Comments on: Marinated Idiazábal Cheese with Rosemary http://leitesculinaria.com/948/recipes-marinated-idiazabal-cheese-rosemary.html#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed Recipes, Food, and Cooking Blog Thu, 24 May 2012 20:24:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Testers' Choice http://leitesculinaria.com/948/recipes-marinated-idiazabal-cheese-rosemary.html#comment-27251 Testers' Choice Sat, 16 Apr 2005 23:34:12 +0000 http://leitesculinaria.com/wordpress/?p=948#comment-27251 [Elsa M. Jacobson] Idiazábal cheese is worth discovering even before it’s marinated for this tapa recipe. It wasn't difficult to locate, so I purchased it along with Manchego and smoked Gouda, two of the cheeses mentioned as viable substitutes. Though the smoked Gouda was very good, and the Manchego excellent, the Idiazábal cheese far outshone them, in part because it's such a unique ingredient: its quiet smokiness marries perfectly with the garlic-herb marinade, and its texture does become what Andrés intends—juicy and flavorful. The recipe's accompanying photograph appeared to depict a fresh leaf, so I went ahead and used one. Not only do the fresh leaves impart better flavor, but their bright dark green makes for a more appealing presentation. I also invested in the Spanish extra-virgin olive oil, as noted in the ingredients list. I served this in a bowl rather than a plate, keeping the cheese cubes marinating throughout the serving time for the buffet where I presented this trio of cheeses. Had I been serving this as an appetizer or as part of a tapas meal, I might have gone the plated route, but this approach did retain the fresh look and taste of the cheese. [Elsa M. Jacobson] Idiazábal cheese is worth discovering even before it’s marinated for this tapa recipe. It wasn’t difficult to locate, so I purchased it along with Manchego and smoked Gouda, two of the cheeses mentioned as viable substitutes. Though the smoked Gouda was very good, and the Manchego excellent, the Idiazábal cheese far outshone them, in part because it’s such a unique ingredient: its quiet smokiness marries perfectly with the garlic-herb marinade, and its texture does become what Andrés intends—juicy and flavorful.

The recipe’s accompanying photograph appeared to depict a fresh leaf, so I went ahead and used one. Not only do the fresh leaves impart better flavor, but their bright dark green makes for a more appealing presentation. I also invested in the Spanish extra-virgin olive oil, as noted in the ingredients list.

I served this in a bowl rather than a plate, keeping the cheese cubes marinating throughout the serving time for the buffet where I presented this trio of cheeses. Had I been serving this as an appetizer or as part of a tapas meal, I might have gone the plated route, but this approach did retain the fresh look and taste of the cheese.

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