{"id":39087,"date":"2020-11-16T12:12:09","date_gmt":"2020-11-16T17:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?p=39087"},"modified":"2022-11-10T15:33:07","modified_gmt":"2022-11-10T20:33:07","slug":"ruminations-in-defense-of-the-dessert-cheese-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/ruminations-in-defense-of-the-dessert-cheese-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruminations: In Defense of the Dessert Cheese Course"},"content":{"rendered":"

O<\/span>n a late-night phone call with my brother, I heard the sound of utensils scraping against dishware. \u201cI\u2019m having a little cheese plate,\u201d he said. I was disbelieving and impressed. \u201cYeah,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone over here does that sort of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

My brother lives in Scotland, and he\u2019s more immersed in European customs than the rest of my family. However, he\u2019s also a 20-year-old college student. Replacing sweet desserts with a sophisticated cheese plate struck me as a power move. The pint of Halo Top in my own freezer suddenly felt so juvenile and predictable.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone over here does that sort of thing,\u201d resonated with me. Once at a restaurant in Paris, I had the audacity to ask the waiter to serve my cheese before the main course. This resulted in furrowed brows and whispers among the wait staff.<\/p>\n

But my American instincts prevailed, and much to the waiters\u2019 amusement, I filled up on cheese before my dinner and subsequently \u201csecond dessert\u201d arrived. Dinners in France traditionally<\/a> conclude with a wedge or two of local cheeses, placed on the table with nothing more than a knife\u2014the perfect accoutrement for after-dinner conversation. As far as my French company (and stomach) were concerned, I\u2019d doubled down on desserts, and I regretted the overly full result.<\/p>\n

Many European cultures save cheese for the end of the meal: Stilton and port in England; garrotxa and sherry in Spain; mascarpone with chocolate and espresso in Italy. It\u2019s a ritual that prolongs the conversation, balances the booze, and assuages any lingering hunger. In America, we think of cheese as an hors d\u2019oeuvre. When we entertain friends, dine in restaurants, or simply snack as we cook, cheese is often at hand. \u201cJust a little taste\u201d or \u201cenough to tide me over,\u201d we tell ourselves, reaching for the crackers and a knife. All too often, this avalanches into a full-on cheese bacchanalia that spoils our appetite before dinner appears\u2014I\u2019m speaking from experience.<\/p>\n

Finishing a meal with cheese complements the savory notes lingering on the palate, whereas I feel that sweet desserts often feel unbalanced. Because cheese tastes better at room temperature, savoring cheese at the end\u2014instead of filling up on it during cocktail hour\u2014allows flavor to develop as the fat molecules warm, and a small portion is satisfying. Perhaps that\u2019s why European dinner tables reserve a place for the convivial food: It calls people to gather \u2018round, dipping and spreading as the light gets low and conversation turns deep.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s beauty in the simplicity of a dessert cheese course. Only a few items are needed; no elaborate baking project required. And with dedicated cheeseboard books and Instagram accounts, there is endless inspiration. To achieve Europe\u2019s polished but unfussy theme, set out one to three varieties; a minimalist presentation maintains the spotlight on the cheese. However, a selection keeps things interesting (think nutty Alpine cheese, salty manchego, and tangy bucheron). Offer accompaniments if you wish, but remember the goal is to highlight the cheese.<\/p>\n

If you still crave sweets to finish off a meal, plenty of cheeses channel familiar dessert flavors. Pair aged Gouda\u2019s caramelized flavors with candied nuts. Cut through the richness of high-fat, creamy cheeses with bitter dark chocolate. And drizzle honey on a vaguely spicy, fudgy blue cheese to draw out vanilla, woodsy notes. But I won\u2019t deny you the joy of taking to it with only a spoon and glass of Sauternes.<\/p>\n

Swap sweet endings for armchair travel. With cheese, dessert becomes a course that whisks you away to Parisian bistros, Spanish bars, Italian piazzas, or English pubs. You\u2019ve heard it before: Save the best for last.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Making a case for Americans to emulate the French.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[590],"tags":[58,930,26819,2344,943,931,26818,6536,18627,1560,1051,3519,2615,2810,1028],"coauthors":[26817],"class_list":["post-39087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ruminations","tag-appetizer","tag-blue-cheese","tag-cheese-for-dessert","tag-cheese-pairings","tag-cheese-plate","tag-chocolate","tag-dessert-cheese-course","tag-entertaining","tag-espresso","tag-garrotxa","tag-gouda","tag-honey","tag-mascarpone","tag-sherry","tag-spain"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRuminations: In Defense of the Dessert Cheese Course - culture: the word 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