7. Cheese!

5 new cheeses to try!  There is one thing that my girlfriends and I love…it's cheese!!!  Nothing better than tasty, creamy, gooey, scrumptious cheese!!!  Have you ever walked into your grocery stores gourmet cheese section and not had any idea what to buy??  Hopefully after this, you'll get some ideas!  There are just so many different kinds of cheeses, cow, goat, sheep, etc.  I can't possibly cover all of them, so today I'm going to focus on a couple that I love…but take a chance at the store!  Give a cheese a chance!
Brie

You have probably had brie before.  It's getting used more and more these days.  It's a delicious creamy cheese with a soft skin.  My favorite brand is "Supreme" This is a great "go to" cheese to have at any party as a appetizer.  It's great plain on a cracker, but there are so many more interesting things to do with it!  Since brie has a very mild flavor, it's great with jams.  Try a cracker with some quince jam and a small slice of brie.  If you can't find quince jam, try peach, raspberry or orange.  It makes a tasty little bite!  Brie also makes an excellent grilled cheese sandwich!  I love grilled cheese!!!  Try a few slices of brie, some sliced apples and a couple crumbles of blue cheese in your sandwich.  It's a favorite with my friends!  Wrapped in puff pastry and baked is also an amazing appetizer.  And if you already know about brie and want to explore more, try a camembert or a blue brie (it's a brie with blue cheese running down the middle). 

 
Gruyere

This is a very tasty cheese!  It's a great cheese to know about.  You can also have this as part of a great cheese plate for a party.  I add it in to a lot of recipes.  When I make mac n' cheese (see below blog) I will shred a little and add it in with the cheddar, it'll give it a hint of a nice rich flavor!  I will shave some into a casserole, or even put it on a pizza.

 
Burrata

This is my favorite brand.
Oh my gosh!!  Burrata is sooooo good!!!  If you love mozzarella, you have to have burrata!  It's basically, mozzarella cheese with ricotta cheese in the middle.  And it tastes like heaven melting in your mouth!  You can eat this cheese anyway.  It's phenom on a bed of arugula with some basil and a simple balsamic vinaigrette.  Serve it with heirloom tomatoes, golden beets, procuitto, or what ever you love!  So yummy!! 

 
Gouda

Gouda is a great versatile cheese.  Gouda is made in Holland and accounts for 60% of the cheese made there.  There are lots of kinds of gouda, young, aged, smoked, etc.  It is great as an appetizer or as a dessert cheese and excellent with fruit.  Try it out!  You won't regret it!

 
Mascarpone

This is my favorite kind.
Mascarpone is the Italian version of cream cheese.  Once you try it, you'll be hooked!!  Try it in your next cheesecake.  I even spread it on a cracker and top it with a strawberry slice.  It'll blow your mind!  It is a little lighter than cream cheese and has a little bit of a sweeter flavor.  Give it a try : )
Here's a few cheese tips.  You should always serve cheese at room temperature.  This means leave it out for about an hour before you want to serve it.  When you're making a cheese plate, make sure you always have a different knife for each cheese.  You don't want your havarti tasting like humbolt fog blue! 

Now, there are thousands of different kinds of cheeses, add a comment and tell us about your favorite cheese and what you do with it : )

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