Can you help me?
Fromunda
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Seriously, you can never go wrong with Maytag Bleu.
Seriously, you can never go wrong with Maytag Bleu.
If this isn't too intrusive, why do many in your family not eat dessert? Practically everybody has a sweet tooth. If it is because of allergies to sugar, then how about using a sugar substitute? Many can be used in lieu of sugar for many baked things.
I picked up a nice English cheese the other day-really good-a Double Gloucester.
Smoked Gouda along with smoked salmon and capers.
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Not smoked gouda, but aged gouda. 5 years or more is preferable. Some sweet pecans and red wine and you are set.
This is a job for the Freeper Kitchen!
Hmmm. I love gorgonzola, first and foremost. I also make it into a spread with cream cheese, green onions (white parts only) and pecan bits.
Of course, a Stilton is in order, too.
Sometimes during the holidays Sam's and other places carry these nice little Bries which are about 2/3rds the diameter of normal and they sell them 3/$10, packaged together. Sometimes I slice off a top rind, put toasted pumpkin seeds (shelled pepitas) on top and heat them slightly and put the rind back on.
Or, do the same with either apricot jam or a good orange marmalade on top, after heating. Or, after heating, top them with beautiful pomegranate seeds and leave them rindless on top.
Or, sometimes I put pesto on top and don't put the other rind back on. When you buy 3 small ones, you can do a lot of different things with them! When they cool again, they can be sliced.
There are two Gourmandise soft cheeses I adore with fruit. One is with walnuts and one is with cherries and kirschwasser. There is also a double-cream Leceister with walnuts that is addictive, but kind of hard-to-find.
I also make spiced apples (poach peeled, cored apples in apple juice or cider with a package of red hots dissolved in the poaching liquid) this time of year. They taste wonderful and they're bright red, all the way through. Pears can be done the same way.
Nutty Baby Swiss is wonderful with fruit, especially apples.
Guava paste, if you can find it, is also good with Manchega. I have a substitute recipe from Martha Stewart I could dig up for you. It's made with pears and cranberries and is very good.
Let's see. I'll think some more and probably come back to add more!
I adore havarti cheese!
For presentation purposes:
1. Use a variety of contrasting cheeses
2. Purchase and serve the cheeses in large hunks, with cheese knives at hand
3. Add fruit to the platter
4. One or two flower blossoms or stems would also be very nice
5. Absolutely no commercial containers or wrapping
Labels are a great way to entice people to try unfamiliar cheeses:
Keep the crackers and bread light, not too filling or dense, and concentrate on flakiness and subtlety of flavors and textures.
Use very hard to very soft cheeses, and everything in between. Eight cheeses minimum; go heavy on those you expect people to gobble up. (You know the number and likely appetite of guests...)
Make sure everyone has a small or medium plate and white cocktaill napkins, plus picks or other utensils they may want.
Include wines! One or two bottles each of white and red.
Sweet peppers, radishes and celery make a nice compliment as edible garnishes (unless it's a dessert substitute). Olives also go well with cheese, and Wegmans is likely to have a variety.
Here's a link that might help you (and do some Googling on your own for pictures): The American Cheese Society: Tips on serving cheese
Don't serve citrus fruits with cheese, it'll curdle in your guests' stomachs. Edam, smoked Gouda, Boursin, Camembert, etc. make a nice variety.
Other tips:
Take time at Wegmans to taste as many cheeses as you can. You're getting good recommendations on this thread, but you want to know what you're getting.
Serve all cheese at room temperature -- never cold.
Not everything has to be presented in large hunks... The cheese that may cause the greatest challenge for self-service can be partially or fully cut.
