Help me plan a cheese tasting party

[Interrobang!?]

My wife and I want to throw a cheese tasting party sometime next month. Have people over, have a good selection of artisan (or good non-artisan) cheeses, socialize, the works.

Never having thrown or attended a cheese party before, I figure we could use some help, namely:

• Any suggestions about what cheeses to serve. (We're in Seattle, the party would be in mid-May. There are several places we could buy cheese, but I don't know offhand what they generally have.)

• Suggestions about what to serve the cheese on. Bread? Crackers? Fruit? I'm guessing all of the above, depending on the cheese.

• If you have any suggestions about wine and other drinks, what the heck, throw those in, too. We can't afford a full array of wines, but one or two inexpensive-but-good things to look for would be handy.

Thanks muchly!

[BrotherCadfael]

Just make sure that you have cut all the cheese you are going to BEFORE the party starts.

I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself.

[stolichnaya]

Oooh- newbie here but I have a few suggestions:

1) I had an amazing cheese last night called Mt. Tan, can't remember the type of cheese- it was from a cheesemaker in California so you should have access to it out there. Creamy but with a slight bite and also a little sweetness, very complex and cool.

2) Crackers with little to no aggressive taste are perfect to let the taste of the cheese dominate. Miniature toasts work well also, and let you try a bumch of different samples without getting full.

3) As a newbie, I am a huge fan of the cheese counter at Whole Foods Market, where the peeps know what they're talking about and make suggestions while managing not to be intimdated.

4) My SO is a much more experienced cheese fanatic, she swears by a small sip of cranberry juice to bring out the more poignant flavors in cheese. A small sip of cranberry juice before a slice of Havarti, for example, is an interesting intensifier. Cranberry or not, you want something acidic or tannic to set off the individual flavors of the cheese you choose. A wine seller should be able to recommend a few nice bott;es based on the cheeses you select. This is also the reason that tart apples go very well with cheeses of all kinds.

Have fun!

[stolichnaya]

Ach, what a poorly written post. My apologies.

the peeps know what they're talking about and make suggestions while managing not to be intimdated.

Of course I mean intimidating. But I have been known to scare retail workers.

[Short Guy]

Hmm... I love cheese, and I love cheese tasting parties. Great idea, Interrobang!?.

Something important to remember at cheese tasting parties is Do Not Serve Orange Juice! Some friends and me learned the hard way that cheese and OJ don't mix. Don't know if you were planning to serve orange juice, but don't.

As for cheeses, I don't know what kind you have in the USA, but I recommend Roquefort, Stilton, Cheddar, and Old Amsterdam. These are all very "strong" cheeses: I don't know which way you want to go, but these is definitely something for people who want to go 'all out' in the cheese departement. I'd say: ask your cheese-selling ...uhm... person for advise, and try to come up with something varied that everyone will enjoy.

[Short Guy]

Did I just write "These is definitely something"? Mercy.

[stolichnaya]

Obviously cheese affects one's ability to communicate effectively. Proceed with caution.

[lissener]

Hey, !?, I'm in Seattle . . . I wouldn't show up empty handed . . .

I've had some amazing sheep's-milk cheeses lately, from that Italian shop at Pike Place whose name escapes me not enough coffee yet you see. Also some excellent cheeses to choose from at Central Market, way the hell north. There's--or there was; about a year since I visited--a great but tiny little shop on Second Ave, north BellTowny area. Irish imports, mostly, with some great obscure cheeses and other dairy oddities.

I'll bring some good wine.

[lieu]

Another bad thing about serving orange juice... you can't serve toothpaste with it either.

Now on to cheese...
Gruyere is some fine eating stuff. Somebody here suggested it in fondue and I must agree.

My absolute favorite is Spanish Manchego. It's expensive but to die for.

[teela brown]

I suggest choosing cheeses to reflect a range of textures, nationalities and intensities of flavor. The below list starts at the mild end of the spectrum and ends up with strong, full-flavored cheeses:

1. Brie
2. Camembert
3. Gruyere or Swiss
4. Ripened goat cheese
5. Manchego
6. Parmigiano Reggiano
7. New York white cheddar
8. Stilton
9. Societe Roqueforte

A plain cracker, a slightly sweet whole wheat cracker, and a few sliced-up baguettes would go well, as would some ripe pears and a couple of bunches of grapes.

With cheeses 1-6, a dry, fruity red wine such as a Cotes du Rhone or pinot noir would go well, and something sweet like a tawny port would go well with cheeses 8-9.

