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Wouldn't you rather have the cheese plate?

2008-08-20

Have you ever been teased because you ate cold pizza for breakfast? Or maybe because you secretly yearn to eat a chocolate hostess cupcake (you know...the kind you ate as a kid with the white scribble of frosting on top?) about once a year as a nostalgic dessert?

Well, as far as I'm concerned there's no shame in whatever you enjoy eating (except for that one incident in which my mom was caught slurping whipped cream from the container while hidden behind the refridgerator door! sorry mom!), and there is certainly no right or wrong as to when is the appropriate time to eat it. You want cake for breakfast (and salad for lunch perhaps?), more power to you.

Of course, we do all have our food eating habits and preferences, which hints at this week's question.

When is the best time to eat cheese (appetizer, dessert, by itself, as dinner, breakfast, etc...)?

Jennifer from Boston believes the best time for cheese is, "breakfast. So many options: cheese blintzes, omelettes, breakfast sandwiches, scrambled eggs..." Mr. Cheez-Whiz from New York suggests eating cheese, "by itself with wine." And Strah9 from Boston comments that the best time to eat cheese is, "All the time!"

I sure do love cheese for breakfast as Jennifer does. That's one thing the Germans have right, eating cheese (and lunch meats) with bread for breakfast, so much better than cold cereal! Besides the traditional cheese-filled items like omelettes and breakfast sandwiches, there's a restaurant in Boston called Brownstone which makes jarlsberg pancakes. It may sound weird, but the combination of sweet pancakes and maple syrup with salty jarlsberg cheese is heavenly! It's the same principle which makes me like chocolate covered pretzel (lots of sweet and salty goodness).

I think my favorite way to appreciate cheese, especially a nice strong cheese, is as Mr. Cheez-Whiz recommends, alongside a glass of wine. Although, the scene just wouldn't be complete without some wonderful fresh bread to go with it. Limiting a meal to bread, wine and cheese, for me, really helps to isolate and savor all the flavors (but especially the cheese). Wine is great and all, but it's a side dish for the appreciation of cheese!

Cheese Plate

Of course, who can argue with Strah9? I'll take a good cheese anytime...well, most anytime. There was the one incident of The Cheese Plate (**dum dum dum**)! I was traveling in France with my Aunt Jill and we were eating dinner at a really nice gourmet restaurant in Paris. When it came time for dessert, as much as I love cheese, I opted for the decadent chocolate cake instead of the cheese plate. If I could have eaten both, I would have, but I'm just not "mature" enough to skip the chocolate dessert. My silly aunt, on the other hand, tried to be the sophisticated one and went for the cheese plate.

By all accounts, it was delicious cheese, but the thing we both remember most is how amazingly, singularly, give-up-your-first-born-for-one-more-bite scrumptious my chocolate dessert was. I was in dessert bliss, while my aunt got to be the mature one with the cheese plate. Moral of the story? Maybe it isn't always the right time for cheese!

Now ends today's cheese lesson! Come back next week for ruminations on, "Is cheese good for you?"


Vera said: (2008-08-26)

I'm in love with Cowgirl Creamery's Drake aged cheese which only comes out a couple times a year...therefore, any chance I get my hands on this most elusive and coveted cheese is a good time to eat cheese!!

Resident Cheesemonger said: (2008-08-27)

Sounds good to me! I'll have to keep my eyes (or tastebuds?) open for it.

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