A Cheese Dinner

We had dinner company; a rare occasion since our present dining facilities do not lend themselves to entertaining. To make the most of it, I decided to serve our favorite food: cheese.

The Cheese Tray
Roquefort Gabriel Coullet
Carré de Chevre
Taleggio
Old Amsterdam Gouda

The Bread Basket
Pane Francese
French baguette
Delba German whole grain pumpernickel
Ak-mak whole wheat crackers

The Accompaniments
Braeburn apples
Dried Turkish apricots
Walnuts

The Wines
Montagny 2007
Les Buys, Louis Latour
Côte d’Or
Staete Landt 2008
Marlborough
Sauvignong Blanc

Cheese aficionados consider Roquefort, France’s sheep milk cheese, to be the “King of Cheese.” Meanwhile, a good Roquefort is hard to come by. I tried three different Roqueforts at Zabar’s before I picked Gabriel Coulet’s. It was a good choice. The Roquefort had an ivory-colored interior, delicate blue-green marbling, creamy texture and that tantalizing sharp taste so beloved by connoisseurs. .

Carré de Chevre comes from the Poitous/Charantes region of France, known for their goat cheeses. Nearly snow white, the Carre was so creamy, the paste kept oozing out. It’s lively, fresh taste was a good contrast to Roquefort’s macho character.

Young Taleggio, the cow's milk cheese from Italy’s Lombardy region, is one of my favorite cheeses. Semisoft, pale, somewhat stinky, young Taleggio is mild and flavorful.

Old Amsterdam Gouda, from The Netherlands, is one of the most reliable cheeses around. I like its pure, sweet and nutty taste; its solid texture reminds of the sturdy Dutchmen. With its deep yellow color, it added to the overall appearance of the cheese tray.

The two white wines, although carefully chosen, did not live up expectation. I had hoped for a fuller, richer Burgundy. Most likely, a Kabinett Riesling would have been a better choice. Eric Asimov had just sung its praise in the Times' Wednesday food section. But none of the three wine stores I deal with had any of the wines in stock. The New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc faired better. Next time, I may go back to red.