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Thanksgiving Cheese Plate
by Andy Shay
As an American, used to Thanksgiving as a warm up for
Christmas, I love that Canadian Thanksgiving is firmly
embedded in the harvest season the best time of year. Tell
me that the last month has not been the best weather that we
have had all summer. I only hope it will stay that way for
the holiday.
Of course, there is always a cheese platter at my
Thanksgiving table, and this is what we will be eating this
year. For me harvest cheeses are firmer, nuttier, stronger
flavoured cheeses that stand up to the beautiful, but
slightly cooler and windy days of the early fall. Here is a
guide to how I put my board together.
How Many?
When I assemble a platter I like to choose five to six
cheeses, and not more than 200g of any one. This allows for
different tastes and is a visual queue to your guests that
these are fine cheeses to savour, not just to wolf down.
Besides, have any of your guests really ever gone hungry or
not had enough food from your table on Thanksgiving?
Put it on, dress it up
Next, the platter. Since this is a harvest holiday I think
that something natural like wood works very well to set the
tone and to show the cheeses of to their best advantage. I
could also see a tile or rough stone or hand thrown ceramic
plate. For decoration, I step into the garden and find
whatever is at hand, whatever the season brings or go for
a walk in a ravine, or if you are lucky enough to be in the
country head for your nearest field or forest au current
mementos of the season.
Accompaniments
For this cheese board I headed to
About Cheese
at Church and Wellesley in Toronto,
because they specialize in Canadian cheeses and because they have a great selection of Canadian
varietal honeys. I am not sure why, but only the beekeepers
of Quebec seem to have figured out how wonderful varietal
honey truly is an art that the Europeans have know for
centuries. They are honeys that are collected from fields of
predominantly one flower. As soon as the flower fades, the
honey is extracted from the combs, a more labour intensive
process with delicious results. Years ago when I had my
store, Shay Gourmet, I discovered Rucher des Framboisiers
brand of varietal honeys from the Gaspe About Cheese is
the only place that I can find it in Toronto and it is worth
the schlep to Church Street. Today, I chose a golden rod honey,
medium coloured, as a late summer flower, just right for
these heartier cheeses. It smells of honey and melted comb,
but there is something thicker, richer, more caramelly and
sweeter in the aroma. On the tongue it is sharply sweet,
tastes of berries and has an edge. $12.95/500g
Nuts - choose any, almonds, walnuts or pecans, just be sure
to toast them to bring out the flavours it will make all
the difference in flavour.
Apples The apples are never better than right now, I just
had some amazing honey crisps. Just set them whole right on
the board and let your guests cut their own slices.
Honey and apples, honey and cheese, cheese and honey, cheese
and apples, whatever way you put them together, it is a
brilliant combination.
The cheeses
These cheeses are largely new to the market, with the
exception of Noyan. Lets give thanks for them!
1608
Named after the year the Canadienne cow, developed as an
all purpose bovine for the tough Canadian climate was first
brought to Canada. How could you resist this cheese on name
alone? It is a celebration of Quebec history (produced in
the Charlevoix) and Canada all at once perfect
symbolically for Thanksgiving. And then there is the
flavour, think Comte, Beaufort, Morbier and you will be on
the right track. It is semi firm, has a acidic aroma and a
lovely nuttiness on the tongue not sharp at all, just
delightful.
Noyan
This was one of the first Quebec cheeses that I ever
tasted and it is still a favourite. Made just south of
Montreal near the US border in the town of Noyan. Fromager
Fritz Kaiser turns his considerable native Swiss cheesemaking skills to goat cheese and this is the delicious
result. A firm cheese with a white washed rind, gentle, but
deeply nutty aroma and on the tongue? A touch of bitterness,
then balanced saltiness, then a long and lasting high noted
nuttiness. Your guests will have a difficult time guessing
that this is a goat cheese.
Alexandria
From the hand of Margaret Morris, just north of
Cornwall Ontario, the cheese is named after the nearby town.
This washed rind cheese has an orange rind and is semisoft.
It is slightly sticky and is definitely stinky earthy,
like a rotting log. Ooh, my... lovely big flavour.
Immediately and lasting on the tongue is something
deliciously burnt. There is a hint of sweetness, seaweediness and always that underlying burnt flavour. The
rind is sandy in the teeth, and juxtaposes nicely with the
smooth interior.
Mouton Rouge
Cheese maker Elizabeth Bizikot in Conn,
Ontario produces this sheep cheese and it is gentle and
complex. The cheese has a lovely white and the mouldy rind
is rumpled, a testament to its hand-made status. It is a
fairly dry cheese on the tongue, and seemingly mild at first
but it flairs in the nasal passages with every breath
distinctive sheep milk flavour.
Smoked Cheddar
As
Provincial Fine Foods takes steps into
the business of affinage (or "finishing" cheese), they have produced a new cheese
from an old favourite. It all starts with 2 year Ile-aux-Grues
Cheddar a lovely example of a very versatile cheese that
has long been a favourite of mine - and they smoke it. If you
like smoked cheese, the aroma is tantalizing and strong from
the moment you open the package. The rind has a delightfully
smoky flavour that is varied and fine not unlike fine
smoked salmon you have tasted the difference, right? The
interior has less flavour but still has a lovely edge of
smokiness.
Bleu d'Elizabeth
This blue from Fromagerie Presbytere,
near the Gaspe is a relatively new blue cheese from Quebec.
It is soft and creamy, with the occasional granular nubble.
The blue is rich, almost sweet, but not sharp. The veins are
a deep blue. Blue cheese lovers and even those who dont,
are sure to enjoy this cheese.
 Andy Shay is a Toronto-based cheese expert and consultant. Learn about Andy's tutored tastings at AndyShay.com
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