Not that I'd personally eat it everyday, just that I'd also not save it for the special occasions. This post seems especially fitting as big names like Subway are starting to advertise things such as their Asiago Caesar Chicken Wrap in part to play off the elite, interesting, or simply fancy sounding name of the cheese, when in fact what's on the sandwich is certainly not from Italy and probably a couple grades lower than what I've got for you today.
Stella Aged Asiago is pretty well described by the name, everyone knows the powerhouse Stella brand hailing from the the proud pastures of Wisconsin, and this is simply their "aged" take on the Italian classic Asiago. To be honest one could do a lot worse.
Origin: Wisconsin, USA
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 12 months
Notes: 32% fat content
Thoughts: I am always a little skeptical of companies that laud their pre-shredded products on this sort of scale, as it betrays a move from quality and freshness to quick-fixes and commercial solutions. Not to say I won't sprinkle some four cheese blend on my nachos every now and then, but if I want to add the flavor of the classic Italian grating cheeses to pastas or other dishes you'd better believe it's being shaved off the block and directly onto the plate, no time to sit around in a plastic tub and loose its vim and vigor.
That. Being Said.
Stella makes some very good cheese and the aged Asiago is one of them. Crumbly and yet creamy with just a tinge of salt, the high fat content of this cheese really comes out in its rich flavor. It borders on one-dimensional, however, and lacks enough of that characteristic “crunch” of aged Italian cheeses to keep it off the fancy platter at cheese parties. It makes no claims of being a farmstead or artisan cheese, though while that fact is apparent in the flavor it is still good for a commercial cheese and is certainly a cheese Wisconsin can be proud of.
Und wenn sie nicht gestorben sind
Dann leben sie noch heute
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