Schnuck's continues cheese event for the holidays

As holiday gatherings approach, your cheese board selections can be better than ever as Schnuck's stores continue taking us on a grand tour of cheese. November is the month for Switzerland, and you'll find “Swiss” cheeses nothing like the reliable, holey Emmental usually associated with the name.  

Many, but not all, Swiss cheeses are “Alpine” types. These large, firm wheels, which are made in the French, Swiss, or Italian alps, share similarities in manufacture, flavor and texture, but have very distinct characteristics. Other Swiss cheeses are unlike anything you've ever tasted. Read on.  

Gruyere – Gruyere is an ancient Swiss Alpine cheese, made in huge, 60-80 pound wheels. Traditionally, it was made high in the alps during the summer months, when cattle were grazing the high pastures. The wheels are matured until the bacteria-coated, slightly funky-smelling rinds are very hard, from a few months up to a year or more. The interior is firm, velvety, sweet and nutty, just right for melting into fondue or potatoes au gratin or slicing for a sandwich. If you've always thought Swiss cheese must have holes, it's time to try Gruyere.

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Cave Aged Gruyere – Regular Gruyere's big brother. Cave-aged Gruyere is specially chosen wheels made with raw cows' milk, aged for at least 1 year in the cool natural sandstone caves at Kaltbach, where the air is a constant 96% humidity due to the cold river running through the system. The air down there is full of minerals which help the cheese mature with a huge depth of flavor. It's a tangier, more concentrated, bolder and bigger version of the Gruyere we know and love. It's wonderful for cooking and melting, but amazing savored alone with good bread.

Appenzeller – Another large Alpine cheese, Appenzeller is made in the Appenzellerland region of Switzerland with raw cows' milk, and has been for over 700 years. The wheels are washed with a brine including a mixture of herbs, flowers, and beer or cider as they mature, lending a lightly spicy taste to the cheese, and resulting in very little to none of the funk associated with bacteria-smeared cheeses. If you like the taste of Gruyere but are put off by the slightly gamey rind, Appenzeller is the cheese for you. It's mild and nutty, a great melter, and perfect for anything from fondue to pasta.  

Der Scharfe Maxx – This cheese is a new Swiss creation, made in only one creamery. The raw milk used is from cows that graze within 10 miles of where the cheese is made; cream is added for a rich, smooth texture. It's quite a strong cheese, with a funky rind and immediate bite on the tongue. The longer you slowly chew Sharfe Maxx, however, the more flavors come out, particularly a pronounced note of sweet onions long cooked in beef broth. It's a bit like Gruyere cheese with the flavor of French onion soup already inside, so you don't have to worry about putting the cheese on top of a bowl. At our tasting, many people remarked “Ew” at their first sniff of this cheese, but without exception decided it was the best on the plate. It can be cooked, but we recommend it be enjoyed simply with good bread or unflavored crackers and a bit of grape or pear.  

Le Cremeux – Another cheese aged in the Kaltbach caves, Le Cremeux is a new raw milk cheese with added cream. Unlike Der Scharfe Maxx, however, it is a mild and subtle creation with a softer texture than many alpine cheeses and a gentle flavor reminiscent of a creamy poached egg.  

Raclette – If a visitor to Switzerland has two famous meals centered around cheese, one is fondue and the other is Raclette, which is the name of the cheese and the name of the meal. At a raclette, this beautifully meltable cheese is heated, traditionally by a fireplace, now on a special tabletop machine or in small skillets, and scraped over plates of boiled potatoes, pickles, bread, and ham. The cheese is semi soft and shiny, full and fruity and just very slightly funky in flavor. It also is excellent in any baked dish, or alone on bread.  

