How do I serve the cheese?
To show our soft-ripened cheese at its finest and to allow it to develop its flavor and characteristics, leave it out on a plate, unwrapped, around 30-45 minutes before the guests come. The cheese should be optimally served at a room temperature (60-75F), when it can breathe and bring on its aroma. The cheese should not have runny consistency, but if you like it a little creamier, place it next to an oven.
Take out only what you think will be consumed, as repeated warming and cooling will weaken the quality of the cheese.
What is the serving size?
Estimate 1.5 oz of cheese per person for appetizer when serving an assortment of cheeses If you are serving more than three cheeses. Also, you will need 3-5-4 ounces for meal portion per person.
Can I eat the rind?
Yes, absolutely. The rind is rich in calcium and in a properly ripened cheese; it is an integral component of the flavor profile. The only time it is recommended to remove the rind is for cooking applications, such as soups or sauces. Sometimes when a blue cheese is shrink-wrapped, it looks moist when unwrapped – just scrap off surface and enjoy the rest of the cheese.
Can I freeze cheese?
For all of our products it is not recommended due to the high moisture content.
When is soft-ripened cheese ripened enough to serve?
One of the keys to enjoying the experience of soft-ripened cheese is to find cheeses ripened to your preferred level of maturity. When young, soft-ripened cheese is firm and somewhat chalky, with numerous small irregular holes or spaces in the body of the cheese and the aroma is quite mild. As the cheese matures, the body of the cheese becomes softer, closing up the irregular holes and eventually becoming like soft custard. A slight aroma of ammonia from the rind is normal and is a natural by-product of the cheese ripening. If the aroma is pronounced, allow the cheese to breath at room temperature, unwrapped, for 15-20 minutes.
How to store the cheese?
The best way to store the cheese is to wrap the cheese tightly in wax paper or foil and store it in the Cheese and Meat drawer in most refrigerators. This will allow the cheese to breathe, but will cut down on moisture loss. The cheese still continues to ripen when is stored, do not keep your soft-ripened cheese too long, it should be eaten within approximately 10 days from purchase.
Can I serve a single cheese?
Yes, whole cheese wheel is an interesting choice and it will look great to if you dress the cheeseboard with fruits and breads. A wheel of Rougette can be a attractive appetizer, accompanied with whole-grain breads or baguette and fruits like strawberries and pears, bowl of nuts and crackers. Don’t forget to include a medium to full-bodied red wines like Zinfandel for a delicious treat.
How to make a cheeseplate?
Put 3-5 different cheeses on a marble or wooden plate, arranging clockwise from the mildest to strongest cheeses. Don’t serve more than 5 cheeses at one time; the tray should not be overloaded. It is also a nice touch to provide separate knife for each cheese and put labels with cheese names in front of them. Serve variety of cheeses: simi-soft, soft, hard, blue. Include sharp, mild, smooth and piquant. To enhance the artistic presentation, add a little color and texture by placing tomatoes, grapes, apples, pears and fine, fresh breads. A blue Montagnolo, Rougette with orange washed rind exterior and spicy Brie with Peppercorns are a perfect combination.
Can I serve cheese as desert?
Yes, of course, we have recipes for that. It is suggested that for meat based dinners, you should serve a blue cheese and after light meals the choice of creamy, sweet cheese would be a better grouping.
Is cheese healthy for me?
Cheese is a substantial contribution to a healthy diet. The nutritional value of cheese consist of protein, mineral, vitamin and fat content. There is no reason to avoid the nutritious milk fat which is contained in an easily digestible, finely distributed form of cheese. High quality protein, like that available from milk products, is essential for human body. Protein is more than just a building block, milk protein is particularly suited for those activities involving mental exertion; in contrast, protein deficiency leads to decrease in mental energy and acuity. Cheese also contains all of the essential amino acids, in particular lysine. The amino acids fulfill other important roles in the central nervous system: they are important for good brain function in old age. The formation of long-term memory molecules and certain metabolic functions can be ensured just through a sufficient supply of amino acids.
Lactic acid in cheese has a beneficial effect on bowel activity, while the amino acids aspartic acid and glutamic acid are credited with stimulating the secretion of gastric juices. Cheese, like other daily products, helps to protect against tooth decay because its protein and mineral content bring about a reduction in acid formation in saliva. Calcium takes pride as the main mineral in cheese. Four ounces of soft cheese, for example, supply 30-40 % of the daily calcium requirement. The content of other minerals in various sorts of cheeses is: sodium, potassium, chlorine, magnesium. In addition, cheese contains many prominent trace elements, for example iron and copper. The amount of fat-soluble vitamin in cheese depends on the fat content. Eighty to 85 percent of the vitamin A in the milk goes into the cheese. Some mold-ripened cheeses have higher vitamin B content than others. The ripening process is responsible for sizable variations in vitamin B content, with the B vitamins being both synthesized and consumed by microorganisms (The Cheese Bible)
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