Whether or not your charcuterie board is meant as an appetizer earlier than dinner or a grazing-all-night state of affairs, there’s little question {that a} good cheese board makes a serious influence at a gathering. I’ve beloved good cheese for so long as I can keep in mind, and it’s an indulgence that by no means will get outdated.
Fortuitously for me, charcuterie has by no means been hotter because of all of the beautiful boards floating round social media. As with every trending dish, it’s all the time higher to get an skilled’s tackle what makes the perfect cheese for charcuterie—to not point out, insights on game-changing pairings. On this mission, I linked with Sarah McIntosh, chef-owner of Épicerie in Austin, to speak all issues elevated snacking.
Sarah McIntosh
Government Chef-owner of Épicerie in Austin TX, Sarah McIntosh brings the simplicity of her beloved French-Louisiana fare along with seasonal choices that hold her patrons pleasantly shocked. After years of success and the restaurant surviving the pandemic, it developed from a grocery & cafe right into a bistro, bar & boulangerie.
An Knowledgeable Shares the Finest Cheeses for Charcuterie
When assembling the proper charcuterie board, choosing the right cheese is an artwork. On this information, we’ll discover McIntosh’s skilled suggestions for choosing the right cheese for charcuterie, together with extra concerns for taste pairings and lesser-known cheese picks. Whether or not you’re a charcuterie novice or just drawn in by all the hype, put together your self to dive.
Understanding Totally different Varieties of Cheese
“Usually talking, there are 5 several types of cheeses,” says McIntosh.
- Bloomy rind. A kind of cheese with a white, velvety rind that develops because the cheese ages
- Washed rind. This cheese is washed in the course of the ripening course of to create a pungent aroma and flavorful rind.
- Semi-soft. Anticipate a excessive moisture content material, a easy and creamy texture, and a taste that may vary from gentle to pungent.
- Onerous. Onerous cheeses are aged longer than smooth cheeses, leading to a drier, crumblier texture and better fats content material.
- Blue. These cheeses are made with the addition of cultures of edible molds (learn: scrumptious molds).This creates the signature blue-green spots or veins via the cheese.
It’s additionally vital to notice that there are 4 several types of milk used to make cheese: cow, sheep, goat, and water buffalo.
How one can Choose the Finest Cheese for Charcuterie
“Relying in your platter measurement, there are a number of totally different choices for cheese quantities. I sometimes stick to 3 or 5 kinds of cheese. I like to pick out a distinct number of types and milk sorts,” says McIntosh.
When designing bigger platters, McIntosh additionally notes that she tends to pick out extra agency cheeses. “Agency cheeses are simpler to chop and look nicer/cleaner particularly when your friends begin digging in!” Alternatively, she might put a softer cheese on a separate platter to stop any mess on the principle board.
How do you pair your cheese with different charcuterie substances?
McIntosh says agency cheese pairs nicely with fruits/dried fruits, nuts, and onerous salami. For softer and blue cheeses, she likes to dive into several types of honey and jams.
“Bloomy rinds are sometimes your smooth cheeses. These could possibly be something from Brie to Camembert or double lotions.” Nevertheless, McIntosh notes that there are bloomy rinds which are extra agency as nicely. “Washed rinds like Raclette and Taleggio can vary from smooth, semi-soft, or to onerous. These are what you consider as ‘pungent cheeses,’ and so they are typically orange in colour,” she says.
“Semi-soft cheese like Gouda and Manchego, hards reminiscent of parm and Pecorino, and blue are all fairly simple. If blue cheese is frightening to you, strive a more durable blue or one with much less veining (the blue streaks) for a much less pungent taste.”
How do milks have an effect on the flavors of cheese?
McIntosh explains that every milk kind has its personal signature flavors and fats content material. “Goat milk is the leanest, adopted by cow, sheep, and water buffalo,” she says. When choosing milk kind, the next tasting notes are useful to contemplate:
- Goat. Lean, bitter, tangy.
- Cow. Nutty, buttery, mushroom, bread, wealthy.
- Sheep. Barnyard, buttery, earthy, creamy.
- Water buffalo. Candy, velvety, pudgy, wealthy.
“Oftentimes, producers create combined milk cheese of two or extra several types of milk,” says McIntosh. “One in all my favorites being Campo De Montalban. It consists of goat, cow, and sheep milk creating a really complicated Manchego-style cheese which is all the time successful.”
An Underrated Cheese to Carry on Your Radar
McIntosh says her private favourite cheese of all time is Rush Creek Reserve from Upland Cheese Co. It’s vital to notice that this cheese is simply obtainable within the fall when the cows’ eating regimen modifications from inexperienced grass to hay. This modification in eating regimen ends in richer milk, good for this custardy creation. The wheels of this cheese are wrapped in spruce bark in step with the custom of this number of washed rind cheese. This course of offers the cheese a pleasant woodsy/smoky taste. McIntosh additionally notes that this cheese is pricier and very restricted, making it an ideal vacation reward. It might generally be discovered at Complete Meals or your native cheese retailer should you’d somewhat not order on-line.
