Photo: Andrew McCaul
Buying It
Allow one ounce of cheese for each guest. Serve three to five kinds.
Eating It
Cheese should be served at room temperature, so about an hour before the party starts, take it out of the fridge -- hard cheese needs a little longer. Letting it sit for a while softens texture and maximizes flavor. Cover it in waxed paper to keep it from drying out.
- Use a marble slab or wooden cutting board -- cheese is most compatible with natural surfaces.
- Keep the cheese whole so it won’t dry out.
- Arrange the cheese from mild to strong (beginning at twelve o’clock) to keep the stronger flavors from overpowering the more delicate ones.
- Skip salty crackers that might interfere with the robust flavors and opt for a crusty loaf of sourdough bread or fresh baguettes. Almonds, olives, and dried fruits go well with most types of cheese.
Storing It
- Change the wrapping every few days to allow it to breathe.
- Wrap in aluminum foil, waxed paper, or plastic wrap, depending on the cheese.
- Make sure to store the cheese in the bottom drawer of the fridge (a consistent temperature means the cheese will last longer).
- More delicate or soft cheeses are better off in a sealed container.
Glossary
- Blue-veined The blue and green moldy marbling is what gives such intense flavor to Gorgonzola, Stilton, and Roquefort.
- Fresh These curds are uncooked, moist, and mild. A popular type is ricotta.
- Natural rind This rind is self-formed and splotchy, like Chantal.
- Pasta filata Mozzarella is an Italian pulled and cured cheese (um, your bagged and shredded sample excluded). After a hot-water bath, the curds are kneaded and stretched until they're elastic.
- Semi-hard and hard Also known as cooked or pressed, the curd is simultaneously heated, stirred, and cut to expel moisture. The curd is then pressed, which produces some of our firmer faves like Parmigiano Reggiano, Gruyere, and Gouda.
- Bloomy rind When the surface is exposed to mold, the cheese ripens from the inside out and gets creamy along the way, like Brie and Camembert.
- Stinky or washed rinds Cheeses like Limburger and Taleggio are cured by washing or brushing the rind with liquid, fostering the growth of flavoring bacteria (which gives it a moldy rind). The smell is often strong like with Pont L’Eveque and Alsace Munster.
- Triple-cremes A kind of bloomy rind variety that's enriched with cream for an extra-rich and buttery taste, like St. Andre.
- Uncooked/pressed The curds tend to have a firm texture like Tomme de Savoie.
Combos we love
- Play with texture Hard (Pecorino Romano), soft (Brie), and blue (Maytag Blue)
- Mix up the milk source Cow (Fontina), goat (Petit Billy), and sheep (Manchego)
- Go global America (Grafton Village Maple Smoked Cheddar), Switzerland (Appenzeller), and Spain (Queso de La Serena)
by Alonna Friedman
6/25/08
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