Shake it Baby

The cheese course has always been popular in Europe and it seems to be catching on in America too. Offering your guests a selection of tasty cheeses with crackers is wonderful way to round off a meal.

To make things even more enjoyable, try presenting your cheeses attractively with labels for each cheese. Or you could let the guests try and guess which cheese is which. Show off your cheese education! Either way, be sure to offer a few different samples to satisfy every palette.

Temperature of Cheese

Serve the cheese at room temperature so that the full flavour can be enjoyed. Milder cheese can be taken out of the fridge half an hour before serving whilst harder cheeses can be taken out an hour before.

Avoid putting them out too early as you don’t want to serve dried up cheese! Make sure you keep the cheese covered in a cheese plate.

Present Your Cheese Attractively

Cheese can come presented as a wheel, a slab or a tub of softer cheese to be spread on crackers or bread. Harder cheeses can be sliced or cut into small chunks ready for eating. Array a set of cheese knives to make things easy for your guests and to keep fingers from straying onto uneaten pieces. Be sure to have some cheese stickers in the centre or nearby to make individual selection easy.

Remember to feed the eyes as well as the stomach. Make your cheese as appetising as possible by laying it out on a wooden serving platter surrounded by small slices of bread or little crackers. You’ll want a flat, sturdy surface whether marble, wood or glass as your design dictates. Make sure the knives are sharp enough to cut the cheese easily.

Keep Cheese Types Separately

If you are providing a wide selection of cheeses then it can be a good idea to separate them into the different types. For example, don’t have strong cheeses sitting next to mild ones otherwise the flavour can be altered. Laying them out on a large marble slab will do the trick, or you can arrange them in a wooden holding dish with separate compartments. But you’ll still need to keep those extra aromatic ones a couple of feet away.

Make sure your guests use a separate knife for each type of cheese otherwise the flavours can become adulterated. If guests want to mix and match cheeses on their own palette, that’s up to them. Some cheeses work very well as partners.

A two ounce serving per person is about right. It’s not a question of being stingy. Your guests are worth your best. But cheese can be high in fat and sodium and moderation is best.

No Comments » Posted by April / Food and Drink

Like all food products, cheese needs to be stored in just the right conditions for it to taste its best. Generally this involves keeping it in cold temperatures and way from air.

You don’t need to keep it in the fridge to keep it cold, a wine cellar can work too. But for most people, a fridge is the easiest and most effective way. Keeping the cheese well sealed, and between 33°F-38°F (0.5°C-3.3°C), is optimal for almost all cheeses.  There are also lots of handy kitchen gadgets to be had.

Soft cheeses such as Mascarpone and Camembert are considered “fresh cheeses” which just means they haven’t been aged for a long period. They are high in moisture so spoil the most easily. Airborne mould spores combine more readily with food when they have water molecules to latch onto. Even if you store them correctly, they should be eaten with a few weeks at most, two weeks in most cases.

Despite being kept in a tightly sealed container, if they’ve been exposed to air at all, there’s typically enough oxygen inside to cause considerable spoilage of the surface. Unfortunately spoilage can travel through to inside the cheese, so it’s not simply a case of cutting off the mould like you can with harden cheese.

Harder or semi-firm cheeses will last 4-8 weeks if kept well-sealed and wrapped. It’s helpful if the wrapping is close to the cheese. That keeps air away from the surface that is inevitably trapped inside the container. Cheeses which have been aged longer can keep will for much longer if kept vacuum packed. You can even buy small commercial devices for vacuum sealing cheese and other foods.

Hard cheeses, such as Parmesan or Asiago (a crumbly Italian), can last a very long time but, if not frozen, after a couple of weeks they will lose flavour. You can store hard cheese for up to three months in a freezer.

If you need long term storage in the freezer, be sure to transfer the cheese to the refrigerator for at least a few hours before bringing it out into the kitchen. By gradually thawing the cheese you’ll help preserve the flavour and texture.

Some cheese such as Cheddar or Gouda don’t fair so well when frozen, even if you take the time to thaw them out slowly. They can be kept for up to three weeks if stored properly in a fridge. Processed cheddar will last a bit longer, but a gourmet cheese has a much shorter life span.

