My favorite things about Christmas

Cougar Gold Cheese

Christmas is one of those Holidays when you get to eat certain things that you wouldn’t normally prepare (or buy). I find this to be especially true when it comes to appetizers. Christmas is also one of the few days (aside from possibly Thanksgiving and Super Bowl Sunday) that you can simply snack for hours. One of our favorite appetizers requires nothing more than a can opener. No it’s not Spam, it’s Cougar Gold Cheese.

I don’t remember exactly which show I was watching when I first heard about this award winning cheese, but I’m glad I did. Cougar Gold, although called a white cheddar, has a milder, nutty taste more like Gouda, that sharpens and intensifies as it ages. But why the can?

The origns of Cougar Gold, named after the school mascot and N.S. Golding (one of the researchers who developed the recipe) date back to the 1930’s when the US Government wanted to devise a method for storing cheese in a can, so it could be shipped fresh around the world to its Armed Forces. The problem with storing cheddar cheese in a can is that as it ages, it releases carbon diozide, which causes the can to swell. The problem was solved by the addition of a lactobacillus culture, which greatly reduced the amount of carbon dioxide generated.

When you open your first can of Cougar Gold, you may notice two things (depending upon how long you let the cheese age): water, and/or a white coating. When cheddars age, through a process called synerisis, they emit whey and a liquid butterfat. This causes the cheddar to become drier and more crumbly (it doesn’t slice very well). The ‘water’ can simply be poured off. The white coating is calcium lactate, which is typically found on aged cheddars. There is no need to scrape it off (except for cosmetics) as it is harmless and tasteless.

We usually cut out ~1/3 of the full tin (we try to save some for New Year’s but it doesn’t always work), stick a cheese knife in it, surround it with crackers, then watch it disappear (we don’t really just watch, my wife & I eat our fair share of it also). In addition to the basic Cougar Gold, we also love the Crimson Fire - the milder lo fat Viking Cheese spiked with Jalapeno and Cayenne Pepper- YUM!

So unless you’re fortunate enough to live near Washington State University, you must order online at the University’s Creamery website. Order early to avoid delivery delays. Try some this year - you can send me a Thank You post later.

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