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GoodTaste
Cheese of the Month
A little "cave time" can be a good thing, especially if you're a cheese. Consider this spectacular two-year-old Swiss Gruyère from Emmi: the aging transforms the mild waxiness of a standard Gruyère (usually about five months old) into a far more intense experience. The texture of a firm, smooth slice is densely creamy, but also has the salty crunch of protein crystals sparking in every bite. The whey crunchies come about when the cheese's curds are heated and pressed. Each 80-pound wheel also gets hand-washed in salt water weekly. But its full-bellowed tang, tempered by rich flavors of nuts and butter, becomes significantly more complex in the final months of aging, says Downtown Cheese owner Jack Morgan. That's why Morgan prefers eating bigger chunks of it to sheerly planed slices - "especially during Eagles games" - for a mouthful of cave-aged Gruyère spark. - Craig LaBanThe cave-aged Gruyère from Emmi is available for $19.99 a pound at both Downtown Cheese locations: Reading Terminal Market, 215-351-7412; Ardmore Farmer's Market, Suburban Square, Ardmore, 610-649-8449.
