- By Henry Stark
- Around Town
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Last week I discussed the pairing of wines with food at holiday time. Part of the discourse concerned selecting different wines to serve with cheese. While writing the piece I realized that Americans, in general, are not as familiar with serving cheese as many Europeans, and I thought it could be helpful to pass along some tips as we approach the holiday season. The most likely stumbling points will be: how many cheeses to serve, what kind should you choose, and how much will be adequate for each diner.
Are you aware that most cheese experts recommend that if you serve a cheese plate you should always serve an odd number of cheeses? They think it’s more visually attractive to serve three, five, or seven than two, four, or six. Frankly, that doesn’t make any sense to me but A) I’m a man and B) I’m not particularly sensitive to plate design. Aficionados of flower arranging should relate to this concept better than I.
You should select a reliable store to purchase your cheese. I’m happy with the Ithaca Coffee Company in the Triphammer Marketplace (last week it was called the Triphammer Mall, by the way) and Wegmans. I like it when all the cheese isn’t prewrapped and you can have a block cut to order. I also appreciate a counter person who offers me a taste before I have to commit because quality cheese can be expensive. Good cheeses can easily run from $9 per pound to over $25.
I wouldn’t be able to select cheese from a store without having decided on a theme in advance. Themes I’ve used include: all the cheeses come from the same country; the same animal species; or will match a wine I’m serving. My favorite cheese producing countries are England, France, and Italy. Incidentally, when I lived in France I learned that there are about 365 French cheeses – so you can have a different one every day if you like. It can be fun to serve cheese made from the milk of different animals - cows, goats, and sheep. This can add an interesting and educational example of texture and flavor for your guests.
The ideas expressed in the last three paragraphs are the relatively easy decisions for me. The hardest is how much I should buy. On the one hand, I don’t want to run out of cheese and on the other hand, I prefer not to have a lot of aromatic leftovers in the ‘fridge. The first decision you’ll be making is if you want to serve the cheese as an hors d’oeuvres or as a separate course. Obviously, you should take a moment to analyze the guests you’re inviting. Some will eat more than others. For the dessert course I usually buy about an ounce or an ounce and a half of each cheese for each person. As an appetizer, I might double that amount. The bottom line is it’s really a guestimate (get it?)
If you’ve been reading this column you’ll know that most wine experts recommend that if you’re serving a variety of wines, it’s best if you start drinking dry whites and then progress to sweeter whites, then to dry reds and finally sweeter reds. There’s a similar progression in cheese eating. Start with mild and progress to strong. Your palate will appreciate your choice and you’ll be able to better experience the subtle flavor variations.
When you plate the cheese, start with mildest and progress to the strongest. If your plate is round your mildest will end up next to your strongest. Blues are usually the strongest cheeses. A garnish of dried or fresh fruits or nuts adds visual and gustatory appeal.
Another wine tip: port, tawny port, Sauternes, and late harvest wines pair well with most strong cheese.
If you do decide to serve cheese as an hors d’oeuvres or a course, the bottom line is to not to be intimidated by the project and to have fun with it. No matter what you do or how you do it, you and your guests will be eating cheese and how bad can that be?
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