SAY CHEESE
Spring is so filled with holidays and events that knowledge of cheeses is a big help to anyone planning to entertain during these Covid years. America’s favorite type of party is known as a Cocktail or Open House before dinner and a Reception or Get Together after. Whether black tie or blue jeans the format is the same. People are free to mingle and chat without hindrance of seating arrangements. Food is in canape form, communally presented and eaten with the fingers. ( See posts of April 22, 2021, and April 29, 2021)
Nowadays, many consider dips and items requiring dipping sauces as cross-contaminates. Unfortunately, prepared canapes’ appeal depends on freshness, exposure spoils their texture. Serving them requires constant oversight and replenishing, a problem for DIY hosting.
Cheeses are the answer. Whether a single wedge, block or wheel on a plate with crackers or an array on a board, cheeses offer presentations to satisfy groups of all sizes. I’ve attended large parties where only cheese boards were served. Sometimes there was a variety on each board; others the boards featured the products of different countries, or specific types. There are many presentation possibilities, and the number of boards depends on the number of guests. So planning is easily scaled and preparation is simplified.
Cheese boards are easily kept looking fresh too. Buy double, or divide your selection in half, then when an item is consumed, or begins to look ‘untidy’ just replace it with the spare piece. So long as each item has its own knife, there’s never a question of cross-contamination either. Best of all, unlike other canapes, cheese leftovers have second lives in dressings, spreads, toppings and as ingredients in other dishes. So there’s no waste.
Cheese platters can vary from the spare dinner plate to inlaid or carved marble trays and cheese knives of various designs are sold everywhere from Dollar stores to jeweler’s shops, singly and in sets. Cheese boards are just as diverse, often doubling as bread boards; they range from rustic kitchen models to ones of patterned and/or inlaid woods to elaborate carved center pieces.
Crackers, sliced breads, chips and other products to hold the cheeses are far too large a category to discuss here. However, there are so many choices available that’s it’s smart to be aware of the options, keep an open mind as to pairings, and if you have no preferences, seek advice from the cheese vender, the web or recipe books. It is important to have complementary flavorings. If in doubt, select a product with a neutral taste, such as Table Water Crackers and allow the cheese flavor to stand alone.
To procure the cheeses for an event, most supermarkets, especially the upscale ones, have acceptable gourmet cheese sections. Peruse the markets in your area to determine the best and you may have to select items from several stores. If you have questions, don’t ask a clerk, get the manager or managers if need be. Of course, a specialty Cheese Shop or gourmet boutique are always the best bets. The web and its specialty sites are another option, but double check them. Aside from being more expensive, it’s wise to verify sources before ordering perishables by mail.
As for selecting cheese or cheeses, decisions depend on personal preferences and the specific occasion. It’s one thing to buy for the family or a few friends and another to plan for a large group. Actually, formal or casual doesn’t matter here, because people’s taste remains the same regardless of setting. The important thing is to have an understanding of the choices and what is appropriate for the occasion and the specific group.
In my book, How to Control Food Bills, along with the more than 100 pages of other charts, I have an extensive chart on cheeses. It’s too many pages to include here, but it describes many varieties, their appearance, colors, textures, flavors and uses. It is a true helper in advising anyone interested in this subject. However, I have included a Cliff Notes type of cheese directory below, which will give you an idea of how to proceed.
Even if you’re not entertaining, do take a step into the world of cheeses. It’s a delicious, fascinating trip you’ll never regret. So smile and say “Cheese”!
CHEESES-U.S. Department of Agriculture listing
UNRIPENED CHEESES – Unripened cheeses are made by coagulating milk proteins (casein) with acid, such as sour milk alone, and/or an enzyme such as rennet. A few require some heating. They can be made in the home kitchen and eaten fresh. White in color and soft textured they are good as spreads, in dips, casseroles, as pasta filings, with vegetables and fruits and in cheesecake
1) Acid Only – Cottage. Cream, Neufchatel, Quark, Chevre
2) Acid + Heat – Ricotta, Queso Blanco, Paneer, Mascarpone
3) Acid + Rennet – Fresh Mozzarella
4) Rennet Only – Queso Fresco, Panela, Ranchero
RIPENED CHEESES – Ripened cheeses are made by coagulating milk proteins with enzymes (rennet) and culture acids just as the unripened ones but then they are ripened (aged) by bacteria or mold. Also called maturation, this process in the cheese-making is associated with active microbial proteases and lipases changing the morphology and physical texture of the cheese as well as developing the taste and flavor into the final product.
For Interior ripened cheeses, the maturation process begins on the inside of the cheese and moves outward. Bacterial cultures introduced into the milk do the same thing as they do in surface-ripened cheeses, but they make for a more solid product by hardening the paste first. Lactic acid bacteria play a key role during ripening and can therefore be used as accelerating agents. After these cheeses have been fully ripened, they are coated and sealed with wax to cut off oxygen circulation on the surface.
Also known as soft-ripened cheese, this type of rind refers to cheeses that are ripened from the outside and whose rinds are made from a perfect amalgamation of mold and yeast. Bloomy rinds create a flavorful, textured, and very edible crust, which encourages the cheese inside to ripen. A soft-ripened cheese has mold (Penicillium candidum, camemberti or glaucum) added to the milk or sprayed over the wheel of cheese. By taking the cheese through a series of maturation stages where temperature and relative humidity are carefully controlled, the cheese maker allows the surface mold to grow and the mold ripening of the cheese by fungi to occur. This mold creates the soft, white rind and also helps the cheese ripen from the outside in. Often called; washed-rind’ these cheeses can be hard or soft. The softer ones are sometimes distinguished as ‘smear-ripened’.
Cheese rinds are food safe and edible. You should feel free to enjoy flavored rinds, washed rinds, and bloomy rinds as part of your cheese eating experience. Other rinds made of wax or cloth can generally be removed and discarded—these rinds are there to protect the cheese along its aging journey.
RIPENED CHEESES
BACTERIAL RIPENED
Internal – These cheeses are best known for their ready use as appetizers, snacks, sandwich filings, grated toppings and accompaniments to other foods. They have a firm texture, distinct rather sharp tastes and, generally, range in color from golden to dark orange.
Examples: Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Swiss, Edam-Gouda, Romano, Parmesan, Provolone, Mozzarella, Muenster, Brick.
External – These cheeses are softer and smoother textured than the internal. In fact, they often have a silky quality. Creamy white to pale gold in color, their taste can vary from mild to strong, but they are all able to stand alone as appetizers and accompaniments to fruit as desserts. They also serve as a featured ingredient to a specific dish as does Gruyere in French Onion Soup.
Examples: Limburger, Liederkranz, Guyere, Esrom, Comte, Tilsit, Port du Salut.
MOLD RIPENED
Internal – These cheeses are the most recognizable. The mold which ripens them also marbles them with a dark vein. The bulk of the cheese is a creamy white, with a soft, dry, crumbly texture and a strong taste with a bite. People tend to like or dislike these cheeses as a group. They are excellent as appetizers with crackers, in salads and salad dressings and crumbled as garnish over cold fruit and vegetable dishes, or just with fruit for dessert.
Examples: Blue, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Danableu, Rosenbourg, Bleu d’Auvrane, Blue Shropshire
External – Like the externally bacterial ripened cheeses, these cheeses have a soft, smooth, rather silky texture differing from their internally, mold ripened cousins. They are generally a pale golden color with a no less distinctive taste but milder without the sharp bite of the internally mold ripened. They’re good as appetizers, snacks with bread or dessert with raw fruit.
Examples: – Camenbert, Brie, Cambozia, Saint Andre
