festive
By Francis Gimblett
A Recipe for
Entertaining
Interactive Cheese Course
In general, early on they are best
with rich whites, such as an
Alsace Pinot Gris or whites with
a light level of sweetness such
as good German Riesling.
However as they age they make
a better match with slighter
sweeter whites such as Vovray
or light reds such as Beaujolais
or Pinot Noir.
f you’d like to add a splash
of interaction to your
Christmas event (or if you’ve
family coming around who
don’t get on) then this
challenge should add an
element of fun to bring
people together (or stop the
family fighting!).
I
Serves 6-8 people.
Buy: 150g of pre-packed
everyday Cheddar (strength
scale: level 1), 150g of mild
Cheddar (strength 3 to 4) and
150g of Montgomery Cheddar
(available from many good
delicatessens) or any other West
Country Cheddar (with the PDO protected designation of origin label), aged for 12 months or
more. Cut all of them to roughly
the same dimensions. Finally,
serve them and ask if people
can place them in quality order.
To add a twist to the challenge
give your guests a description to
match with each cheese - see
mine below. Taste them yourself
and alter as necessary. No right
or wrongs here, just a bit of fun.
Label the cheeses 1 to 3 and
see if guests can link each
cheese to one of your
descriptions A, B or C.
A
Nose - HIGH INTENSITY,
WILD MUSHROOM, NUT
Palate - CRUMBLY, STRONG,
LASTING HAZLENUT, DRIED
FRUIT
B
Nose - MEDIUM INTENSITY,
LIGHT MUSHROOM
Palate - CREAMY, SMOOTH
MILD, LIGHT NUT
16
THE LONDON & UK DATEBOOK
C
Nose - LOW INTENSITY, MILKY]
Palate - CREAMY,
HOMOGENOUS MILKY
A = Montgomery or other West
Country Cheddar
B = Mid strength (3 to 4)
C = Light strength (1)
Wines to match your
Interactive Cheese
Course
We most often think of Port as
the best accompaniment to
cheese but this is often simply
due to serving cheese at the
meal’s end (when Port seems
most appropriate). In fact most
cheeses are overpowered by
Port unless they are particularly
strong. Here’s a rule of thumb
on how to match wines to
cheese styles:
Lactic cheeses
(e.g. fresh Goats cheese)
Lactic cheese is fresh and
crumbly and most often matured
for only a few weeks. The term
refers to the high level of lactic
acid at the cheese’s core, giving
the cheese a crisp bite. The
cheeses are best served with
wines with a similarly crisp
nature, such as Sauvignon Blanc
or sparkling wines.
Bloomy rind soft cheeses
(e.g. Brie, Camembert)
These cheeses are characterised
by their thin downy rinds and
soft centres. They become more
flavoursome as they mature and
demand slightly stronger wines .
Washed rind cheeses
(e.g. Epoisses, Taleggio)
Washed rind cheeses come in a
variety of guises, from soft to
firm, and even sometimes blue,
so there is no one size fits all
with wine matching. T ^H\