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Create your most desirable cheese plate:restaurant


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sadistick, I just love what you have done here with your cheese board! Thank you as well for the explanation!  :biggrin:

Thanks Melissa. There is this great cheese shop down in Kensington Market (Toronto) called Global Cheese that has such a great variety of cheeses (which you get to taste!) at amazing prices.

I believe for those boards we paid roughly $35-40 and only that much because the unpasturized goat 'log' was $11

-Justin

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At the risk of sounding unsophisticated, I have to jump in here and say that I simply don't understand the idea of a cheese plate after dinner. I like cheese (although I have a very low tolerance for stinky cheese) but the last thing I want after dinner is a big -- or small -- chunk of cheese, regardless of what it's served with.

I can see ordering a cheese plate for lunch, but for dessert? Maybe someone can explain it to me. What's the appeal?

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I think that the European model of serving cheeses after the entree, but before dessert, may be because, as French epicure Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin writes, "Un dessert sans fromage est une belle à qui il manque un oeil" -- a meal without cheese is a one-eyed beauty ... not sure of the origins of the custom but will investigate this thoroughly, avec une verre du vin :wink: ... and the cheeses were originally served as part of the dessert .. now they are a separate course.

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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By way of yet another possible response to your inquiry, Janet, there is this article:

which is not uninteresting on this topic ...

Over the last few years, I’ve been delighted to see the cheese course trend catching on in North America as well. But here, cheese courses usually appear only at expensive French restaurants, and usually at an additional cost, whereas in France even an inexpensive prix fixe menu at a local café will nearly always include cheese, at least as an option in place of dessert. And in fact cheese courses make the most sense in the context of a planned, multi-course meal in which the other courses are kept to a modest size. If you’ve just stuffed yourself with a meal of typically American portions, you’re not likely to have room for cheese afterward

The portions are, apparently, an issue .. and cheese is only an option over a sweet dessert ...

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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Yes, GG - that was going to be my comment to Jaz. If you are not a lover of sweets, the perfect end to a meal is slivers of good cheese accompanied by fruits and maybe nuts. I know I am in the minority, but I can't stand most sweets, especially chocolate and find them palate-numbing after a nice meal. OK, I take that back, a little caramel w/sea salt is pretty damn good.

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I think that the European model of serving cheeses after the entree, but before dessert, may be because, as French epicure Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin writes, "Un dessert sans fromage est une belle à qui il manque un oeil" -- a meal without cheese is a one-eyed beauty.

I know the quote, but the fact that he wrote it isn't an explanation.

By way of yet another possible response to your inquiry, Janet, there is this article:

which is not uninteresting on this topic ...

And in fact cheese courses make the most sense in the context of a planned, multi-course meal in which the other courses are kept to a modest size. . . .

The portions are, apparently, an issue .. and cheese is only an option over a sweet dessert ...

If you are not a lover of sweets, the perfect end to a meal is slivers of good cheese accompanied by fruits and maybe nuts.  I know I am in the minority, but I can't stand most sweets, especially chocolate and find them palate-numbing after a nice meal. OK, I take that back, a little caramel w/sea salt is pretty damn good.

I've had "planned, multi-course meals in which the other courses are kept to a modest size" and I still don't see the appeal of cheese at the end. What I'm asking is, Why is it the perfect end to a meal?

To me, dessert works to end the meal precisely because it is sweet; in other words, it's categorically different from the rest of the meal. I'm not one for huge, terribly sweet, rich desserts right after dinner, but to me, a little bite of something moderately sweet closes the meal in a way that I just can't see cheese doing. If sweets are "palate numbing," then why isn't cheese? Just because it's not sweet?

I'm not trying to be difficult; I truly don't understand the appeal.

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If nothing else, there is this piece of science ...