If you leave cheese out a room temperature fat molecules can ooze out causing the cheese to become oily. Some people do this on purpose as it makes an interesting taste, although you shouldn’t leave it out for too long. Serving at room temperature is ideal for most cheeses though slicing is easier for slightly cold cheese. But after a few hours in air most will alter in undesirable ways.

Airborne spores are the primary cause of spoilage and they interact readily with cheese. Heat, per se, isn’t the culprit but it encourages most chemical reactions to speed up. Keep your cheese well stored in a cool place and you’ll be able to enjoy your cheese at its best.  They are also great in gift baskets.

No Comments » Posted by April / Food and Drink

As with most things in life, pairing wine and cheese comes down to individual taste.  Many food and wine buffs have come up with their idea of the best partnerships however there’s still plenty of room to experiment.

Be daring with some Zamarono, made from unpasteurized Churra sheep’s milk from Spain.  It has a nutty flavour which combines superbly with Tempranillo.

Looking for the perfect partner to a fine Chardonnay?  Look no further than a Bel Paese from the Lombardy region in Italy.  The milky aroma will blend nicely with the delicate buttery flavour of the Chardonnay.

Prefer something from farther north? Why not slice off a big wedge of Wensleydale and set it side by side along your tongue with a great Merlot.  You can trace the history of this cheese to Wales and the Cistercian monks in the 11th century.

Fancy a taste of Dutch cheese?  Then try some Havarti, it’s semi-soft but with a robust taste.  A fine companion to a Bordeaux.  Alternatively opt for some Gouda along with a nice glass of German Riesling.

If you want a cheese that’s bold go for a Cheshire which was invented in England in the 12th century.  It’s semi-hard and tastes lovely with Champagne.

From Sweden you’ll find Graddost.  This soft mild cheese with a tangy bits will go beautifully with the delicate Chenin Blanc.

Emmentale is mature (aged at least four months), but not wizened, this mild ivory cheese is great for a crackers and cheese dish, not just cooking. Pair it with a fine Beaujolais from Burgundy

Cambozola is creamy and flecked with blue and can be paired with Sauvignon Blanc.

Be adventurous! See the world.

No Comments » Posted by April / Food and Drink

Cheese can really make a tasty addition to many recipes. Some dishes just wouldn’t be capable without it, for instance Welsh rarebit and macaroni cheese. But whether it’s the centrepiece or just a tasty topping, cooking with cheese can be tricky.

Hard v Soft

Soft cheeses such as Brie or Camembert can quickly become liquidy when heated, whilst hard cheese such as Parmesan will simply become harder. Much of the difference has to do with the amount and type of fat molecules suspended throughout the cheese. But we’ll skip the chemistry lesson for now.

When an aged cheese is melted is turns grainier whilst younger cheeses become creamier. Cheddar is somewhere in the middle, it’ll melt nicely and makes a great topping for many dishes.

Refridgerating Your Cheese

On the opposite end of the temperature scale, if your goal is to grate the cheese you’ll want to firm it up in the refrigerator. The same goes for slicing, hard cheeses need 30 minutes in the fridge whilst soft cheeses just need 20 minutes.

However, in the latter case, if you intend to serve a nice cheese course you may want to strike a middle ground. Cheese eaten as an appetizer or after the main meal treat should be served at room temperature. Although it’s a bit more difficult to slice that way, it will dry less if sliced later.

Slice v Grate

When melting cheese as a topping it’s best to grate rather than slice, as this opens up all the cheese flavour and allows for a smoother melt. Also melting sliced cheese can make it rubbery or stringy. Raclette will melt smoothly, but Mozzarella becomes stringy, for example. Unless that’s the effect you’re going for, grate instead.

Some care is required when cooking cheese, since most cheeses will brown, then burn, in high heat. Some of that effect may be desired to bring out a certain flavour profile. But overdoing it just leads to hard, tasteless, carbonized cheese. You may want to add cheese later in the cooking time to prevent this.

Counting the Calories

If you’re counting calories, you may be concerned about the fat content in cheese. Apart from using low-fat cheeses, which can be bland tasting, you can be a little more generous when using it for cooking.

Soft cheeses, like Camembert or Brie, have a high moisture content. Because fat is measured dry, soft cheese can actually have less fat per unit weight when cooked compared to harder cheese. Aged cheeses have a stronger flavour which means you can use less but still have a flavoursome dish.

