Combine the best cheese and wine for holiday fetes
It’s that time of year when I could eat cheese until the cows, goats and sheep come home.
A variety of exquisite raw milk cheeses turn holiday fetes into epicurean adventures.
Whether you serve several finely aged Spanish cheeses with a fruity red, or a fresh chèvre with Champagne, a selection of artisanal and farmstead varieties will tickle guests’ taste buds and spark friendly debate.
(Cheese snobs argue raw milk is vastly superior to pasteurized because microorganisms give it more complex flavors.)
For a match made in heaven, choose the wine, beer or liqueur first, then cheeses that vary in shape, texture and intensity, says Emma Marshall, a cheese specialist with Whole Foods.
What’s left for a host or hostess to do?
Simply add nuts, fresh or dried fruit and fruit pastes, perhaps a few cured meats, some olives or a chutney and you’re ready to party.
Here’s a short list of luxurious, sure-to-wow cheeses:
Fleur vert: A fluffy fresh goat’s milk cheese from France, fleur vert (sometimes also fleur verte) is rolled in a mixture of tarragon and pink peppercorns — perfect holiday colors against a snowy white background. The piece I purchased was cut like a slice of cake.
The flavor is grassy and herbaceous, which makes it a nice pairing with Champagne, a rosé or German Riesling. ($19.99/pound)
Haystack Mountain queso de mano: Queso de mano literally means “hand cheese.” This award-winning raw goat’s milk farmstead cheese is crafted by artisans based in Niwot, Colo. Similar to Spanish Garrotxa, it is aged four months for a flavor that is robust and nutty with hints of herbs. The cheese maker’s Web site suggests pairing with fruity Sauvignon Blanc, Gamay Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel or any light red wine, dry rosé or a fruity beer.
“Haystack is putting out some phenomenal cheese, and it’s very hard to get raw milk goat’s cheese,” Marshall says. ($25.99/pound)
Hervé Mons Gabietou: A blend of raw cow’s milk and sheep’s milk, the pricey Gabietou is a fabulous splurge cheese. A creamy cheese with a fruity bite, it is made in the French Pyrenees. Then the highly respected affineur Hervé Mons ages the unripe cheese in caves that have been owned by his family for many generations.
“Anytime you see his name next to a cheese, it’s going to be the best of the best,” Marshall says. ($29.99/pound)
Neal’s Yard Dairy Montgomery Cheddar: An earthy, traditional cow’s milk cheese made by James Montgomery and Steve Bridges at Manor Farms, in North Cadbury, Somerset, the cheddar is aged over 14 months.
Marshall says it is available at the local store only in fall. She also raves about the Stilton. ($18.99/pound)
Raclette: Typical of the Swiss Alps region, raclette is similar to fondue. The word raclette comes from the French word for “scrape.” Chunks of the creamy cheese can be warmed on a special tabletop grill (a quick search online found them available for about $100), then scraped onto a nutty, rye bread.
You can also dip savory morsels such as vegetables, potatoes and seafood into the cheese ooze. Choose from Swiss (raw milk) or French (pasteurized) cheese. ($9.99/pound)
Ubriacone: A raw cow’s milk cheese made by a colorful Italian artisan named Sergio. The cheese maker pierces the cheese as you would a gorgonzola, bathes it with Barolo, then wraps it with grape leaves to cover the holes so no mold will grow. The word ubriacone translates to “great big drunk,” and the flavor pairs well with big red wines.
“If somebody is looking for a nice red wine cheese, this is it,” Marshall says. ($22.99/pound)
| Jill Silva, Food Editor, The Kansas City Star
