Ah, Daylight Savings Time is finally here. One must make good use of those extra hours of light …to entertain in style.
Friends are eager to socialize and hosts are racking their brains to come up with venues, and exciting, enticing menus for those venues. Maybe even at home! Think of that!
Thoughts of cheese arise. After all, cheese can be the sophisticated beginning of a great social encounter … and your reputation may be at risk if you don’t know the rules and the players.
Don’t Be Cheesy
Cheese is the versatile course that can appear before the meal, at mid-meal, or crown the meal at the end. A bit of History: America has a long tradition of fast, easy to prepare and serve food, and its beloved cheese repertoire was quite limited. Americans loved the plastic-wrapped individual slices of American cheese. And remember the boxed Velveeta loaf? And the can of Cheese Wiz? And individually wrapped little squares of easy-to-handle “cheese” wrapped in cellophane, or as classy snacks, the ubiquitous already prepared and ready-to-eat cheese crackers? But, beyond these pinnacles of cheesy pleasure, what else is there?
The Easy Cheese Plate
Here is a selection of beginner cheeses to try your hand with. They represent some easy to learn and repeat steps, procedures and a variety of cheeses to help create a foolproof course without the usual “High Anxiety.” A selection of wines to complement the cheeses is also included.
You will want three cheeses, such as a cheddar, a soft cream cheese, and a hard or firm cheese. The “Usual Suspects” to round up for this group include Kerrygold Cheddar, either Reserve (sharp), or Regular(milder), Saint-André, soft and buttery, very spreadable, and a firm cheese like Jarlsberg to complete your triptych. All can be easily found at places such as Trader Joe’s or supermarkets like Pavillion’s, Bristol Farms, or Ralph’s.
GLOSSARY:
Jarlsberg (pronounced “Yarlsberg”) is a mild cow’s milk cheese with large regular holes (like Swiss cheese) that originated from Jarlsberg, Norway. It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese although it is also produced in the USA and Ireland. The Saint-André is a brand of French triple crème cow’s milk cheese with a powdery white bloomy skin of mold on the outside. The Kerrygold Cheddar has a really intense, sharp and strong flavor.
Now, arrange your cheeses on a plate or board with a selection of round or square serving crackers.
Voila!
Here are some pleasant but reasonably inexpensive wines to help wash your cheeses down. Choose a white wine such as sauvignon blanc, a light, slightly spicy sharp and tingling white wine with floral notes and citrusy on the tongue. Another wine might be a Grenache blanc. And remember, champagne goes well with any cheese.
Double Voila!
Now, you are ready to say “Cheese, please?”