Sounds yummy. Enjoy!

[asterion]

Well, I really like Stripey Jack. It's something like 5 English cheeses stuck together in a wheel.

My parents did one of these. I think there was Stripey Jack, Brie, Camembert, Wenslydale with cranberries, and several other types. I'm not a big fan of soft cheese (cream cheese excepted) so I was mostly eating the Stripey Jack and some of the other hard cheeses.

[mnemosyne]

Whatever you do, do NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT SERVING ORANGE CHEESE!! Orange cheese is the food of the devil, and shows that you don't know a good cheese when you see it. If you have to DYE your cheese, then it isn't quality! If you can't get your hands on a good white cheddar, don't server cheddar at all. And don't even THINK about marble or anything else like that.

As for the wine, ask at your local wine shop, but also to avoid a large cost, ask your guests to bring something. Assign a price range, and assign each guest or couple a wine varietal, so you have lots of selection. Make sure you have water pitchers and buckets if people only want to taste the wine, or switch often between types as they taste the cheeses.

Also, I'd recommend a good bottle of port to finish things off - nothing quite as good as port and some fine cheeses!

Pears, apples, grapes are all good to pair with cheese, as well as various crackers and breads, but also consider having some walnuts or almonds around, as these go very will with many of the soft cheeses, such as Brie and Camembert. Make sure you find out about nut allergies among your guests first, though!

OH, and don't make the mistake a friend of mine did - brie and camembert should be taken out of the fridge long enough ahead of time for the cheese to be soft and kinda melting. You could even take a small wheel of one or the other, place it in an oven-safe pan, sprinkle it with cranberries and almonds and a bit of brown sugar and heat it in the oven untl slightly browned and definitely melted. Makes for VERY good eating

-mnemosyne, who is now REALLY hungry for cheese!

[Annie-Xmas]

You might also have some cottage and/or ricotta cheese for the calorie counters. Another good low-cal cheese is the German "Quark" if you can find it.

[keithnmick]

Cheshire cheese has a very unique texture and also tastes great - it's not strong. Well worth checking out.
(I'm from Cheshire, but it doesn't influence me).
And some orange cheeses are good - Red Leicester?

[smaft]

Also checking in from Seattle- Whole Foods here is good, and as lissener said Central Market on Aurora has a surprisingly broad range; and if price is less of a concern, there's always Larry's Market.

But actually my favorite cheese now is Trader Joe's Manchego (it's a Spanish sheep's milk). It's a good thing TJ's doesn't sell it by the wheel- I'd never leave the house.

Unless I was invited to a party...

[Peg]

Check out your local Trader Joes and talk to their people. They have a good cheese selection and nice alternatives (e.g., Canadian brie). Prices are good, as well. You can also pick up bread, crackers and some wines at TJs as well. As much as I love TJs, I am not impressed with their produce. I dislike my food pre-packaged and well, I'm generally just --meh-- about the produce.

Someone up there recommended ripe pears as a fruit. Well, if you're going to have pears, you gots to have havarti! It's a great combination.

If you're going to serve camembert & brie (which you totally should), remember to "thaw" it to room temperature-sih before serving. Few things are blander (or less compliant) than brie right out of the fridge.

Have a ball!

[MikeG]

Blue recommendations here:
I actually like an orange cheese called Shropshire Blue. It is a wonderful, creamy blue with complex flavours. Ewe's Blue from Old Chatham is probably my all time favourite Blue cheese, closely followed by Blue D'auvergne

Brie De Meaux is probably the finest Brie out there BUT make sure you taste it first, the last time I bought some, it was a bit off and disappointing.

For some ready made suggestions, check out the sample page. It has some nice combinations, The "Edward" looks particularly tasty.

I can't wait for the Evanston Farmers Market to start up again, there is a guy who comes each week who brings small dairy cheeses from all over the Midwest, last summer I estimate I spent over $150 in his crackhouse...I mean Chateu De Fromage

[asterion]

Quark is weird stuff. I had some when I was in Germany, and the comparisions made to cream cheese were kinda on. I have no idea what the calories and fat grams were.

[Rubystreak]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Limburger. I tried it at a cheese tasting party once and despite the smell that precedes it, it tastes wonderful. I had it on water crackers (which have zero flavor) with some nice horseradish mustard. Exquisite.

