tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2737234699043019617.post-45429344088669805792007-08-06T07:00:00.000-07:002007-08-06T08:54:00.719-07:002007-08-06T08:54:00.719-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_2WIgtkJjLOg/RraVBHKrMmI/AAAAAAAAAHc/l0VKx38PiYU/s1600-h/cheese_87_bg_121506.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_2WIgtkJjLOg/RraVBHKrMmI/AAAAAAAAAHc/l0VKx38PiYU/s200/cheese_87_bg_121506.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095423874752524898" border="0" /></a>What's with all the Cheddar experiments these days?<br /><br />A few posts back, I looked at <a href="http://www.fatchancemedia.com/2007/07/fiscalini-purple-moon.html">Fiscalini's Purple Moon</a>, a wine-washed Cheddar with a psychedelic purple hue. On today's cheese plate is the Chipotle Cheddar from Bravo Farms, whose white paste is marbleized with burnt-orange veins, courtesy of the smoked jalapeño pepper that gives the cheese its name and its spicy bite.<br /><br />Perhaps they're efforts to break out of the Cheddar-is-Cheddar clutter, and establish themselves as just a little bit different. Perhaps they're brave experiments by cheesemakers intent on pushing the envelope. Perhaps they're just marketing vehicles.<br /><br />Whatever the reason for all this colorful creation, these offbeat cheeses are fun. In the case of Bravo's Chipotle, what you're eating is a proper Cheddar, made from unpasteurized cow's milk. Then, they add a semi-spicy chipotle powder. The resulting combination matches a creamy, full-bodied cheese with the pungent, smoky spice.<br /><br />On its own, the cheese is a good nibble, but not exactly a centerpiece. It's too quirky for that. But melt it into an omelette with onions and tomatoes, and the flavors of the Southwest come rushing out. I imagine Chipotle Cheddar makes a great cheese for nachos, too.<br /><br />Bravo Farms Web site: <a href="http://www.bravofarms.com/story.htm">Click here</a>.GordoBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05434742975623048346noreply@blogger.com1