Say cheese!

Every now and then, we get into one of those moods where we're sick of eating. It sounds like such a snobby, nouveau riche comment but you know what I mean, right? You're tired of the same old limited repertoire of recipes and you've tried every single stall at your nearby coffee shop many times over. "What shall we do for dinner?" is met by groans from the children.

This was the scenario last Saturday and I had a sudden brainwave. Due to our recent obsession with the Facebook game, Mouse Hunt, our family had a resurgent interest in all things cheesy. Andre even asked me what SuperBrie - an imaginary premium cheese on the game - tasted like.

So I suggested doing a cheese platter for dinner - three types of cheeses with bread rolls and a simple salad. Such enthusiasm from the kids! Suddenly, dinner was interesting again.

Usually, we buy cheese from NTUC as it's really kindest on the pocket. Cheese is so expensive in Singapore, unless you want boring old cheddar. But if you want more variety and better quality, some of the larger Cold Storage stores have cheese counters are pretty well stocked.

We're not cheese aficionados so we stuck to what we knew. I bought a block each of camembert, boursin and blue cheese. Here's a picture of the packaging for those who might be interested in how they're sold. Generally, these boxed cheeses are cheaper than their cling-wrapped counterparts which are sold by weight.

We love, love, love boursin (garlic and herb flavour). It's a soft and creamy French cheese that's slightly crumbly - heavenly on bread or crackers. Camembert, another French cheese, is spongier in texture (you can slice it) but it's also very creamy and has a slightly bitter taste. It's very similar to Brie.

The blue cheese, we bought solely for Lesley-Anne. It has a very pungent and sharp taste, no one else in the family can stomach it! I have no idea how Lesley-Anne came to acquire a taste for blue cheese, it's like getting accustomed to durians, I guess. When people talk about smelly cheese, blue cheese is probably as smelly as it gets. Think stinky feet.

Here's what they look like unboxed. The yellow one at the far end is boursin, the blue cheese is the veined one on the right and the camembert is in front with a white rind.

I'm no cheese expert but if you want my layman recommendation, here it is: if you're a cheese newbie and curious about it, I suggest sticking to the milder types first. Cheddar is the mildest cheese around and always the easiest to try. I'm not referring to the common sliced cheddar by Kraft or Chesdale though, try the blocks and cut them into cubes. Very yummy as appetisers or as a snack.

Gouda (or edam) is pretty good, one step up from cheddar. Usually, we keep a block of young gouda at home and grate a mountain of it on the kids' spaghetti. Much tastier and cheaper than parmesan, in my opinion. Again, you can also eat it as it is, as a snack. Incidentally, you'll often find a label on a block of cheese stating that the cheese is "aged" or "young", eg "aged cheddar" or "young gouda". Very simply, the more aged the cheese, the sharper the taste.

From gouda, you can try camembert (or brie). I recommend putting off blue cheese for a bit unless you're feeling really adventurous! These are the types I know, if you make a trip down to the higher end supermarkets, you'll see hundreds of varieties. Try them and tell me which are your favourites!