Consuming cheese immediately after meals or as a between-meal snack helps to reduce the risk of tooth decay. In particular - aged Cheddar, Swiss, blue, Monterey Jack, Brie , Gouda and processed American cheese have been shown to help prevent tooth decay. Calcium, phosphorus and other components in cheese may contribute to this beneficial effect.
source ... .. maybe that is how the custom began ... :rolleyes:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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At the risk of sounding unsophisticated, I have to jump in here and say that I simply don't understand the idea of a cheese plate after dinner. I like cheese (although I have a very low tolerance for stinky cheese) but the last thing I want after dinner is a big -- or small -- chunk of cheese, regardless of what it's served with.

I can see ordering a cheese plate for lunch, but for dessert? Maybe someone can explain it to me. What's the appeal?

For me, it's simply that I'm not fond of sweets I guess. I'll take a cheese course instead of dessert every time it's offered. Particularly, if I'm drinking or serving port after dinner.

When I have guests, often I'll offer both a dessert and a cheese course. That's partly selfish on my part, since I'd rather have the cheese :biggrin: although I notice quite often, that guests will go for the cheese first.

I think it's simply a matter of taste.

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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Janet, this is no serious answer to your question, but often when I'm eating a few morsels of cheese at the conclusion of a meal, I think to myself, "Well, that fills in the chinks in my stomach very nicely..."

~ Lori in PA

My blog: http://inmykitcheninmylife.blogspot.com/

My egullet blog: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=89647&hl=

"Cooking is not a chore, it is a joy."

- Julia Child

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  • 2 weeks later...
Just saw this link on the Artisinal Cheese website - pretty good tips here.

http://www.artisanalcheese.com/prodinfo.as...&jmid=608593275

Not sure if this link will work - if not, check out the site anyway - good info and beautiful pix.

Thank you for the link. It is helpful information. I plan to put together a cheese board for the after-feast nibblers for Thanksgiving tomorrow.

~ Lori in PA

My blog: http://inmykitcheninmylife.blogspot.com/

My egullet blog: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=89647&hl=

"Cooking is not a chore, it is a joy."

- Julia Child

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Lori, you will have to let us know what you serve and the reactions you got from your guests.

I went to one of Boston's best restaurants on Monday evening and it has a reputation of having one of the best cheese courses in town. They have a very nice covered tray that they wheel from table to table, and a nice selection of cheeses on the menu. I was dining with another colleague in the food business, and even tho we told the waiter we didn't want to order cheese, we were asking enough questions that he was happy to roll the tray over for us to look at. Most of the cheese were in good condition and looked great, but we recoiled in horror at a piece of Spanish Valdeon. This cheese was so past it's prime that it should have been put out of it's misery weeks ago. The paste was actually very brown under the rind, so far down that it had discolored almost all the blue of the paste. It was nasty. We told him that our opinion was to dump it immediately and he appreciated our feedback. We noticed that the next time the cart was wheeled out, the blue was not there. We complimented him at the next opportunity and he said he actually had to fight to get it off the tray, but that he had stuck to his guns.

This goes back to my pet peeve - if I were a consumer who didn't know any better, I would think Valdeon was a nasty terrible cheese if I had eaten that. I think the idea of a cheese certification course for restaurants is a great goal.

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I would go for 5 pieces

one goats cheese - (like a sainte maure)

one creamy cheese ( this time of year a Vacherin would be perfect)

one blue cheese (like a fourme d'ambert)

one hard cheese ( appenzeller/morbier/a "tomme" etc)

and a stronger washed rind cheese to round up (Epoisses etc)

All different flavours/textures - you could do different countries too so a nice stilton or a Cashiel Blue for an British blue cheese or a hard Cornish Yarg or mature cheddar

Fleur de maquis (although ewes milk) from corsica on the goat side is delicious too! Happy eating

"Experience is something you gain just after you needed it" ....A Wise man

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I think that the European model of serving cheeses after the entree, but before dessert, may be because, as French epicure Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin writes, "Un dessert sans fromage est une belle à qui il manque un oeil" -- a meal without cheese is a one-eyed beauty.

