4 Suggestions For Creating Cheese Plates

Cheese Plate

Great cheese plates can be created by focusing on the theme or the type of setting you are trying to present. Here are some for suggestions for cheese plates. The following lists are given purely as suggestions and can be altered to fit whatever occasion you may be preparing. Try to keep the country consistent. Also when choosing your cheeses try to keep in mind the taste, texture and milk differences. These differences will create a memorable experience for your guests. The main goal with a cheese board is to expand your guests cheese horizons so try not to provide only very common or tried and true cheeses. Lastly always serve cheese condiments with your plates and boards they will help to enhance and excite the flavor of your cheeses. The following suggestions can also be enjoyed with a wine tasting party. Have fun and happy eating!

French Cheese Plate (as an appetizer plate or after dinner course) 1oz of each cheese per person

1) P'Tit Basque a mild sheep milk cheese
2) Brie de Meaux, Brie Nangis or Camembert cow milk cheeses
3) Any fresh goat cheese
Condiments: plain crackers or mini toasts, sliced apples and pears and almonds or walnuts


French Cheese Plate (where cheese is the focus) 3oz to 4oz per person

1) Brie Nangis or Brie de Meaux cow milk cheese
2) Bethmale a full flavored goat milk cheese
3) Roquefort a powerful sheep milk blue cheese
Condiments: crusty bread, sweet peppers, black olives and celery stalks


Spanish Cheese Plate (1oz of each cheese per person as an appetizer or 3oz to 4oz per person for a cheese party)

1) Murcia al Vino a wine bathed goat cheese
2) Manchego (aged) a hard sheep milk cheese
3) Iberico a semi-soft mix of cow, sheep and goat milks
Condiments: sliced serrano ham, almonds, membrillo (quince paste), dried figs or apricots,
green olives and hearty bread


Italian Cheese Plate (1oz of each cheese per person as an appetizer or 3oz to 4oz per person for a cheese party)

1) Buffalo Mozzarella a soft cheese made from water buffalo milk
2) Pecorino Toscano (aged) a semi-hard sheep milk cheese

3) Parmigiano Reggiano (aged at least 6 months) a mountain style hard cheese

Condiments: black olives, sliced salami, roasted peppers and crusty bread

     Murcia al Vino

French P'Tit Basque Cheese A Gift From The Pyrenees Mountains

P'Tit Basque or Petite Basque is a French sheep's milk cheese that is produced in the Basque region of the Pyrenees Mountains that form the border with Spain. The famous Ossau-Iraty cheese and Idiazabal cheese are also produced in this area. This mountainous region is the home to both goat and sheep herders but it is the sheep cheeses that are the most noteworthy. The French word for sheep is brebis and the cheeses are known as "fromage de brebis". Traditionally, shepherds made this small cheese from a little curd set aside after milking their ewes. It is still hand-made from pure ewe's milk using the same traditional methods established by local shepherds centuries ago. The cheeses in this region are produced from December to July and coincide with the natural fertility cycle of the native sheep herds. After late July all milking and cheese making comes to an end. During the late summer and fall the sheep herds migrate to the highland pastures and graze on wildflowers and mountain herbs. During the winter months they are fed sweet grass and hay. This cycle of grazing assures that the animals have a consistent supply of quality food. In turn high quality cheese is produced from their milk.

P'Tit Basque was first produced commercially in 1997 and is an unpasteurized pressed curd, uncooked, semi-soft cheese. The curds are pressed into small round molds and dried. Then they are exposed to a two hour brine bath and allowed to age for about seventy days in cold room storage areas or caves. Before leaving the storage areas the cured cheeses are coated with a thin plastic skin that keeps them from drying out and to prevent the appearance of mold on the natural rind. Each small cylindrical cheese weighs about 1- 1/4 to 1- 1/2 lbs. This sheep milk cheese has a fat content of about 45%.

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Tasting: The interior paste has a wonderful taffy-like mouth feel. It's appearance is smooth and slightly oily with a light yellow butter color and a mild caramel aroma. Since P'Tit Basque is only aged for seventy days it has a mild flavor. However, it's taste is very enjoyable and will be olivey with a mild mixture of nuts and fruit. P'tit Basque is perfect to start your sheep milk cheese adventures. From here you can move onto more aged sheep cheeses like the famous Ossau-Iraty, Manchego and Pecorino Toscano which have more complex and sheepy flavors. All in all this little cheese will not disappoint you with its mild flavor and aroma. If you can not find P'tit Basque good substitutes are Idiazabal and Ossau Iraty.   

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Serve P'Tit Basque for lunch with sliced tomatoes, olive oil and a hearty bread or sliced on a sandwich made with French ham. It also goes well with black cheery preserves or sliced apples and pears.

Wine pairing: Beaujolais, Grenache, Burgundy, Bordeaux or Madeiran

A Risotto Recipe With Italian Taleggio Cheese

                                                 Shrimp and Taleggio Risotto

This recipe is an interesting risotto dish that works well as a main course or as a side dish. The Arborio rice adds a nice flavor and texture that is countered by the soft and flavorful Taleggio cheese and the butternut squash. Although butternut squash is normally thought to be a fall and winter food it also goes really well for spring and summer meals.

Check out our blog page for a more in depth review of Taleggio cheeses at:
http://aroundtheworldcheese.blogspot.com/2009/03/taleggio-italian-cheese.html

Prep time 35 min Cooking time 35 min Serves 4

Ingredients
2 Tbsp of unsalted butter
1 large onion chopped (about 2 cups)
1 medium sized butternut squash
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 cups of rinsed Arborio rice
1 can (141/2oz) of chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups of water
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 oz of Taleggio cheese with the rind removed
1 Tbsp of fresh chopped sage or 1 tsp of dried sage
1/3 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Prep and Cooking

1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel and remove the seeds from the squash and then cut it into 1/2 in. cubes. Heat butter in an ovenproof dutch oven and set on medium heat. Add the onion and cook until wilted, about 4 min. next increase heat to medium high and stir in the squash and cook for another 4 min, stir occasionally.

2) Stir in garlic and and rice until they are coated. Next stir in the broth, water salt and black pepper. Slowly add the Taleggio into the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stir the mixture untill the cheese is melted and then add the sage.

3) Cover and bake until the liquid is almost absorbed (about 30 min). Remove from the oven, stir all the ingredients and sprinkle on the grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve while hot.

Wine pairing: Barbaresco or Merlot , also try it with fruity wines like Riesling or Sauterne

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