Rat thoughts

Costco usually carries a fair variety of more interesting cheeses from around the world.  Their prices are generally very good, compared to supermarkets or Whole Foods, but you have to buy in large quantities, usually a least a pound and often more so if you buy something you don't like, you're stuck with a lot of it (or you could take advantage of Costco's liberal return policy, but I don't like to abuse that privilege.)


Some cheeses I have purchased recently, starting from the orange one and proceeding clockwise:

Red Leicester.  Normally an English cheese, this particular version was made in Ireland.  It is similar to a medium aged Cheddar, but with a slight nuttiness.  It's also a bit crumblier.  If you like Cheddar, you'll enjoy Leicester.  And for those of you who don't speak the Queen's English, it's pronounced "Lester".

Rembrandt.  A variety of aged Gouda from Holland.  Unlike most Gouda that you find in the US, this is aged for over a year, making it hard and giving it a strong, salty flavor.  If you like cheese to be in-your-face, this is a good choice, but it might be a bit too strong for the average person.

Bergenost.  A "Norwegian-style" triple-cream cheese made in New York.  It is a semi-soft cheese, almost but not quite spreadable.  It is smooth, mild and buttery with a very slight sourness.  On fresh French or Italian bread, it makes a great cheese sandwich.

Sage Derby.  A rather unusual mottled green cheese from England.  It contains chopped sage leaves which gives the cheese a wonderful herbal flavor and its characteristic color.  This cheese would go nicely with turkey or chicken.

In my travels today, I ended up passing through Santa Ysabel, so I stopped in the world famous Dudley's Bakery. I picked up 3 loaves of fresh baked bread: Potato, which doesn't actually have any potatoes in it, but is light and very slightly sweet. Date Nut Raisin, which has raisins, chopped dates, walnuts and honey. Cheddar Cheese, which is my favorite, made with lots of real cheese.

I've got to make hamburgers for dinner tonight. The cheese bread tastes SOOOOOOO good toasted and served with grilled ground beef and onions.