Orange and Cheese

So I picked orange for my blog color because isn't that supposed to make you hungry? There is this rumor that McDonalds uses it for this very reason. Who knows if it's really true. Blue is soothing, red is exciting, and orange makes you hungry... hmmmm.

Something that I've also been interested outside of the realm of basic cooking is cheese. There is one common type of cheese here that we refer to as Redball cheese. I believe this is Edam. It's really quite good, but I miss some of the variety we have at home. Cheddar is my favorite. Sometimes I can find a French cheese in Ouarzazate that resembles a VERY mild swiss. They do have Camembert available from time to time. I have also seen Parmesan, and Mozzarella. Goat Cheese is pretty common.

These are all pretty hit or miss depending on what the Supermarche (French supermarket) has. The Mozzarella doesn't quite have the same consistency or melt-ability that I'm used to. One of my favorite things in the world is fresh Mozzarella. I love the salad with Mozz balls in EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) with pepper flakes and parsley. I know it's not difficult to make. We used to go to a restaurant called "English is Italian" in NYC that made Fresh Mozz at the table right in front of you. So, I did a little google research...

www.cheesemaking.com

They sell cheese-making kits. There is a beginner kit for Fresh Mozz and Ricotta that includes a thermometer, cheese cloth, rennet tablets, citric acid and non-iodized salt. Perfect! I bought that and a kit for making hard cheeses. They even shipped directly to Morocco. Shipping was quite expensive... 36 dollars, but to me, learning to make cheese and having some of my favorite kinds would be worth it. I want to make (and have made, but that's for another blog):

Fresh Mozz
Ricotta
Feta
Cheddar
Monterey Jack
and maybe... Parmesan

I probably won't do Parmesan because it requires a lower fat milk (which we don't really have- just extra-pasteurized which you can't use), and 9 months to age, which I don't really have. I have about a year and six months left which is just not enough time.

Anyway, I've already given it a start, so I'll let you know more as my blogs go on. Cheers!