It's pretty brave to serve the stinkiest cheese ever at a cheese-tasting party, so I don't blame you at all if you opt not to. However, it really is an extraordinary flavor and quite unusual.

[Short Guy]

I completely second Shropshire.

[Mangetout]

Mmmm, cheese.

I recommend including some of the soft cheeses; Camenbert or Brie - blue brie is fantastic melted on a split croissant under the grill.

Much of your selection will be dictated by whatever is available in your area though.

A dry white wine will enhance the enjoyment of most cheeses, I'd also suggest grapes, celery sticks and apple wedges (Cox type apples are the best for this; toss the wedges in a little lemon juice to stop them from turning brown).

[nightshadea]

Actually ruby I'm told that if you keep limburger wrapprd in the freezer for a while it cuts down on the smell

[kalex]

I know this one! Run to Whole Foods and pick up Blue Castello, verily the King of Cheese! It tastes like a wonderous mix of Brie and Bleu. We usually start out spreading it on crackers, but end up using our fingers.
Take it out of the fridge about an hour before the party, but don't put it in the microwave, not even for 15 seconds, as I learned from bitter, bitter experience.
I'm having some lovely Blue Castello tonight, as soon as my SO arrives!
(brought to you on behalf of the Blue Castello Cheese Board.)
BTW, cheese party, excellent idea.

[Mangetout]

Oh Blue Castello! Oh! Suit you sir!- the only reason I didn't mention it is that I wasn't sure how widely available it would be.

Blue Castello melted on a split croissant, Oh!

[lissener]

Oh, and for dessert cheese--if you're anywhere near Ballard especially--I grew up on a Norwegian cheese called gjetost ( pronounced 'Yay! Toast!'). Sweet, carmelly; tastes like an oddly cheesy candy. Rich and custardy: spectacular thinly sliced with apples; decadent for breakfast layed paper thin on hot buttered toast. An odd cheese for most firsttimers, but one of my favorite things to put in my mouth.

[Interrobang!?]

Thank you, thank you one and all for all the suggestions. Happily, I have access to Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Thriftway (the one in Renton, at least, has an impressive cheese selection -- whoda thunkit?), Ballard and the Pike Place Market.

We spent 10 minutes this Sunday sniffing cheese at Whole Foods. This is going to be fun.

Also noted: no OJ.

[Interrobang!?]

We had our party. We ended up buying 10 kinds of cheese from Whole Foods; various guests brought three other kinds. Lesson 1 for future parties: stick to 6-7 cheeses, tops. People burned out by the last 3-4.

That's not strictly true -- people still enjoyed the cheese, but with far less gusto than in the beginning.

What we ended up serving:

Epoisses
Camembert le Rustique (baked in a pastry crust)
Bourgogne Triple Cream
Chèvre (guest)
Spanish Valdeon
Persille du Beaujolais
Spanish Manchego
Pecorino Toscano (guest)
Viking Cracked Peppercorn & Chive (guest)
Mimolette
French Morbier
Isle of Mull Cheddar
Gjetost

I enjoyed all of them, which surprised me a little bit. The morbier is a washed-rind cheese, similar to limburger in that it reeks but tastes pretty good anyway. (Given the smell, it was almost disappointingly mild.)

Personal favorites: Epoisses, lovely and sticky and gooey like brie, but with a stronger flavor; the cheddar; gjetost, which was our "dessert" cheese; and the Spanish Valdeon, a strongly flavored blue.

The cheesemonger at Whole Foods had recommended serving the Valdeon with warm honey; that combo was my taste orgasm for the evening. Oh, my, that was good. I'd been wary of the blue cheeses (the Valdeon and the Beaujolais), as I'm really just learning to enjoy the flavor, but these were both nice. But oh, that Valdeon and honey...

Next time we've decided to do a theme tasting -- either by nation or by kind of milk.

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

Glad your party was a success. And you got through this whole thread without one "Cheese Shop" reference! (It took all my restraint not to chime in with a recommendation for Venezuelan beaver cheese.)

[teela brown]

That sounds like one heck of a cheese party, !?. What'd you drink?

I'm glad you've discovered the epiphany that is the combination of a salty, tangy bleu cheese with a sweet counterpoint. I love that as well - candied pecans would also be a good selection for the sweet note.

And epoisse is a spectacular cheese! I'll bet it was a "lait cru", or raw milk cheese. Technically, we're not supposed to get raw milk cheeses imported from Europe, but Whole Foods somehow sidesteps this rule occasionally. I won't ask them how they do it, I'm just thankful that they do - otherwise, no uniquely flavored camemberts or epoisses would come our way.

