Photos by Laurie Proffitt

C'est Cheese! Indulge your taste for life's finer pleasures. By Nancy Ross Ryan Next time you find yourself at a restaurant with any class or style, do yourself a favor and say cheese. Order the cheese course, and treat your palate to one of the world's finest natural foods. And, when you're entertaining chez vous, serve cheese. You may serve a small cheese course (for how-to, see "Cheese 101") in place of dessert, a somewhat larger cheese plate as the main course for lunch or supper accompanied by bread, wine and salad; a cheese buffet for cocktails, and when unexpected company descends, what better way to meet the challenge than with an assortment of cheeses, olives, country bread and wine. And what else -- that requires absolutely no cooking -- can make such superb fast food? Cheese, described as "milk's leap to immortality," is one of life's most sublime foods to suffer from the recent fear of fat that swept the nation. For at least a decade cheese consumption dropped, and, except for fine French restaurants, the cheese course was hard to find. But as Julia Child counsels, "Moderation. All things in moderation." Paula Lambert, president and cheesemaker of The Mozzarella Company, Dallas, says "Julia Child had a lot to do with crusading against fear of food in general. It was a phase we went through. But now the pendulum has reversed its arc, and we are back to eating and enjoying cheese." After a trip to Italy in 1982, Lambert began making fresh cow's milk mozzarella. Now her small factory in downtown Dallas has added 25 more cheeses to the line of artisinal cow's milk and goat's milk cheeses. Her latest accomplishment is to make genuine fresh buffalo-milk mozzarella that critics say is indistinguishable from the Italian Mozzarella di bufala. She ships her cheeses to restaurants, hotels and gourmet shops coast to coast. Lambert agrees that cheese courses are on the increase, not just because of the return swing of the food-fashion pendulum, but also because the American public is well-traveled and becoming more sophisticated and food wise. "Cookbooks and television food shows help fuel the process," she says, "and so does the wonderful availability that we have in the U.S. right now of fabulous artisinal regional cheeses." Lambert is referring to the growth in small, artisinal American cheesemakers like herself, as distinct from mass-production cheese factories. Most of the U.S. artisinal cheeses being made today came, just as our ancestors did, from other lands. The only truly original American cheeses are Jack cheese from California and Brick and Colby from Wisconsin. The rest are patterned after European cheeses. And European cheeses all grew out of the very first discovery -- about 10,000 B.C. when sheep and goats were domesticated -- that when milk sours it separates into curds and whey. Drain the curds and voilà! cheese. By 3,000 B.C. about 20 different types of cheese appear in ancient Sumerian writings. And cheesemaking equipment dating from around that time has been discovered in Egypt and Europe. Since those early days, the variety of cheeses has proliferated by the hundreds. Cheese can be and is made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep, horses, donkeys and yaks. A casual survey of any good cheesemonger's wares today always reveals more cow's milk cheese than goat's milk cheese, and more of both than sheep's milk cheese. The reason is simple: One cow produces between 8 to 20 quarts of milk a day; one goat produces three to four and one-half quarts of milk daily; one sheep produces, at most, 1 quart of milk daily. But when you are creating a cheese course, it is always nice to have cheeses from at least two different kinds of milk represented. Although more and more restaurants offer cheese courses, the lavish cheese trolley -- an expensive investment in cheese and service -- is harder to find. Among restaurants offering the cheese trolley are Chef Terrance Brennan's Picholine in New York City; Chef Georges Perrier's Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia; and Chefs Mary Beth and Roland Liccioni's Le Français in Wheeling, Ill., and Les Nomades in Chicago. At Le Français, the cheese course is complementary with the prix fixe meal; however, a la carte diners may opt for it as well. The glory of a cheese cart -- its lavish selection -- can also be its greatest pitfall. For who can remember the spoken descriptions of a dozen, much less two dozen, different cheeses that sit soundlessly on a cart? The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago has come to the aid of its guests, says manager Steven Lande. The impressive silver cheese tray freighted with 24 cheeses will be brought to the table on request. But each guest may first read from the printed cheese menu that divides the cheeses into three categories -- cow's milk, sheep's milk and goat's milk -- and gives a succinct description of the origin, flavor and texture of each. There are two controversies about the cheese course. The first is whether or not to serve cheese with bread and fruit or bread alone. The choice is usually made by nationality. Mary Beth Liccioni says Americans tend to like fruit with their cheese and Europeans prefer just bread. A word of caution comes from Chef Fritz Blank of Deux Cheminees, Philadelphia. He says, "It is absolutely de rigeur to change bread with the cheese course. Don't offer the same bread that has accompanied the meal." The second question is whether to serve the cheese course before dessert or in place of dessert. The European custom is to serve cheese just before dessert." But," says Lambert, "American desserts tend to be gigantic things. Who can eat a cheese course and still have room for a massive elaborate dessert. In the U.S. I think it's a choice between cheese or dessert." Chef Jim Drohman, Campagne, Seattle, half agrees. "If the cheese course is part of a degustation menu with small courses then I think it should be served before dessert. But if the meal is a la carte and the desserts are huge, then I think it should be either or."

