Putting on the Ritz?

With the holiday season quickly approaching, we transition from the summer spent out and about to entertaining in the home. No gathering is complete without cheese and crackers. This year, forget the cheddar and put away the Ritz. With a little planning you can provide your guests with a cheese experience. If the idea of assembling a cheese board may be daunting, I am here to help.

How many people are you entertaining? You can plan on 2-4 ounces of cheese per person. Four ounces of cheese is equal to ¼ pound. If you have 10 quests you will need, at most, 2 ½ pounds of cheese. That may seem like a lot of cheese but it goes down so easily.

How many cheeses should you serve? I suggest serving 3 to 5 different cheeses. It is always nice to have a variety but you don’t want to overwhelm your guests with 10 different cheeses. A selection of three cheeses will provide some variety and the ability to compare and contrast the selection. If you are serving 3 different cheeses and are feeding 10 people you will need ¾ pounds of each cheese.
llll
What cheese to serve? You could pick a theme like French cheeses, Virginia cheeses, or focus on a certain type of milk. Personally, I like to serve at least one goat, cow, and sheep cheese. You also want to provide a variety of textures and tastes unless you are going to focus on something specific like soft ripened cheese. I recommend one soft cheese like Daffinois, a semi firm cheese like Midnight Moon, and a hard cheese like Zamorano. And this cheese selection represents one cow, one goat, and one sheep.

What about the blue? Many people are afraid of blue cheese because they can’t get over the mold. I wonder what they would think if they knew where rennet comes from or that bacteria live in all cheeses. There are some very wonderful and mild blues cheese such as Cambazola, Montangnola, and Regina Blue. If you know your guests are adventurous you can add a stronger blue cheese.

Should I server a stinker? I love stinky cheese, usually their smell is worse than their bite. Stinky cheeses are in the washed rind category which means that the wheel of cheese was bathed in wine, spirits, or a brine solution to encourage bacteria growth. Tallegio is a washed rind cheese that makes a wonderful grilled cheese. Washed rind cheeses are full of flavor and worthy of space on your cheese board.

How about some flavor? There are many flavored cheese such as garlic Gouda, caramelized onion cheddar, Purple Haze, and White Stilton with mango and ginger. These cheeses may engage those who are intimidated by cheese. A flavored cheese is a safe bet but only serve one on your cheese board. Having too many flavored cheeses can overwhelm the palette.

What to serve with your cheese? First, let’s talk cheese delivery systems. Ritz crackers are too buttery and flavorful to be served with a cheese board. I recommend any type of fresh bread such as a baguette or neutral crackers such as Melba toast. There are some wonderful cracker companies such as Carr’s, 34 degrees, and New York flatbreads. But be careful, some crackers are overloaded with salt and cheese tends to be salty so don’t overload on the salt. There are some wonderful flavored crackers that can pair nicely with the right cheese. I love a Carr’s rosemary cracker with Daffionis or goat cheese. The Carr’s whole wheat cracker is great for blue cheese as it provides a nice sweetness.

No cheese board is complete with out accompaniments. Fresh fruit such as grapes, strawberries, or what ever is in season are wonderful palette cleansers and pair well with most cheeses. Dried fruit and nuts are also a nice addition; the crunch provides a nice contrast to many cheeses. One way to encourage people to try blue cheese is to serve the cheese with a side of nuts and honey or drizzle the cheese with honey. I like to set out a small dish of honey whenever I put out a cheese board and experiment with flavor combinations. Spanish sheep’s milk cheeses are often served with membrillo which is a paste made out of quince. There are some wonderful chutneys, jams, and preserves available many of which will suggests pairing with a specific cheese. I enjoy Kunik with Harvest Song Tea Rose Petal Preserve. Offering accompaniments encourages your guest to play with their food and get involved with what they taste.

Always serve your cheese at room temperature. This allows those yummy fats to loosen up and give up their flavor. Ideally, you would buy your cheese the day of your soiree but the day before or even two days before is fine if properly stored. You do not want your cheese to dry out and yet you also do not want to suffocate your cheese. You can store your cheese in Tupperware, cheese paper, waxed paper, or aluminum foil.

In America, we serve our cheese as an appetizer but it is a wonderful way to end a meal and prepare for dessert. One of my most memorable dining experiences was at Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia. We had a wonderful meal, and then came the cheese cart which was eventually followed by the dessert cart. I feel in love with that cheese cart and tried one of each cheese which was laid out on my plate from mildest to strongest. Serving a cheese course during your meal will encourage people to discuss the cheese. What color is it, what texture, what flavors, does it have an interesting story? If you have the time, researching your cheese can provide a nice back story to what you taste.

You can have cheddar and Triscuts anytime but the holidays are a special time. Special times and call for special cheese. Don’t be intimidated by cheese, there is no wrong way to enjoy cheese. I hope this information will help you to impress your guests at your next holiday function.

