Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Smoking Cheese

A quick experiment in smoking cheese to find out what works and what doesn't. 


From the top left, there's a slice of Emmental, a whole Camembert, a block of mild Cheddar, a slice of Brie (manufactured as a slice so that the sides are covered in rind), a log of fresh Mozzarella and a small round of soft goat's cheese.

Into the smoker (an old packing case):



I used oak, but any of the usual hardwoods would have been fine. I turned the cheeses over after three hours to get a more even finish. I took them out after six hours:



Leave to rest for a day or two in a cool place. 

My favourite was the Emmental. It's delicious on its own, but gets even better if grated and cooked in an omelette. Likewise the Cheddar. The Mozzarella also worked well, bringing its delicious smokiness to salads. The cheeses with rinds were a little less compelling, but still not at all bad. I haven't tried to do anything with them but eat them neat. If nothing else they add an unexpected twist to a cheeseboard.

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