Serving Cheese: An Exceptionally Tasty Indulgence

Cheese plates and cheeseboards are a fantastic way to elevate the end of a meal or titillate the palate at a friendly gathering. With so many cheeses available in the market from all over the world, you can go overboard and create a spread that overflows with a variety of the available domestic and international varieties. But here’s a piece of advice: don’t do it!

A balance of similar tastes and textures is preferred so that your guests can easily navigate the selections. First, if you have too many flavors, it will be impossible to create pleasant pairings with accompanying fruits, honeycomb, preserves, and complementary wines.

Another reason to avoid too many very diverse selections is that the palate can become fatigued rather than thrilled by the large variety, creating a less pleasant eating experience.

In addition, fig jam might pair great with aged smoked Gouda but won’t taste as good with Stilton and could actually taste unpleasant with Stinking Bishop, another British specialty. Another possible poor pairing would be fatty feta cheese with fresh aromatic herbs like rosemary, basil, lavender, or dill.

That said, there’s a biological reason why wine and cheese go so well together. Astringent beverages and fatty foods like cheese work beautifully to complement and enhance each other’s tastes.

Some great cheese and wine pairings include: Cabernet Sauvignon and well-aged cheddar or Stilton; Pinot Noir or Sangiovese with Gruyère; Chardonnay and brie and a Chilean Rosé – perhaps composed of 85 percent Syrah and 15 percent Grenache – with fresh Greek Kefalotiri. Sweet Sauternes, an aromatic and sweet Riesling or a Pedro Ximenez Dulce also pairs well with goat cheese. All of these are matches that I would consider “classic pairings.”

Pairing fruit and cheese is also a stylish culinary practice. Sweet and luscious fruits work wonderfully with a rich cheese assortment, and the flavor contrast itself brings out the best in both. Of course, adding a young demi-sec white wine does wonders for a succulent fruit/cheese pairing.

When creating a cheese plate or cheeseboard, make sure there is always some sweet fruit like grapes, fresh ripe black figs, dried apricots, or dates present. Other possible accompaniments would be preserves like orange marmalade, quince, or a piece of honeycomb dripping with honey.

One of my favorite snacks is sweet pumpkin or banana bread with Sultana raisins and Roquefort or Gorgonzola. I have that combination every Thanksgiving and Christmas, when my wife bakes both pumpkin and banana breads for the holidays.

Another snack I like is very ripe apricots stuffed with Cretan Anthotyros – a soft, fresh white cheese that tastes similar to Ricotta Salata. Since Anthotyros, also known as Aged Mizithra, is difficult to find in the U.S. because it’s made with unpasteurized milk, I now use the dryer Ricotta Salata. (Anthotyros can occasionally be found in Greek groceries, however, in areas with large Greek immigrant communities like Astoria in New York City, Chicago, Boston or Tampa.)

In Manhattan, one of the best sources for cheese is Murray’s in the West Village, as well as Balducci’s in New York, Connecticut, Maryland, and Virginia. They have huge varieties from around the world. Another possibility for cheeses from middle-Europe and what used to be the “Eastern Block” is Gourmanoff by NetCost Market in Brighton Beach, New York and Paramus, New Jersey.

Some of the local supermarkets also carry a large variety of cheeses, and if you’re not looking for something really exotic, their delis and cheese departments have excellent examples, especially when it comes to hard cheeses or cheddars from the UK, Northeastern US, or Canada.

In addition to the fruit and preserves pairing, the kind of bread accompanying the cheese is important. As I mention above, sweet breads like a banana or pumpkin pair beautifully with dry, complex red wines. However, a well-made white bread like a baguette is also a great pairing partner with a good cheese.

What I don’t recommend are wheat crackers or something like Doritos. Their flavors distract from the taste of many cheeses. Let me know your favorites in the comments.

Bon appétit!