Whether you are hosting a soiree or a casual get-together, your mission is to provide your guests with warm hospitality, lively conversation and a delectable spread of food and drink. Whether the menu is complicated or simple it better be delicious. Serving a sumptuous gourmet cheese course is perfect as a starter or centerpiece of the meal. Not only is the preparation simple (no cooking!) but like fine wine, serving a gourmet cheese course can be mystifying. You may find yourself asking - What sort of foods to serve alongside? How do I select the right food and cheese pairings?
Not to fret! The good news is, you really can't go wrong. Just keep in mind that a cheese course is about observing and enjoying contrasting and complementary flavors. There are no hard and fast rules. Experiment and discover your favorites by using the recommendations for traditional food and beverage matches as a starting point.
Bread/Crackers - Bread such as a baguette and plain or mildly flavored crackers serve to cleanse the palate.
Fruits such as apples, figs, pears, grapes, berries, nectarines and melon are traditional accompaniments as their juicy and/or crisp textures contrast with the cheese. Their sweetness provides a counterpoint to the salty flavors of cheese.
Dried fruits offer a chewy texture that contrasts with harder cheese.
Fruity jams, pastes, and chutneys also provide sweet and sometimes savory notes.
Toasted nuts enhance the nuttiness of the cheeses. Try toasted almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios or hazelnuts.
Olives - The briny flavor of olives contrasts with the richness of the cheeses.
Cured meats such as prosciutto add a salty and textural difference.
About Sara Kahn
Even though her passion for gourmet cheese was undying, Sara Kahn found shopping for it to be overwhelming, time consuming and confusing. She established http://www.thecheeseambassador.com to offer a simple way to select and serve the world's finest cheeses. By providing the perfect combination of exquisite cheese along with a comprehensive cheese course guide, enjoying gourmet cheese is now a deliciously enriching experience.
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