Zamorano Cheese

Sheepy Cheese
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Recently I started my affair with Zamorano. So far it has taken twenty bucks to get my fill of this heavenly sheep's milk cheese. And I would gladly spend another twenty... and another... and another.
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It has a very pasture like flavor when compared to cow's milk cheese. The taste of the great out doors works its way deep into the complexity of this cheese. And for being a hard cheese it is rather easy to slice and doesn't require cooking or thin slicing to get a good texture.
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I like it right out of the fridge while it is still nice and cold. Others might like to let it set out for a little while so that it becomes a little softer. But it will never be as hard or crumbly as Parmasian or other hard cheeses. Instead it is easy to slice like Manchego and never grainy in texture.
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And yet I have found that it is perfect for the kitchen too. It has that medium melting point that makes it great for a grilled cheese or something a little more challenging like a pasta dish.
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You can find this cheese at Whole Foods for around 19 dollars a pound. It is usually cut into chunks that ring up for around four to five dollars. And those chunks of cheese can go a long way when used as a snack or even in the kitchen for a supper dish.
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This cheese is worth a try. And it is a great cheese to start expanding your cheese palate.
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Goat Kefir

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First off I would like to point out that I did finish my trial of Lemon Grass Dry Soda... Not my cup of tea. But now for Goat Kefir.
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You might be asking yourself what Kefir is, I did too. So I looked it up (after getting home and having been talked into trying it by the Whole Foods lady). It turns out that Kefir is a fermented milk drink that originated with the shepherds in the Northern Caucasus. And yet unlike other fermented drinks, Kefir does not have that rotten tastes some associate with fermented foods.
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Originally the yogurt like drink (can almost be chewed... so it might be eaten more than drinking) was concocted by mixing milk with kefir grains. The grains naturally have large amounts of bacteria and yeast to start. But when mixed the two foods make a fermented (and mildly alcoholic) concoction similar to a thin but still very much yogurty mixture.
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Modern methods yield only about 1 percent alcohol and yet still have that faint fermented flavor. The product is thick and creamy in its own unique way. And it is rather difficult to swallow if you take a large mouthful in at one time (as I did on my first attempt at "drinking" goat milk kefir.
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I would suggest that if you like goats milk than you should definitely try goat milk kefir. I purchased Redwood Hill Farms Plain Goat Milk Kefir at Whole Foods for $5.99. And I'm pretty sure that you would have to go to a specialty store if you aren't looking at Whole Foods or Fresh Market.
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This drink/food is definitely worth a try.
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My Violent Torpedo of Truth

"Tantalizing Flavor, Exotic Essence, All Natural"
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Dry Soda Co. Lemongrass Soda.
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When I was at Whole Foods I decided that I needed to try something different. I was looking for something really off the wall sort of strange. One might even say bizarre in describing a soda that uses lemongrass as its main flavor. I thought "heck ya"... I mean I use lemongrass as a kitchen herb a lot anyhow.
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So on the side of the box it gives serving suggestions.
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1. Taste / No Ice.
Serve chilled with no ice for full flavor.
2. Visual / Champagne Flute
Serve in champagne flute for full visual effect.
3. Aroma / No Garnish
Serve without garnish for full aroma.
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On the other side of the box it describes the soda.
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Flavor Profile
Bubbles with the refreshing and tantalizing essence of lemongrass.
Characteristics
Dry, bright, grassy, medium acidity.
Pairing Ideas
Asian inspired foods, spicy dishes, sushi, shellfish, goat cheese, asparagus.
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OK, with all that said I must say that "Dry" is a very accurate "Flavor Profile" of this soda. It is very dry... my wife described it as "baking soda" sorta dry. And that is something that I wasn't really expecting. It is like sand almost as it grates over your tongue on its way into your mouth.
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And as for flavor... it does not have a lemongrass sorta flavor. The other few people who tried this drink did however agree that it tasted "grassy". It does in fact taste like grass (I love using nira grass and lemongrass both as herbs). But even that flavor is masked by the taste of soda water. And that taste of carbonated water you get when the pop machine is running low on syrup.
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However, what I found very odd (and all the other tasters did too) was that the first drink is kinda pleasant. Then you take the second drink and it hits you. And I do mean that it hits you like a violent torpedo of flavorless sandy water.
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As for the rest of the description of this drink... sure it sparkles in a glass. And it has a very... very... very faint aroma to it. An aroma that doesn't even really smell like fresh cut lemongrass.
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But I would invite you to try the soda for a whopping price of 5.99 or so for four bottles. It is worth a try i suppose. After all, you never know if you will like something unless you give it a try.
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Dry Soda Co: Refined Flavor / Lightly Sweet
www.drysoda.com

Cheese And Hoosiers

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It is hard to imagine living so close to Wisconsin and never having known that there is more to cheese than Cheddar for so long. Swiss, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Cheddar, and Colby are all rather boring to me. Especially if the word Kraft is on the package. And if what you call Parmesan is already grated and in a tube... you don't know what Parmesan is.
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As of late I have been able to get more and more people to try more and more bizarre foods (The TV show by that name is a major inspiration of mine). We have had cows head roasted in a pit over night, pigs feet in a kimchi that was mildly spicy, and escargot backed in squash blossoms.
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The reaction to these has always seemed to be far less outrageous with the addition of cheese. And that is where Manchego comes in. A cheese that I like to imagine that God himself would eat every day.
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Now you can get Manchego in a few different varieties around Indy. There is the usual three month Manchego that is a little softer and easier to cut if you want to eat it raw (which I personally suggest). Next there is the six month Manchego that is better suited for cooking and is in my opinion the best for macaroni and cheese. Or there is the stuff that should rain down from Heaven itself, twelve month aged Manchego.
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Mahon cheese is a good one too... but that isn't the point.
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If you are lucky enough to find the twelve month Manchego I would suggest using it in any way you would usually use other grating cheeses. It makes absolutely the best backed macaroni and cheese. And it is rather useful as a cutting cheese if you want a nice snack... you will need a good cheese knife for this one.
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So far I have been able to find the three month Manchego at places like Marsh, Meijer, and some Kroger grocery stores. Fresh Market carries a nice selection of this cheese and sometimes has six month Manchego available too. However, the best place to go for cheese up here north of Indy has to be Whole Foods.
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Whole Foods has almost every type of Manchego you can think of. They carry the 12 month Manchego, the best type available in Indiana. And they have other forms of Spanish cheeses to choose from... some you probably never have even heard of too.