One of our favorite cheeses is Dubliner, a delicious Irish cheddar. We were planning to write a review of this cheese for St. Patrick's Day when we were delighted to learn that the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program this month actually features products by Kerrygold, including Dubliner and several other cheeses. Given this opportunity, we decided to expand our tasting and chose four different Kerrygold cheeses to sample.
We started our tasting with the Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese. This cheddar is sandy yellow with just a hint of sharpness, and yet it is very complex. It is rich with milky sweetness, permeated by a pleasant nutty flavor. It embodies a well-balanced fusion of Cheddar with Parmegiano Reggiano, with a delicate and intense flavor lower in fat content than a classic cheddar. Occasional pockets of crunchiness accentuate the nutty and savory taste and texture. We love this cheese on its own or melted on a bread or crackers.
The second cheese we tasted was the Vintage Dubliner, aged for at least a year and continually graded during this process, so that only the best cheese is saved for the Vintage label. This cheese is dry with a crumbly finish, has less sweetness but still retains some of the nuttiness of Dubliner with subtle tones of caramelized onions.
Next, we tried the Kerrygold Aged Cheddar, an entirely different cheese, in the classic cheddar style. This cheese was smooth and creamy with a high milk content. Firm in texture like Dubliner, it is still a gentle cheese but sharper than the previous cheeses. This is a classic milky cheddar without prominent sweetness or nuttiness such as were evident in the first two cheeses. This would be a great cheese melted in sandwiches or pasta. With its neutral flavor, it is also an excellent "tabula rasa" to infuse with other flavors, as we learned from our final cheese selection.
Our last cheese was Kerrygold Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey. The basis for this cheese is aged cheddar, infused with Irish whiskey, and packaged in a beautiful chocolate colored rind. The resulting combination is very soft and creamy. It looks and tastes like a whiskey infused cheesecake, with sweet, fruity and mildly smoky undertones hinting of a wonderful whiskey flavor. This unique cheese was a great discovery.
We thought all the Kerrygold cheeses were wonderful. My husband and my daughter still favored the original Dubliner cheese that we love so much, while the Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey is one of my new favorite cheeses. We enjoyed these cheeses complemented by fresh baked Irish soda bread and Guinness stout, a satisfying taste of Ireland.
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I would like to thank Super Chef at Mirch Masala for giving this wonderful Friends award. I would like to share it with all my foodie friends.
I would like to share that my Grilled Scallops with Flower Foam won the Best Overall Entry at the Royal Foodie Joust! Thank you all for your continuous support and encouragement to create new dishes!
I am also proud to be part of "Eating your words" challenge. Please check out the rounds-up at Savor the Thyme and Tangled Noodle.
