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Two days ago, I bought a goat cheese. It looked white and rectangular, it didn't had a particular name, and because it was in plastic I couldn't smell it. I got home, opened it, and wrapped it in paper.

Some time after, I took a bite, and the cheese's texture was already not as expected; not creamy, kinda hard, and without a layer around. I took a bite and it felt like licking a ram. I tried to mitigate it with bread, and left it alone. Later, I gave it another round; this time on toasted bread, hoping cooking it would get the stench out of it. It didn't work. Now, i tried to crush it and mix it with olive oil and rosemary; it didn't work.

I want to know what I can do to mellow out the taste of the cheese to a level I can enjoy.

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rumtscho
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Orsu
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    Not having ever licked a ram before I'm struggling to imagine what you're describing ... ;) – brhans Feb 21 '19 at 19:38
  • @brhans salty (a lot!) smelly. If you close your eyes you find yourself grazing in a mountain with your fellow horizontal-pupiled folks – Orsu Feb 21 '19 at 19:40
  • Exactly what is it that you would like to know? I am not sure what your question is. – moscafj Feb 21 '19 at 19:44
  • Hello and welcome! I'm not really sure what you are asking. It sounds like you simply don't like the cheese. Not sure how we can help with that. – Cindy Feb 21 '19 at 19:47
  • @Cindy Hi! I would like to know how could i accomodate, cook, or prepare this cheese so that i could appreaciate it. By lowering its very strong taste, or maybe put it with something that would make the taste seem more normal ? thanks – Orsu Feb 21 '19 at 19:51
  • What country is that ? maybe it will help us help you ? – Max Feb 21 '19 at 19:52
  • @Max would a photo be helfpful ? if the country is important to you, assume it' s italy – Orsu Feb 21 '19 at 19:55
  • yes, a photo might help, and maybe what region. – Max Feb 21 '19 at 19:57
  • I once had some cheese that tasted incredibly strong - it was not meant to be like this, it had a contaminant bacterium that I can't for the life of me recall or find using google. We unsuccessfully tried all sorts to get it to a point where it was more palatable. Just saying, that cheeses that don't taste good aren't necessarily meant to taste that way! – bob1 Feb 21 '19 at 22:52
  • The only person who could possibly answer this question is yourself. No one else will ever know how this cheese tastes or how to "fix it" to your liking. – elbrant Feb 22 '19 at 00:22

3 Answers3

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Have you tried anything involving cooking the cheese?

I have a feeling that some of the goatiest (not a word but it should be) goat's cheese is mellowed a little by heat. You could try thin slices on (part of) a pizza, or warming it, pressing it onto toast and finishing under a grill or with a blowtorch. The usual accompaniment to that would be a green salad including some strongly flavoured (peppery or bitter) leaves, which would also compete with the flavour.

Chris H
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  • I only just went for making this an answer rather than a comment, as I haven't tried the cheese in question or cooking with it myself. – Chris H Feb 21 '19 at 20:02
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    i take note, the pizza seem like a good idea. For now i only tried to put it on a toast on a pan, with a cover. It melted a little, i added pepper but didn't really worked – Orsu Feb 21 '19 at 20:02
  • +1 for the heat. I don't like the smell of goat cheese, definitely smells like a sheep to me but i have found goat cheese melted on pizza or tarts arevery nice, no strong smell and tastes quite mellow. Use a small amount mixed in with other strong flavours as Chris said, like a pear and walnut tart with some cheese in it on a puff pastry base. – Ess Kay Feb 22 '19 at 11:08
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This looks, and sounds, like a feta style cheese. I know that people are accustomed to seeing a certain type of cheese as "goat cheese", but goat milk can be used in mostly every type of cheese as cow or sheep milk.

You can try leaving it for several days in water in a closed box in the fridge, and see if it reduces the smell to a level you like. If necessary, change the water a few times. This is normally done with feta to reduce the salt, but will also dilute the aroma somewhat.

It is not certain whether you can ever take it to a taste level which you personally enjoy, for background see I overseasoned my food, what can I do to remove the strong smell?.

rumtscho
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Maybe try it with a tapenade on some toast points, or melt it into a bechamel and pour atop some charred artichoke hearts and serve with some preparation of beef.

If you go the cheese sauce route, you may think about cutting the bold goat cheese with something a little blander, like an Emmental or Muenster or mild cheddar.

HandsomeGorilla
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