In the Kitchen

In most cases, substituting ricotta with cottage cheese does work, although the texture and flavour will vary a little.

Cottage cheese is more tangy and often wetter than ricotta.

If you are making baked pasta dishes or pastries, it should be fine. If you have a specific recipe that you would like to try with the cottage cheese, then feel free to send it through for me to see if it is suitable.

Cheddar keeps very well in the fridge covered in plastic wrap but you must be careful not to contaminate the cheese as you are using it. This means taking care not to touch it with your hands, use an unclean knife or place it on a board/bench that has had other foodstuffs on it. You must also rewrap it in clean plastic wrap each time.

If you are not planning to use the full block, you may find it easier to cut it into 2 or 3 pieces, wrap each of them well and refrigerate until required. Otherwise, grate a portion of it and freeze it.

Yes, the rind of Camembert and other white rinded cheeses, like Brie and Triple Cream is perfectly edible.

Enjoy!

Most blue cheese dressings contain some cream in them, which means they are not ideal for keeping long term, but a week or two in the fridge in a clean jar should be OK for this type of dressing:
 

75-100g blue cheese, crumbled  (use something robust, like King Island Dairy's Endeavour or Tasmanian Heritage Deep Blue)
1/2 cup cream
1 tablespoon each of mayonnaise, olive oil and white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons French or Dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
 

If you want to add herbs, like fresh parsley, do so just before serving.

It is frustrating when a product you have grown accustomed to in another country is not available in Australia. I have not seen Wensleydale with cranberries here either, so I assume it is not imported.

You might like to experiment with mixing your own flavoured cheese – I suggest that crumbly Mersey Valley Vintage blended with a few chopped cranberries that have been plumped in a little hot water might be worth a go! Or even blend cranberries with a little cream cheese or yummy South Cape mascarpone. Not exactly the same, I know, but it might satisfy the craving!

It depends on the cheese you are freezing. I generally recommend that you only freeze firm cheeses, like cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan – preferably grated as they lose too much moisture when thawed if frozen in a block – and usually use those cheeses for cooking with.  The flavour profile wil not change significantly if care is taken to freeze in freezer bags (removing as much air as possible) and use within 3 months.

I do not recommend freezing fresh, blue or brie-style cheeses at all, unless they are used in a baked dish (such as ricotta cannelloni or lasagne).

For home cheesemaking guidance, contact Carole Willman at Cheeselinks - http://www.cheeselinks.com.au

Carole and Neil Willman have an excellent book on home cheesemaking and Carole runs workshops around the country.

If you want to get serious about it, then Neil runs courses for professional cheesemakers as well.

Parmesan oil is olive oil that has been infused ( i.e. warmed gently and allowed to stand ) with a piece of parmesan cheese (with rind) and often garlic and rosemary.

 Sounds delicious doesn’t it?!

If you plan on keeping  feta more than a day or so make a weak brine, say 1 teaspoon water in  a cup of warm water, let it cool, and then put your feta in it , in the refrigerator. You   may like to change the brine again in a couple of days. Easy!

The dry surface rind on the Edam underneath the wax is perfectly safe to eat but is not the most palatable part of the cheese, so it is best avoided.