Our Hinterland cheeses – award winning, great tasting and versatile – are outstanding. We might not have the legendary 365 or more varieties they have in France, but ours are well worth seeking out.

How fortunate we are to have some of the best providores, producing such a variety of marvellous foods here in the hinterland.  The Australian love affair with cheese is long standing and we have an ever increasing variety of excellent quality cheese.  In the hinterland there are many award winning, passionate cheese makers producing quality products – both goat’s milk and cow’s milk cheeses and combinations of both.  Some produce hand crafted cheeses and some make everyday cheeses; they all use local milk.  These providores sell at the farm door, by appointment, at their own retail outlet or at our local farmers’ markets. 

Interesting, just recently, the 2008 Sydney Royal Cheese and Diary Produce Show was held 11th – 13th February, and was written up in the Weekend Australian (February 16-17), by the Food Detective, Judith Elen.  Apparently, over the past 100 years of the show’s history, cheese preferences have changed and moved away from the old Australian style ‘industrial-grade cheddar’ to the newer goat’s and ewe’s milk cheeses.  Elen mentions ‘A “very new thing”…is cheese made from blends – sheep and goat or cow and goat – which has hit the market in the past 18 months’.  Our Gympie Farm Cheese at Conondale has been making a fine blend of half goat and half cow’s milk cheese called Tango for a long time!

Cheese is such a versatile, quick, easy and nutritious food. It is an excellent source of calcium, protein and vitamins A and D.  Interestingly, goat’s cheese has smaller fat globules than cow’s milk, is more easily digested, so it is fine to eat late at night with that last glass of red wine!

We have several artisan goat’s cheese-makers on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, including Coolabine Farmstead Goat Cheese, Gympie Goat Farm and Maleny Cheese.  Goat’s cheese is an extremely versatile cheese and need s very little done to it to present it as an interesting part of a meal.  Just remember that when you are using it in cooking, do not leave it in the oven or under the griller once it has melted or it will become grainy and separate.  To serve, make sure it is ripe and at room temperature for optimum flavour, aroma and texture. This applies especially to soft cheeses. 

The choices with goat’s cheese are endless - be adventurous and use it in a variety of new ways.

For a light nibble with drinks, pipe goat’s cheese mixed with freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of lemon into cherry tomatoes.  Crumble some onto broccoli soup just before serving – it looks colourful and adds another dimension to the flavour of the soup.

Goat’s cheese in salad is a perfect combination for us here in the warmer weather.  One of our favourites at On the Ridge is marinating small rounds of goat’s cheese to use in a green salad; see below for the recipe.

Scatter a soft curd goat’s cheese over quartered new potatoes which have been tossed with  olive oil, lime juice, shallot rings and black pepper.  Place under the griller to melt the cheese, spoon juicy peas over the top and sprinkle with some rocket leaves; drizzle with a mint dressing for a lovely tasty dish.)

Fruit with goat’s cheese and salad is a divine combination – try a warm grilled peach half served with the sweet, white and crunchy inner leaves of frisée or endive lettuce, tossed in a luscious goat’s cheese dressing.  One of my all time favourites with a piece of rare barbequed steak is a rocket salad, with sliced firm goat’s cheese, finely sliced pear, and walnuts or macadamias with a nut oil and balsamic dressing

A combination of goat’s cheese, roasted pumpkin and red capsicum, caramelised red onions and roasted garlic is colourful and delicious. Add some  chopped macadamia nuts,  rocket and  dress with a nut oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.

Another lovely way to use goat’s cheese is to stir it through risottos, and pastas or fill ravioli with goat’s cheese and semi-dried tomatoes, or layer it between lasagne sheets with eggplant, grilled zucchini and roasted tomatoes. 
Goat’s cheese teamed with pastry makes a good combination; try a goat’s cheese tart tatin with caramelised red onions and puff pastry.  Goat’s cheese and spinach scattered over a near cooked omelette then grilled until the cheese is golden is quite luscious.

For a terrine, layer slices of goat’s cheese with cooked sliced potatoes, flat mushrooms, marinated artichokes and caramelised onions, all wrapped in wilted spinach leaves. Serve it with a green salad. This looks very attractive and can be made the day before it’s needed, making it a quick lunch dish.

As a side vegetable dish, knead soft curd goat’s cheese with roasted garlic and pine nuts, stuff into zucchini flowers, coat in a tempura style batter and shallow fry.   Or crumbled goat’s cheese over mashed potatoes – it makes gorgeously rich mashed potatoes and is a very tasty accompaniment to barbecued meat, and fish. 

As a cheese course or to replace dessert, serve sliced goat’s cheese with quartered fresh figs, drizzled with local honey and scattered with toasted flaked almonds.

Goat’s cheese marinated on garlic croutons with salad greens
Serves 4

Goat’s cheese marinade
It is lovely to marinate little rounds of goat’s cheese in herbs and olive or nut oils. It is hard to resist when the cheese is toasted to a bubbling brown, served on a salad dressed with the oil from the marinade. Marinating adds depth of flavour to goat’s cheese and is delicious in any recipe calling for goat’s cheese, or served on its own with country bread. Small goat’s cheese are best for marinating, and they should be quite dry. The leftover olive oil is great for frying or using in salad dressings.

Put 4 small rounds of goat’s cheese, about 75g each, in a one litre lidded jar. Add 3 dried bay leaves, 2 tsp peppercorns, 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, 3 to 4 tiny dried chillies, and a sprig of rosemary and thyme.

Add enough olive or nut oil to cover everything generously. Cover with the lid and leave for at least 2 weeks in a cool, dark place. In very warm climates, it may be necessary to store in the refrigerator. The cheese will keep for 3 to 4 weeks, but will soften if kept for too long. As you use the cheese, reuse the oil by adding more cheese.

Salad
8 slices bread or slices of baguette
oil from the marinade  
100g macadamia nuts or walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped
175g bitter salad greens such as rocket  
4 small marinated goat’s cheese   
2 cloves garlic, halved
5- 7cm round cookie cutter

Vinaigrette
½ tsp dry mustard
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt and cracked black pepper
2 tbsp walnut oil or avocado oil
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

To make the croutons, use a cookie cutter and stamp a round from each slice of bread slightly larger than the rounds of cheese, or use slices from a baguette. Brush with the marinade oil and bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until crispy and golden. Toast the nuts in the same oven until crisp and golden.

Wash and dry the salad greens, discarding any wilted leaves. Make the vinaigrette by whisking the mustard powder with the vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl until the salt dissolves. Gradually add the oils, whisking constantly so the dressing emulsifies and thickens slightly. Taste and adjust the seasoning. 

Remove a very thin layer from the top and bottom of each round of cheese, then slice each in half horizontally. Rub the halved garlic cloves vigorously over each crouton and place a round of cheese on top of each one.

To finish, heat the griller. Grill the cheese about 7.5 cm from the heat until bubbling and browned for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the greens with the dressing and pile the greens on individual plates, sprinkling with the toasted macadamia or walnut pieces. Set two croutons on each plate and serve while still warm and bubbling.