.

The dairy uses bio-dynamic practice as developed by Dr Rudolph Steiner in the 1920's. While they don't use artificial chemicals or fertilisers they do use something called Preparation 500. This is basically manure packed into corn horns and buried over winter. The manure converts into colloidal humus and is said to help develop soil structure and encourage worms and other soil micro-organisms. With healthy soil you get healthy feed and in turn healthy cows.

I often used Ricotta in recipes on this blog and have always stressed the important of avoiding those bland supermarket tubs of substances that bear no real resemblance to ricotta. While I am a supporter of the basket pressed delicatessen versions, this type of ricotta is something I use when I just want to enjoy the cheese as it is. I think is as close as you can get to ricotta you've made yourself.

It's gorgeously dense and the colour of double cream - you can't help but spread it thickly on some toasted bread - which is exactly what I did, using the Seeded Orange Soda Bread.

Thickly sliced and grilled until golden, a thick layer of creamy ricotta and for sweetness, a generous drizzle of honey. A slightly decadent way to start the day.

Originally published here

Elgaar Farm Vintage Cheddar

Elgaar Farm is located in Deloraine, 50kms west of Launceston in Tasmania. Founded by Bavarian dairy farmers Joe and Antonia Gretschmann in 1986 they set about converting the farm and by 1991 it was certified organic.

Elgaar Farm is the type of place that were you reincarnated as a Jersey Cow this would be as close to paradise as you could get. Here, every cow is named, they are free to roam the organic pastures, nibbling on herbs and clover and when the time comes and they are too old to be milked, they see their life out on the farm in happy retirement. It's said one of their oldest cows lived to 38!

The cheese I'm looked at today is a Vintage Cheddar - but don't be lulled by this rather nondescript black cylinder - this is one vintage cheddar that bites back!

Cheese Maker: Elgaar Farm
Cheese Name: Club Cheese
Location: Deloraine, Tasmania

Peel off the black wax and this golden core of cheese appears, made from selected wheels of Aged Vintage Cheddar - you could be excused for thinking that it's butter.

Texture wise it's soft with a slight crumbly texture and it just entices you to cut off a large chunk. But beware, beyond the creamy mouth feel, there's a massive kick, a spice unlike most cheddars out there. I must admit it even caught Paalo by surprise - my warning came a little too late as he succumbed to temptation and popped a generous shard into his mouth. His initial reaction to the pleasant creaminess soon gave way as the cheese bit back.

I would recommend serving this with something more robust than a cracker - a hearty grain bread is a better match. Pickled onions and gherkins, cured meats and this cheddar will round out a rather pleasant ploughman's platter.

Originally published here

Udder Delights Goats Camembert

They may have a quirky name but Udder Delights produce seriously good cheese.

Founded in 1999 and based in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia they are most well known for their goat cheese though they have recently expanded their range to include Jersey cow milk cheese.

Cheese Maker - Udder Delights
Cheese Name - Goats Camembert
Location - 15/1 Adelaide Lobethal Rd, Lobethal, South Australia
I should note that a Cheese Cellar will be opening in Spring 2006, located at Hahndorf. It will be a centre for sales, tastings, education and include a café.

In this silver parcel lays a cheese that wanders the line between solid and liquid. This is made in the Normandy style using non-animal rennet.

Before serving this cheese it's most important to get an indication of it's level of maturation - this is done by gently squeezing the sides of the cheese. At full maturation the cheese is liquid and would be served by just cutting off the top of the cheese and serving it as is, with the rind as a bowl.

This cheese has about 2 weeks to go before reaching that total molten state so it's safe to cut - there's some softness when squeezed so I will get some of that desirable oozing

This illustrates the two states - the cheese is maturing from the rind to the core - in two weeks time that solid section will have converted.

I don't know about other people, but I find this type of cheese very hard to resist. It's best to serve this at room temperature, to maximise the ooze and release the flavours, just take it out of the fridge about an hour before you want to eat (or drink) it.

Tastewise, it has a creamy mouth-feel - the rind is quite mild at this state and this cheese should appeal to all cheese lovers.

It's an utterly delightful cheese!

Originally published here