Anyone who has spent sigificant time with me over a meal or cooking together will tell you that I LOVE cheese! I have been known to say that I am a self-proclaimed cheese whore. I will do just about anything for great cheese. In fact, I will always trade dessert for a plate of lovely cheeses and a nice glass of red. Always.
So what kinds of cheese do I like? Oh, so many…. I’ll never forget the amazing lunch my husband and I had at Artisinal in New York. We went in to have a casual lunch with a glass of wine, and were blown away by the cheese selection. Over 400 cheeses available, and a fromagier (cheese master) that knew them all inside and out. He could tell you which farms they came from and in some cases, the specific animals whose milk was used to make the cheese. We ended up trying at least 6 different cheeses and loved each and every one for its uniqueness. Caselulla in NY is also a fantastic place to try for a great cheese tasting paired with great wines. They have both a fromagier and sommelier you can consult to make the perfect pairings.
Ok, so on to some of my personal favorite cheeses! I suppose I’d have to put goat cheese as my number one choice – whether fresh abd soft, or aged and semi-soft or hard. Boucheron from France is a wonderful semi-aged goat cheese, and I love goat cheese crusted with pepper. One of my all-time favorite things to do with goat cheese is to serve it as an appetizer with baguette slices, fresh basil leaves and sun dried tomatoes in oil. The combo is pretty to look at and absolutely delicious!
After goat cheese, I’d have to go with stinky cheeses like Epoisses or Taleggio. They are aromatic and fabulous, particularly when at room temperature and spread on a very plain slice of bread or cracker. Yum!
Next up are the cheeses that have salt crystals. Aged, usually hard, and full of those delicious, crunchy salt crystals, these cheeses are a perfect hors d’oeuvre. My faves are aged Gouda and of course Parmesan.
I could probably go on forever about about all the other kinds of cheeses I like, but here are just a few more that make my top cheese list: burrata, Cotswold, Humboldt Fog, Limburger, Saint-Marcellin, Piave (especially with peppercorns), and good old aged cheddar.
What’s your favorite cheese? I’d love to know about how much you love cheese!
Bon appetit!
0 Comments