Holiday Feast Cheese Plate

* had to rename the post to "Holiday Feast..." After all, we need cheese all season long.

Thanksgiving is in two days. A cheese plate turns a meal into a feast. But what to bring? Fret not. Robert Aguilera has a fantastic guest post for us—the primer you need to match the cheese with the party. After this post, you'll walk into your local cheese shop and order without hesitation. Then you'll arrive at the party with a cheese tray (and accompanying tidbits of info) that will have any group clamoring for more (pdf). Best of all, Rob just wants people to love cheese and he helps both the enjoyers and the makers. Good man.

Robert J. Aguilera learned about cheeses while working at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, and then at Farmstead in Providence, Rhode Island.  He now distributes cheese making and packaging supplies to cheesemakers across the United States. He's also one of the minds behind an invitation-only Bueno Queso Social Club cheese salon, where people get together to try cheese, food, and wine—and talk about it all afternoon. “I hope to continue to help the cheese landscape in America in any way I can.”  For any questions please send emails to roberto@buenoqueso.org.

The impressive cheese counter at Formaggio Kitchen.

By Robert Aguilera

A good rule of thumb for buying cheese is the "rule of four." Buy a cow's milk, a goat's milk, a sheep's milk and one blue cheese. With this combination, you make everyone happy, but you also keep it interesting for those that are true "cheese heads."

Traditional Thanksgiving with in-laws and loads of guests
This category is all about tried and true cheeses that go great with the multitude of wines, beers and cocktails that will be swirling around the cheese plate.

Comté Marcel Petite (24- or 36-month)—French gruyere with a dense, velvety texture, a caramel-nutty flavor and an affinity for pairing to medium-bodied red wines, Belgian beers and medjool dates.

Bleu des Basque—Sheep's milk blue cheese from the Pyrenees Mountains that rides flavors of spice, biscuits, honey and leather. Great for the Port wine drinking set, as well as those who love pairing chocolate with cheese.

Constant Bliss—Jasper Hill Farm’s small format cow's milk cheese that is similar to brie, but with more life. With flavors of butter, flowers and sweet cream, just grab a crisp wheat beer and some cranberries to pair with it and dive into that political conversation with your Uncle.

Pecorino, Rosso and Morchiato (small format Tuscan, semi-aged)—Tuscany’s sheep milk cheeses, made in the traditional style, give us a texture that is somewhat hard, but loaded with vanilla, walnut and herbal flavors. This is great for the cocktail “swillers” in the group, especially the gin and vodka set.

Bucheron—French goat's milk cheese in a log shape. Simple and elegant with its flaky, yet creamy, texture and subtle floral and citrus notes. It's a great pairing for those who enjoy sparkling wines, fresh fruit and even crisp lager beers.


Foodie Friends Holiday Gathering
You're going to be with friends who know their cheese and just want delicious and wonderful. Here, your goal is to please those who can be hard to please when it it comes to food. So, don’t be afraid to up the ante here.

Rogue River Blue—Award-winning cow's milk blue cheese from Rogue Creamery. If your friends follow good food, they will have heard of this one, or at least say they've heard of it. Rogue Creamery makes other blues as well, but they are all made to pair with hearty food and drink. Of course, port will do as a pairing, but if your friends are discerning, offer them Muscat and Banyuls dessert wines with this champion of the curd.

Montgomery Cheddar—Jamie Montgomery’s a master at making his family’s legacy: real, clothbound cheddar from Somerset, England. As the original, the texture will be far more crunchy and creamy than any typical cheddar that you may have tried. With flavors of citrus, grass, butter, nuts and earth all balanced with a sturdy sharpness, you can’t go wrong—especially when you pair this cheese with your favorite IPA beers. The two seem to shake hands as if they were old friends. The complexity of this cheese will make it possible to pair with older red wines, especially if they are made with Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and even Grenache.
 
Carlisle Farmstead Chevre & Tommes—Goat's milk cheeses made by Tricia Smith at Carlisle Farmstead. These cheeses are covered in the white mould you typically see on brie, but their flavors of clean grass, root vegetables and subtle citrus will demand some contemplation from your gatherers. Please pair these cheeses with Champagne, sparkling cider, wheat beers, pears and apples. (You know what, put it on the Turkey! You'll thank me for this recommendation.)

Ossau Iraty—Pyrennes sheep's milk cheese in its best form. One of the oldest tommes, it is both rustic and reminiscent of the shepherd tradition it grew out of. It's also elegant in its balance of semi-soft texture and flavors of vanilla, baked cookies, berries and earth. It's great with Bordeaux and Rioja wines, as well as stout and porter style beers.

