Gruyere
Gruyere is named after a Swiss village. It is traditional, creamery,
unpasteurized, semi-soft cheese. The natural, rusty brown rind is hard,
dry and pitted with tiny holes. The cheese is darker yellow than Emmental
but the texture is more dense and compact. Slightly grainy, the cheese
has a wonderful complexity of flavors - at first fruity, later becomes
more earthy and nutty. To make Gruyere, raw milk is heated to 93 degrees
F and liquid rennet is added for curdling. The resulting curd is cut into
small pieces which release whey while being stirred. Curd is cooked at
110 degrees F and raised quickly to 130 degrees F. The pieces become shriveled
which is the cue to place the curd in molds for pressing.
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