The Good: Melts well, Comparatively inexpensive, Tastes delicious, Great aroma
The Bad: Fat content is stiflingly high for such a small portion size
The Basics: A truly delightful cheese that tastes like cheese and dill, Denmark's Finest Havarti Dill lives up to the highest standards of cheese production!
It takes a lot for me to stand up and actually notice nutritional information on pretty much anything I eat. Honestly, now that my partner no longer works at Dunkin' Donuts, I suspect I might actually start losing weight again and be able to get back into shape. But, until I found myself gaining weight from almost-nightly treats, I generally did not care about the nutritional information on the packages of virtually any food I ate. That was, until I found myself gorging on Denmark's Finest Havarti Dill cheese.
Havarti Dill is a dream come true for me and anyone who loves fine cheese is likely to fall equally hard in love with Denmark's Finest Havarti Dill as I did. My honeymoon with this flavorful cheese ended, however, when I noticed that it had the usual 1 oz. (approximately 1 cubic inch) serving size and in that serving it had 31% of the RDA of saturated fat. Well, that meant that the block I had already eaten would probably have kept my fat count elevated for several days. It should be a crime to make a cheese so good, despite every cheese connoisseur knowing that fat it part of the great cheese game.
Denmark's Finest Havarti Dill came on the heels of my encountering Ostenborg Havarti with Dill and Denmark's Finest seems to be a less expensive, but more tasty option. Yes, I'll take less pricey and more yummy any day!
Basics
Denmark's Finest is imported into the United States and distributed here through Arla Foods. Given that it lives up to its name and actually is from Denmark, I am quite surprised we were able to find it locally for $7.49/lb.
The Havarti Dill Cheese is one of Denmark's Finest's softer cheeses and it does not have holes, which I mention because when SAPping this, many of the pictures I found for havarti cheeses did have holes. This cheese is just firm enough to be able to use a cheese plane on without any serious trouble. It is very easy to cut with a cheese knife or cheese plane and it does not fracture like many, sharper, cheeses do.
The Havarti Dill may be found on-line and in stores available by the pound. It is a white cheese with tiny specks of dill throughout and the regularity of the presence of dill weed in the cheese can be seen. No matter how tiny the nibble, one is likely to get some dill in their Havarti Dill from Denmark's Finest.
Ease Of Preparation
This is cheese, not finding truffles without a pig, so preparing the Havarti Dill Cheese is as easy as slicing open the plastic package. One need only be attentive to the temperature surrounding this cheese as it will melt at higher temperatures. At room temperature, it may sit out and it retains its shape nicely, without sweating. At room temperature, it is very easy to slice it into chunks with a good cheese knife and it is firm enough to properly resist a cheese plane for easy slicing. This is a very manageable cheese to use when making recipes.
When used on a burger, this melted very quickly, so those who like burgers more rare will find this to be an excellent component. As well, Denmark's Finest Havarti Dill cheese melts perfectly in omelets and other egg dishes and in its melted form the flavor of the dill in the cheese comes out even more than on its own.
Taste
I love dill. Ever since college, I've loved dill and it is one of the scents which still knocks me out when I smell it. Just opening the Denmark's Finest Havarti Dill causes the scent to explode into one's nose and anyone who loves dill will find this immediately inviting.
Havarti Dill is infused in every bite, every nibble, with the flavor of dill and a slightly tangy cheese. In fact, this havarti is about as sharp as a mild cheddar, which compliments the dill perfectly. Biting into the cheese, one has a creamy taste with a little kick from spices and the cheese. While the Ostenborg havarti with dill reminded me of something buttery with a dill kick, Denmark's Finest is all cheese flavor around the dill weed. The result is a creamy, but not at all oily flavor and texture that coats the tongue and invited the consumer to eat more.
When melted, the Havarti Dill is slightly dry in its flavor, but still tastes completely like dill suspended in a very mild cheddar. The tangy quality of this cheese is actually a key selling point to me, as I like flavorful food and I'm tired of mild cheeses that are more texture than taste when heated. This Havarti Dill is all taste!
Nutrition
My wife and I agree that the 1 oz. size is a ridiculous small amount for a cheese this good. This is a cheese, so it's not like it is going to have a health food value to it. Even so, I suddenly came awake to how fattening great cheeses are through this particular cheese. In the recommended serving size, there are 110 calories, ninety of which are from fat. As a great cheese, that is no surprise. The Havarti Dill Cheese has no trans fat, 10 grams total fat of which six are saturated fat. That represents 31% of the RDA of saturated fat, but this cheese is good enough to be worth it! In addition to the fat, there is 12% of the RDA of cholesterol, 8% of the daily sodium, 15% of one's needed calcium and 8% of your daily Vitamin A in the cheese. There are no carbs and 6 grams of protein in this cheese. In other words, this is not the greatest food to try to live on on its own.
Even so, having reviewed a lot of different foods, this is not the worst food in the world by any stretch of the imagination. The ingredients are quite simply pasteurized milk, salt, cheese cultures, dill and rennet. There are no preservatives outside the salt, which is why it must be refrigerated and sealed tightly when opened (otherwise it will dry out at the corners)!
Storage/Clean-up
This is a cheese, so some care must be maintained in its handling. Refrigeration is mandatory. Under those conditions, it probably lasts for months, but once open odds are the consumer will eat it within days. This is a dairy product and should not be kept at or above room temperature longer than it must.
Given that this is a slightly more firm cheese, it does not fracture so cleanup is usually as simple as wiping the blade of whatever one is using to cut the cheese with. If it is melted and ends up on clothing, be sure to consult your fabric's care guide. On its own, Denmark's Finest Havarti Dill Cheese should not stain any clothing or dishware.
Overall
Cheesy and dill weed in flavor, Denmark's Finest lives up to its name as a fine, rich cheese likely to please anyone sick of blase cheeses and who can afford to carry a few more pounds as a result of consuming this in quantity!
For other cheeses reviews, please visit my reviews of:
Yancey's Fancy Wasabi Horseradish Cheddar
Emmi Cave Aged Kaltbach Le Gruyere
BelGioioso Extra Sharp Provolone
9/10
For other food reviews, please check out my index page!
© 2011, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
No comments:
Post a Comment