As a general rule of thumb, a half-pound of cheese will make about 2 cups of grated cheese. About 2 ounces per person is usually all you need to balance flavour and calories.

Cheese is a tasty and nutritious food, raw or cooked. But used in cooking it can have an entirely new flavour essence from the raw version. Experiment and even try some Mexican cheese!

No Comments » Posted by April / Food and Drink

Cheese is extremely healthy for you, as long as you don’t eat too much of it.  A single ounce provides over 200mg of calcium, about 20% of the daily recommended minimum.  Natural cheese includes casein which provides us with a range of essential amino acids.  Unfortunately most cheeses contain fairly high amounts of saturated fats.

We all know that saturated fats aren’t good for our health, they cause an increase in “bad” cholesterol and contain 9 calories per gram.  Your calorie intake can quickly add up with just a relatively small portion of cheese.

Many people find it difficult to reduce their intake of cheese, it’s so convenient to pop a few slices into a sandwich, not to mention eating it as a tasty topping on pizza.

Vegetarians often find it easy to eliminate a lot of animal-based products from their diets, then find that cheese is everywhere. Going to a restaurant and finding something on the menu becomes a real challenge.

Low-fat cheeses can help solve these dilemmas.

Because cheese is a dairy product it’s possible for it to be made of different types of milk. Milks that are 2% less in fat percentage are considered low-fat. Skim milk contains 1% or less. This can make cheesemaking more tricky, but the products are still outstanding.

One potentially tricky aspect, though, is the different was high and low fat cheese melts.

On the whole low-fat cheeses don’t melt as smoothly as regular cheese.  This is due to the lack of saturated fat molecules, also increased heat can cause low-fat cheese to burn.

In some cases, there are techniques to overcome this limitation. In casseroles, for example, layering the cheese between the strips of pasta can help. The pasta supports the low-fat cheese, which then doesn’t need to melt quite as smoothly.  If you need to add cheese to the top of a dish, simply add it in later in the cooking cycle so that it’s not exposed to the heat for as long.

Alternating use of low-fat with regular cheese in this way can help reduce the total quantity of saturated fat consumed. Depending on your diet, that may be enough. Be prepared to sacrifice a little bit of taste, though. Making a low-fat cheese that tastes as good as the regular sort is still proving a challenge.

No Comments » Posted by April / Food and Drink

When drinking wine whether it be with friends at home, in a tasting room at a vineyard, or in a restaurant, there are certain things that should and should not be done. This will really help you, and those you are with, have an enjoyable experience.

Wine Tasting

Wine tasting can be done at a vineyard or at a local wine shop, either way the correct etiquette should be followed.

When tasting wine it is customary to start with the white wines first. White wines are lighter in taste and body than their red counter parts. Red of course is next. These fuller bodied wines are always tried last.

When holding your glass, make sure to grip the stem. If you hold the wine glass by the bowl, your hand will heat the wine. This could change the flavor.

Remember that even the smallest things can change the taste of the wine. Wine tasting is all about tasting and smelling so avoid wearing perfumes or other strong smells.

Eating any heavy foods before a tasting is also frowned upon. So is smoking. Both will limit the flavours you will be able to taste.

Restaurant Etiquette

When ordering wine out at dinner, keep in mind that it should compliment your dish. When asking the server, or better yet the restaurants sommeliers, for a recommendation, be sure to be specific. Ask for what type of wine would compliment your dish and include such things like if you prefer full bodied wine, what regions you prefer and anything else that will help them choose the perfect wine for you.

After a wine is chosen, the bottle will be opened at the table. The host or person choosing the wine will be poured a small amount. The host will then swirl and taste the wine. After the approval is given, wine is poured starting on the right with women having their glasses filled first. The host’s glass is topped off last.

Serving Guests at Home

When serving guests in your own home, some of the same things apply such as the way the glass is held and serving women and older guest first.

Choose a few wines that you feel the guest will enjoy. Just as in a tasting room, start the evening with the lighter bodied white wines. Choose foods that will go well with these wines such as cheese and fruit. Some chesses that go well with white wines are swiss, brie or gouda. If you are serving your guest dinner, a white wine would go well with the salad.

Next are the red wines. Reds have a heavier body then whites. Choose a red that goes well with your main dish if you are having a meal. If you are having a simple party, again, have cheeses that will bring out the flavor of the wine.