I know the quote, but the fact that he wrote it isn't an explanation.

By way of yet another possible response to your inquiry, Janet, there is this article:

which is not uninteresting on this topic ...

And in fact cheese courses make the most sense in the context of a planned, multi-course meal in which the other courses are kept to a modest size. . . .

The portions are, apparently, an issue .. and cheese is only an option over a sweet dessert ...

If you are not a lover of sweets, the perfect end to a meal is slivers of good cheese accompanied by fruits and maybe nuts.  I know I am in the minority, but I can't stand most sweets, especially chocolate and find them palate-numbing after a nice meal. OK, I take that back, a little caramel w/sea salt is pretty damn good.

I've had "planned, multi-course meals in which the other courses are kept to a modest size" and I still don't see the appeal of cheese at the end. What I'm asking is, Why is it the perfect end to a meal?

To me, dessert works to end the meal precisely because it is sweet; in other words, it's categorically different from the rest of the meal. I'm not one for huge, terribly sweet, rich desserts right after dinner, but to me, a little bite of something moderately sweet closes the meal in a way that I just can't see cheese doing. If sweets are "palate numbing," then why isn't cheese? Just because it's not sweet?

I'm not trying to be difficult; I truly don't understand the appeal.

Well, if you don't like a cheese course you don't like it, and there's no harm in that. I like a cheese course because its a brief pause between the more complicated emotionally demanding :wink: main course and dessrt. No sitting around and speculating about the sauce or the provenance of the lamb, or what the heck "nougat" is. Just good old cheese. It's a few bites of umplicated fatty lusciousness, a big hug from a good friend.

And, if I were to speculate recklessly about the cheese course's origins I would guess that in the days when meat was expensive and rare and that even the best tables did not often offer the fatty, well-marbled beef one often finds today, that small dollop of cheese was a special treat. I'd think of lean old cows and chickens a bit tough even after a long braising because the frugal farmer didn't kill them off until they'd given all the eggs (note the number of egg recipes in traditional French cookbooks) and milk they could, and how they might make a nourishing repast but without sensual satisfaction of a brie or epoisses ripened in the barn. Too rich to come before the meat but too special to be ignored, the cheese came after, with the last of the wine.

But that's just speculation.

Lori: I'm not a big Port Salut guy so I don't look for it. I do know that Cowgirl or the more boutique-y other cheese shops focus on smaller production cheeses so I'd suspect they are less likely to have it, but I have seen it around (it's in the Monty Python "Cheese Shop" sketch, so I get a chuckle when I see the little label on it). I hope my earlier comment weren't taken as a shot at Sam's but rather a suggestion that if you like cheese, there are few things more fun than standing in a cheese shop pointing at something you've never seen or heard of and saying "can I have a little taste of that?' and that's more likely to happen (in my area) at Cowgirl Creamery or Arrowine than anywhere else.

gariotin: dish!

I'm on the pavement

Thinking about the government.

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No big deal thoughts here, just a lil chuckle. I first encountered the cheese/fruit plate as an end course (or before dessert) in the UK in 1980! It was totally new to me but I fell in love with the whole idea by my second dinnertime (I was there for 2 wonderful months). By the end of my trip I was disappointed if the cheese plate wasn't served, and it took me a while to get used to not seeing it anymore when I went home. Nowadays I don't do it formally (I rarely have dessert, either), but if I want an after-dinner snack it's almost always a few pieces of cheese, a glass of wine, and some frozen red grapes. I think I need a trip to Europe again, ASAP.

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morbier...hard cheese???

in terms of aesthetics for the selection - yes! Whilst obviously not a hard cheese in terms of say cheddar it has a much firmer consistency than the others in the selection and a hard rind which is where the term is intended and so would prove a nice counter balence flavour and texture wise to the others.

