Cheese. One of the best delicacies known to man. While many people are fond of this creamy, salty delicacy, few know how to properly host a cheese tasting and appreciate cheese for all that it is. That's where Yale Professor and Cheese Expert Maria Trumpler of the course "Women, Food and Culture" comes in.
First, a little background on Professor Trumpler. She started out as a biology major from Princeton and then moved to Yale as a PhD in History of Science. However, when tenure at Yale didn't work out, she picked up both a job at Harvard and a plot of organic dairy farm land just outside of Boston.
While a Dean at Harvard, she was having dinner at a farm-to-table restaurant with her partner when she decided to try the cheese platter for dessert. While a cheese lover for years, that night she realized her passion for cheese and out sprang the idea to start her own cheese making business.
She got a grant from Harvard to start this new business venture and began reading up on medieval cheese making practices while taking a few classes on the subject. She worked in the cheese making business until her start-up fizzled out and was subsequently called to rejuvenate Yale's LGTBQ Center and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies major.
Fast forward several years, Trumpler is still an enthusiastic cheese connoisseur. While she is best known at Yale for her highly acclaimed class, "Women, Food, and Culture," she also periodically hosts cheese and beverage tastings. I got to experience her passion for dairy products first hand. Here's what I learned about hosting a proper cheese tasting:
Assemble a Variety of Cheeses
In order to achieve a nice balance on your cheese plate, it is important that you acquire a mixture of soft and hard cheeses as well as cheeses derived from cows', goats' and sheep's milk. Aim to have four to seven cheeses available for tasting.
On the cheese plate that Professor Trumpler had my group taste, there were four different cheeses: a soft sheep's milk, a fatty goat's cheese, a harder cheddar from cow's milk, and a strong bleu cheese also from cow's milk.
If you're looking for some cheese-piration, check out this "Beginner's Guide to Every Type of Cheese". Also, here's a pre-prepared seven cheese platter for those looking for something sure to be delicious and variegated.
Acquire One or More Palate Cleansers
Because the goal of a cheese tasting is to try cheese in its purest form, palate cleansers are a must. Some of Trumpler's suggestions include blueberries, strawberries (which is what we used), apples, or peaches.
NEVER use bread or crackers as palate cleansers or to accompany your cheese because their starchiness takes away from the cheese's natural taste.
In fact, Trumpler compared tasting cheese with bread to tasting wine with ice cubes. I don't know about you, but I prefer my wine pure, so I am taking this tip very seriously.
Taste Cheese at ~Roughly~ Room Temp
Assuming that the room in which you are hosting your cheese tasting is around 70 degrees F, take the cheese out of the refrigerator about an hour before the event is scheduled to take place.
Lay out the cheese in an aesthetically pleasing manner on your plate. Trumpler used a circular wooden plate at our tasting, which made for some lovely aesthetics.
Make the Cheeses the Stars of the Show
Rather than hosting a party with some cheeses for hors d'oevres, we're talking a cheese tasting, meaning that trying the various cheeses is the main focus of the gathering.
In order to achieve this effect, encourage your guests to sit around a table and discuss the layers of flavors of each cheese, one at a time. Be sure to note the multiple regions of each cheese, with those areas being the center, the area just inside the rind and the rind.
One of my favorite phrases that Trumpler used to describe the goat's milk cheese was "a symphony of flavors." Some characteristics of the cheese to consider include, but aren't limited to, texture, density, acidity, saltiness, and aroma.
Start with the Mildest & End with Your Strongest Blue Cheese
The softest and mildest cheese out of your choices deserves to be eaten first. Often, this takes the form of brie, feta, or ricotta.
The reasoning behind starting with the mildest cheese and progressing to sharper cheeses subsequently is so that you don't overwhelm your palate. Thus, you are better able to appreciate the subtle nuances in mild cheeses.
Following the mildest cheese, move onto harder and sharper cheeses such as cheddar, gouda, or Swiss.
In between each cheese you taste, encourage guests to nibble on the palate cleansers, and generate conversation about each cheese's flavor and texture profiles.
To finish off the cheese tasting, cut and serve your creamy blue cheese, which often doesn't get the credit it truly deserves among many cheese lovers.
The Next Level: Pairing Cheeses and Beverages
While Trumpler didn't give my cheese tasting group extensive beverage pairing advice, she did note that cheese and beer go together surprisingly better than one would expect.
Personally, I'm a huge fan of wine, so if I was hosting a cheese and beverage tasting, wine would be my go-to. Here's a "Beginner's Guide to Pairing Wine and Cheese" for your reading and, hopefully, tasting pleasure.
Although this may not be a 100% complete guide to the perfect cheese tasting, I hope this article has encouraged you to create a cheese platter for some friends and heightened your appreciation of dairy's best form. Last but not least, I hope I inspired you to create some cheesy puns of your own.