Extinct Cheeses.

I didn't know that cheeses could go extinct. Extinct? Really? I guess it makes sense. Languages can do it. Anything that requires constant participation. Regardless, this gives me a great idea! We need to start a massive, gourmet cheese factory that's sole purpose is the make as many cheeses as possible! If we centralize cheese manufacturing into a giant cheese clearing house, sort of like a stinky Amazon, the global market can support the making of small, artisan cheeses. The global market for cheese is so huge and diverse, even the smallest cheese operation could be supported.

France's Distinctive Cheeses Are Disappearing (Huffington Post)

Frozen Delight

I was poking around the local Dave's Supermarket and invariably found myself staring at the dessert case. I noticed a new brand, David Glass, and figured to give it a try. I tried his Cheesecake, which he advertises as so rich it serves eight.

Well, I'll start off with the bad. That's a complete lie. If you and a bunch of cheesecake lovers converge, you'll be lucky to squeeze four slices out of this. This was a small, freaking cake. See, in that photo, those are tea plates. Barely seven inches across. And for a six-inch wide cake, this thing cost a fortune. You can order this thing online for $18.95, and an eight-inch cake costs an bonkers $24.98. You can go down to a local bakery and get four, large slices of cheesecake for four bucks apiece. Or you can go to a restaurant and get a gargantuan slice of cake for usually no more than eight clams. This cake is definitely over-priced.

Now, about the good, the cake. Yep. It can't be denied, this is some good cheesecake. Its texture was spot-on, and the flavor was smooth and sweet. The flavor was a bit weak, though. I expect cheese cake to taste very much like cheese, and this cake was lacking in that department. If you're a local, cheesecake from Emilio's Bakery, or if you're on the road, L'Epicureo, are more pleasing alternatives. Although, I guess they should receive some serious kudos for making a frozen cheesecake that can be mentioned in the same breath as fresh ones.

If it wasn't for the price, I think I would have been happier with my purchase. David Glass makes the best frozen cheesecake I've ever had, but at a price that puts it in the upper echelon of freshly-baked cakes from local producers; an arena in which it can't compete.

UPDATE 3/19/09: The cakes are available for around $9 at Dave's Market. This makes them far and away worth a purchase.

How Do I Love Cheese? Let Me Count The Whey.

Cheese is one of the great foods to be eaten that is, by and large, ignored by Americans. Don't get me wrong. We love cheese, but we don't love cheese.

When someone from Italy or France says cheese, they refer to a massive family of soft, hard, goat's, cow's, dessert, or dinner cheeses. When an American says cheese, they mean Cheddar or American or some yellow-orange, viscous fluid that's poured over fries or chips. The American palate for cheese sucks.

I must admit, I may be writing this lament a bit late, what with advancements made by things like the Food Channel. And I do credit the Food Channel with this. I think its creation has fostered a wave of culinary exploration not seen in America since the soldiers brought back foods from Europe after the war. Where the cheese aisle in my local grocery store once shelved nothing but Cracker Barrel in all its four varieties, and a wide selection of various cheddars, it has expanded to offer over one hundred different cheeses from all over the globe.

I can tell that the mass of those who enter the store never explore the cheese section fully, but they're selling enough to warrant the large display. I think this is great. I know that America isn't the worst offender when it comes to culinary isolationism, but we're bad in just about every other way. We need to make ourselves look good to other countries somehow. We drive around in our rolling boats, speak only one language, can't dress to save our lives, and can, I think, be blamed for the 1980's. By turning our entire country into a land of gourmets, we'll finally have something to laugh about when some Frenchie refuses to eat a taco.