Cake and Commerce

Cheese plates for beginners

How to Assemble a Cheese Plate – A Biased Perspective

I put this together for a tasting we held at Bouffe, Libby Bonahoom's gourmet shop in Lincoln Square, Chicago.

Cheese plates are simpler to put together than most people assume. By following a few simple rules, you too can be a cheese plate artist and wow family and friends at your next dinner party or soirée.

Rule #1: Find yourself a reliable Cheesemonger

Not all cheesemongers and cheese shops are created equal! Is the cheese pre-wrapped, or is it cut to order for you? Does the cheesemonger let you taste the cheese before you buy? Is the cheese shop busy, does the cheese inventory turn over frequently? You need to answer these questions when you walk in to a cheese shop before you consider buying. After all, good cheese isn’t cheap: it will cost you anywhere between $9/lb and $30/lb, depending on method of production, country of origin, and scarcity. If you are going to shell out that kind of dough, make sure the cheese is treated well and is at its peak (à point, in French) before you buy.

Rule #2:  Don’t go shopping without a game plan

There is nothing worse than facing a case of hundreds of cheeses and not knowing where to start. Before you start picking cheeses out at random, know what you want. How many cheeses will you serve? Will it be served as a course or as an hors d’oeuvre? You will need much less cheese – 1 oz-1.5 oz per person of each type – if you are going to serve cheese as a dessert course. If it is an appetizer, served buffet style, consider your guests and their appetites.

Rule #3: It is all about odd numbers

Cheese plates should have an odd number of cheeses – 3, 5, 7, etc – rather than even. This is my rule – I suppose you could serve 4 or 6 if you liked but the balance of odd numbers is visually pleasing and is reflected in other arts, particularly Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement.

Rule #4: If you are going to serve a cheese plate, have a theme

Actually, there is no hard and fast rule about a theme, but it sure makes it easier for cheese novices to choose from the dozens, if not hundreds, of cheeses available at the cheese counter. Country, milk type, texture, producer, cheese type, rind, matching a wine you are serving – all of these are potential themes for a plate. Alternately, a non-theme will work too. Picking one cheese each from the category of milk types –sheep, goat, cow – can create a cheese plate with textural, flavor, and visual variety. If you are totally lost, ask your friendly cheesemonger for advice – that’s what they are there for!

Rule #5: Arrange your cheeses mildest to strongest if you are serving cheese as a course

Arrange your cheeses with your mildest cheese at twelve o’clock on the plate, and place the rest of the cheeses – mildest to strongest – clockwise, down and around. Your mildest cheese will end up next to your strongest cheese, if you have a sizable cheese plate. Blues are almost always the strongest cheeses on the plate, followed by washed rind cheeses. Oh yeah, and in the US, it doesn’t matter when you serve cheese, as long as you enjoy it!

Rule #6: Accompaniments are awfully fun

Other foods can intensify and even change the flavor of cheese. Serve cheeses with a variety of accompaniments like toasted nuts, quince paste (membrillo), slices of pear or apple, dried fruits, wine jelly, Italian mostarda, fig cake, or date cake (and any number of other treats available today). Crackers are good if they are to be used as a palate cleanser, but bread is far more interesting as a vehicle for cheese. Try a bread with nuts and fruits, like a pecan-raisin loaf or cranberry-walnut bread.

Rule #7: Water is nice, but wine is finer…but if you are going to do blue, go Port or….

If you are serving cheese at the end of the meal, the last wine you serve with the entrée can be served with dessert if you don’t want to fuss too much. You can also choose a wine to pair with your cheese course, if you really want to create a dazzler (ask your cheesemonger for advice if you have a broad range of cheeses). With strong blues, nothing beats dessert wines like Port, TawnyPort, Muscat, late harvest Zin, Sauternes, etc. Milder cheeses can be overwhelmed by syrupy dessert wines, so avoid them if you are not serving strong cheeses.

Rule #8: Enjoy!

