Dessert Cheese Plate Suggestions for Thanksgiving - Need Help

11/20/06 | randita-Vanity

[Washi]

If you don't mind serving something without a pretentious French name, smoked cheddar slices and gala apple slices go very well together.

[SnarlinCubBear]

Lookee

[wolfcreek]

We always have these plates before dinner, as appetizers. Our favorite dessert is a frozen pie made with no-fat creamcheese, Bacardi pink lemonade mixer, no fat Koolwhip on a graham cracker crust. You can make it sugar or fat-free by varying the ingredients. Easy, Quick and Yummy.

[Xenalyte]

Man oh MAN, did you ever ask the right question!

This past season at my Festival, we had a mini-picnic during our evening show. I fed my Spaniards fruit, sausage, and five or six kinds of cheese every weekend. The rest of the cast caught on pretty quickly, and I ended up buying an ungodly amount of cheese each Friday (but I made about 80 new best friends).

I'm not a sweets eater either - I prefer the "savory" taste - so these cheeses will appeal to your family members who like lots of taste.

One of the best cheeses out there is Cahill's Porter (page down until you see "Cahill's Farm Cheddar" - it's the brown one). It's an English cheddar with Guinness marbled in. I cannot begin to tell you how good this cheese is. I am pinging Bacon Man and Hap because they, like me, have bought this cheese by the pound. It is that good.

Another of my favorites is Harlech Somerdale, a Welsh cheese with horseradish and parsley blended in. It usually comes in the little wax-covered hockey puck sizes. (This is not large enough for me, personally.)

Side note: Cabot makes a horseradish cheddar that is very tangy and good.

Red Dragon is another Welsh cheese, this time with mustard seeds and ale in it. Also a hockey puck. SOOOOO good.

Kerrygold Dubliner is one of the best beer cheeses ever. It has a "round" flavor, a little tangy and a little buttery and even a bit nutty. It's hard to describe, but cheese aficionados seem to like it.

If you need more cheese ideas, I would be happy to expand the list! These are just my top few.

[Xenalyte]

Nine times out of ten, I'll pick something salty or spicy over something sweet. (I'm that rare woman for whom chocolate is an undependable lure.)

But cheese, oh cheese . . . just about any cheese will get my attention.

[varina davis]

This is wonderful, but you might want to wait a bit after the big meal to serve it:

Slice a loaf of French bread (about an inch apart), put on baking sheet and put slices of tart apple and brie between slices. Drizzle honey over top of loaf (to taste), and bake in a 350 oven until cheese is melted and bread is crusty. Divine.

[randita]

Thanks so much for all your GREAT suggestions.

I went to Wegman's this morning and had a blast looking at all the different specialty cheeses. There were so many I wanted to try (next time), but for now, I picked a triple cream Brie, Gouda, Manchego (which I've never had), Stilton layered with sharp cheddar, Gourmandise with cherries (never had, but sounded so good), Jarlsberg, and a couple of others whose names I can't even pronounce, but their description sounded super. I also got some tart apples, pears, white fig jam, dried apricots, salted pistachios in shells, smoked almonds, and a couple of types of crackers.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it all. Who needs pie?!

I'me definitely bookmarking this thread and will work through it trying more suggestions.

You guys are terrific. I knew I'd find Freepers who were knowledgable about cheeses and I did!

[randita]

I know plenty of people who do not have a sweet tooth especially men most of them much prefer cheese after a meal than a sweet dessert.

You are right. I started enjoying cheese after dinner when my father (who like many men enjoys strong flavorful food choices) recommended a cheese sampler while we were on a cruise together.

My father and brother much prefer fruit and cheese for dessert rather than sweets and are both quite trim and in great shape for their ages. Now my husband - that is another matter. For him, unfortunately, pies and cakes (a la mode, of course) rule.

[randita]

Oops. Forgot an important one I purchased - Maytag Bleu Cheese. Can always crumble the leftovers in a salad - yum.

[hispanarepublicana]

It's gouda you to offer this for non-dessert eaters. I myself camembert muenstrously rich desserts.
Kidding aside, I like a nice soft goat cheese to pair with fruit and I adore smoked gouda.

[Joe 6-pack]

That's whey too much information.

[snugs]

One of my grandmother's teatime meals (she came from the era of eating your main main midday) was slice of buttered bread, sliced appled and a slice of edam cheese.

[snugs]

I must try Kerrygold dubliner I have heard so much about it I suppose with so much cheddar to choose from I tend to keep to English or Canadian ones.

If you like very strong cheddar than I would recommend Canandian cheddar IMHO the best cheese in the world next to a very strong stilton or gorgonzola.

[snugs]

I love deep fried cambert with cranberry sauce either just the cheese or you can buy pre breadcrumbed wedges normally frozen.

[Xenalyte]

If you like your cheese interesting, you will love Kerrygold!

I cannot find a Stilton I like. All the ones I've tried are too salty, and I like salty. Maybe I need to make sure I'm getting a genuine English Stilton!

Now you have me thinking about Red Leicester and Double Gloucester . . . and tomorrow we'll tackle the interesting question of why the English say "cester" as just "ster". ;)

[snugs]

I find Danish Blue too salty but not Stilton maybe English Stilton is not as salty as what is sold elsewhere.

[snugs]

When I was a child Kerrygold was not highly rated it tended to be a very mild cheddar (Irish Cheddar used to have that reputation in England) and it was sold in plastic packs rather than you buying it by the pound or half pound cut from a large cheese.

Nowadays however with most cheeses being prepackaged it has not got that stigma and they have now bought out a more vintage mature range of which Dubliner is part of.

I ought to put my childhood prejudices behind me and try it as I am told in Britain it is virtually half the price you pay for it.

[Xenalyte]

Over here in Texas, Kerrygold comes in the parchment-type paper that cave-aged Emmenthal is wrapped in. Not many people have tried it, and I'm afraid my local grocery store chain might stop carrying it.

But if it does, we have a liquor store in downtown Houston that's a warehouse, and it has more cheese than I have EVER seen in one place. It's Cheese Mecca.

[snugs]

I think some of the more up market supermarkets do stock it a large cheese which they then cut up for you and wrap similar to how you describe.

For a Brit it seems strange that an Office Licence (liquor store) would stock cheese but then on the other hand they are products that go very well together eg Port and Stilton and Cheese and wine.

[Xenalyte]

Exactly!

And don't forget the beer. Cahill's Porter and Kerrygold in particular are amazing beer cheeses.

Or even some good ultra-sharp cheddar!