We LOVE cheese here and can basically eat it any time of the day (multiple times of the day in fact!). We can stand in front of the fridge, door wide open, having a lovely conversation, cheese in hand, like its nobody's business! As for our favorites, I'm partial to Pecorino imported from Italy.
Try it with pears (while in season) and honey. Super healthy and easy mid-day snack. Di loves the savory yet pungent flavors of Bleu Cheese. One type we absolutely can't stop talking about is Gorgonzola, an Italian bleu cheese. First time I had it was at La Giostra, Firenze in a pasta dish with crumbled pistachio nuts and pears. My tastes bud have never been the same!
But when it comes to cheese platters, it can get very overwhelming standing in the cheese isle of a grocery store not knowing what to grab at...ever wonder how to put them together? What cheeses complement each other best? Room temperature or cold cheese? Well I came across this blog at work the other day and thought I'd share with you!
I was helping a friend prepare for his New Year's party a few months back and when it came down to the cheese platter I was pretty clueless. Wish I had this then...The next time you plan on serving a cheese platter at your next party, follow these helpful tips!
* When you invite friends over, buy one ounce per person per cheese; and stick to five to six cheeses total.
* Choose a fun variety of cheeses: different textures, countries, and all three milk types (goat, sheep, cow).
* Pair cheeses with: Dried cherries, walnuts, marcona almonds (I love these!), fresh grapes, crackers and French bread.
* Serve all the cheeses on one big board. You want your guests to start with the mildest and work up to the strongest, so place the cheeses in "clock order"--12 o'clock being the mildest and 11 o'clock being the strongest.
* Take the cheese out of the fridge at least an hour before serving. Cheese should be eaten at room temperature, when it's at its full flavor and texture.
* Put out a few different knives. Goat and blue cheeses crumble if you use a regular knife, so cheese wires are the best thing to use--if you don't have one, you can use dental floss! Softer cheeses work best with a butter knife. Harder cheeses, like parmesan, are good with a triangle-shaped knife. Cut circular cheeses in wedges, like a pizza.
* If you have leftovers, don't store the cheese in Saran Wrap, which will make the cheese sweat and leave a plastic-y taste. Cheese is living and needs to breathe, so wrap it in parchment or wax paper, and keep it in the most humid part of the fridge (usually the vegetable drawer).
*
Typically it's OK to eat the rind of any cheese, as long as you can handle the stronger flavor (exceptions, of course, are cloth-bound or wax rinds).
If you want to read the entire post and a description on all the cheeses pictured, read it
here and for you adventurous cheese lovers read this one
here
So who's up for some grapes, cheese, and vino?!
Love,
B + D