Relax and enjoy. Cheese courses should be fun and eye-opening. Don’t stress. If you don’t want to do the work, your cheesemonger will be more than happy to help you out.

Here are a few of my favorite mail order resources for great cheese in the US:

Murray's Cheese - 50 years and going strong! They have an aging cave that competes with the best of 'em...and their direct import program is great!

Zingerman's - What can I say? A relatively limited selection of great cheeses, aged well

Formaggio Kitchen - One of the shops that started it all. Expensive and worth it

igourmet.com - They have it all. One stop shopping, and reasonable prices. Can't vouch for the quality, but they certainly have quantity.

esperya.com - If it is Italian and artisan, you will find it here.

Coming soon to a gourmet shop near you...

OK, this report is a little late in coming - the Fancy Food Show ended more than a month ago. I went, I saw, I reported to the folks at the Home Base. I usually don't go to the Winter Show (the Summer Show, in NYC, is 2x larger) but thanks to work I was able not only to go to the show but to eat a few very good meals.

Take a breath, get your mouse ready, because there are a lot of links here:

Fancy Food Show Notes Winter 2006

San Francisco

The Winter Fancy Food show featured much of the same items and vendors as always with the addition of a few new – and significant – exhibitors. Spices, bottled sauces and condiments, tea, coffee, chocolates, fair trade, olive oils, upscale convenience foods, ready-to-use upscale pie fillings, sea salt, and many ready-to-drink beverages were featured prominently. Ethnic Foods, Bold Flavors, Nostalgia Packaging, Unusual Ingredients, All-Natural, Anti-Oxidants, Indulgence and Upscale Convenience etc were trends seen in abundance. The world seems condiment crazy right now.

Design: Simplicity is in! Bright splashes of color, elegance, and a clear message was on display throughout the show, from Stirrings Cocktail mixers (www.stirrings.com) to China Blue Sauces (www.chinablue.com) to Tulocay’s

Napa

Valley

(www.madeinnapavalley.com) to David Rio (www.davidrio.com). Terra Medi (www.terramedi.com) , a line of Greek products, features eye-catching designs that reference its use of olives in all of its products. Retro products and packaging was also popular – but no one era figured more prominently than another. Some products referenced the 50s, others the 60s, and some were throwbacks to the early 20^th century in choice of design motifs.

Chocolate: Chocolate is everywhere, and no where does it figure more prominently than at the Fancy Food Show. Independents and Corporate-owned boutique brands competed for attention. For the first time, Godiva (www.godiva.com) exhibited at the show with its range of Platinum and Green specialty chocolates. Nearby, Hershey-owned Scharffenberger (www.scharffenberger.com ) and Joseph Schmidt (www.josephschmidtconfections.com ) had colorful busy booths.

There are two trends in chocolate right now vying for attention: single-varietal chocolates and chocolate infused with savory flavors. Domori (www.domori.com) , El Rey (www.elreychocolate.com) ,  Valrhona (www.valrhona.com) , E. Guittard (www.guittard.com) were just a few of the companies offering chocolates by varietal. Infused chocolates – chocolates flavored with spices such as cumin, curry, chilies, tea, coffee, anise, lavender, thyme, green tea, jasmine, pink peppercorn, etc. Companies such as Michael Recchiuti (www.recchiuti.com) as well as Godiva and Joseph Schmidt are showing chocolates filled with infused ganache. Chocolate tiles are also infused. Dolfin, (www.dolfin.be/cadreinterneuk.htm) a Belgian company, offers many infused flavors in their products. “Maya” seems to be the buzzword for a number of chocolate companies, including Chuao (www.chuaochocolatier.com). “Aztec” is also used by some companies, including Jacques Torres, (www.mrchocolate.com) who was not at the show. There were two other unusual chocolates: one from Poco Dolce (www.pocodolce.com) , that was dusted with sea salt, and an Italian import that was filled with Gorgonzola cheese!

