Buying Cheese

1. When buying cheese, it’s best to find a reliable source, such as a specialty market, cheese shop, or gourmet foods store that specializes in cheeses.  Often, your local farmer’s market and a cheesemaker’s website are excellent resources, as you will often speak directly to the cheesemakers, who will ensure that the products are in the best possible condition.  When using a retail store, you will want to make sure that the staff is knowledgeable and that turnover is swift.  Seek out cut-to-order or cut-and-wrap retailers.
2. Check the labels, especially on fresh cheeses, to make sure that the product is well within its expiration date.  For larger cheeses that are cut down to smaller amounts, the store label should also include an expiration date near the weight and price amounts.  If a cheese is reduced in price for quick sale, it’s generally not a bargain, and your experience will be a less than happy one.
3. Check the condition of the cheese, especially for aroma, appearance, and flavor.  Less desirable characteristics include ammonia, sour milk, barnyardy or unclean aromas.  Further, the cheeses should be characteristic of their style, with an interior that is free of cracks, discoloration, and mold (unless it is a blue cheese).  Note that natural rind cheeses, may have a rustic appearance, which is one of their attributes.  When possible, taste the cheese before you buy.  This is much easier in a cut-and-wrap environment.  If you are unable to taste the cheese but want to give it a try, buy the smallest amount possible.
4. Because of the wide variety of dietary concerns and restrictions, check labels for the type of milk (cow, goat, sheep, buffalo) from which the cheese was made, whether it is a pasteurized or raw milk, and whether it uses animal, vegetal, or microbial rennet.  If the label doesn’t say, ask.  A good cheesemonger will be able to tell you and will be happy to steer you in the right direction, especially if religious, dietary, or animal rights concerns govern your diet.  At present, product ingredient labeling is inconsistent, but most good cheesemakers will supply the most important information on their labels.
5. In general, buy only as much cheese as you will be able to consume within a few days.  If the cheese is wrapped in plastic at purchase, re-wrap the cheese as soon as possible in waxed, parchment, or specialty cheese paper, as air and moisture are integral to keeping the cheese in the best possible condition.  If you get a cheese that is over the hill, return it to the store and ask for a replacement or a refund; most retailers are willing to keep their customers happy.

Cooking with Cheese

1. When preparing dishes using cheese, add the cheese at the end of the preparation, especially in sauces, classic risotto, and soups.  In casseroles and baked dishes, sprinkle the grated/shredded cheese over the dish in the last ten minutes of baking.
2. Grating cheese is easier when the cheese is cold.  Four ounces of ungrated cheese yields one cup when grated.  Adjustments may be made up or down according to the recipe and the amount of cheese needed.
3. When cooking with cheese on the stovetop, cook cheese over low to medium heat, as cooking over high heat, or for long periods of time, will cause the cheese to separate.
4. Remember that aged cheeses have more concentrated flavor than younger cheeses and often require less additional seasoning.
5. Dishes prepared with cheese and cooked in a microwave oven should be cooked at lower power settings, to prevent the cheese from separating.
6. Simple greens can be transformed into elegant salad courses by the addition of crumbled feta, blue, soft-ripened goat cheeses, or grated hard cheeses, along with toasted nuts and sun-dried fruits, such as cranberries or cherries. A simple vinaigrette, with a trace of Dijon mustard is the classic dressing.
7. Soups topped with cheese croutons are delicious, simple, and elegant.  You can use French bread slices, sprinkled with a bit of olive oil and crumbled chevre, cheddar, or semi-soft cheese.  Place under the broiler until the cheese has melted before adding to the soup.

Pairing Cheese and Wine

There are no “rules” in pairing cheese and wines, and much depends on personal likes and dislikes.  Like having a good cheesemonger, having a good wineseller is equally important and should be someone whose opinions you trust and whose knowledge of wines is good.  In many cases, you will discuss many characteristics found in both wine and cheese.  Good cheese and wine pairings take some thought, and it’s important to consider both the wine and the cheese’s texture and flavor profiles before making final selections.  Remember, the goal is to create harmony and balance between the wine and the cheese and not overpower one with the other.  Excellent resources for American cheese and cheese/wine pairing practices are The New American Cheese (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2000) and The All American Cheese and Wine Book (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2003), both by Laura Werlin.

1. Keep pairings simple: pick one distinct wine and one distinct cheese that pair well.  For example, full-flavored cheeses, such as creamy washed rind cheeses require medium to full-bodied wines, such as Merlot, Zinfandel, or Syrahs.  Likewise, pair light cheeses with light wines, such as Rieslings, Pinot Gris, or Pinot Noirs.
2. Pair wine and cheese according to the area of origin or even on the local region.  Just as the growing conditions impart particular characteristics (called “terroir”) to a region’s wines, these same characteristics may be imparted to the cheeses through the vegetation on which the animals graze.
3. Do not limit yourself only to still table wines, but branch out and try sparkling wines, late harvest and sweet wines, as well as fortified wines such as sherries and ports.  In particular, blue cheeses pair extremely well with dessert wines such as late harvest Viogniers and Rieslings and Muscat wines.  Also, creamy cheeses pair well with with sparkling wines and Champagne, as the bubbles help to cleanse the palate and refresh it for another bite.
4. Explore the varieties of cheeses based on their sources of milk.  For example, fresh goat cheeses are mild, lemony, and somewhat acidic in their flavor profiles and creamy in texture.  They pair well with crisp white wines, such as a Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris, and especially Rieslings.   Aged sheep’s milk cheeses pair well with Gewurtztraminers and fruity Zinfandels.  Aged cow’s milk cheddars go well with sherries.
5. Remember that wines aren’t the only beverages that go well with cheese!  There is an ever-growing number of artisanal and craft beers, as well as craft ciders available that create interesting and fresh flavor combinations, which can also inspire you to experiment and broaden your culinary knowledge.