By Aariana Adams
Most holiday tables include some cheese – a dip, a cheese ball or maybe a nice wedge of Blue. We stock-up on plastic-wrapped cheeses for every occasion – but give little thought to searching for the world’s greatest cheeses.A fine and “authentic” piece of cheese is a lot like a nice bottle of wine, but when we serve a bottle of wine we tell our guests about it. We explain the grapes, our visit to the winery or simply that it’s a great buy, but we don’t treat our cheeses with the same enthusiasm – and perhaps that’s because we buy grocery store cheeses. The holidays offer the perfect excuse to become a bit picky about the cheeses we serve.
The cheeses profiled below are among the world’s greatest; each rooted in history, each an authentic taste of the time and place where the cheese began. Consider adding classic cheeses to your holidays. The flavors are unforgettable and you won’t find them on everyone’s holiday table – which makes your party unique.
Here are some suggestions for adding world-class cheeses to your winter menu, as well as tips for shopping and pairing:
Three ways to serve:
• A cocktail party with one perfect cheese, paired with one perfect wine. Dedicate a tasting area solely for the cheese and wine – maybe a large sideboard or a kitchen island – an area where guests can mingle as they take a break from their Martini or Cosmopolitan.
• A full dinner buffet with boards of a single cheese placed throughout, and two or three breads and fruits paired to a specific cheese.
• A dessert buffet with an emphasis on cheeses paired with sweeter wines.
Shopping: Shop at a store that custom cuts cheeses and offers samples, or shop online.
Serving: Select cheeses with differing textures as well as tastes. Serve all at room temperature with a separate cheese tray and knife.
The Cheeses: The following assortment includes one aged very firm cheese, two firm cheeses, one semi-soft and one soft cheese – a menu for the most refined palate, as well as the everyday cheese-lover. Choose one or several – you cannot go wrong.
Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan) – (Very Firm): This particular Parmesan bears no resemblance to the shaker-can variety.
Shop for a Parmigiano-Reggiano at least two years old. Look for the words “Parmigiano-Reggiano” burnished into the rind in tiny dots. Hallmarks are a fresh, fruity aroma, and a salty-savory, buttery-nutty taste. Referred to as “the world’s greatest cheese,” this is a full-bodied “eating” cheese – and irreplaceable for grating. Break pieces into chunky slivers to serve. Parmigiano-Reggiano is excellent with fresh figs, raisins, pears, red grapes, melon, and a robust loaf of bread. Pair with both Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay for white wines and Sangiovese for a red.
Other Very Firm Cheeses are Italian Pecorino Romano and Italian Asiago.
Swiss Gruyere – (Firm): Swiss Gruyere is the finest of all Swiss cheeses.
Shop for an authentic cave-aged Gruyere with at least one year of aging. The high-humidity and cool cave temperatures bring out the sweet nutty aromas of Brazil nuts and brown butter. The taste is sweet and salty with a touch of butterscotch. Serve a wedge of Gruyere with a cheese shaver for thin slivers that melt on your tongue. Pair with hazelnuts, red apples, dates and full-flavored breads. Serve with Chardonnay or a hearty Syrah or Zinfandel.
American Cheddar – (Firm): American aged Cheddars now vie with the world’s best English cheddars – especially those from Vermont, California and Wisconsin.
Shop for sharp or white cheddars that are cloth-wrapped and aged for at least two years. Cloth binding enhances the maturation, adds complexity and sets them far apart from prepackaged cheddars. “Creamy,” “smooth,” “crumbly” and “granular,” -- good quality cheddar can be spectacular. Serve with crisp apples, roasted almonds, rosemary crackers, an olive tapenade and fruit chutneys. Serve with Sauvignon Blanc for white wine and Gamay, Shiraz, Tempranillo and Port for reds.
Other world-class cheddars, and historically the finest cheddars, are English Caerphilly or English Cheshire.
English Stilton – (Semi-Soft):This blue-green veined cheese from England is one of the world’s prized cheeses. Only six dairies are allowed to produce true Stilton.
Stilton’s unique flavor, enhanced by the subtle taste of English cheddar, is best with extended aging. Shop for a Stilton aged in excess of seven months. This is a creamy, succulent cheese with huge, heady aromas. Serve with celery sticks, apples, raisins, pears, pecans and walnuts – with crackers for spreading or soft, warm bread. Serve with dry to demi-sec Champagnes and sparkling wines, and Cabernet Sauvignon for a red or...set out Stilton, celery, walnuts and vintage Port for the finest pairing of cheese the world has ever known.
Other blue-green veined authentic cheeses are French Roquefort and Italian Gorgonzola.
Other semi-soft cheeses are Italian Fontina, Italian Provolone and Italian Taleggio.
Brie – (Soft): Brie is the most famous of all French cheeses. Shop for a Brie with 60% butterfat and with a “ripening” guide on the label – it may show the date the wheel was first formed and then a “best by” date. Brie should be rich, buttery and creamy. The Brie for your party should be just a bit “oozy” when served – so the ripening date is an important factor. An underripe Brie has a white rind and a thick and chalky interior. Overripe Brie will pull away from its rind and be too runny. “Just right Brie” has a lightly mottled rind.
Serve with warm crusty bread, or delicate unflavored crackers. Toasted walnuts, strawberries, green apples and pears are wonderful on the side. A Brie of exceptional quality pairs well with a big Cabernet Sauvignon or French Burgundy (both red and white). A good Brie, but of lesser quality, pairs with Champagnes and sparkling wines, Pinot Blanc and medium-bodied Pinot Noir.
Other world-class soft cheeses are French Camembert and French Boursault.
“Summer-milk” from cows and goats around the world is considered the best milk for making cheeses. Chances are, a cheese ripening during the holiday season is made with summer milk, whether aged seven years or seven months. A phone call to local specialty markets or an online search will quickly locate aristocratic, world-class cheeses.
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