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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

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Finding Cheaper Gourmet Cheese Options

Submitted by Resident Cheesemonger

One of the great barriers to enjoying fabulous cheeses to your heart's content is the cost. Some of the best gourmet cheeses, like the best wines, can be a bit on the expensive side. There are some tricks, however, to finding cheaper, inexpensive cheeses to satisfy your cheese craving and further enrich your cheese knowledge and experience. You just have to know where the inexpensive cheeses make themselves available. For your next cheese tasting, party, or dinner, use these tricks to buy cheaper cheeses and preserve your budget!

• First of all, to find the best cheeses, cheap or expensive, if you're shopping in a supermarket, head for the cheese area instead of the aisle with the eggs, milk, and yogurt. Most supermarkets have a separate section for the "gourmet" cheeses. You can generally identify this area by the lovely pungent smell, mmmmm!
• For an inexpensive cheese alternative, why not be flexible and try whichever cheese is on special at your favorite cheese shop? There's a good chance that the cheese on special will not only be cheaper, but will be at its prime. And if you're particularly strapped for money, go to the cheese section in your local supermarket. They won't have the same level of knowledgeable cheesemongers and extensive cheese selection, but they will probably have some cheaper cheeses for sale.
• Find cheaper gourmet cheeses by looking for the aged or special varieties of more common cheese brands. Brands like cabot or sargento, which you may not think of as gourmet, often have some solid inexpensive "gourmet" products.
• To throw an inexpensive cheese party that still has your guests coming back for more, choose large amounts of a few cheap and popular cheeses like havarti with dill, smoked gouda, or gruyere, and then splurge on small amounts of a couple less common, more expensive cheeses.
• Then, to bulk up your cheese selection without making your quantities seem overly cheap and reserved, purchase a small amount of cheese and serve it with fruit (grapes, sliced apples) or antipasta (olives, grilled peppers, etc.). That way, guests fill up on the inexpensive foood while enjoying the more expensive cheese.

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