WE’RE at the height of the Christmas celebration, which is replete with festive and delicious food, with ham and cheese being the stars of the dining table. But must the cheese always be queso de bola now that the ham is sometimes replaced with lechon, roast beef or roast turkey?
How about assembling a platter of California Cheeses with fresh grapes, raisins, dried cranberries, olives, cold cuts and nuts? It’s a great starter not just for Noche Buena but also for Christmas lunch or dinner, Media Noche, New Year’s lunch or dinner, birthdays, anniversaries or no occasion at all.
“A wide variety of California Cheeses are now available to Filipinos today. They can be served as is, on their own, or used to give a new spin to traditional Christmas dishes, so the Christmas season is the perfect time to experiment with these cheeses. Aside from giving a distinct flavor to main courses, California Cheeses serve as great appetizers or cheese course in a sit-down lunch or dinner. They’re perfect with a glass of wine, too,” says Reji Retugal-Onal, California Milk Advisory Board country representative.
Some of the California Cheeses available in the local market are California Pepper Jack, which gives simple dishes an extra kick with its creamy, spicy flavor; California Mozzarella, perfect to top savory dishes with for that hot and gooey yumminess; California Grilled Cheeses, which have been formulated to withstand extreme heat without melting.
Other California Cheeses worth trying include Cheddar Cheese, Feta Basket Cheese, Double Cream Mykonos Feta Cheese, Panela Cheese, Paneer Cheese, Karoun Braided String Cheese, Marble Jack Cheese and Provolone Cheese.
Aside from offering different superior tastes, California Cheeses also pack in lots of nutrients to keep the body strong and healthy. For example, one ounce of natural cheese, such as Cheddar, Jack or Mozzarella, contains approximately 20% of the recommended daily intake of calcium. And good news for people who suffer from lactose sensitivity or, worse, lactose intolerance. Natural hard (aged) or soft ripened varieties of cheese contain little or no lactose at all.
California Cheeses are now available at S&R, Robinsons Supermarket and other leading supermarkets in Metro Manila.
