A Bigger View Article: Remake This Cheese Plate

The holiday entertaining season is in full gear and Super Bowl parties are around the corner! It's time to move on from the boring tri-colored pile of perfectly cubed cheese platters that are often a party standard. Let's get A Bigger View of the cheeses Sissy suggests including a little history and a few more facts to share with the party guests in Your Big Life.

Brillat-Savarin: [bree-ya-sa-va-ran] Perhaps the most interesting fact about this cheese is that it was named after a famous eighteenth century Frenchman Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, author of the book, Physiologie du goût (The Physiology of Taste).

Henry Androuet created Brillat-Savarin cheese in 1930. It is a triple cream Brie that is soft and creamy in texture with a slight hint of sharpness. It goes well with dates and either champagne or a full bodied red wine.

French Munster: French Munster derives its name thanks to seventh century Irish Monks who settled in Alsace, France in an area that is now called Munster Valley.  French Munster is dark yellow with a stronger flavor. It is best served with a fruity wine and accompanied by tomatoes, baby carrots or zucchini.

Keen' Farmhouse English Cheddar:  Keen's Farmhouse is located in England's Somerset county, where it is believed that cheddar cheese originated.  Keen's has been making cheese since 1899. Tastes range from mild, nutty or fruity to sharp. It is best served with apples and or crackers.

Four-Year Raw Milk Aged Gouda: Gouda cheese is named after the city of Gouda located in South Holland, a province of the Netherlands. Gouda tastes lightly sweet, caramel flavored and sharp. It goes well with peaches, melons or apricots and best served with a Riesling or White Zinfandel.

Colston Bassett Stilton: Stilton, a specialty of the Vale of Belvoir area in England, is referred to as "the King of English cheeses". It is made exclusively in the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire and only a handful of dairies are licensed to produce the cheese. The Colston Bassett & District Dairy Limited is a farmer's cooperative that has concentrated specifically on making Stilton cheese since 1913. Stilton is a creamy blue veined cheese that is mild to sharp in flavor depending on age. It is traditionally served with port and goes well with celery.

If you cannot find these specific cheeses in a store near you, don't worry. Ask an associate in the dairy section of your local grocery or specialty store to help you find five or six cheeses that that range from mild to strong. Serving cheeses that maybe you and your guests never would have thought of tasting before is what truly makes it a cheese adventure.

Don't forget, your cheese cannot stand-alone. Sissy suggests picking up some of the following to serve with your remade cheese plate:

Crackers
Sliced Baguette
Champagne grapes and other fruit
Figs
Nuts
Wine

Let us know if your remade cheese plate was a hit. Send us your suggestions, ideas, tips and cheese alternatives. Don't forget your photos! Email them to us at abiglife@nbcuni.com.

Check out our Sissy's Tips for more information on creating the perfect cheeseplate and Your Big Life section to find out what other members of our community have contributed to help us all find little ways to create A Big Life!

You can find the cheeses Sissy suggested and many more at Balducci's or your local specialty food store. If you are interested in becoming a serious Turophile (lover of cheese), check out these books available at MSN Shopping:

Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins
The Cheese Plate by Max Mccalman, David Gibbons
The Cheese Bible by Christian Teubner, Heinrich Mair-Walburg, Friedrich-Wilhelm Ehlert
 
Other MSN Shopping suggestions:
Porcelain Holders
Cheeseplates
Wines

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