Cheese Plate!

I love a nice crisp pan fried plantain with a bit of Maldon sea salt. If you have never tried Maldon, go out and find it and fall in love. It is flaky, organic and has been made the same way since 1882. I must admit that we have 4 or 5 kinds of salt on hand at any given time.
The farmers market on Saturday had a very specail treat to offer, fresh figs. My husband loves figs but will only enjoy them fresh and pure. We bought all the figs the vendor had left a half hour before the market closed. I kept some fresh but took some and pan fried them then wrapped them in Serrano, artisanal finocchiona, and peppered salami. I loved them,the combination of sweet and salt and rich melting fat.
The cheeses were my herby goat cheese made earlier this week, Garrotxa, and Quadrello Di Bufala. Garrotx is a Spanish goat cheese from Catalonia. This cheese is semi-firm and has a compact texture. The rind has a velvety grey mold that invites petting but not eating. This cheese is aged for four months and has a mild nutty flavor.

The cheese I am most excited to talk about is Quadrello Di Bufala. There doesn't seem to be much information available about this cheese which is made from the milk from Water Buffalos. This cheese is an Italian wash rind that is often compared to Tallegio. Quadrello is not as strong or pungent as Tallegio. TheQuadrello paste is soft and creamy and he rind was firm and crunchy which played nicely with the buttery paste. It had a nice minerality and salt with a savory flavor. Much more interesting than your typical Brie.

Sparkle Sparkle

It seems I have been hitting the sauce rather hard this week. It is very unusual for me to enjoy alcohol four times in one week. But, whenever I imbibe sparkling wines are my favorite followed by Loire whites. I try to enjoy quality at inexpensive prices.

I picked up a bottle of Cava Brut Rosado Torre Galatea, pictured on the left, when I was working at Pane E Vino in Lorton. It came in a nice red box crawling with golden ants. Why ants? This Cava was inspired by the Cava Rose from Castillo Perelada that Salvador Dali would offer his guests in Portlligat. Castillo Perelada created this wine and Salvador Dali decorated the bottle. The wine is made of Garnacha 25%, Monastrell 25%, and Pinot Noir 50% which is fermented for a second time in the bottle and aged for twelve months. The color was that of a bright ripe strawberry and it smelled like flowers and cherry pie. This wine was full flavored but not heavy and did not show many bubbles in the glass but had a nice bubble in the mouth. I have always been a fan of Dali and feel honored to enjoy his wine. I can not get enough of this wine!

At 11 dollars a bottle from Mom's Apple Pie in Occoquan, the Marcato Durello Brut is a wonderful everyday sparkling wine. This wine comes from the Alpone Valley in Italy near Verona. I was lucky enough to visit Verona and found it to be a very old and romantic town. I find it fitting that this lovely sparkler came from such a romantic place. This Brut was dry and minerally with notes of citrus. It had a nice acidity but did not find it to be a good of a pallet cleanser as the previous Cava. It is made of 85% Durella, 5% Pinot Noir, and 10% Cardonnay and naturally sparkled in tanks.

At Mom's Apple Pie I also picked up a small bottle of 2005 Kluge SP Blanc de Blanc brut. This is a sparkler from Charlottesville, VA which made me dubious of its deliciousness. I was pleasantly surprised as I have been disappointed by Virginian wines in the past. This exhibited a strong apple flavor with a clean finish. It is made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes in the methode Champenoise. It was an enjoyable novelty which I would pass on in the future.

Cheese Plate!

The other night I assembled a lovely little cheese plate from my local Wegman’s for my husband and I to enjoy. If you have never been to a Wegman’s, it is well worth the trip. It is a great place to people watch and is often packed so don’t go if your in a hurray. The Wegman’s in Northern Virginia will often transport me to New Jersey, so many lost white people. More important is their selection, prices, and location. It is the supermarket closest to my house and I have figured out all the short cuts.

Wegman’s has a decent produce section with organic options and will occasionally stock things you have never seen. I picked up some fresh fava beans still in the pod last week and they were delightful. I only wish they had more local produce as this is Virginia and there are farms aplenty.

They also have a huge ready made food area which I wouldn’t bother with as that stuff is filled with preservatives, MSG, and dextrose which may be fine for the average healthy adult. The seafood counter is nice with many wild options and country of origin labels. I must admit that I love Wegman’s hippie section which is where I find my yummy Glutino gluten free crackers, carrot juice and coconut water. I also frequent the bulk foods for nuts, seeds, and grains.