Cheese Course 101 How and where to buy it: The best way to make the acquaintance of the hundreds of different domestic and international cheeses is to locate a knowledgeable cheesemonger in a specialty cheese shop or at an excellent food market. Buy only as much as you will consume soon (except for hard grating cheeses). Try before you buy; ask for samples. As for information about shelf life, special characteristics, type of milk, the cheese's origin. Ask for suggestions of wines to complement the cheese. How to store it: Store cheese wrapped in aluminum foil, waxed paper or plastic wrap as close to the bottom of the refrigerator as possible. (Some experts believe that goat's milk cheese should not be wrapped in plastic wrap.) When you unwrap the cheese to cut it, don't re-use wrap; rewrap any unused portion in fresh wrap. No matter what you have read, do not freeze cheese. How to serve a cheese plate: Cut approximately 1-ounce portions of three, at the most four, cheeses that differ in texture, flavor and, ideally, the milk from which they are made. (Refer to "Cheese du Jour" for guidelines.) Always serve cheese at room temperature. (One chef, whose identity is a closely guarded secret, offers a tip: Zap it ever so briefly in the microwave to bring it to room temperature instantly. Otherwise, let cheese sit at room temperature for 1 hour.) Serve on large plates, arranging cheese around the outer rim and allowing space between cheeses. Arrange accompaniments in between or in the center of the plate. Appropriate fresh fruit includes slices of pear, apple and a small bunch of grapes. Dried fruit, especially dates, makes a nice accompaniment, as does toasted or spiced nuts. Some chefs like to serve chutney with cheese. And, depending on the cheese, some like olives. On the side, serve French or Italian bread, unsalted crackers or a whole-grain raisin-nut bread, lightly toasted if you wish.

Cheese du Jour Chefs have a way with cheese, as the following example of cheese courses show. It wouldn't be too shabby to re-create any of these at home.

