How to marinate cheese

Question

In the answers to this question Jerk vegetable? one of the suggestions is to marinate some cheese.

This is not something I have heard of before. I was wondering what cheeses are suitable, and are there any special considerations that need to be made?

Answer 1

A lot of cheeses are naturally brined (feta, for example), and marinating cheese is not much different. For the best effect:

• Pick a porous cheese
• Cut off the edges if the cheese has a skin
• Cut into smaller pieces to increase the penetration
• Press it dry with towels (or paper towels)
• You can inject the cheese to get more flavour in it
• Marinate in flavours that compliment the cheese
• Let the cheese soak for at least 4 hours (more for less porous cheeses)

If the cheese is really wet (like feta), add weights to the drying process (like a pot or heavy plate), and let it drain until the surface feels dry.

Note that many cheeses are already salty, so balance your marinade with this in mind.