Cheese dish Platters
Formal or casual,
large or small, when you follow our expert-but-easy tips, your gathering
is sure to be a big hit. Whether paired with wine and fruit, served as a
stand-alone appetizer, or sitting on a cheese board or cheese flight,
cheese is the perfect food for entertaining. It makes for a perfect
centerpiece for any gathering, allowing your guests to nibble and taste
their way through a variety of flavors and textures and some very lively
conversation. The key is to offer an eclectic mix of flavor sensations
and a range of textures.
What is the rind? Can I eat it?
The rind, or outer layer, is an integral part of
the cheese that protects it from the environment and becomes tougher and
brinier with age. All rinds are edible, with the exception of wax
rinds.
How can I tell that my cheese is no longer good?
In soft cheeses, look for dehydration of the
paste, an extreme smell of ammonia, or discoloration. In hard cheeses,
look for burrowing cracks in the paste, discoloration or a bitter taste.
Where and how should I store my cheeses?
Cheeses should be stored in an environment rich
in humidity. The vegetable crisper in your refrigerator works well.
Parchment and wax papers are both ideal for wrapping cheese. Foil paper
is also an option, as is the original wrapper, which has usually been
chosen by the manufacturer to keep the cheese at its best.
What’s the best temperature to serve cheese?
To ensure that the flavor and aroma fully emerge,
the ideal serving temperature for most cheese is 65 to 75 degrees, or
room temperature.
When should I take the cheese out of the
refrigerator?
The larger the piece, the longer it will take to
come to room temperature. Usually, 45 minutes to an hour should
suffice. Leave the cheese wrapped so exposed surfaces don't dry out.
Is there a special way to cut cheese?
Round cheeses are easy to cut in triangular
pieces from the center of the wheel toward the rind. In log-shaped
cheeses, coin slices are the easiest. Pyramid-shaped cheeses should be
cut alongside the triangle from the center to the bottom of the cheese.
Are there special knives that go with special
cheeses?
Butter knives or paring knives work very well
with soft cheeses. Chef's knives work very well with semi-soft and hard
cheeses. For crumbly, wet blue cheeses, use a cheese wire or a knife
with holes in the blade. Whichever knife you use, the key is to have a
different one for each cheese on a cheeseboard so the taste of one
doesn't mix with another.
Which cheeses are better for appetizers, and
which for desserts?
Before a meal,
milder cheeses and dry, salty cheeses can get things off to a great
start. If cheese is served for dessert, sinfully rich, full-flavored
cheeses can put an exclamation point on any meal.
Are some cheeses better for cooking than others?
Cheeses with lower melting points are extremely
useful for cooking. Comté, Emmental and Pyrénées cheeses are just a few
examples that melt deliciously. Almost all cheeses are versatile enough
to be used for cooking in one way or another, however. You simply need
the right recipe.
Why do some cheeses seem to sweat more than
others?
When cheese ages or comes to room temperature,
butterfat naturally oozes out of the paste. It's nothing to be concerned
about. Just pat it dry with a damp towel.
What’s a good number of cheeses to include in
my cheese board?
If your cheese
course comes between dinner and dessert, three to five is a good number.
If cheese is the only food you'll serve, five to nine should do the
trick.
Aside from wine, what other beverages do cheese
pair well with?
Beer, scotch, port
and whiskey and even sake will all work. The fermentation process of
cheese can provide a harmonious relationship with these beverages.
How do I persuade friends and family members to
try new cheeses?
The key is to offer
a wide variety of flavors. Mild cheeses should be in the majority,
because most people new to specialty cheese find overly strong tastes
intimidating. If you want them to go outside their comfort zone,
heighten interest by explaining what a cheese is about (the milk it is
made of, the taste, the texture, its origin)
Do Brie and Camembert cheeses come only from
France?
Brie and Camembert have become generic names
and do not have to be made in France, although they are both historic
French cheeses with mentions as early as the 8th century A.D. However, a
number of cheeses in France and Europe have been granted special status
due to their origin. Appelation d'Origine Controlee (AOC) is used in
France, and Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) is used throughout
Europe to denote such status.
Both Brie de Meaux and Brie
de Melun are AOC cheeses and therefore can only be made in a very
limited territory around the towns of Meaux and Melun east of Paris,
according to strictly defined cheesemaking processes. They are raw milk
Brie cheeses (unpasteurized), and therefore not allowed in the U.S. by
law.
Camembert de Normandie is an AOC cheese made only
in Normandy, and is also a raw milk cheese not allowed in the U.S.
Why are some cheeses wrapped in foil or leaves?
Blue cheeses are generally wrapped in foil paper
because they are extremely moist. Many soft goat's milk cheeses are
traditionally wrapped in leaves, which permeate the cheese with their
aromas and flavors.
