Cheese for Desert
choice, order, accompaniment, quantities
Cheese completes a meal
A fine cheese plate at the end of a great meal is the proverbial icing on the cake. There do not have to be 10 different cheeses on the board, 4-5 are a suitable selection for a festive dinner. The order in which the cheese is served is not the same everywhere. In some countries the sweet course comes before the cheese, in France the cheese completes the menu.
In any case it is important that the cheese is at room temperature when it is enjoyed. That means at least an hour in advance from the refrigerator.
home of cheese variety
For this article we focus on the 43 AOP certified cheeses from France. The advantage of this is that these cheeses cover all cheese families and that they are relatively readily available. But don’t be afraid to offer your favorite local cheese dairies as well. The order of the cheeses follows the type of milk and preparation and it is very easy to replace one or the other cheese with a local creation.
The sequence of selected cheeses starts with the softest and mildest cheeses and ends with the strongest. With increasing age, cheeses naturally also get stronger. You should take this into account when making your selection. In the following presentation we assume well-ripened, ready-to-eat cheese.
Interesting
In France cheese is divided into 8 ‘families’ to which all AOP cheeses can be assigned:
Nr | Family | Qty | Name |
1 | Cream Cheese | 1 | Brocciu, Brocciu passu |
2 | Soft cheese with natural rind | 12 | Banon, Chabichou du Poitou, Charolais, Crottin de Chavignol, Mâconnais, Pélardon, Picodon, Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, Rocamadour, Sainte-Maure de Touraine, Selles-sur-Cher, Valençay |
3 | Soft cheese with a natural rind and white mold coating | 6 | Brie de Meaux, Brie de Melun, Camembert de Normandie, Chaource, Neufchâtel, Rigotte de Condrieu |
4 | Red smear cheese (soft cheese with washed rind) | 7 | Époisses, Langres, Livarot, Maroilles, Mont d’Or, Munster, Pont-l’Évêque, |
5 | Hard Cheese | 8 | Chevrotin, Laguiole, Morbier, Ossau-Iraty, Reblochon, Saint-Nectaire, Salers, Tome des Bauges |
6 | Hard Cheese heated | 4 | Abondance, Beaufort, Cantal, Comté |
7 | Goat Cheese | 14 | (sind auch Teil der anderen Gruppen) Banon, Chabichou du Poitou, Charolais, Chavignol, Chevrotin, Mâconnais, Pélardon, Picodon, Pouligny Saint-Pierre, Rigotte de Condrieu, Rocamadour, Sainte-Maure de Touraine, Selles-sur-Cher, Valençay |
8 | Blue Cheese | 7 | Bleu d’Auvergne, Bleu de Gex, Bleu des Causses, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage, Fourme d’Ambert, Fourme de Montbrison, Roquefort |
As a simple basic rule, cow’s milk cheese is eaten before sheep and goats. Freshly before ‘treated’ (e.g. washed rind, heated), mold cheese always comes at the end.
Let's go
The best way to start is with cow’s milk cheese with a soft, floral rind such as a camembert or a brie. (Cheese family 3). In the same group is also the cow’s milk cheese from cheese family 2, the Mâconnais. (Group 1)
Next up are the hard cheeses made from cow’s milk (cheese family 5 and 6), such as Comté, Morbier or Tome des Bauges. Of course, a mountain cheese or gryere also goes perfectly with it. (Group 2)
It continues with goat cheese (cheese family 7) such as Rocamadour, Cabecou, de Chavignol or Valençay. (Group 3)
Next up is the red smear cheeses (family 4). Munster, Mont d’Or or Époisses. Wonderfully fragrant. (Group 4)
The starting point is family group 8, the blue cheeses: Roquefort, Bleu de Bresse, Bleu d’Auvergne, Fourme d’Ambert. (Group 5)
If you choose a cheese from each group, you will have something for every cheese gourmet. If you choose 4 cheeses, groups 4 and 5 can be combined.
As a basic rule, this works very well, but the degree of ripeness of the cheese or any refinements must be taken into account. If the cheeses have been ‘refined’ or have been stored for a long time, the order changes. Then a mountain cheese that has been on its back for 18 or even 24 months can also be used after blue cheese.
and together with that?
Drinks that are produced in the same region as the cheese taste best with cheese. Sancerre and Selles sur Cher or Crottin de Chavignol are a perfect combination. The same applies to blue cheese with sauterne. In the alpine areas where no wine is produced, people like to drink a cider or beer with cheese.
When it comes to finding something suitable for a cheese selection, people like to fall back on lighter drinks that do not rebel too much against the cheese. In France, it can also be a glass of dry champagne or a mild cider. By the way, Trappist beer is also a fine combination.
After a good meal, you can count on around 50-75g of cheese per guest. As always: the quality comes before the quantity and it shouldn’t be too many different types of cheese.
Happy cheese moments!
CULINAMUS!