what is a cheese course?

A cheese course is served as part of a meal, typically served on its own, after the main course and before dinner. Sometimes, a cheese course can be served in lieu of dessert, but that is different than the one we are talking about today.

Full Answer

What is a cheese course at a restaurant?

A cheese course is served as part of a meal, typically served on its own, after the main course and before dinner. Sometimes, a cheese course can be served in lieu of dessert, but that is different than the one we are talking about today. BMW and I have had the good fortune to enjoy our fair share of cheese courses.

What is the difference between a cheese course and plate?

Now, let’s get a few things straight, a cheese course is very, very different from a cheese plate or a cheese board. A cheese course is served as part of a meal, typically served on its own, after the main course and before dinner.

What is a cheese course like in France?

A cheese course featuring an ash-coated goat cheese, half of a Pont-l'Evèque and a Perail. Jams or confits complement many cheeses.

Can a cheese course be used as a dessert?

Sometimes, a cheese course can be served in lieu of dessert, but that is different than the one we are talking about today. BMW and I have had the good fortune to enjoy our fair share of cheese courses.

What is in a cheese course?

A cheese course can be as simple as one great cheese for guests to nibble on at their leisure after dinner, or it can be a carefully considered platter of selected cheeses, showcasing a variety of textures and flavors — for instance, a semisoft cheese like Camembert, a hard cheese like aged Dry Monterey Jack, and a ...

Is a cheese course a dessert?

Serving cheese at the end of a meal is a nice change from sweet desserts. This European trend of having cheese as dessert is catching on more and more every day. Any type of cheese can be served as a dessert course, but these four are especially nice at the end of the meal.

What is the purpose of cheese course?

The idea is to ensure that everyone is served the same proportion of cheese and rind. If someone begins by cutting off the tip or “nose” of the cheese, the final guest being served would be left with the just the rind.

What is a cheese course in France?

The classic French cheese course usually offers a minimum of three cheeses, each representing a different type of milk (cow, goat or sheep's milk) or a different family of cheese.

How do you eat a cheese course?

How to eat. You can spread the cheese on bread with your knife or in the case of hard cheeses, eat it with a fork and knife. It's perfectly acceptable to ask for more bread. All cheese rinds are edible, but they usually have the strongest flavor.

Do you serve the cheese course before or after dessert?

Cheese is always served before dessert and its place in a French meal evolved since the Middle Ages – from an unofficial meal-ender to a savory treat in between the main course and dessert. You can follow the appetizer-main course-cheese-dessert order, unless you're serving a buffet.

Why do the French serve cheese after dinner?

An apéro is a casual social gathering where drinks and snacks are served. Cheese is eaten in moderation in France. It's quality as opposed to quantity. Eating a little high quality cheese after your main meal will allow you to feel more satisfied, resulting in eating less cheese.

Why is cheese served after dinner?

Since most French cheeses are quite rich, eating them before a meal could spoil your appetite. Instead, the cheese course is served after dinner and can aid in digestion. If you want to stick to the French method of serving cheese, it should be offered after the main course but before dessert.

Do the French eat cheese before or after dessert?

The right time to have cheese is right before the dessert The French don't like ending a meal with cheese, so they always follow it with dessert, which could even be just grapes.

Do the French eat the rind on Brie?

And yes, you can eat the rind! In fact, it is considered gauche by some to merely scrape the inside of the cheese and avoid the rind.

What do the French typically eat for dinner?

Main Meal (plat principal) This will likely be a piece of grilled chicken, fish (usually salmon) or steak. The protein is accompanied by one or two sides, depending on how dense the starter meal was. Potatoes, salad, beans, asparagus or a plain pasta are common sides in a French dinner experience.

What do you serve after cheese board?

AccompanimentsCrackers and small-sliced breads.Fresh vegetables and fruit: cucumbers; grapes; sliced pears or apples, for example.Sweet: dried figs; and honey or jam.Tangy: olives and other marinated items like artichokes.

Kitchen Window

A cheese course featuring an ash-coated goat cheese, half of a Pont-l'Evèque and a Perail. Jams or confits complement many cheeses. Recipe for shallot confit is below.

About the Author

Clotilde Dusoulier is the 26-year-old Parisienne behind the popular food blog Chocolate & Zucchini. She is working on her first cookbook.

What is Cheese?

All cheese is made from four ingredients — milk, salt, cultures, and enzymes. The milk is purposefully curdled due to the added cultures, like Lactobacilli, and enzymes, like rennet, which cause the milk to separate into curds and whey.

But First, Lactic Cheeses

These cheeses are those that don’t go through a ripening process, or are only slightly ripened, and may or may not have had all of their whey drained. Examples are ricotta, fromage blanc, quark, goat cheese, and cream cheese, as well as “spun” cheeses like fresh mozzarella.

Soft Cheeses

This category is a bit broad and loosely described. It includes both lactic and soft- or surface-ripened cheeses (bloomy or washed rind). The cheeses range in flavor from mild to buttery to tangy to stinky. You can typically spread them on bread or crackers, scoop them to dollop onto something, or you’ll find them gooey and oozy when cut.

Semi-Soft Cheeses

These cheeses run the flavor gamut – from mild to nutty to earthy to pungent. They range in texture from smooth and creamy to slightly rubbery, malleable, and elastic. They can have rinds or not. They’re considered somewhat high in moisture content and have been aged 3–8 months. Typically they’re easy to slice and melt easily.

Hard Cheeses

Cheeses with crystal-like grittiness, that break and flake into shards when you cut them, fit into this category. These cheeses have been tightly packed into forms (usually wheels) and aged for months or years until their moisture content is fairly low. On average, cheeses in this category are aged from 18–24+ months.

Blue Cheese

Similar to many other types of cheeses, there is great variety in taste and texture when it comes to blue cheeses. But what they all have in common are the bluish-green veins marbled throughout. Those veins are actually mold that range in color from blue to blue-green to blue-black. Blue cheeses have a somewhat strong, intense, tangy flavor.

How to Store Cheese

Cheesemongers recommend storing cheese in the same type of paper they wrap cheese in — Cheese Storage Paper. The wax-coated paper allows cheese to breathe, regulates humidity so cheese isn’t too moist or too dry, and it prolongs freshness. It comes in sheets or bags.

And Other Ideas for Elegant Entertaining

Creating the Ultimate Cheese Course , and other elegant party menu ideas combining gourmet cheeses and wines is a lot of fun with endless possibilities for creativity and variations on all sorts of themes.

Some General Guidelines

For the cheese course at dinner, following the entrée, allow 1.5 oz. for each of 3 cheeses, per person.

How To Serve A Cheese Course For Dinner

How To Serve A Cheese Course For Dinner! This is typically served as a part of a long, delicious meal in France.

How To Serve A Cheese Course For Dinner

Now, let’s get a few things straight, a cheese course is very, very different from a cheese plate or a cheese board. A cheese course is served as part of a meal, typically served on its own, after the main course and before dinner.