End the evening with a sweet dessert wine. A port would be a great choice. Make sure that you pick a dessert that will compliment the port.

No Comments » Posted by April / Food and Drink

When you think of wine tasting, images of long drives in the country on a beautiful day surrounded by hills filled with grape vines come to mind- Smelling all the sweet scents in the air as you approach an old rustic barn. Inside the barn you find several oak wine barrels filled with wine that is ready to be bottled. People are all around wishing to be the first to have a taste.

Now, what if you can bring that same feeling into your own home and invite your friends to experience it as well, wouldn’t that be great?

Wine

When planning a wine tasting party, the first place to begin, of course, is with the wine. There are so many different varieties of wines, wine makers and regions in which they come from, that it is impossible to try them all in one evening.

Compare Regions – Picking a type of wine from one region and comparing it to the same type of wine from another region is a good place to start. For instance, you may want to try a Cabernet Sauvignon from California and one from Oregon. It’s good to have red and white wines available.

Same Price Range – Remember to make sure that the wines are in the same price range. If you take a £7.00 bottle and compare it to a bottle that is three times as much, there will be a noticeable difference. You want to try and keep likes with likes to create a fair comparison.

Try to have several different wines but not too many. Somewhere between 4-6 bottles is a good place to be. If you have too many, guests will be overwhelmed and with too few they will be bored.

Food

Importance of Food and Wine – Food at a tasting is a must on so many levels. First, certain foods just go with wine, like cheese, crackers, and bread. Second, people are able to cleanse their palettes by eating bread, and last, but really the most important, is when drinking any alcohol it is always a good idea to have food around to help absorb and balance the effects of it.

Choose cheeses that compliment the wine. Keep breads and crackers on the plain side. The crackers and bread are good at cleansing the palette which is a must when tasting wine. The palette needs to be ready for the next wine to fully appreciate the different flavours.

You can’t have a party without the guests! Once the wine and food is decided, the guest list is next. Choose people who will enjoy a tasting and are willing to learn about new wines.

Decorate your home to go with the wine tasting theme. Have candles, music and a comfortable place for people to sit.

Make sure to have detailed cards made up for each wine that describes the type, maker and region where it is from.

End the evening by giving each of your guests a basket which includes a list of the wines that were tasted that night, maybe a bottle of your favourite wine, a wine bottle opener and any other fun novelty that will remind them of the evening.

No Comments » Posted by April / Food and Drink

Wine is the only perishable drink that actually gets better with age. However, getting it to its peak age can be tricky if you don’t have the right storage area for it.

There are three main things that all wine needs to insure its life. The correct temperature, humidity and amount of light to receive.

Things to Know

Whether you are a collector of fine wine or just someone who likes to have a few bottles on hand for guests, you need a place to keep them. It is important to know what the perfect storage conditions are, what temperatures they should be kept at and how the bottles should lay.

• Temperature is an important part of wine storage. First off it should be constant, changing by very little. Also, wine should be kept at about 50 to 55 degrees. The temperature can increase and decrease by slight amounts if the change is a gradual one over a few months verses in a single week.
• Wine stored at cooler temperatures will mature slower and become more complex. All wines have an age at which they peak in taste. If it is kept cool, it will be able to hit that peak. On the other hand, if the bottle is stored to warm then it will age quickly and will not have the complex flavours.
• Humidity is also a factor. A wine cellar should be equipped with a humidity control systems. Having moisture in the air will help the corks keep their life. This is important because the cork is what keeps the wine in and all the foreign bodies out. If the corks become dry and brittle it will let air in.
• A cellar should have limited light and be, for the most part, dark. Light will age the wine. This is why a lot of wines are in dark bottles.
• A ventilation system is a great thing to have. It will filter the air in the storage area keeping it free of moulds and dust.
• The bottles of wine should be placed on their sides at a slight angle. The wine should be stored with the corked top a bit lower than the bottom of the bottle. This is to insure that the cork stays moist.

Where to Have Your Cellar

If you are looking at building a cellar in your home, you will want it somewhere quiet and calm. Wine should be kept very still and undisturbed. You will also want it in an area of the home that doesn’t have windows, like a basement. Also, keep in mind that the temperature needs to be on the cooler side without much change. By keeping these things in mind you will insure the life of your wine.

No Comments » Posted by April / Food and Drink