Stilton, with a small glass of port for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
Do you eat the outer edge of the cheese ? It looked a bit different.

How different is the really old balsamic vinegar from the ordinary store bought variety?

The rind I have eaten but it is best saved for cooking with.

High grade aged balsamic can command astronomical prices. Yes, it is worlds apart from grocery store fare.

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
Do you eat the outer edge of the cheese ? It looked a bit different.

How different is the really old balsamic vinegar from the ordinary store bought variety?

The rind I have eaten but it is best saved for cooking with.

High grade aged balsamic can command astronomical prices. Yes, it is worlds apart from grocery store fare.

Ate some 2 year old stuff today. Definitely surprising. I would not have expected it was the same as the store grated stuff. The outer edge was way too hard to eat plain. I didn't have the fancy vinegar.

I'm not sure if it will become a regular thing, but I may start sampling the hard cheeses again.

That was fun. Laughed my way through this thread

I will occasionally eat that after dinner, but my family thinks I'm nuts. I saw it on a cooking show years ago, and find that I really enjoy it.

Sounds like you have to have your little finger extended while eating it.

quote:

Originally posted by tgtshuter:
Sounds like you have to have your little finger extended while eating it.

LOL Don't know where you got that idea. Leave that to the Brits and their teacups.

Parmigiano Reggiano is known as the "king of cheeses" for a reason. You can eat it chunked, sliced, diced, or shredded. No raised pinky required.

It really is the King of Cheese. I agree with this post 100%. I use Parm-Regg in many recipes. Keep the rinds to use when making soups. Let the rinds simmer, and remove the remains before serving.

It must be the real deal, though. Parm-Regg from Italy. The American stuff pales in comparison.

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
Do you eat the outer edge of the cheese ? It looked a bit different.

How different is the really old balsamic vinegar from the ordinary store bought variety?

The grocery store stuff horrid and you wouldn't want to eat it over good cheese.

Balsamic that's aged around 7 years is rich, condensed, sweet, fruity and essentially heaven in a bottle. It's expensive for a reason whereas the grocery store stuff isn't transferred from different types of wooden casks as often or as long as the expensive stuff.

Store bought is horrid and technically balsalmic but it's a disaster. Fine for a salad mixed with other things but as stand alone, 7 years or longer is where it really starts to shine IMO.

For a treat try a balsamic reduction over vanilla ice cream. It's not gross like you might think. Very much the oppposite.