Chef Jean Joho, Everest, Chicago Although Chef Joho was born in Alsace, and his Everest menu is French, he pays America a great compliment with his cheese course -- daily selections of the finest, regional American farmhouse cheeses on a small marble board served usually with raisin pecan bread. Joho doesn't favor fruit with cheese, unless the cheese is blue. But he does like to pair cheese with black walnuts. His regional choices on any given day might include: A fresh goat cheese from Coach Farm, Pine Plains, New York Crocodile Tears, fig-shaped, paprika-dusted goat cheese from Capriole, Greenville, Indiana An aged cow's milk Gruyère from Roth Kase U.S.A. Ltd., Monroe, Wisconsin Pur Chèrer Bleu, a blue goat's milk cheese from Dietrich's Dairy, Fowler, Illinois An aged cow's milk Vermont Cheddar such as Extra Sharp Vermont Cheddar from Grafton Village Cheese Company, Grafton, Vermont. Chef Suzy Crofton, Crofton's, Chicago Reblochon: Soft, velvety cow's milk cheese from Savoie, France Sainte-Maure de Touraine: Goat's milk cheese from the Loire Valley, France Livarot: Cow's milk cheese from Calvados, France, similar to but more distinctive than Camembert. Chef Charlie Palmer, Aureole, New York Chef Palmer's cheese course, which changes daily, is usually composed of cheeses from Egg Farm Dairy, Peekskill, New York Peekskill Pyramid: A slightly chewy, aged, cow's milk cheese with a buttery taste from Egg Farm Amawalk: A soft, ripened cow's milk cheese from Egg Farm Estancia: A ripened sheep's milk cheese from Uruguay. Chef Johannes Klapdohr, Nikolai's Roof, Atlanta, Georgia Chef Klapdohr's regular cheese tray -- a selection of six mostly French cheeses for guests to choose from -- changes frequently. However, he also makes special cheese courses, such as this one for New Year's Eve: Quenelle of Vacherin Mont D'Or -- a rich, soft cow's milk French cheese shaped into a quenelle with a spoon, on a small frisée salad, ringed in tiny fingerling potatoes that have been sautéed in truffle butter, with a sprinkling of truffle oil, and a crown of shaved white truffles. Chef Fritz Blank, Deux Cheminees, Philadelphia Chef Blank offers diners a selection from six or eight different cheeses, which vary nightly, and the cheese plate is composed in the kitchen and served with whole grain raisin-walnut bread, sliced and toasted. French Roquefort, Italian Gorgonzola or English Stilton A double or triple cream cheese such as Explorateur, a French cow's milk cheese A goat's milk cheese such as Bucheron from Burgundy, France Parmigiano-Reggiano, a hard, cow's milk cheese from Emilia-Romagna, Italy, or Pecorino-Romana, from Sardinia, or Pecorino-Toscano, from Tuscany, both hard sheep's milk cheeses Brie or Camembert from France Gruyère from Switzerland Chef Patrick O'Connell, The Inn at Little Washington, Washington, Virginia Although the restaurant has a cheese trolley with about 15 selections that change daily, Chef O'Connell does a special course called Burst of Brie, that is a combination of the salad and cheese course and something, he says, perfect for home entertaining. Burst of Brie: Wrap a small wedge of Brie or other creamy soft cheese in several sheets of buttered phyllo. Sauté quickly in a small amount of olive oil, turning on all sides to brown to a crisp golden brown. Place phyllo-wrapped warm Brie on a nest of frisée and field greens dressed, if you like, with a light vinaigrette. Drizzle lightly with genuine balsamic vinegar that has been reduced (by simmering) until it is as thick as chocolate sauce ("Which," says O'Connell, "Many guests believe it is.") Sprinkle with spicy walnuts and serve. When the diner's fork pierces the phyllo-wrapped cheese, the Brie bursts forth like an egg yolk. Chef Paul Kahan, Blackbird, Chicago Gaperon: French cow's milk cheese from Auvergne studded inside with peppercorns and roasted garlic Maytag Blue: American blue cheese cake topped with a prune poached in red wine and black pepper syrup Soumaintrain: Triple cream from Burgundy, France Bonde de Gatin: Artisinal French goat cheese from Poitou-Charentes Fondi di Toscana: Italian sheep's milk cheese from Tuscany Chef Philippe Boulot, The Heathman hotel, Portland, Oregon Chef Boulot offers a regular assiette de fromage on the regular menu, consisting of three selections which change frequently, and also a cheese course on his prix fixe menu. Guests are offered their choice of bread -- French ficelle, olive ciabbatta, Italian country-style bread, or unsalted crackers. Reblochon: Soft, velvety cow's milk cheese from France Brie: cow's milk cheese from France Roquefort: blue-veined sheep's milk cheese from France Chef Jim Drohman, Campagne and Campagne Cafe, Seattle, Washington Chef Drohman offers a selection of six cheeses with bread (a locally baked Italian hearth bread) and butter. If guests request fruit, he'll serve perfectly ripe pears, apples or grapes. He structures his cheese selection as follows: A creamy aged goat's milk cheese (he frequently uses Quillasascutt, a local producer) A more traditional grainy-textured aged goat's milk cheese, often from the Loire Valley in France (Chabichou de Pitou, Graçay, etc.) A sheep's milk cheese (P'etit Basque from France, Brin d'Amour from Corsica, or an aged sheep's milk cheese from Sally Jackson Cheeses in Oroville, Washington) A firm, pressed cow's milk cheese (Tome de Savoie, Savoie, France; Cantal from Auvergne, France; a German-style Tilsit from Sonheim, in Colorado) A soft ripened cow's milk cheese (Reblochon from savoie, France, Munster from Alsace, France; Pierre Robert -- a triple cream -- from Champagne, France) A blue cow's milk cheese (from an American artisinal producer, or a Fourme d'Ambert from Auvergne, France; Cashel Blue from Ireland) Chef Jeff Constance, Spruce, Chicago Chef Constance always offers a tasting of Artisan cheeses on his menu: a goat's milk , sheep's milk and cow's milk cheese, accompanied by walnut-raisin bread. But the piece de resistance on his cheese plate is the fruit -- not apples, pears or grapes, but a jeweled mosaic slice of terrine of caramelized apples and pears in a Port wine aspic. Chef Hubert Keller, French Laundry, Yountville, California Always on the cutting edge, Chef Keller, takes a new approach with cheese. His is a cheese menu. Each cheese has its own unique accompaniment. Camembert: with golden delicious apple compote, caramel and crystallized apple chips St. Pierre: with slow baked chioggia beets and red beet essence Tête de Moins: with savoy cabbage, purple potato salad, "lardons" and whole grain mustard "mousse" Vacherin Haut-Rive: with a vol-au-vent of pruneaux d'agen

GOURMET ISSUE -- May 1999

BACK