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The Best Cheddar I Have Ever Tasted

Phog Allen

Phog Allen

Afternoon chaps. The wife and I were at the local granola kids market today and we always stop at their addiction enabling cheese counter. Nestled amongst all the usual goodness was a cheddar that caught my attention. At first look I thought it was an American version of Parmesan or more accurately Parmigiano. At least judging from the look. Then I noticed the semblance of a rind which looked more like the moon's surface. After taking a closer look, I saw the Cabot's Clothbound Cheddar label. I had to try it and the lad at the counter gave me a small taste. The rest of the package went into the shopping basket and I hied me back to the gaff to give it a good taste. By the time I made it home it had approached room temperature and the taste and texture were just perfect. This is a well aged cheddar. In fact, it can tend toward crumbling if handled while still too cold. A good rest at temperature is a MUST with this cheese. It has a nutty, smooth mouth feel and goes down the gullet with the greatest of ease. This is grand stuff lads. Made here in the States. Vermont to be precise. I have included a link to a blog that has great photos. It was $18.59 U.S. per pound at our market but I got a small piece for a little over $4. It is so rich you really don't need much. Try this if you can get it. You cheddar lovers will appreciate it.

Regards, Todd
 
Wishoot

Wishoot

Thanks for the tip. I love Cheddar. Of course, living in Wisconsin, it's mandatory to love all things cheese.
 
scavenger

scavenger

I don't know about the raw onion but if I can acquire a wedge I'll let you know if it pairs best with a lager or wine.I like to keep an open mind and a lot of cheese can go either way depending on mood and how it's served.A cheese that's great with a ploughman's lunch and a bit of Coleman's mustard or Branston pickle will often go just as well with white wine depending on your mood.
 
blantyre

blantyre

I love cheese. The problem is if have a slab it gets eaten in a few hours and then I feel lousy for about 2 days. Good cheddar with some baguet an pickle is about as good as it gets IMO.
 
R

Rughi

galopede said:
A good STRONG Cheddar goes best with a pile of raw onion and a pint of bitter!:biggrin:

Gareth
Click to expand...

My home is a pro-onion home to the point that my rule of thumb for homefries is to first saute one onion per person. Mrs. Rughi says her favorite vegetable is onion.

But on this cheese platter - is that a particularly mild onion (we get Vidalia or Walla Walla for instance), or perhaps rinsed to remove some of the oils? The typical bulk yellow onions we get around here would overpower an English bitter, and give even a pungent cheddar a run for its money.

Roger
 
B

Basset

I live in Vermont and, like my friends in Wisconsin, have no shortage of great cheese to turn to. Cabot's 25 mins from my house, and I can get a whole range of Cabot cheddar 5 mins from my house. Grafton and Shelburne cheddar is dynamite here as well.
 
Phog Allen

Phog Allen

I am glad you fellows liked the link. Yikes! 27+ dollars per pound? That is expensive. You know, these granola stores are a complete paradox at times. Most of their items are overpriced to put it politely. Yet their cheeses are more than competitive with any local grocer. In fact, their bulk cut Parmigiano is five dollars per pound LESS than the name brand markets.

Gareth, I certainly like your idea of onion and bitter with cheddar. That could become a staple meal for me.:biggrin: I know the English are famous for their farmhouse cheddar cheeses but we have such a limited selection of good English cheddar here in the States. The import fees must be incredible. I suspect most of it has to do with shipping costs. Happily there is a large and growing number of custom cheese makers here now. Actually, there always has been great cheese makers here. They are just scattered far and wide and till the internet, almost impossible to locate if you weren't local to them. Do share with us some of your favourites.

Regards, Todd
 
scavenger

scavenger

While we're on the subject of cheese I would love to see a poll of what B&B members prefer on their pasta.I'm partial to fresh grated Pecorino Romano myself
 
The Knize

The Knize

I am not sure which of the many Cabot varieties this specific one was, but $27 sounds like an awful lot for any Cabot--not that they are not worth that, but that you should not have to pay that.

I think Cabot just one a blind tasting of good cheddars they did on America's Test Kitchen's new TV show, Cook's Country. It won both among the folks that work on the show and magazine and among a decent size "studio audience." It beat out a longer aged Grafton, as I recall, another Vermont cheese.

My wife is from Vermont and we are up there fairly often. Vermont really is cheese heaven, as I assume Wisconsin is.

Cabot is an excellent, albeit it commercial, product. It is the real thing when it comes to an American cheddar, even though they turn our a huge amount of it these days. Its popularity and universal appeal is well-deserved. But there are other, smaller cheesemakers in Vermont these days making world class cheeses of lots of different types. Virtually all are worth trying.
 
galopede

galopede

We do get some decent cheeses here in Britain. My favourites are the blues such as Stilton and Dorset Blue Vinney. If I have a cheddar, it must burn the roof of my mouth!

Quite like the odd bit of French cheese too, they have so many. I was once nearly thrown off a morris tour bus when I broke out my VERY mature Camembert and tomato sandwiches for breakfast. I had to do it, I could hear them humming in my rucsac! As I was in a rush, I'd made them the night before and they'd been in the warm since...

Gareth
 
Fnord5

Fnord5

galopede said:
We do get some decent cheeses here in Britain. My favourites are the blues such as Stilton and Dorset Blue Vinney. If I have a cheddar, it must burn the roof of my mouth!

Quite like the odd bit of French cheese too, they have so many. I was once nearly thrown off a morris tour bus when I broke out my VERY mature Camembert and tomato sandwiches for breakfast. I had to do it, I could hear them humming in my rucsac! As I was in a rush, I'd made them the night before and they'd been in the warm since...

Gareth
Click to expand...

I love a good bleu/blue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3KBuQHHKx0
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3KBuQHHKx0[/YOUTUBE]
 
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