cheese - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-29T07:59:54Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/cheeseHome, Health & Harmony: Just say 'Cheese'https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/home-health-harmony-just-say-cheese2013-12-04T17:28:15.000Z2013-12-04T17:28:15.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p><b><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960470292,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960470292,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="180" class="align-center" alt="7960470292?profile=original" /></a></b></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Clockwise from bottom:</b> Cranberry Chipotle Cheddar by Carr Valley,</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Tomme Fleur Verte, Cahill Porter and Rogue River Bleu.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Cheese board and cheese selection provided by Cheese Course, Boca Raton.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span><b>Libby Volgyes/The Coastal Star</b></span></p>
<p><span><b><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960470081,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960470081,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="360" class="align-center" alt="7960470081?profile=original" /></a></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Cahill Porter cheese</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960470679,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960470679,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="360" class="align-center" alt="7960470679?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em><span>Cranberry Chipotle Cheddar</span></em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960470883,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960470883,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="360" class="align-center" alt="7960470883?profile=original" /></a></em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Tomme Fleur Vert cheese</em></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><b>By Jan Norris</b></p>
<p> Hosts who are tight on time or who prefer hit-and-mingle cocktail party food would do well with an old favorite, updated — the cheese board.</p>
<p> A spread of cheeses, crackers, fruits and nuts is a simple way to please a variety of tastes and diets — and possibly surprise some tastebuds. </p>
<p> The bonus: no cooking.</p>
<p> With literally thousands of cheeses available from around the world, an infinite number of combinations can make up a board.</p>
<p> While you could rack up a bill with exotic cheeses, a few interesting ones and a few familiar ones will satisfy most partygoers.</p>
<p> To simplify it for the average host, we talked to the experts at cheese and wine shops.</p>
<p> Brooke Bretillina, a supervisor at the Cheese Course in Boca Raton, said cheeses can be chosen by country, texture, sharpness, animal or flavor profile. She recommends a wide mix to satisfy a mixed crowd.</p>
<p> “You can definitely have a traditional cheese for the not-so-adventurous,” she said. A good Parmigiano Reggiano is a favorite hard cheese, while a burrata, a creamy mozzarella, can be a neutral, if salty flavor for those who are wary of stronger cheeses. </p>
<p> A French brie is the most popular creamy cheese for the season. Dress up the brie with cranberry or raspberry relish or a tapenade to add a holiday touch, she said.</p>
<p> Throw in at least one stronger cheese out of the ordinary. A Rogue River Bleu cheese from Oregon has a balanced bite. A cranberry-chipotle cheddar from Wisconsin also has a spicy and sweet finish — it would make a good pairing with beers. </p>
<p> A fresh cheese to consider is Tomme Fleur Verte — a soft French goat milk cheese coated in tarragon. Goat milk cheeses can be mild to strong; for a cheese board, a mild is a smarter choice.</p>
<p> New cheeses from Cheese Course are a variety of cheddars from Vermont — a Tea Hive Cheddar, rubbed with tea leaves; Big John’s Cheddar, rubbed with Cajun seasonings to give the cheese a distinct spiciness, and the Carely Buzzed, a mix of espresso and lavender rubbed on the rind. “It’s unusual, but it’s really delicious,” she said.</p>
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<p><span><b>Pairing cheese and wine</b></span></p>
<p> Lindsey Gastarini, one of the owners of the Wine Wave in Delray Beach, puts out a cheese board for her shop’s guests who are there for wine tastings.</p>
<p> “We offered a rosemary goat cheese (a domestic goat cheese), a cave-aged cheddar from Spain, a Manchego (a firm, crumbly sheep’s milk cheese from Spain) and a cranberry-studded Wensleydale (a semi-hard white cheese from England).”</p>
<p> With these, she put out a variety of white and red wines. “Each cheese affects the flavors of the wines differently. A good rule of thumb is bolder reds with pungent and salty cheeses. The floral notes of some whites come through with goat cheese, for instance.”</p>
<p> Using geography as a base for wines also helps match cheeses and vinos. Rioja, a bold red from Spain, pairs well with a Manchego. A lighter wine — the just-released Beaujolais, for instance — pairs well with an unaged fresh cheese.</p>
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<p><span><b>Add a little fruit or nuts</b></span></p>
<p> Fruits, nuts and spreads, both savory and sweet, can enhance the cheeses.</p>
<p> “We have candied walnuts — they’re good to balance the saltiness and add a bit of sweet,” Bretillina said. Roasted almonds and dried fruits are good with spreadable cheeses, but avoid salted nuts as most cheese is already salty. A slice of fresh honeycomb is a nice, different addition to a cheese board, especially when salty sheep cheeses are served.</p>
<p> The Cheese Course sells a variety of fruit spreads like raspberry relish, but good quality fig or apricot preserves round out a cheese board. Fresh fruits such as sliced apples, pears and bunches of grapes are traditional pairings. </p>
<p> Choose non-flavored crackers — either multigrain or plain water crackers — to avoid overwhelming the cheese flavor. Crusty bread cubes and flatbreads also can be used.</p>
<p> Sliced, cured meats and fish spreads are sometimes offered with cheeses, but these also can overwhelm flavors; experts say use them judiciously.</p>
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<p><span><b>Present and serve</b></span></p>
<p> To serve cheeses, always bring them to room temperature. Slice some, while keeping the majority whole. Place them on parchment sheets or grape leaves if available. A well arranged board needs little garnish.</p>
<p> Offer small knives and picks, with plenty of crackers.</p>
<p> Write the cheese name and a few words about its flavor on a slip of parchment paper and attach it with a pick in each cheese.</p>
<p> Rather than put out all the cheeses at once, serve half at a time of each cheese to keep them fresh; wrap remaining cheese in waxed paper for storage on the counter and replenish as needed.</p>
<p> To divide cheeses and wines in separate areas for a tasting — and to keep your guests from huddling around one board — group them with flavor profiles, milds and softs together, with bold and hard cheeses on another board. Put wine or beer selections to match each nearby.</p>
<p> As for how much to buy, Bretillina recommends about 2 ounces of each cheese per person; more if the cheese course is a main food for a party. </p>
<p> Prepare to spend from $9 to $29 per pound on most cheeses, though some can cost upwards of $60 a pound. Shop for them at cheese shops, wine shops, specialty groceries, delis and membership clubs, which often have larger portions at a discount. Watch sell-by dates imprinted on labels, and buy the freshest cheeses possible. If allowed, sample the cheese before buying, and ask for recommendations for alternatives to those that are ultra-pricey.</p>
<p> For cheese boards, any large cutting board will suffice; avoid metal and reactive metals for serving; use wood, glass, natural stone or acrylic. Cheese boards are available at many cheese and wine shops.</p>
<p> Most cheese and wine shops also offer catering services, and can create a cheese board completely decked out for purchase. Advance notice of a few days is generally required.</p>
<p> Don’t let leftovers go to waste: Cook with leftover cheeses, or freeze them, well wrapped — though their texture may be altered, their flavors will generally remain true.</p>
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