Whether the charcuterie board is prepared as a pre-dinner appetizer or you’re snacking all night, a delicious cheese board is sure to make a big impact at any gathering. I’ve loved good cheese for as long as I can remember, and it’s an indulgence I never get tired of.
Luckily, charcuterie is more popular than ever, thanks to the beautiful boards that abound on social media. Just like any trending dish, it’s best to hear from the experts on the best cheeses for charcuterie, plus their insights on groundbreaking pairings. In this mission, Episode We’re talking high-end snacks in Austin.
Sarah McIntosh
Sarah McIntosh, executive chef and owner of Épicerie in Austin, Texas, continues to delight patrons with her blend of seasonal fare and the simplicity of her beloved French-Louisiana cuisine. The restaurant has weathered years of success and a pandemic, evolving from a grocery store and cafe to a bistro, bar and bakery.
Experts Pick the Best Cheeses for Charcuterie
When assembling the perfect charcuterie board, choosing the best cheeses is an art. In this guide, we’ll look at McIntosh’s expert recommendations for choosing the best cheeses for charcuterie, plus flavor pairings and how to choose lesser-known cheeses. Whether you’re new to charcuterie or you’ve simply been drawn in by the hype, get ready to dive in.
Understanding the different types of cheese
“Generally speaking, there are five types of cheese,” says McIntosh.
- The outer skin resembles a blooming flower. A type of cheese that develops a white, velvety rind as it ages.
- Washed skin. This cheese is washed during the ripening process, which gives it a pungent aroma and a flavorful rind.
- Semi-soft. Expect a high moisture content, smooth, creamy texture, and a wide range of flavors from mild to pungent.
- difficult. Hard cheeses are aged longer than soft cheeses, resulting in a drier, crumbly texture and a higher fat content.
- Blue. These cheeses are made by adding edible mold cultures (see below). delicious Mold), which gives the cheese its characteristic blue-green specks and streaks.
It is also important to note that there are four types of milk used to make cheese: cow, sheep, goat and buffalo.
How to Choose the Best Cheese for Charcuterie
“There are a few options for the amount of cheese you can have depending on the size of your plate. I usually go for three or five different cheeses, and I like to have a variety of styles and milk types,” McIntosh says.
McIntosh also says that when designing larger plates, she tends to choose harder cheeses: “They’re easier to cut and look nicer, especially when guests start to eat!” Or she might place softer cheeses on a separate plate to avoid soiling the main dish.
How do you combine cheese with other charcuterie ingredients?
McIntosh says hard cheeses pair well with fruit, dried fruit, nuts and hard salami, and when it comes to softer cheeses and blue cheeses, he likes to experiment with different varieties. Honey and jam.
“Bloomy rinds are generally soft cheeses – anything from Brie to Camembert to double cream cheese,” but McIntosh points out that there are harder bloomy rinds too. “Wash rinds, like raclette and taleggio, can be soft, semi-soft or hard. These are what we call ‘smelly cheeses’ and are orange in colour,” she says.
“Semi-soft cheeses like Gouda or Manchego, hard cheeses like Parmesan or Pecorino, and blue cheese are all very easy to make. If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, try a harder blue cheese or one with fewer blue veins, which will give you a milder flavor.”
How does milk affect the flavor of cheese?
McIntosh explains that each type of milk has a characteristic flavor and fat content. “Goat’s milk has the least fat, followed by cow’s, sheep’s and buffalo milk,” she says. When choosing a type of milk, it’s helpful to consider the following taste characteristics:
- goat. It is low in fat and has a sour, tangy taste.
- cattle. Nuts, butter, mushrooms, bread, rich.
- sheep. Barn aromas, buttery aromas, earthy aromas, creamy aromas.
- water buffalo. Sweet, smooth, plump and rich.
“Oftentimes, producers will make mixed-milk cheeses that combine two or more different types of milk,” says McIntosh. “One of my favorites is Campo de MontalbanIt’s a very complex Manchego-style cheese made from goat, cow and sheep milk and is always a big hit.”
Notable and Underrated Cheeses
McIntosh says his favorite cheese is Rush Creek Conservation Area This cheese is from Upland Cheese Co. It’s important to note that this cheese is only available in the fall when the cows’ feed changes from green grass to hay. This change in feed thickens the milk, which is perfect for this custard cheese. The wheels of this cheese are wrapped in spruce bark, as is the tradition for this washed rind cheese. This process gives the cheese a pleasant woody and smoky aroma. McIntosh also says that this cheese is expensive and very limited, making it a great holiday gift. If you don’t want to order online, you can sometimes find it at Whole Foods or your local cheese shop.
Source: Camille Styles – camillestyles.com
