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FOOD
Tips for a festive European cheeseboard
Chef Raymond Blanc offers his suggestions for Christmas.
Throughout Europe, a cheeseboard is a popular way
to celebrate time together and the Christmas holidays
provide plenty of time to dedicate an evening to
enjoying a generous board of European cheeses.
Raymond Blanc, Chef Patron of the two Michelinstarred
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, is widely
known for bringing his passion for French cuisine
to the UK. He says: "No French dinner is complete
without cheese and a cheeseboard would have to be
extra special at Christmas. I would always choose a
selection of soft, hard and blue cheeses, such as a
Brillat-Savarin, Mont d'Or, Comté (36 months), Bleu
de Gex and a Tomme de Savoie. Presentation is very
important and to add a touch of luxury to a festive
cheeseboard I would be sure to have an apricot,
vanilla & Jura wine compote or a homemade apple
orchard chutney and finally a large glass of pinot noir.
Joyeux Noël."
Top tips on care and presentation
• Before serving cheese, take it out of the fridge for at
least 90 minutes in order to release the full flavours,
aromas and texture of the cheese.
• Make sure you use a board that won't harm the
delicate flavours of the cheese - metal plates and
trays are a big 'non'.
• Offer a diverse choice of cheeses and make sure you
have at least one soft, one hard and a blue cheese
but to really impress your guests a choice of five
cheeses is the magic number.
• Provide a knife for each cheese to avoid cross
contamination of flavours and leave enough space
between the cheeses to allow for guests to cut and
remove their cheese easily.
• Place the cheeses from the mildest to the strongest
in a clockwise direction; this helps people to taste
in the best sensory order.
• Use your creativity and add a few decorative
touches to your cheese platter: dried fruit, fresh
fruit, fruit jellies, seeds, aromatic herbs, edible
flowers, etc.
• Prepare labels with the name of each cheese so
that your guests don't have to ask you what it is.
• For something a little different you could present a
cheese board that brings together cheeses from a
specific region, such as the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Such cheeses could include: a Tomme de Savoie - a
semi-hard cheese; Reblochon - a soft washed-rind
and smear-ripened cheese; Abondance - a hard
cheese; Saint-Félicien - a bloomy rind soft cheese;
and Bleu d'Auvergne - a blue cheese.
Many cheeses are available through large
supermarkets but if you want to get your hands
on the true artisanal cheeses visit your local dairy,
cheesemonger or search online.
Images courtesy of CNIEL (Centre National Interprofessionnel
de l Economie Laitière), the French Dairy Interbranch
Organization. This is an organisation recognised by French
and European public authorities that brings together players
from the French dairy sector (milk producers, cooperatives and
private companies, people in mass retail, trade and institutional
catering). CNIEL seeks to promote the economic development of
the sector, facilitate relations between producers and processors
and promote milk and dairy products.
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