Nici Wickes: Cheese, Cheese, Cheese & Guava Paste

October is always NZ Cheese Month and that means breaking out and trying something new and supporting our wonderful local cheesemakers! Here’s some basic rules to get the most from your cheese. 

Storing cheese: 

It’s best to keep cheese, of all varieties, in a dark, cool and airy space – the vegetable part of your fridge is ideal, as it is not too humid or cold.
Wrap it in a semi-breathable wrapping, baking paper is ideal for most, foil for blue cheese
Once you’ve cut into a new cheese, keep it in a sealed Tupperware or cake box in the fridge. Pop a small sugar cube inside your container. The cube will absorb excess moisture, and prevent the cheese from sweating.

Eating cheese: 

Take cheese out of fridge 1 hour before you intend to eat it. This allows it to come to room temperature.
Set out a variety of cheeses, with appropriate accompaniments – crackers, dried fruit, pastes, raw fruit like pears or nectarines, chutneys etc.
A grate of parmesan elevates any leafy salad or try some blue cheese on roast potatoes, try serving chunks of hard cheese with fruit cake this Xmas.

Buy quality: 

If you’re lucky enough to have a local cheesemaker or decent cheesemonger, visit them (to name a few Sabato / Maison Vauron AK / Canterbury Cheesemongers (Ferrymead) , Over the Moon (Putararu) OR Visit cheeseloversnz.co.nz for some great offers that will be delivered to your door.

Nici’s Guava Paste 

Good with cheese 

5kg of guavas
Sugar (will depend on weight of guava pulp – see method)

Mash the guavas in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat so the mixture is still slightly bubbling for 20 minutes.
Line a sieve with a clean chux cloth and place over a bowl. Drain overnight. Reserve liquid for cordial or similar.
Take the pulp and push it through a sieve to get rid of the extremely hard pips.
Weigh the pulp and add it, and 3/4 of its weight in sugar and a tablespoon of lemon juice, to a heavy based saucepan. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
Pouring into a baking paper lined tray and refrigerate to set.
Cut into squares and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Eat with cheese!

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