Cheese makes everything taste good – when you are hungry, a simple piece of bread toasted with melted cheese – how good is that? A sip of late harvest Riesling with a piece of room temperature blue cheese is an “out-of-body” experience and melted brie with a slice of ham in a panini satisfies even the fussiest eater!
Here are some of my suggestions and recipes that will help that enjoyment of cheese for so much longer.
1. When you buy brie or blue cheese at the supermarket and the “Best Before” date is right now – that is the best time to buy the cheese – often supermarkets will sell cheese for reduced prices to get a quick sale, but it is truly delicious on and even after the BB date.
2. When serving cheese like a brie get it out of the fridge some hours ( I go with all day) in a cool place and the flavours really develop.
3. Planning a wine and cheese platter? Wine experts say no wine tastes good with Brie or Camembert - a late harvest wine with blue cheese and perhaps a red wine or port with cheddar but seriously the brie and wine combination does not work.
4. Don’t throw away the cheese end bits or crumbs – they can be used on pizza, mac and cheese, even crumbled up over hot vege or salad. Yes, you can freeze in a Ziploc bag and just pull out as you need for cooking AND the Parmesan “crust” is great added to a ragu, soup or stew – delicious!
5. Unopened cheese stored in sealed plastic wrap will last for ages in the fridge – but generally with fresh cheese (like ricotta – you can freeze – but better to buy small amounts for immediate use often rather than “stock piling”
6. Cut a brie towards the centre (usually the best part) in a small wedge
7. Store your cheese in a cheese wax wrap or Tupperware type container in the salad drawer for best temperature.
8. Hard, aged cheeses (Parmigiano-Reggiano, aged Gouda): First wrap in wax or greaseproof paper, then add a layer of plastic wrap.
9. Blue cheeses: Wrap in plastic wrap.
10. Semi-hard and hard cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss, Gruyere): Wrap in plastic wrap.
11. Soft, semi-soft, and stinky cheeses (goat, Camembert, Brie,): Place in a resealable plastic container.
12. Fresh cheeses in water (mozzarella or Feta): Leave the cheese in the original packaging, changing the water every couple of days.
Here are my Top Cheese Recipes
Click on the links below:
More Cheese Serving suggestions:
· Fresh blackberries, toasted hazelnuts, chopped spring onions or chives on spinach salad topped with goats’ cheese or feta.
· Fresh ricotta added to cooked pasta with small wedges of roasted vege and herbs. Add a little cooked pasta water with a splash of cream to add moisture to the dish
· Fresh ricotta with a little lemon zest mixed in makes a great base on a cracker or croute and then topped with anything from pea puree and Edamame beans through to roasted cubes of pumpkin.
· Crumbled blue cheese topped with soup is a super way to enhance a family staple – try it with parsnip soup or cauliflower soup.
