Cheese please!
5 delicious ideas
There are approximately 4.2 million dairy cows in New Zealand. Thank goodness. Their top quality milk provides the opportunity for small and larger cheesemakers to experiment and deliver some of the best taste treats in the world. New cheeses such as burrata — a fresh mozzarella-like ball with a buttery inside from cheesemaker Viavio — won a gold medal this year’s NZ Champion Cheese Awards for the best fresh Italian-style cheese. And it’s deliciously decadent.
However, the country’s finest cheese was not of cow origin. The Countdown New Zealand Champion of Champions (commercial) was a gouda prepared from goat’s milk on a 155-hectare farm a 20-minute drive from Hamilton. Meyer cheese has been a consistent winner over the years. Ben and Fieke Meyer emigrated from Holland in 1983 and started making gouda in the Dutch tradition. Their son Miel is now general manager and his brother Geert, who is the cheesemaker, won the 2019 Champion Cheesemaker award.
Another gouda — Mahoe Farmhouse Cumin from
Northland — grabbed the Puhoi
Valley Champion of Champions Boutique Cheese award.
Gouda is a versatile cheese, great for cheeseboards and salads and it’s also a marvellous melting cheese.
GOAT GOUDA MELT
Simple but delicious. I used a hand cheese cutter that thinly slices the cheese into (approx.) five gram pieces. Creamy, delicate oyster mushrooms are becoming readily available from supermarkets.
Ingredients
■ 100g oyster mushrooms
■ 1 Tbsp olive oil
■ 1 clove garlic, crushed
■ 1 cup baby spinach leaves
■ 2-3 Tbsp balsamic dressing
■ 2 thick slices ciabatta or similar, cut on an angle
■ 75g Meyer Goat Gouda cheese, thinly sliced
■ 1 medium tomato, sliced
Method
Trim the mushroom stalks if preferred. Saute´ in the oil for about 1 minute, until limp. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
Toss the baby spinach leaves in the balsamic dressing.
Preheat a grill. Lightly toast the ciabatta on both sides.
Place half the cheese on top and grill until just melted. Top with the spinach, mushrooms, tomato and remaining cheese. Grill until the cheese has melted.
Serve as a light lunch with extra spinach salad on the side. Or serve as a snack. — Serves 2
NOBLE KNOTS
Mainland Noble cheese is a versatile, low-fat tasty cheese and won the 2019 Champion Cheddar Award.
Ingredients
■ 2 cups plain flour
■ 1 Tbsp each: baking powder, sugar
■ pinch each: baking soda, salt
■ 2 Tbsp finely chopped chives
■ 50g chilled butter, grated
■ 1 cup (75g) grated low-fat Noble cheese
■ 1 cup buttermilk
■ extra chopped chives to garnish
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C.
Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt and chives in a medium bowl.
Rub the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add the cheese and lightly mix. Stir in the buttermilk and mix to combine.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead gently 2-3 times. Pat or roll into 2cm thick piece about 21cm square.
Cut into 2.5cm strips. Tie each into a loose knot. Place on an ungreased baking tray then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Garnish with the extra chives. Best served warm.
— Makes 6
BAKED BRIE CROISSANTS
An easy lunch. This Puhoi Valley cheese was the category winner.
Ingredients
■ 2 large croissants
■ 50g brie eg Te Muri Triple Cream Brie
■ 4-6 Tbsp tamarillo relish
■ 2 large feijoas or 1 ripe pear, halved, peeled, cored and sliced
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Cut the croissants in half. Thinly slice the brie and place on the croissant bases. Top with the feijoas or pear then the relish.
Place on a baking paper-lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.
— Serves 2 I used the 2019 Champion Blue cheese — Kapiti Kahurangi Creamy Blue.
Ingredients
■ 250g penne pasta
■ 1 firm pear (unpeeled), halved, cored and sliced
■ 2 Tbsp butter
■ 130g creamy blue cheese, cubed
■ 2 Tbsp cream
■ 1⁄4 cup chopped walnuts
Method
Boil the pasta in a large saucepan of salted water until just tender.
Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, saute´ the pear slices in melted butter until warm. Set aside.
Drain the pasta and save a 1⁄4 cup of the water.
In a small saucepan combine the reserved water and the blue cheese. Cook on low heat, stirring, until the cheese has melted.
Combine the cream with the pasta. Stir in half of the blue cheese sauce and all of the pears and walnuts.
Serve in bowls and top with the remaining sauce.
Garnish with extra walnuts, if desired, and serve with crusty bread and a salad. — Serves 4
PENNE WITH PEAR & BLUE CHEESE