CHEESEIS A TRULYinternationalfood
andendlessin itsiterations.Oneofthe
thingsweloveaboutourjobis thateven
afteryearsintheindustry,we’restill
learningaboutnew(andsometimes
veryold)cheese-makingtechniques
anddiscoveringa varietyof amazing
flavoursandtextures.
Thismonth,we’resharinga dishthat
marriessomeofourfavouritecheeses
together.Thefirstoftheseis La
CouronneComté,fromtheFranche-
Comtéregionin France.Eachwheelis
craftedfrommilkfromMontbéliardcows
andthenmaturedin a fortunderthe
mountains.Thiscomtéhasa sublime
caramelsweetnessandnuttytexture.
Nextupis thekefalotyrifromCentral
Greece.Kefalotyri(commonlyknownas
saganaki)is madefromthetraditional
combinationofseasonalgoat’sandewe’s
milk.TheGreeks’answertohaloumi,this
meltycheesehasa rich,moisttexture
and delicious savoury finish.
Finally,wehaveEnglishclothbound
cheddar,handmadein therollinggreen
hillsoftheWestCountryandcarefully
maturedtraditionallyundercloth.The
resultis a classicfirmcheddarwithan
evocativeflavour,anearthy aroma and
a lingering tang.STORINGANDSELECTING
Storeallyourcheesein thevegetable
compartmentofyourfridge.Cheeseis
‘alive’withcultures,sodefinitelyforego
enclosingit in suffocatingplasticwrap;
instead,storeit inwaxpaper,toallow
it tocontinuetobreathe.If eatingthese
cheesesastheyare(ie,withoutcooking
them),theyareattheirbest served at
room temperature.WANDERLUST MAC ‘N’ CHEESE
SERVES 6
Thisdishshowcasestheseinternational
cheesesperfectly.Wehighlyrecommendit
for a cosy winter night in (Netflix optional). PHOTOGRAPHYBENDEARNLEYSTYLINGKIRSTEN JENKINSMERCHANDISINGEMMALY STEWART@thestuddsiblingsWORLD400gdriedmacaroni
50gunsaltedbutter
1 leek,finelychopped(^1) / 3 cup(50g)plainflour
1 tspDijonmustard
3 cups(750ml)milk
150gvintagecheddar(weused
ClothboundFarmhouseCheddar)
150gcomté(weusedLaCouronne
Comté),coarselygrated
30gpankobreadcrumbs
170ggratedsaganaki(weused Artemis
KefalotyriSaganaki)
250gpunnetcherrytruss tomatoes
Basil leaves, to serve
Preheattheovento200°C.
Bringa largesaucepanofsalted
watertotheboiloverhighheat.Cook
pastaaccording to packet instructions,
thendrain.
Meltbutterin a saucepanovermedium
heat.Addleekandcook,stirring,for
10 minutes or until softened. Add flour
44 delicious.com.au