Building Platters

I assembled some platters for a catering order recently, built around a Spanish theme. We had marcona almonds, honey roasted pecans, grapes, dates, membrillo (quince paste), a medallion of Caprichio de Cabra, cubes of Mahon, and some slivers of both Drunken Goat and Campo de Montalban.

Those last two are extra special to me. Here's what I like about them:

Drunken goat has been one of my favorites from day one. It is a semi-firm goat cheese with an edible wine-soaked rind. The rind has fruity tones with a slightly bitter aftertaste, and the cheese itself is mild and smooth. So far, most of my experience with goat has been through fresh and soft cheeses. I really like having this texture available to recommend.

Campo de Montalban is another special cheese that I sneak bites of taste for quality control whenever possible. It is a firm mixed milk cheese made in the style of Manchego (it was officially considered a Manchego until 1985), so it has a very similar density and mouthfeel. This one is aged for 100 days. However because it is made with cow, goat, and sheep milk combined it has a unique flavor that is buttery, nutty, and slightly tangy.

What other themes would you be interested in building a platter around? What are your go-to party appetizers?

Intro to Cheese Flavors

Remember when you were in grade school and were first learning about taste buds and how to sense sweet, salty, sour, bitter? There are so many more possibilities with cheeses, and the flavors and scents most commonly noticed could be broken down even more specifically. There's also a range of how strongly each flavor demands your attention. For example, does that earthy taste you noticed remind you more of minerals or a musty book or the forest after a heavy rainstorm? Here's a little flavor wheel I put together:

Keep in mind that for maximum flavor development you should let the cheese sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before enjoying it. Make sure to also take a deep sniff before eating to fully involve your senses.

Let me know what you've tried recently and if you noticed any of these flavors, or more!

It's all Swiss to Me!!!

The other day a customer asked what combination of cheeses I would recommend for making fondue. While there are a few different types of Swiss cheese with the iconic holes, there are many more alpine styles. I sent him on his way with Gruyere and Emmentaler because that's what we had...but it made me start to wonder why not Jarlsberg? It looks pretty similar, although it's from Norway. And I've also seen Grand Cru in prepackaged kits (although that's the French version). Swiss cheeses seem to have a mild taste, so aren't they just interchangeable? How do you choose what proportions of each to mix? My guess was that the difference has to do with fat content, melting point, and the way the flavors and textures change under heat. I've never actually made fondue before (though I've enjoyed eating it), but I know wine is involved so maybe that also influences which you might choose?

The story of fondue is this: it originated as a peasant dish that was eaten during the winter. It was warm, hearty, and most importantly required only a few ingredients that didn't even have to be fresh. What more could you ask for when there's six feet of snow outside, and a town nowhere in sight? In my family we call that an improvised 'bottom of the fridge' meal. It was for survival, not exactly meant as the crowd-pleasing appetizer that it often is now.

Because the herds grazed on wild fresh grasses in the summer, and the geography of the Alps has so much variation, the taste of place really comes through. The unique herbs, flowers, and grasses found on a particular mountain-side make each wheel of cheese taste different.

Here is an infographic about which countries produce which alpine cheeses:

I'll get into how various cheeses melt in a future post. What else are you curious about?