There are hundreds, if not thousands of cheeses, from soft Bries, Camemberts, pasteurized, semi-soft, Cheddars, Goudas, Swiss, blue's, , hard cheeses such as Parmesan domestic and imported, Provolone's, etc.
But, there are a few common preferred methods in serving cheeses and accompanied wines.
First, most all cheeses should be served at or close to room temperature; the bouquet of the cheese is more pronounced. And, most all firm to hard cheeses benefit by breaking the cheese vs. cutting it; this exposes more surface area for the tongue to savor.
For example, Parmesan, Pecorino and Romano cheeses benefit from a spade-like cheese knife, such as:
These are designed to fracture the cheese instead of cutting it so all the little bumps and crevices yield a much more flavorful experience, like this:
You can discover a marked difference tasting a firm (Cheddar, Swiss, Gouda, etc) and hard (Parmesan, Pecorino, Romano) cheeses when it is fractured vs. cut - try it sometime! Cut the cheese into sticks and eat one as-is, then break it in pieces and see if you notice any difference! More flavor and more salts come out as your tastebuds have a much wider area to taste from!
What wine to serve? Here is a guide matching cheese wine types:
http://www.cheesematters.com.au/mix-and-match/
And of course, in my opinion, any cheese benefits from smoking!
But, there are a few common preferred methods in serving cheeses and accompanied wines.
First, most all cheeses should be served at or close to room temperature; the bouquet of the cheese is more pronounced. And, most all firm to hard cheeses benefit by breaking the cheese vs. cutting it; this exposes more surface area for the tongue to savor.
For example, Parmesan, Pecorino and Romano cheeses benefit from a spade-like cheese knife, such as:
These are designed to fracture the cheese instead of cutting it so all the little bumps and crevices yield a much more flavorful experience, like this:
You can discover a marked difference tasting a firm (Cheddar, Swiss, Gouda, etc) and hard (Parmesan, Pecorino, Romano) cheeses when it is fractured vs. cut - try it sometime! Cut the cheese into sticks and eat one as-is, then break it in pieces and see if you notice any difference! More flavor and more salts come out as your tastebuds have a much wider area to taste from!
What wine to serve? Here is a guide matching cheese wine types:
http://www.cheesematters.com.au/mix-and-match/
And of course, in my opinion, any cheese benefits from smoking!
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