[Interrobang!?]

That sounds like one heck of a cheese party, !?. What'd you drink?

It was a repast. A feast, even. Before the party started, my sister-in-law asked if we were having dinner first -- ha! Cheese for dinner!

We didn't work very hard to pair drinks with cheese. We had a couple of all-purpose dry red wines recommended by our local wine shop (one Spanish, one French...I think), cranberry juice, white grape juice, hard cider and water.

When we do this again and develop a more cohesive theme, we'll probably at least try to match wine with the cheese.

[JavaMaven1]

I missed this thread the first time around, so I'm glad that you got some fabulous suggestions--I would have certainly pointed you in the direction of Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

Epoisses is an amazing cheese, as is Manchego.

Next party, try Istara, an aged sheep's milk cheese from the Basque region. And, for the chevre, try serving with figs--either fig preserves or roasted/grilled fresh figs. At a restaurant I worked at last year, I made an appetizer of chevre whipped with toasted walnuts, thyme, a little sugar, and walnut oil, which was served with toasted pumpernickel and grilled figs. I could just eat a whole plate of that.

And, as a basic reference for choosing wine for your cheeses: wines and cheeses from the same region tend to go well with each other: Barolo with Parmesan, Sancerre with Chevre, a Californian Cab Sav with an aged, dry cheese from N. California, etc.

This handy-dandy little list from Winespectator.com will help: http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Ma...7,1288,00.html

[Intaglio]

Fondue and Brie are Good.

[lissener]

Yay gjetost! I'm glad there's another fan out there.

[Bippy the Beardless]

Go to wholefood, smile nicely at the cheese person, explain you will be holding a wine and cheese party for lots of friends.
WHILE not sick of taste of cheese
point at cheese and say may I try some
UNTIL you have choice of 8 cheeses.

Check out any cheeses from Neils Yard cheese company,
try the Raw Milk Rockafort (sp?)
try the best Stilton

Also get a soft Goats Cheese (local goats cheeses can be very good), a French Garlic Roul(sp?), a Brie.

Traider Joes has some of the nicest cheese biscuits I have yet found in USA, Traider Joes has some pretty good cheese, but all pre-packed so you don't get to taste it before you buy.
I'm sure you also know TJ's has great selection of moderately priced wines. Non alcoholic drink to go with Cheese would recomend home made (or home made style) non-sparkelling Lemonade, and Pure Water.

Follow [b]Mangetout[/B['s advice...

You might want to try the 'Quince Cheese' they will have at Whole Foods. It does nothing for me personally, but it seems tres-chique to have with cheese at cheese parties.

P.S. Tell us how the party goes afterwards. It is frustrating to not hear how an event went.

[Interrobang!?]

Bippy -- scroll up seven posts. The party was a success. It will be repeated sometime after we eat the leftovers.

lissener -- Gjetost is the cheese most likely to be added to the occasional shopping list. It seems perfect for breakfast or brunch, for one thing. And it tastes great for dessert, is the other. All hail the Ski Queen!

[don't ask]

The best thing I know to eat good cheese on is van der Meulan Melba toast this site is Dutch but I buy them in my local Sydney supermarket. They are just wafer thin toasted bread slices big enough and strong enough for a decent load of toppings.

Don't just stick to fruits with the cheeses - a pile of salad leaves, slices of tomato, cucumber, sweet peppers, radish, capers and olives add occasional variety to the tasting experience.

[lissener]

Originally posted by Interrobang!?
Gjetost is the cheese most likely to be added to the occasional shopping list. It seems perfect for breakfast or brunch, for one thing. And it tastes great for dessert, is the other. All hail the Ski Queen!

Indeed. Yeah, my grandfather used to bring it back from Norway, so I remember the nostalgic thrill I experienced the first time I came across it in a supermarket (yay ski queen!). He also used to bring home another cheese, that in today's more cautious world would never make it through customs. A greenish cheese called--no idea how to spell it--gomarrost. Pronounced GOM-uh-rrroast. Fairly quivered with microscopic life. My grandmother used to joke that you had to watch it or it would crawl off the table. Little wavy stink lines in the air above it. STRONG stuff. Never seen it here. Not a recommendation; more like a horror story.

Stick to the gjetost (you KNOW I'm buyin some on the way home).

[Bippy the Beardless]

Doh!