Chef Raymond Blanc OBE shares some high ideas for a festive French cheeseboard. All through Europe, and particularly in France, a cheeseboard is a well-liked approach to have fun time collectively and the Christmas holidays present loads of time to dedicate a night having fun with beneficiant board of European cheese.
For Raymond Blanc OBE, Chef Patron of the 2 Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, cheese is an integral a part of any French celebration. Raymond is extensively recognized for bringing his ardour for French delicacies to the UK and delivering one of many best eating experiences within the UK. Diners may also discover the easiest artisanal cheeses on the restaurant cheeseboard.
Raymond says: “No French dinner is full with out cheese and a cheeseboard must be further particular at Christmas. I might all the time select a choice of gentle, onerous and blue cheeses from my hometown and elsewhere, akin to a Brillat-Savarin, Mont d’Or, Comté (36 months), Bleu de Gex and a Tomme de Savoie. Presentation is essential and so as to add a contact of luxurious to a festive cheeseboard, I might be sure you have an apricot, vanilla & Jura wine compote or a home made apple orchard chutney and at last a big glass of pinot noir. Joyeux Noël.”
For these desirous to good their cheeseboard providing, under are some high ideas.
1/ Earlier than serving cheese, depart it exterior the fridge for at the least 90 minutes to be able to launch the complete flavours, aromas and texture of the cheese.
2/ Ensure you use a board that gained’t hurt the fragile flavours of the cheese – metallic plates and trays are an enormous ‘non’.
3/ Supply a various selection of cheeses that complement one another when it comes to style and texture. At a minimal, ensure you have at the least one gentle, onerous and blue cheese however to actually impress your friends 5 is the magic quantity. For one thing a bit completely different you might additionally current a cheese board that brings collectively cheeses from a selected area – such because the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Such cheeses might embody: a Tomme de Savoie – a semi-hard cheese, Reblochon – a gentle washed-rind and smear-ripened cheese, Abondance – a tough cheese, Saint-Félicien – a bloomy rind gentle cheese and Bleu d’Auvergne.
4/ Present a knife for every cheese to keep away from cross contamination of flavours and depart sufficient area between the cheeses to permit for friends to chop and take away their cheese simply.
5/ Place the cheeses from the mildest to the strongest in a clockwise route; this helps individuals to style in one of the best sensory order.
6/ Use your creativity and add a number of ornamental touches to your cheese platter: dried fruit, recent fruit, fruit jellies, seeds, fragrant herbs, edible flowers, and so on.
7/ Put together festive labels with the identify of every cheese in order that your friends don’t should ask you.
Many cheeses can be found by way of massive supermarkets however if you wish to get your arms on the true artisanal cheeses go to your native dairy, cheesemonger or search on-line.
By Raymond Blanc OBE, for CNIEL (Centre Nationwide Interprofessionnel de l Economie Laitière) the French Dairy Interbranch Group, is an organisation recognised by French and European public authorities which brings collectively gamers from the French dairy sector (milk producers, cooperatives and personal firms, individuals in mass retail, commerce and institutional catering).
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