Cheese Community.com

How to Serve Cheese

Serving a variety of cheeses before dinner, after dinner, or as horsdoeuvres, makes an elegant and tasty snack. With very little preparation, a chees...More

How much of a cheesemonger are you?
Test your cheese knowledge with our Cheese Trivia Quiz!

Check out our Boston Cheese Shop Profiles.

Selecting the Right Cheeses to Suit your Needs and Tastes

Submitted by Resident Cheesemonger

Unless you happen to be an experienced cheesemonger (which most of us aren't!), you've probably found yourself in the difficult position of choosing cheeses for a dinner or party with no clue which cheeses would fit the bill. Relax, you're among friends on this one. As a long term cheese lover I have asked myself the question of which cheese is right for myself and my friends many times. Here's the basic cheese selection process which works for me.

First, I think about which type of people the cheese is for, and under what circumstances I will be serving it. One of my main concerns when choosing a cheese for people other than myself and my husband is to conscientiously select at least one or two cheeses that non-long-term cheese lovers like myself might like. I very much appreciate a well balanced stinky cheese just like the next cheesemonger, but your average orange American cheese eater may not feel the same way!

The type of gathering also comes into play when selecting just the right cheese. If you're having a wine and cheese party, for instance, I would be inclined to choose wines that match my favorite cheeses. Many people, on the other hand, may prefer to select cheeses which highlight their favorite wines! Another popular cheese occasion is of course a shared dinner. In this case, you may want to think about which cheeses highlight the rest of your meal.

Now, once you've got your cheese motivation in mind, it's time to seek out a specialty cheese shop if you've got one, or even your local supermarket. Whole Food's actually has a fairly exceptional cheese selection and knowledgeable cheesemongers.

And that brings me to the next step: Ask your local cheesemonger! Tell him/her what your cheese needs are and pick his/her intelligent cheese-laden brain for all its years of cheese selection and consumption experience! Feel free to start out by telling your cheesemonger which kind of cheese you prefer: soft or hard, mild or strong, stinky, blue, salty, creamy, and so on. You could also ask him/her which cheeses are in season (yes, cheeses do have optimal seasons!). Your cheesemonger may also be able to offer you samples of cheeses you're considering which is quite helpful.

For a larger gathering, I generally try to offer cheeses with a range of textures, flavors, countries of origin, and milks (cow's versus sheep's versus goat's). Another way to go would be to have a cheese theme. You could offer several blue cheeses, all French cheeses, or all soft cheeses.

When in doubt, my final cheese selection advice is to pick at least one cheese you already know and love, and one cheese you've never tasted before. That way you hedge your bets, but still get to try something new. Good luck, and happy cheese tasting! (Hey, why not review those cheeses after the party?)

Comment on this cheese article.