Pairing Cheese, Food and Wine

Cheese & Food
What to serve with cheese - In the purest sense, a cheese course needs no accompaniment other than a few slices of good, crusty bread (a better choice than crackers). There are times, however, when the occasion merits a bit more embellishment.  Don't go overboard, because too many garnishes can detract from the cheese, and keep in mind the rest of the menu.  For example, if cheese is to play a staring role as your main course, by all means add a salad and even a few bits of thinly sliced, cured meat.  But, if the cheese is to come after a full meal, you may want nothing more than a handful of tasted nuts.  Here are a few winning accompaniments to cheese:

• A few good quality olives combined with pate.

• Fresh fruit: grapes, berries, plums, apples, pears

• Paper thin slices of prosciutto

• Dried apricots, cherries, cranberries, dates or figs.

Tips for serving cheese:

• Serve cheese at room temperature or slightly cooler.  This means taking it from the refrigerator an hour or so before serving (harder cheeses may need several hours).

• Accompany cheese with a basket of good, fresh bread.

• Figure 2 to 3 ounces of cheese per person (total) as an appetizer or after dinner, and 4 to 6 ounces per person when served as an entree with a salad or other accompaniment.

• Do not crowd cheeses on a cheese board and provide a separate knife for each cheese.

• After serving, wrap any leftover cheese in plastic wrap and refrigerate it.  The larger the piece of cheese, the loner it will keep.

Cheese & Wine
In most cases a red wine goes well with hard cheese, while white wines go well with softer cheeses, but again, this comes down to your own personal tastes and what combinations of flavors you enjoy....

Our Thanks to Vermont Butter & Cheese Company www.vtbutterandcheeseco.com 
Our thanks to Gourmet Sleuth for the above list.www.gourmetsleuth.com/cpairing.htm