Upscale Entrees: Although Fancy Food is not a frozen show, there were a few exhibitors selling ready-to-eat entrees and hors d’oeuvres. A British company, Entrée (www.entreefoods.com) , was showing off simple heat-and-eat high-end cheese snacks. Another new exhibitor was Veroli, who showed off a line of frozen lasagnas, cannelloni, manicotti, eggplant parmigiana, and meatballs in elegant packaging.

Ethnic Foods: Indian foods were fairly prominent at the show. Ethos (www.goingnative.com) had a line of four heat-and-eat Indian, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, and Thai entrees. Tandoor Chef displayed a line of made-in-the USA Indian snacks and entrees. Maya Kaimal (http://www.mayakaimal.com/) had her four Indian simmer sauces on display as well. The best “Ethnic” flavors, however, were found in sauces, rubs, and spices. China Blue (www.chinablue.com) had by far the best breadth and depth of Asian-themed sauces. Kikkoman (www.kikkoman.com) had new products in updated packaging. A number of independent companies also displayed ginger marinades, miso sauces, and curry base.

Speaking of Sauces: There seemed to be a proliferation of sauces, dressings, vinegars, and oils. China Blue made a splash with their elegant bottles of Shanghai-inspired sauces. Their selection ranged from Shanghai Peanut to Honey Chili to Citrus Mango, Sweet Soy, Sesame Soy, Tangy Ginger, Sweet Anise, Black Bean, and Spicy Chili Bean. Steven Raichlen (www.bestofbarbecue.com ) , the BBQ Guru, presented an extensive line of rubs, brines, and sauces. This year his group debuted a rub made with instant iced tea. Tulocay’s (www.madeinnapavalley.com) featured a number of herb rubs and dry marinades, including Mystic Moroccan, Miguel’s Mexican Fiesta, Asian Accents, and Mediterranean Medley. Wet marinades included Korean Soy-Ginger, Thai Basil, Chimi Churri, Shanghai Tangerine Sauce, Yucatan with Chiles & Citrus, and Baja with Chiles & Lime. Frontera (www.fronterakitchens.com) introduced Texas Black Pepper BBQ Sauce. They also featured Original Sweet and Smoky, Roasted Chipotle Pineapple, Chipotle Honey Mustard, and New Mexico Red Pepper-Sesame. The Girl and the Fig (www.thegirlandthefig.com) featured flavored sea salts and a Fennel Citrus House blend seasoning for use directly on meats or as a brine. Mark and Stephen’s (www.markandstephens.com) had a selection of interesting mustards and jams. They showed Ancho Chili Jalapeno Mustard, Wasabi-Lime Mustard, and Horseradish Mustard. Terrapin Ridge (www.terrapinridge.com) had all of their sauces and dressings available in squeeze bottles. Flavors were broad and varied – from Asian to Mediterranean to Moroccan to Mexican. Kikkoman has also jumped into Pan-Asian Sauces. They debuted Black Bean Sauce, Hoisin Sauce, Plum Sauce, Thai Chili Sauce, and upscale Teriyaki Sauces. NoMU, (www.nomu.co.za ) a South African Company, had a line of innovative spice rubs. Products included Egyptian Dukkah, a spice blend for bread, Peri-Peri Dry Rub, Moroccan Dry Rub, Tandoori Dry Rub, Masala Dry Rub, and Curry Dry Rub. Angelo Pietro (www.pietrousa.com) had four simple dressings that are favorites in Japan and are considered versatile enough to be used as ingredients in center-of-the-plate proteins. The flavors were Soy Sauce, Sesame and Miso, Ginger, and Tom Douglas (www.tomdouglas.com ), the Seattle-based

chef, featured eight spice rubs at his booth. Highlights included Spicy Tokyo Rub, Chinese 12 Spice Rub, and Bengal Masala Rub. One of the more interesting products was from Flavor Magic (www.flavormagic.net ), who have been selling their products exclusively on QVC. They manufacture sheets of herb and spice mixes. When a wet protein is placed on the sheet, the water releases the spices from the sheet and evenly coats the meat. They market it as a convenience for flavoring food with minimal work.

