| Home on the Range WSU Canned Cheese True Gourmet Treat By Seared Lightly ' tis painful for an old Washington Husky to acknowledge that the farm school on the other side of the state excels in any endeavor, yet the Cougars show world-class consistency in a dairy student cheese-making curriculum. We speak of Cougar Gold, a unique cheddar that comes in, of all things, a can! And, yes, you can order it online at wsu.edu/creamery. The 30oz. containers unveil a unique, in our estimation, product that has a 70+ year history. Each wheel of cheese is aged for a minimum of one year before sale. It is a round, rindless product with a pale butter color and a very mellow flavor bordering on sharp.  Shipping has StoppedDue to warmer weather, the WSU Creamery has stopped shipping for the summer. Click here to see when we will resume shipments to your desired area. The original Cougar Gold has now been joined by an expanded tinned product line that includes Smoky Cheddar and the flavored Viking (with a base similar to a Monterey Jack) cheeses that include Dill Garlic, Sweet Basil, Hot Pepper, Crimson Fire and Cracked Pepper & Chive. Over 30 food science students are paid to work on the cheese making project. Pasteurized milk from the university's animal science Holstein herd is utilized, with fresh curd formed into thick slabs that are repeatedly stacked, turned and milled, forming a dryer curd that ages well. The proprietary culture has been maintained since its 1930's inception. The American Can Company worked with WSU researchers to devise a method of preserving cheese in tins. This has proved an ideal medium for maturing the cheese gracefully within the cans, which are held on campus and released for sale after one year...to the current volume of 160,000 units per annum. Visit the web site and you'll find over 20 suggestions for utilizing the empty tins, ranging from bird houses to tambourines, or how about a pet dish? There's also no less than 34 recipes for appetizers, soups, salads, pastries and main dishes. We've tried the following appetizer preparation: Cougar Chile con Queso dip. 1 cup finely chopped sweet Onion 2 4oz. cans chopped Green Chilies 2 cloves mashed Garlic 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce 1/4 tsp Paprika 1/4 tsp Salt 1 lb. Cougar Gold « cup Tomato Juice Sauté' over medium heat Onion, Chilies & Garlic in Olive Oil 'til Onion is tender. Reduce heat to low, add all other ingredients except Tomato Juice, cook until cheese is melted. Add the juice until dip has right consistency, place dip container over hot water (a chafing dish is ideal) and enjoy the 3 1/4 cups of dip with Tortilla chips. Topically related piece from a previous issue: Oregon Cheesemakers Have Gone Gourmet © 2008 Oregon Magazine |