All I knew about cheese was what I had seen on TV and heard from Chefs at various restaurants. Remember the Show “Cheese slices:” on TLC? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeRhEtjpDj4. Oh yes… we all love cheese, be it in our salad to toast or even a good baked dish. Over the years, I have seen different kinds of cheese, tried a lot of them but was always curious to know what went on behind the scenes, how did they get their texture and flavour. Cos before these shows and sessions, I always thought cheese came in small cubes or slices [ amul cheese cubes/slices]and that was it. Or there was Tom & jerry telling me cheese had gazillion holes in it [ why? – I had no idea]
And so when an event labelled “Cheese tasting session” caught my eye, I knew I had to check it out. This is a brand I had met a few months back at another Artisan’s event in the city, I had the chance to interact with the two lovely ladies- Anu and Namrita of “Kase” as well. I left with two packets of cheese and ideas running through my head that fateful afternoon.
About Kase:
Kate is a brand that is into cheese making the traditional way. All the cheese is handmade, with raw cow’s milk and the products contain no preservatives. It is all about Fresh cheese, with flavour combinations.
Almost all their cheese is creamy, slightly crumbly and fresh, since they do not have a rind and are not aged for too long.
[from their Fb page] Cheese at Käse is handmade – the cheese production follows western traditional methods that were adapted to the Chennai weather conditions. We do not use preservatives, artificial flavors or colors. Neither do we use emulsifiers commonly used in industrially produced cheeses to retain moisture and fat. Our methods strive to retain authentic texture and taste of traditional farm cheese and guarantees the natural balance of vitamins, proteins and fat which gives cheese its unique characteristics. However, weather conditions and the raw milk lend our cheese its own unique characteristics.
The event:
As always, I was the 1st to reach the venue and looked around at the array of cheese lined up along with relish, and various dishes made using the cheese while waiting for the others to trickle in. This also gave me a chance to interact with the ladies, sneak in a few questions and well chew their brains a bit.
Soon the spell was broken and in came the others participating in the session. We all gathered in the 2nd room where the ladies went on to tell us more about the cheese, the brand and give us the opportunity to sample some of the cheese- in the true form, with other flavours blended in, and as part of dishes [ranging from Breads, dips, salads, baked dishes and desserts as well].
I learnt their cheese was made with raw cow’s milk, which is considered illegal in a few countries, including America. They also told us their cheese did not contain any preservatives, which meant the shelf life was short and it was the reason for the creamy smooth texture.
It was also an afternoon where I learnt that Paneer and Cottage cheese were not the same. Imagine my surprise! We in our country use the terms interchangeably all the time and here I discover they weren’t the same. The process to create the final product was different even though their texture and flavour profile was similar.
Another interesting fact was that dry cheese does not mean low fat or vice versa. The texture has nothing to do with the fat content on the cheese. This came about during my conversation about how lot of people are moving to Keto and Paleo diet, showing off recipes with slabs of cheese being grilled with spices/condiments…
We were talking about the splitting of milk when the topic of “whey” popped in. Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacture of cheese and is quite high in protein. This liquid is packed with health benefits…
Soon the spell was broken and in came the others participating in the session. We all gathered in the 2nd room where the ladies went on to tell us more about the cheese, the brand and give us the opportunity to sample some of the cheese- in the true form, with other flavours blended in, and as part of dishes [ranging from Breads, dips, salads, baked dishes and desserts as well].
I learnt their cheese was made with raw cow’s milk, which is considered illegal in a few countries, including America. They also told us their cheese did not contain any preservatives, which meant the shelf life was short and it was the reason for the creamy smooth texture.
It was also an afternoon where I learnt that Paneer and Cottage cheese were not the same. Imagine my surprise! We in our country use the terms interchangeably all the time and here I discover they weren’t the same. The process to create the final product was different even though their texture and flavour profile was similar.
Another interesting fact was that dry cheese does not mean low fat or vice versa. The texture has nothing to do with the fat content on the cheese. This came about during my conversation about how lot of people are moving to Keto and Paleo diet, showing off recipes with slabs of cheese being grilled with spices/condiments…
We were talking about the splitting of milk when the topic of “whey” popped in. Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacture of cheese and is quite high in protein. This liquid is packed with health benefits…
- Builds muscle strength [no wonder Gym buffs drink protein shakes]
- Improves immunity.
- Lowers blood pressure to healthy levels without side effects, unlike blood pressure medications.
- Cleanses the bladder and helps prevent bladder infections.
- Corrects hormonal imbalances.
- Promotes weight loss.
- Improves digestion, in a manner similar to fibre..
Soon, we were let scot free in the room to go ahead try the cheese and the dishes made with cheese. oh, my, I was in some kind of heaven. Loved the Feta with beetroot and roasted garlic, the fresh mozzarella served with Basil & Toasted walnuts…there were three types of breads that had cheese in them, served with 2 kinds of dips- roasted red pepper and caramelised onions. The baked dishes were- quiche and potato layers. Finally, the desserts were flour free brownie and salted caramel pudding.
I bought a packet of Feta with beetroot and roasted garlic and another of Mozzarella with Italian seasoning. Oh did I mention they had fresh cheese with apricots soaked in honey? It was divine...
They have also introduced a subscription.. Yep, you can now order cheese once every month or so.. Do check out their Facebook page and reach out to them.
Pssst- While I do love cheese, I am a big of smelly cheese- gorgonzola, blue cheese and such.. 😀
