Cheese Plates 101: Building a Winner

Cheese, one of the true pleasures of life. It comes in after chocolate and ahead of wine. We cannot count the ways that we love you, cheese, or can we consider living a day without you.

Culinary school was an endless opportunity of experiencing foods in greater depth. In Garde Manger, cold foods, we had the absolute pleasure of trying a large array of cheeses in composing charcuterie boards. Whoa!!! The mild to the very wild. You can’t just think taste — you have to think texture as well.

Probably the most memorable cheeses are the ones that stink. No, I meant to say they have a strong aroma. These are the blue-veined Gorgonzola, Blue de Gex, Stilton, and Roquefort. I personally think one should venture out from the firm cheese like Cheddar to the hard cheeses like Gruyere, Pecorino de Romano, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Manchego more often.

There are some wonder places that you can try cheese. A starting point could be semi-soft like Morbier, Chevre Goat, Fontina, and Pico if you are already familiar with Mozzarella —make it from scratch and taste the difference — and reacquaint yourself with its beautiful mild milky flavor.

I openly admit that I am not a big fan of soft cheese, but I am more than willing to develop my palate. Yes, I commit to purchasing Burrata. I have already tried Brie, Ricotta, Goat and Feta. By the way, Feta is sometimes Goat cheese but not usually. Traditionally Feta cheese is made from Sheep’s milk. Yet, commonly it can be made goat or sheep or cow milk and any combination of the three. It is pleasantly salty with a noticeably tangy taste. Try it!

There is one more category — semi firm. I am guessing this is the favorite of most people. It includes Havarti, Muenster, and Gouda while not forgetting Provolone and the well beloved Monterey Jack.

Let me know if you and a group of friends want to meet up and go on a tasting adventure. I am for hire!