Early Birthday Gift

My birthday isn't until the end of the month. Leon gave me my gift early-- a new cheese press! I took it for a spin this weekend. My interest was partly because the press advertised itself as using molds that avoid the problem of "brittle" cheese by draining through the bottom only. I'm assuming that brittleness refers to the very crumbly texture that my hard cheeses typically show.

When I took the Gouda out of the mold this morning, I did notice an improved feel to the cheese wheel as I removed it. I also like the flatter and wider shape that this mold produces.

Q: What does this cheese have in common with John McCain and Sarah Palin?

A: It's going to get waxed on Election Night.

On a related note, the other day new visitor rsb75 commented on an old cheesemaking post and left me a link to a new cheese supplier. Wow, they have great stuff, and they're much closer than New England Cheesemaking. They have some bits of equipment that look really useful, and that I've not seen before. In a mildly frustrating development, I realized that just a few days before I heard about them, I had been just a couple of miles from their store. Oh well, they're still fairly close, I should be able to get back up there.

Thanks rsb75!