Can you smell that smell?

Everyone knew when I was portioning (notice how I didn't say cutting) the cheese for the cheese platter on the menu, during prep at The Clive. The rather common (in more ways than one) jokes fumed daily. Hahaha, very funny....I am not a member of clergy and I bathe and change my socks everyday! I guess though; in this case, in a way, I dealt it. Those that ordered the cheese plate for third course were glad someone took responsibility for it.

Stinking Bishop is a washed-rind cheese made from the pasteurised milk of Gloucester cattle. The soft textured cheese was voted Britian's smelliest. To make sure all the bacterial beasties developed properly in enough moisture, the cheese is salted later in the process.



Stinking Bishop Cheese Filled Potato Pancakes

In this recipe I created, pear sauce was used for a side with the potato panckes. This sauce was a wink (through watering eyes) to the fact that this cheese is plunged into perry (pear cider) in the process of creating it.

For the pear sauce:

6 med. pears- peeled and cored
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
zest of half a lemon

Boil this down and make soft, blend smooth. Set aside.

For the potato pancakes:

4 lrg. potatoes cooked, mashed and seasoned with butter, salt and pepper.
1/4 c. pancetta lardons, fried
1 egg
1/2 c. AP flour
1/2 lb. Stinking Bishop cheese, portioned into four pieces
flour to coat
canola oil to fry

Mix the flour and egg into the potato mash, stir in the lardons. Divide the potato mixture evenly to make four pancakes. Flour your hands and form the pancakes with a indentation in the center for the cheese. Form over the cheese and make smooth and flat all around. Roll in flour, fry in the canola oil until golden. Drain on paper towels and repeat until all four pancakes are done. Serve.



My dish was made complete with wilted kale. Take a look at how good it is for you besides being tasty it balanced the flavours and colours of this plate. The nutritional value as worded by another website:

"Kale is loaded with nutrients and compounds that aid in warding off other diseases and ailments as well. For example, kale is packed with beta-carotene, an important nutrient for good vision. Several studies link an increase in vitamin A and beta-carotene in one’s diet with a decrease in developing cataracts. Kale is also an excellent source of vitamin C, which is good for cold prevention, as well as a reduced risk of colon cancer. Finally, kale is rich in minerals, such as iron, manganese, calcium and potassium."


....The smell of it surrounds you.