What Goes with Cheese?

 

Autumn duo: Jasper Hill Farm Whitney with apple chutney

Americans didn’t pioneer the practice of pairing cheese with condiments, but we have certainly embraced it. When I teach cheese-appreciation classes, I can count on being asked, “What should I pair with this cheese?” I’m Old School and believe that good cheese is perfectly complete by itself, yet the condiments keep coming and I have to admit that they make a cheese platter more beautiful and, to some, more enticing. While sampling some new American-made mostarda, I flashed back to some of my earliest experiences with the cheese course, as a 22-year-old in France, where I encountered some firm “do’s and don’ts” about the plâteau de fromages. vintage cheese dish with lid

The little paperback cheese guide (*) I bought then, in French, described precisely how to put together a cheese course. Apparently even French people could screw it up and needed reminding, so the author set out some guidelines. Most of these rules have stayed with me; a few I’ve abandoned. But they all still make sense to me. My loose translation:

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Nothing is sadder than a lunch or dinner that goes straight from main course to dessert. [Okay, French hyperbole.] But it’s equally disheartening to see good cheeses poorly presented, not to mention a poorly chosen assortment.

Tableware: Whatever board or platter you choose, make sure it’s the right size for the number of cheeses. Not too big, not too small. You’ll need a sharp, fine-bladed knife that will slice soft cheese without crushing it. With two vastly different cheeses, like a fresh goat cheese and a Roquefort, provide a knife for each.

Butter: For some it’s indispensable for mellowing the flavor of strong cheese. But that’s precisely the reason others reject it. Clearly, mild cheeses don’t need it, but for blues and really dry goat cheese, butter is permissible. But you absolutely must keep the butter separate from the cheese.

Bread and forks: To taste cheese, especially soft cheese, you must have bread. Only hard cheeses can do without bread, and hard cheese is the only type you may eat with a fork.

Selection: Balance is the goal. So that guests can know what they’re tasting, some hosts put a little name tag on each cheese. It’s not the most elegant solution, but it does keep everyone informed and interested. To be balanced, a cheese platter should have products with a range of flavors: mild and fresh (young goat cheese, Boursault); a little more pronounced (Camembert, young Cantal); even stronger (medium-aged goat cheeses and tommes; raw-milk Camembert); and very strong (Munster, Comté, blues). This does not mean your platter needs to have a dozen cheeses. Better to have one carefully chosen cheese of each type, perfectly ripe, than eight that are too similar.

Accompaniments: If you want to make a whole meal out of cheese, you need some accompaniments that add diversity. Consider crudités, such as cucumber with Roquefort or radishes and fennel with fresh goat cheese; fresh herbs, finely chopped, with fromage blanc; spices, such as cumin seed with Munster or paprika with fresh cheese; apple wedges with Gruyère; chopped shallots with fresh goat cheese; walnuts with blue cheese; and raisins with mellow tommes.