I was in the mood for something sparkling, which is very often and Wegman’s has a very nice wine selection. This of course would not apply in Pennsylvania and I did not understand the benefit until I moved twenty months ago. Shopping for food and wine together is wonderful and convenient. I selected a Cava, which is the Spanish equivalent of French Champagne and Prosecco is the Italian version. The bottle of Cava set me back a whole $8.99, mega stores do tend to have the lowest prices. The Label reads “Pere Ventura Brut Nature Tresor Sant Sadurni D’Anoia”.

I am not really sure what all that means but it tasted fabulous and was a great bang for my bucks. It was crisp, mellow, had citrus notes and a good quality and quantity of bubbles. This was served well chilled before we began eating our cheese to cleanse and open the pallet. Later in the evening I added some of my home made peach sorbet and it was a delightful combination. This Cava stands up on it’s on and pairs nicely with rich creamy cheese. It also mixes very well with fruit and juices without any odd flavors and tastes.

The cheese counter at Wegman’s is the best supermarket cheese counter. Yes, I like it more then Whole Foods because of price, selection, and location as there is no Whole Foods convenient to my locale. I think some of their decisions on which cheeses they exclude is a bit ridiculous especially when you consider they only recent banned High Fructose Corn Syrup. Cheese is a very special, delicious, and nutritious food which should only be enjoyed in limited quantity. When I eat cheese, I think about the cheese and don’t just melt it on some shit. I think Velveeta, cheese in a can, and indivdual wrapped cheese slices are abominations.

Some cheese buying tips, never buy anything that has been sitting in plastic for more than one day. Cheese is living, well the bacteria in it are alive and delicious, plastic wrap will suffocate your cheese. Depending on the cheese, you would be better off using tin foil, wax paper, Tupperware, or the wonderful Cheese paper which is made for that exact purpose. Cheese is best cut to order or in an individual round and is best eaten within 3 days of purchase and always severed at room temperature. If using plastic wrap, your cheese will stay fresher for a longer period of time if you change the plastic wrap every time you open the cheese.

Now you must be wondering, “What cheese did she select to pair with that tasty Cava?” I picked one individual round of Vermont Butter & Cheese’s Bonne Bouche which is a four ounce round of goat cheese that is coated in ash. This cheese is creamy in a chalk like manner without any chalky taste. It tastes bright, fresh, not too salty or goaty and has citrus notes. This is an artisan cheese with a semi soft texture which has been molded uncooked. This last part means the cheese has not been cooked or pressed, it is scooped into molds. Bonne Bouche is modeled after Selles-Sur-Cher from the Loire Valley, which is my favorite region of France.

Many cheeses will be coated in ash or have an ash line such as Morbier or Humboldt Fog. I have used ash in my own home cheese making experiments. The ash will often be vegetable ash and is often created from burning grape vines. Sometimes the ash is activated charcoal. Coating a goat cheese in ash will dry the exterior and protect the interior from harmful intruders.

As Bonne Bouche ages, it will become creamier. This particular round tasted very fresh, bright, and was creamy with a drier texture. It wasn’t as smooth and creamy as chevre but did not have a high moisture content which will give it a drier texture. Cheeses will lose moisture as it dries which is why aged cheeses are so hard. Bonne Bouche is aged form seven to forty-five days. Unfortunately, I do not know when my round was born but it tasted like a teenager. Not young and not old as I expect the round would have been creamier. If it had been aged for seven days, shipped on the 8^th, possibly put out to sell on the 11^th, maybe I bought it at 13 days old or more.

The other selected cheese was Tomme Crayeuse which is a cow’s milk cheese from the Savoie region of France. It is a semi-firm cheese with a mottled and yellow rind. The rind is edible as most rinds are but you never want to eat a rind that is wax, wood, or leaves. Flavors tend to be more concentrated at the rind. This cheese tastes creamy, nicely salty, smooth mouth feel, with savory mushroom and earth notes. The smell is pungent is stronger than its flavor. I enjoy smelly cheeses as they tend to have more flavors. My general rule is if a cheese smells like pee, don’t eat it.

Tomme Crayeuse came into the world in 1995 to rival Tomme de Savoie. I have not found a Tomme de Savoie that I have enjoyed which may be due to the age of the wheels but even when I was working at an excellent cheese shop, Cheesetique, I was never impressed by its flavor as it was too mild and reminded me of bad Swiss cheese. I have never been let down by Tomme Crayeuse and was always a favorite recommendation. I love to see the creamy interior of this cheese bursting out of its rind letting you know it is ripe and ready.

The Tomme Crayeuse and Bonne Bouche paired wonderfully with the Cava. The cava did an excellent job of cleansing the pallet and waking the taste buds. I also enjoyed the contrast of the goats to cow’s milk cheese. Crayeuse was earthy and the Bouche was crisp and bright. This cheese plate gave my husband and me some time to sit and relax before dinner and talk about our day and feel luxurious as we indulged our taste buds.