C HEESE

C HEESES One of the oldest foods known to mankind. Appears from in everything, breakfast, snacks to dessert. Starts with mammals milk: cows, goats, sheep. Milk proteins, caesin are coagulated with the addition of an enzyme, usually rennet found in cows stomachs. Milk coagulates, separates into solid curds and liquid whey. Drain the whey curds = fresh cheese to make ricotta or cottage cheese. Kneaded and cooked cheeses are packed into molds and drained. Salt or bacteria is added to give it flavor and allowed to ripen. for-a-Cheese-Plate How its Made:

I NGREDIENTS Rennet According "the lining membrane of the fourth stomach of the calf, used to curdle milk, as in making cheese” Used to describe any enzyme used to coagulate milk, and rennin and chymosin are enzymes found in rennet. Milk: Cow Goat Sheep: Pecorino

C HEESE - PLATE POINTERS Serve 1 to 2 ounces of cheese per person. Include a mix of fresh, aged, soft and hard cheeses. Arrange—and sample—the cheeses starting with the freshest and lightest, ending with the ripest and most intense. ting-the-perfect-cheese-plate

T HEME A RRANGEMENT Select cheeses by REGION. Example: tasting of French cheeses including accompaniments Select cheeses by MILK. Example: All sheep, All goat, All cows milk Select cheeses by LOCALE. Example: choose all local products including accompaniments. Select a plate for DESSERT. Example: pair with all fruits, and mellow flavors to pair well with sweet accompaniments Allow min. to temper the cheese for full flavor. Wrap in paper not, plastic wrap to breath the cheese.

W HEN TO S ERVE ? Starter Course: Awakens taste buds Choose cheeses at room temp or fried or baked in a crust of walnuts or almonds. Accompaniments: Cured olives Pickled vegetables Salted whole nuts Crunchy crudites Roasted or grilled veg. Chutneys & mustards Serve on informal plate Serve w/ cocktails

M IDMEAL : TRASITIONAL Follows the entrée Included if you have several courses. Shared with parties 3 or more or served on a smaller plate. Usually paired with cocktails or wine/beer. Cleans the palate. Choose cheeses that are mellow in flavor non- robust. ult.aspx

E ND OF THE M EAL : IN PLACE OF DESSERT Use fresh cheeses w/ memorable flavors to end the meal. Fruit: Use apples, dried fruits, jellies, pears, figs, berries. Nuts: Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans, Candied nuts Honeys & Reductions Pair w/ brandies, ports, dessert wines, cordials.

C ATEGORIES Textures: Fresh Cheese Semi-Soft Soft Ripened Firm Cheese Hard Cheese

F RESH C HEESES Uncooked/Unripened Fromage Blanc Mild, creamy with tart tanginess. Cream Cheese: 35% Feta: salt brined Marcarpone: 70-75% Mozzarella: 45% Ricotta: 4-10% fat Queso Oaxaca: 45% fat

S EMI SOFT CHEESES Include mild buttery cheeses, smooth sliceable textures. Moisture content of 40-50%. Aged from a few days to a few months. Good for melting. Cobrales: Spanish Gorganzola: Italy Gouda: Dutch Stilton: Great Britain Roquefort: France Port du Salut: France

S OFT -R IPENED C HEESES Distinguished by their white "bloomy" rinds and creamy interiors get softer instead of harder as they age. The best-known are Brie and Camembert.

S URFACE - RIPENED C HEESES Sometimes firm and sometimes molten. Have similarly wrinkly rinds and intensely flavored interiors. Special molds ensure that their exteriors ripen first.

F IRM C HEESES Not hard or brittle Aged from a few mo. to few years & longer. Close-textured & flaky Moisture 30-40% Cheddars: North America, Australia, Great Britain Emmenthaler: Swiss. Gruyere: France Comte: France Manchego: Spain Provolone: Italy

H ARD C HEESES Carefully aged for extended periods Contain 30% moisture Used for grating, salads or table cheese Salty sharp taste. Asiago Parmigiano- Reggiano Pecorino Romano