Tomme de Chevre au Muscadet—A goat's milk cheese to remember, a bright orange-rinded wheel, with a stark white interior. This cheese from the Loire in France is carefully saltwater-washed to bring out the intense color. However, the process also brings out floral aromas and heady, yeasty perfumes that will take you back to the boulangerie you visited in Paris. Pair this wheel with Champagne, Chinon red wines, and Belgian beers. If possible, add to the pairing by finding dried plums and rose hip jam.

Other Greats to consider for this group
Robiola Roccaverano—Piedmont, Italy’s luscious little cakes of gooey cheesiness.
Gruyere Alpage—Switzerlands finest cow's milk cheese with caramel, walnut and smoky flavors and a thick texture speckled with crunchy little diamonds!
Pecorino Caggiano—Southern Italy’s aged sheep's milk cheese loaded with vanilla and spice flavors

Timid Folks' Holiday
The Cheddar Set

Fromage de Meaux—Great pasteurized brie from France, but not boring. Mushrooms, flowers and butter flavors dominate this luscious beauty.  Believe me, one try and you will convert the masses of “cheese phobia” gatherers.
Grafton Cheddar—Cow's milk cheddar from Grafton, Vermont. Get a good amount of this pineapple- and butter-flavored beauty. Those who see the yellow on the table will usually attack this one. I don’t blame them; it pairs well with most of the offerings at your holiday table. Go ahead, try to find one food item it wont pair with. I dare you.  (P.S. Try this cheese with Scotch, you wont be disappointed. And don’t forget the apple pie pairing here.)
Manchego—Spain’s finest sheep's milk cheese, made in the simplest way possible. OK, its not that simple, but this cheese, with its simple vanilla cream and semi-hard texture, will really enjoy pairing against cured meats, salty marcona almonds and red wine—not to mention creamy ales. 
Gouda—Veinweidekass and Old Amsterdam to be exact. Gouda is semi-hard, salty buttered caramel in flavor in varying degrees, but always pleasant whether it is two or four years old. Also, it pairs great with apples and pears, as well as heftier beers like stouts and porters. 


Locals Only Please.
Some of the New England's greats.

Hannahbells—Shy Brothers Farm’s cow milk buttons. These little thimbles bring herbal and floral aromas and flavors to the table. Give them sparkling wines, crisp white wines from the Loire Valley, and an American saison-style beer like Jack D’Or from Pretty Things Brewing.

Bayley Hazen Blue—Jasper Hill Farm’s cow milk blue. Think of it as Stilton’s cooler little brother. It has bold spice and butter flavors with hints of mushroom, grass, butter and shortbread biscuits. Try pairing this cheese with ales, porter-style beers, and big red wines. Make sure to give chocolate a try with this cheese.

Bouree—Dancing Cow’s washed-rind cheese. The pinkish-orange rind with a yellow interior has almost a funky peanut butter flavor—the good kind of “funky.” Hey, you can’t go wrong with a cheese named for a peasant dance and which loosely translated means “drunk.” German dunkelweis and Belgian beers will do right when paired here.

Twig Farm Tomme—Michael Lee’s aged goat's milk wheel. Earth, stone, goat butter, herbs and mushroom flavors come through in Michael's wheels. Give them grenache and pinot noir red wines to pair with, and perhaps some cured meats.

Vermont Dandy—Peaked Mountain Farm's sheep's milk tomme, made by Ann Work in the Pyrenees shepherd fashion, complete with baked goods and almond-sweet flavors to boot. Many have tried to make this style of sheep's milk cheese in America, but Ann consistently makes her wheels with a texture that has to be described as velvet. Pair this cheese with lighter red wines, chardonnay-based white wines, and ales. It's also a great candidate for pairing with chocolate and cream desserts.

Just in case you want more:
Cabot Clothbound—The Vermont Cheddar Maker’s excellent take on the English original
Westfield Farms Hubbardston Blue—Bob and Debbie Stetson’s goat's milk blue
Great Hill Blue—Marion, MA’s bold blue cheese
Crystal Brook Farm Chevre—Excellent fresh goat's milk cheese for pairing with a Thanksgiving spread
Berkshire Blue—A take on Stilton that is big on its creamy texture.
Cato Corner “Hooligan”—A Connecticut washed-rind cow's milk cheese, whose name says it all.

Wild Cards to Consider for Any Gathering (wild, funky and interesting)
Go to your local cheese shop and at least ask to taste these gems.

Taleggio, Pantaleo, Sottocenere al Tartufo, Teleme, Ubriaco (which also means “drunk”), Saveurs (or Fleurs) des Maquis, Purple Haze, Queso Azul de Valdeon, Roomadur

photo (cc) katbert

Comments

[Fort Lauderdale catering]

Knowing more about the cheese that we purchase especially during the holidays adds more interest in what we eat. It is good to know more about these kinds of cheese and how they vary in taste from one another and which kind of food will they go perfect with. Aside from the conventional kinds of cheese that request when we dine in restaurants or shop in grocery stores, it is interesting to find out that there are people who really take interest in cheese.