Peanut Butter? Yes, Peanut Butter. Peanut Better, Inc (www.peanutbetter.com) markets a line of 12 different peanut butters, categorized by Savory, Sweet, and Mixed Nuts. Thai Ginger and Red Pepper Peanut Butter was snappy and spicy, Spicy Southwestern would taste great in a sandwich. Other flavors include Onion Parsley, Rosemary Garlic, Hickory Smoked, Peanut Praline, Vanilla Cranberry, Cinnamon Currant, Deep Chocolate and Sweet Molasses.

Non-Alcoholic Beverages: Tea and Soda were the real news at the show and Coffee and Juice were less prominent.  Jones Soda (www.jonessoda.com) , who have shocked the world with their bizarre holiday packs featuring, among other things, Gravy Flavored Soda, showed off imaginative new all-natural RTD Teas. GuS (Grown-up Soda, www.drinkgus.com ) presented Sodas flavored with Star Ruby Grapefruit, Dry Meyer Lemon, Dry Crimson Grape, Dry Valencia Orange, Dry Cranberry Lime, and Extra Dry Ginger Ale. Their sodas are served at some fine dining restaurant and are formulated less sweet than traditional fruit sodas. Ito-En (www.itoen.com ) is pushing the healthful qualities of their green tea products. Sencha Shot contains 5x the anti-oxidants in regular RTD green tea. Teas’ Tea line is a 12-SKU strong RTD line with White Tea, Green Tea and Mugi Tea. Izze ( www.izze.com ) showed off their line of grown-up Soda, which includes Pomegranate, Clementine, Lemon, Pear and Blackberry. Hot Tea companies were in profusion. Mighty Leaf Tea (www.mightyleaf.com ), Republic of Tea (www.republicoftea.com ), Teaology, Adagio Tea, Boston Tea Co, Harney and Sons, Teance, Tempest Tea, Stash Tea, Tea Forte, Red & Green Company, Numi Teas, Honest Tea, Revolution Tea, Two Leaves and A Bud and a dozen or so other tea companies were at the show, all with similar items. One company, Tzu The, (www.tzu-the.com ) showed a single-serve tea diffuser that can be reused. 

http://www.specialtyfood.com/do/fancyFoodShow/LocationsAndDates

The next show is in Chicago, May 7-9

Coffee and stuff

Okay, so it has been forever since I've posted. I've been wasting my time over at LTH Forum (great for Chicago food chit chat as well as shopping info) and trying to get a little better at my job (which, not-so-incidentally, is food related). I'll save that for another post.

I started drinking coffee again -- I quit for about 6 months until my nutritionist banned just about everything else from my diet. I find great solace in my 1-2 cups per day and try to make the best cup I possibly can. I've been enjoying coffee from Terroir, which is the company founded by George Howell. For those not from Boston, George Howell is the visionary who founded Coffee Connection, which was later bought out by $tarbucks. Howell uses antique roasting equipment and purchases small lots from single estates. He pays fairer than fair trade prices for his coffee - so it isn't inexpensive. But the care he puts into every batch makes Terroir one of the best boutique roasters out there. I can't comment on the espresso roasts since I don't have a machine chez moi, but I can say that the single estate drip coffees are delicious -- Las Termopilas is one of my favorites.

I also discovered the Kona coffee council's listings -- a great place to discover tiny estate coffees from Hawaii. It is a primative site but will link you to just about every ranch selling green and roast coffee. My favorite has been from Rancho Aloha - roasted a little too dark for my taste but absolutely delicious. Kona is generally very mild, so to make it more assertive, some roasters tend to take its color to full french -- losing the subtleties in the process. No mind, Rancho Aloha is great coffee, light (I presume) or dark.

If you get into roasting your own (I don't drink enough to justify the investment) Sweet Maria's, named for Harvard classmate Maria Troy (who is married to the owner), has the best green coffee beans available in small quantities.

Recently I've been getting requests for recipes -- once I start posting regularly, I promise to include recipes.