Tete De Moine – These small wheels are a traditional monastery cheese made in Switzerland since the 12th century. The cylinders weigh about two pounds. They are aged on spruce planks and regularly washed with brine to encourage the surface to develop its particular aromatic bacterial coating without the intrusion of mold. Tete de Moine is traditionally not sliced or cubed, but scraped into thin wafers with a very sharp knife or girolle, a cutting implement made for this purpose. The flavor of Tete de Moine is salty and meaty. It is wonderful shaved thinly and served atop a simple salad.  

Sap Sago – And now for something completely different. Sap Sago or Schabziger is a rock hard, practically fat-free, little green cone of cheese that is made exclusively in the canton of Glarus, Switzerland, and has been for over a thousand years. Skim milk is curdled, then the curds are mixed with an herb called blue melilot or blue fenugreek, related to the fenugreek plant used in Indian cooking. The cheese is heated, heavily salted, and pressed, then aged in small forms until completely dry. The sharp, herbal-tasting result can be finely grated and mixed with butter or scattered over pasta or vegetables. If you are a fan of Indian curry powder, which contains a lot of fenugreek, you'll recognize the warm, almost peanut-like taste of the herb in this cheese.  

Below are a few recipes in which to use these interesting and flavorful Swiss treats.  

Salad with Alpine Cheese

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

5-6 ounces Alpine cheese of your choice

1 small red onion

1 bunch of radishes

 4 tablespoons fruit vinegar or apple cider vinegar

 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

 1 teaspoon coarse mustard

 ¼ cup thinly sliced chives

 3 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil

 Abundant salt and pepper

 DIRECTIONS

 1. Grate cheese or julienne with a mandoline or food processor.

 2. Halve the onion and cut into thin strips, cut the radishes into thin slices or julienne.  

 3. In a large bowl, mix the vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, chives, oil and salt and pepper. Toss in the cheese,onion and radishes.  

 Source: Adapted from www.appenzeller.ch

Fondue with Caramelized Onions

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups diced onion

4 ounces pancetta, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 to 2 cups white wine (start with 1 1/2 cups wine, then add more to thin fondue to desired consistency)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 pound (about 5 cups) Gruyere or other Alpine cheese of your choice or mixture of cheeses

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper, to taste

Fresh chives, chopped (for garnish)

Baguette slices and raw vegetables, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan overmedium low heat, melt butter. Add onions, and caramelize for 10 to 15 minutes, or until light golden brown. Add pancetta. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes, or until onions and pancetta are golden and caramelized.  

2. Add garlic, and cook another 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add wine to deglazepan, scraping all the bits from the bottom of the pan. Add lemon juice, and bring to a boil.

3. In a medium bowl, toss Le Gruyére cheese with flour until well-coated. Add cheese to boiling pot in small handfuls, constantly stirring between each addition until cheese is melted. Add Dijon mustard, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Warm fondue pot, and transfer fondue fromsaucepan to the fondue pot bowl. Garnish with chives, and serve with baguette and vegetables for dipping.

Source: Adapted from Emmi Cheese

Sweet Corn and Cauliflower “Grits”

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

¾ pound cauliflower (1 small head of cauliflower)

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

2 cup sweet corn (fresh or frozen)

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1 cup spinach leaves

1 jalapeño (sliced) or chopped bell pepper to garnish  

 ¾ cup coconut milk or heavy cream

sea salt and pepper to taste

1-1/2 to 2 cups grated Alpine cheese

1 handful chopped basil (extra leaves for garnishing)

Red pepper flakes to garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut cauliflower into florets. Add a few at a time to a food processor. Pulses to “rice.” Place in large bowl.

2. Heat oil or butter in a wide skillet and add corn, onion, and garlic. Sauté on medium high until fragrant, around 2-3 minutes. Add riced cauliflower, paprika, spinach, jalapeno or bell peppers, and cream. Mix all together, season to taste with salt and pepper, then cover and reduce heat for 5 minutes onmedium low.

3. Stir in cheese and keep atmedium low until cheese is melted in with the cauliflower “rice” grits. Top with basil and red pepper flake to serve.

Source: Adapted from Emmi Cheese