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Serving cheese for dessert is a hotter holiday trend than ugly Christmas sweaters. According to David Barriball, the Cheese Buyer & Director for Restaurant Gary Danko in San Francisco, science as much as flavor plays a part in the trend:
“I prefer the cheese course after the main course, before or as dessert. There are two schools of thought on this: the first is that the bacteria of cheese helps the digestive process and the second is that the intense flavor of cheese is best enjoyed after dinner to prevent one’s palate from being overwhelmed and overpowering the flavors of the rest of the meal.”
Consider this your handy little black book for making your restaurant this year’s trendy holiday dessert cheese hot spot. Your dessert menu will be the object of affection for cheese lovers near and far. It will be refined yet approachable and very easy on the palate.
Seasons of Cheese
Start by impressing your guests with a menu serving the best in seasonal cheeses. Yes, cheese has seasons, too. As matter of fact, winter is the ultimate season of luxury for cheese. And we have the Alpine Region to thank for crafting the cashmere of cheeses like: Comté été, Forsterkase, Rush Creek and Winnimere. These cheeses are made from summer milk, which has a more refined flavor because the animals are grazing on sweet grass and wildflowers. They can also be made from smaller portions of very rich fall or winter milk, which have less water content than summer. Any of these cheeses will impress the socks off even the most experienced of cheese enthusiasts.
Cheese Intensities
A trend in dessert cheeses right now is serving a range of cheese intensities. Everyone has his or her own preference. Your braver guests will venture to a more pungent cheese like Meadow Creek Dairy’s Grayson. Made in the mountains of Virginia from the raw milk of Jersey cows, this cheese has a shorter breeding window. It’s only produced from April to October when cows are on natural pastures. Grayson cheese has a beefy flavor that’s slightly nutty. To mellow the cheese enough for dessert, serve it with pear or tart apple slices.
For the slightly more adventurous guests, try Jasper Hill’s Winnimere. It’s a creamy cheese that tastes like you’ve gone to fruity, mustardy, smoky bacony—yes we said bacony—heaven. If you ask us, it’s the cheese nirvana. You serve it by simply peeling off the top and spooning it directly out of its self-contained cheese bowl. Serve with bread.
For the guests who prefer a milder cheese we suggest a Chévre—a French cheese made from goat’s milk. It has a creamy, slightly buttery flavor. Imagine if cream cheese had a royal makeover, that’s Chévre. Be careful not to select an aged Chévre. It has a completely different flavor profile and isn’t well suited for dessert. On the other hand a youthful Chévre pairs charmingly with decadent dark chocolate. Your guests who long for a lighter taste will likely be looking for a sweeter cheese that doesn’t make them feel like they have to be double dog dared to try. We recommend Brillat Savarin. Made from 100% pasteurized cow’s milk; it’s a triple crème cheese with a sweet, lactic taste similar to Brie, but not as earthy. Serve with honey drizzled on top.
Another excellent choice is Uplands Cheese Company’s Alpine style Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Made in the summer when cows are grazing on sweet grass and wildflowers. The flavor is smooth with hints of caramel, salt and floral. When served for dessert, it pairs deliciously with marmalade.
Wine Pairings
Your dessert menu isn’t trés cheese chic without a list of hand-selected wines that were practically aged for cheese.
Sherry has the ultimate character of wines for cheese. It’s a very distinct taste that’s both nutty and sweet. Sherry’s hints of dried fig make it an enjoyable dessert wine that mixes well with most cheeses.
Sweet Riselings are the loveable free spirit of wines for cheese. They’re sweet, light, and a little bit fruity. Keep your eyes peeled for Rieslings that say Late Harvest, Auslese, Spatlese, Beerenausles on the label. Those blend well with cheese and are sweet enough for dessert. Gewurztraminer is the entertainer of wines for cheeses. A white wine that’s more full-bodied than a Riesling with flavors of baking spices, apricots, rose petals and citrus. It can range from sarcastically dry to grandmotherly sweet. And dessert cheese just can’t say no to it.
When it comes to cheese, people have the restraint of a Labrador Retriever puppy. A heavy cake is easy to pass up. But a deliciously paired cheese is not. People are charmed by cheese. It’s simple, yet complex. It’s flavorful but subtle. And it’s a taste that can only be crafted with passion. Impress your guests with a refined dessert cheese menu.
