William Penn Life, 2004 (39. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-07-01 / 7. szám
The Hungarian Kitchen with Főszakács Béla Cheese 201 FARADJON BE A MAGYAR KONYHÁBA Here we are enjoying the hot month of July. This is the best month of the summer because it's a full month with all the children out of school and everyone getting ready for vacations. When growing up in New Brunswick, I enjoyed going to church bible camp every summer. I even got to spend a week at Boy Scout camp in northern New Jersey. Don't forget: we have the WPA golf tournament in Harrisburg, which should be fun for all ages. Hershey Park is only 20 minutes away, and don't forget to take the chocolate factory tour! Next month, the editor, Chef Vilmos and I will have all the details worked out for submitting recipes for the new WPA Treasured Recipes Cookbook. Last month, I introduced you to the different types of cheeses that are available to us. This month, let's continue with a little more information about cheese making and what gives cheese its flavor. Ready, set; let's get started with Cheese 201. Cheese is made from milk. There are three types of milk used in cheese making-cow's, sheep's and goat's. Each one is used specifically and, when combined with the right enzymes and bacteria under the right temperature, you get a great tasting product. Goat's milk gives us Chevres, cow's milk is in Cheddar, and sheep's milk produces Feta. Cheese can be spreadable (like Chevres), hard (like Cheddar) or semisoft (like Muenster). Cheese is a food that is easily combined with other foods we enjoy. Cheese goes with pasta, soup, veggies, fruit, salads, eggs, breads, fish and meat...just to name a few. Most cookbooks will have many recipes with cheese as an ingredient to compliment the taste of what it is paired with. I should also mention that cheese goes well all by itself. It is healthy, nourishing and very low in carbohydrates while containing proteins and some fat, which you can burn off in your daily routine. Next time you are in the supermarket, go over to the cheese department located near the delicatessen. Reading a label will tell you a lot about the cheese itself. If you like cheese and wine, a label will usually recommend what type of wine goes with what type of cheese. I prefer an aged cheese with a hearty red wine while Chef Vilmos enjoys the lighter cheeses with a white wine. Cheese should be stored in cool environment—36 to 40 degrees—and re-wrapped in plastic wrap after usage to keep optimal taste. Tupperware or any airtight container also keeps cheese longer. Although a cheese is aged, it can lose flavor if not handled properly. If you were serving a cheese spread or dip at a party, it should be warm enough to spread yet cool when consumed. The drier aged cheeses need to be warmed so they may be easily sliced. If your cooking with cheese you never want it to boil. Yes, it can bubble for a few seconds like the cheese on top of lasagna or a macaroni and cheese casserole. If you want to thicken a sauce containing cheese, you may let it reduce over low heat on the stove or thicken it with a roux. Excessive heat can cause a cheese to breakdown and turn grainy. Whatever you are making should be hot enough to melt the cheese without causing it harm. If you are making a pizza, the heat should be intense enough to melt the cheese and turn it a golden brown color. The color changes because the amino acids in the cheese darken with the introduction of heat creating a "Maillard Reaction." (A Maillard reaction is a type ofnon-enzymatic browning which involves the reaction of simple sugars and amino acids. It begins to occur at lower temperatures and at higher dilutions than caramelization.) When making any cheese sauce the liquid should be hot enough to melt the cheese. For kitchen equipment, you should get the following items:- a double boiler pan so you can properly prepare any sauce containing cheese;- a standard box grater that lets you shred cheese;- a cheese knife to cut softer cheeses and;- a wire slicer for the hard aged cheeses. Congratulations on completing the second phase of cooking with cheese. Jé éfayfft. ftgza&áfiS L&Ca 6 Williu Pen Life, July 2004