"Experience is something you gain just after you needed it" ....A Wise man

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morbier...hard cheese???

in terms of aesthetics for the selection - yes! Whilst obviously not a hard cheese in terms of say cheddar it has a much firmer consistency than the others in the selection and a hard rind which is where the term is intended and so would prove a nice counter balence flavour and texture wise to the others.

Naaah. Can you imagine grating morbier? Plus, it's oozing in the direction of stinky -- not a hard cheese flavor. Harder than a Pont l'Eveque, but hardly a hard cheese.

I'm on the pavement

Thinking about the government.

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I hope my earlier comment weren't taken as a shot at Sam's but rather a suggestion that if you like cheese, there are few things more fun than standing in a cheese shop pointing at something you've never seen or heard of and saying "can I have a little taste of that?'  and that's more likely to happen (in my area) at Cowgirl Creamery or Arrowine than anywhere else.

I didn't take any offense, on my behalf or my buddy Sam's. :biggrin: I also loved to work my way through a cheese shop, asking questions, tasting, and selecting. It's just that there is one "gourmet" shop in my county that has a limited selection of cheese as part of its offerings, so I am forced to source my cheese as I'm able. For example, today's cheese plate for Tday will include the following:

from Sam's -- Cabot cheddar, smoked gouda (one of my children begs for this), and havarti

from Trader Joe's (near Dulles) -- three crotins of goat with herbs, etc.

from the local gourmet shop -- stilton with apricots and a lovely Le Delice Bourgogne (Somebody please tell me more about this cheese -- I love it, the lady in the shop loves it, but she knows nothing about it.)

~ Lori in PA

My blog: http://inmykitcheninmylife.blogspot.com/

My egullet blog: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=89647&hl=

"Cooking is not a chore, it is a joy."

- Julia Child

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Delice de B is a very nice triple creme from France. It's cow's milk, very much in the tradition of Brillat Savarin or Explorateur. It will prob have about 75% butterfat, so if it is not too young, the paste will be pretty soft and buttery at room temp. I think triple cremes are beautiful with fruit, as they are so rich and lactic. Pair with some nice seasonal fruits at the moment like apple, pear, quince, dried figs - I'll bet your guests will be all over that. Offer some nuts to crack too.

Happy Bust Your Gut Day to all the Yanks here!

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I'm almost sorry to post this for my poor deprived friends in the USA to see, but being somewhat of a sadist here goes.

THanksgiving is not a holiday celebrated here in France except for expats like us. We like to do it and to invite our French friends. This year my friend Jacques & his wife Virginia were invited. Knowing my love a cheeses Jacques asked me if it would be Ok if he brought some 'special' goats cheeses. Knowing Jacques I readily agreed thinking he's bring a nice cheese. I thought no more about it & bought my own selection at market to serve after the main course & before desserts.

About 9 o'clock this morning Jacques shows up with his cheeses. Here they are!

gallery_22910_3919_12684.jpg

Talk about flabbergasted! Wow! They're ALL chevres from a big artisanal producer near his village. All the way from very young to old & hard with lots a stages & flavors inbetween. As you can see some are flavored with herbs or raisins. Absolutely astounding.

This is why you have a cheese board! Our guests were in heaven sampling & tasting. So was I; more on this & what I bought that didn't get served over in the Cheese Glorious Cheese thread later when I've recovered from cooking for 21 people.

Vive La France, I say!

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What is the name for the donut shape?  I don't belive I've ever seen that, we just started making cheese this year.

There are four donut shaped cheeses on the basket.

I think that the one in the foreground is called Rouelle. Heres a link to a better description. click here.

I'll be doing more on these cheeses over in the 'cheeses glorious cheese' thread. May have to go visit Le Pic creamery which is where these came from. Its not far, but I suspect that most of the names are strictly loca,

So many cheeses, so little time!

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Oh, the beauty.....!

Didn't we discuss the Rouelle in the CGC thread? Le Pic cheeses definitely used to be exported to the US, but I have not seen them in 2-3 years. Please go visit and take some pix for us!

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