How often should I buy cheese every 1 to 2 weeks ?
It is always better to buy less cheese more often
to ensure freshness. It can be difficult to recreate the storage
conditions of specialty cheese manufacturers and retailers.
a
point / Ã point
French expression
meaning in perfect ripening conditions.
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acidity
What gives cheese a tangy or zesty flavor.
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Affinage
French word denoting aging or ripening of
cheeses.
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Affineur
French for a skilled professional who ripens
cheeses. Also called cheesemonger.
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Annatto
Natural yellow to reddish-orange food colorant
widely used in cheeses. Derived from seeds of the Annatto tree.
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AOC
"Appellation d'origine contrôlée" or
"Nomenclature of Controlled Origin" is a guarantee to the consumer of
the geographical region the cheese is made in, the milk it is made of,
the tradition of the cheese making and ripening. It applies to
agricultural products such as cheese, butter and wines. They are
accorded by INAO, the National Institute of Origin Nomenclature; there
are 43 AOC cheese in France.
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Artisan cheese
Cheese handcrafted in small batches.
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Au
lait cru
French expression meaning
made with raw milk.
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bloomy
rind (or just “rindâ€)
White,
thin, light growth of the mold Penicillium Candidum in soft cheeses like
Brie, Camembert, Triple Crème and Coulommiers.
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Blue
veining
Blue-green marbling occurring
in cheeses inoculated with bacteria Penicillium Roqueforti or
Penicillium Gorgonzola. Seen in blue cheeses such as Roquefort,
Gorgonzola or Stilton.
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Brebis
Generally used to refer to sheep's milk cheeses.
French word for "ewe".
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Brine
Mix of salt and water used to cool, conserve or
add salt to cheese.
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Casein
The main protein in milk, the other being whey
protein. These are considered the main building blocks for cheese.
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Caseophile
Someone who loves cheese.
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Chèvre
Usually denotes goat's milk cheeses.
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Creamery
Usually refers to a small dairy production
facility.
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Curdling
The separation of milk into liquid and solid
components.
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Curds
The result of the coagulation of milk, usually
in semi-solid very wet portions.
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Enzymes
Proteins that cause chemical transformations in
the cheesemaking process. Can be of animal origin (rennet), vegetal or
microbial.
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eyes
Holes found in cheeses due to gas formation.
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Farmstead/farmhouse
cheese
Denotes cheeses made at the
farm where the animals reside.
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Fleuri (from the french "flower")
Rind or outer crust in bloomy rind cheeses like
Brie or Camembert.
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Fleurines
Currents of air circulating in caves where
cheeses like Roquefort are aged.
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Fresh cheeses
Cheeses with little to no aging. They are
usually ready for sale immediately after being made.
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Lactic
acid
Acid resulting from the souring
of milk.
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Lactose
The natural sugar found in milk.
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Mold
Spores in
cheeses that promote flavor development.
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Pasta
filata cheeses
Cheeses in which the
curds are stretched and rolled in order to make the shape of the cheese
(e.g., Mozzarella).
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Paste
The inside of a cheese, not the rind.
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Pasteurization
A process in which milk is heated in order to
destroy dangerous bacteria.
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PDO
Whereas AOC is at the French national level, the
PDO, Protected Denonimation of Origin, is its analog at the European
level, to avoid imitation products. Strated in 1992, it now counts 156
cheeses (among which 43 are AOC French cheeses).
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Penicillium
candidum
Harmless mold/fungus found
in bloomy rind cheeses that promotes the growth of the edible rind,
protecting the paste of the cheese and letting it ripen.
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Penicillium
roqueforti
Harmless mold/fungus found
in blue cheeses that promotes the growth of the flavorful blue parts of
the cheese.
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Persillé
French word for sprinkled/laced with parsley;
used to describe French Blue cheeses.
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Pressing
Referred to the application of pressure on
cheeses as means of releasing whey to obtain harder, firmer cheeses.
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Raw
milk cheese
Cheese made with milk
that has not been pasteurized.
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Rennet
An enzyme used to coagulate cheese.
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Rind
The outer cortex or crust in a cheese, also
called "fleuri" for bloomy rind cheeses like Brie and Camembert.
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Ripening
The art of aging cheeses.
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Vache
French word for cow. "Au lait de vache" refers
to cheese made with cow's milk.
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Washed
rind cheeses
Cheeses washed, bathed
or sprayed with brine or alcohol to promote ripening.
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Waxed
cheeses
Cheeses covered in paraffin
to protect the cheese during aging. Examples are Gouda and Edam.
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Whey
Liquid expelled during cheese pressing.
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Whey
cheeses
Cheeses made from the liquid
extracted from the curds. They are usually very soft with very little
aging, like ricotta.
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