Gastronome

SAY CHEESE!

A major appreciation for cheese has caught on in the US, adding more culture to the milk.

Cheese has its honored place in a French meal. Served after the main course and before dessert, different selections—from Brie and Camembert to a washed rind cheese like Epoisse or Reblochon to the strongest “bleu” or Roquefort—are lovingly and meticulously picked from mild to sharp and pungent.

At one time, a cheese course was virtually absent in the US, while in France it was not only ‘de rigueur’ at the finest restaurants but at home as well.

In the past five years, cheese boards have been revitalized and reinvented at restaurants across the country, paying tribute to the French while taking on a distinctive American style.

Chef Wayne Nish recently introduced a cheese course composed of all “raw” (unpasteurized) milk cheeses at his Manhattan restaurant, Nish (www.waynenish. net). Other chefs are taking the cheese plate in new directions, highlighting their choices by pairing each cheese with a special condiment—a jam, honey, fruit or spice that brings out the best in the cheese.

Chef Ken Oringer of Clio in Boston (www.cliorestaurant.com) serves a changing selection of cheeses with stunning accompaniments, such as Saveur du Maquis, a sheep’s milk cheese with espilette pepper and chestnut honey, and Chabis Feuille, a fresh goat’s milk cheese served with quince tart and sauternes braised apricots.

At Chicago’s One SixtyBlue (www..onesixtyblue.com), cheese is a major event. Served before or after the main course, the cheese course is prepared three ways: presented with simple accompaniments, baked in a wood oven (for example, camembert affiné with dried pear, caramelized almonds and mâche salad), or composed in creative, layered combinations of cheese and accompaniments such as fourme d’ambert with fresh pear and baby arugula salad.

New York City’s Alto (www.altorestaurant. com) has an all-Italian cheese list that pairs cheeses with condiments, like gorgonzola dolce—a sweet, strong flavored blue cow’s milk cheese, with orange and peperocino marmellata. Anther exotic combination is the parmigiano with black truffle honey and rye paper.

A cheese course can serve as a mini-tutorial. Once you learn which kinds you love best, try assembling a plate at home. —Nancy Davidson