A good Cheese and cracker plate is a staple of our gameday fare. What kind of cheeses do you all like. Personally I have met very few cheeses I haven't liked other than Limburger. I also do not like smoked cheeses all that much. Some of my favorites are:
Cheddar - for me the sharper the better but I like them all.
Gouda - right behind cheddar with a good cracker. There is a special Gouda called Roomkaus or something like that, it has a much higher butterfat content and is simply amazing.
Brie or Camembert - soft cheese with edible white rind. I cut the rind off anyway. Baked Brie is good but I never think to do it. This is the wife's favorite so it is usually in the fridge.
Boursin - I forget if this is a double or tripple cream cheese. All I know is it is good. Can be found with a number of herbs mixed in but I love the garlic Boursin. It is so creamy you can spread it with a knife. If there is a cheese that can clog your arteries, this is probably it.
Blue Cheese - a little strong or sharp for many people but I love it especially with some good salami or summer sausage to go with it. Green olives go well with blue cheese, in fact try stuffing green olives with blue cheese and putting them in a martini or a cold vodka shot. Emeril is right, if you haven't tried the Maytag Blue Cheese, you haven't tried the best. Blue's come in two varities creamy and crumbly.
Edam - If I had to choose between Edam and Gouda, Edam would lose but it is still a great cheese for a cracker. The wife likes smoked Edam. She will put it in the shopping cart and I take it out when her head is turned.
Gourmandise - It comes in walnut and cherry flavor, go for the cherry, this is another double or tripple cream cheese that melts on your tongue. Sliced apples or pears do wonders for this cheese. Hard to find but buy it if you see it. Very mild and creamy and the taste of walnuts or cherries is very present.
Now for Crackers. I'm not much of a cracker snob. I like Ritz and Premium Saltines. Occasionally I will buy a box of Peperidge Farms crackers or a stack of Carr's. Hearty breads, though not a cracker, are good too.
Good things to put on a cheese plate:
Fresh sliced apple, pear, kiwi, figs and dates, salami, summer sausage, smoked oysters, thin sliced ham, olives, pickles, pickled quail eggs, honey, and mustard.
A good cold beer and you are set.
Cheddar - for me the sharper the better but I like them all.
Gouda - right behind cheddar with a good cracker. There is a special Gouda called Roomkaus or something like that, it has a much higher butterfat content and is simply amazing.
Brie or Camembert - soft cheese with edible white rind. I cut the rind off anyway. Baked Brie is good but I never think to do it. This is the wife's favorite so it is usually in the fridge.
Boursin - I forget if this is a double or tripple cream cheese. All I know is it is good. Can be found with a number of herbs mixed in but I love the garlic Boursin. It is so creamy you can spread it with a knife. If there is a cheese that can clog your arteries, this is probably it.
Blue Cheese - a little strong or sharp for many people but I love it especially with some good salami or summer sausage to go with it. Green olives go well with blue cheese, in fact try stuffing green olives with blue cheese and putting them in a martini or a cold vodka shot. Emeril is right, if you haven't tried the Maytag Blue Cheese, you haven't tried the best. Blue's come in two varities creamy and crumbly.
Edam - If I had to choose between Edam and Gouda, Edam would lose but it is still a great cheese for a cracker. The wife likes smoked Edam. She will put it in the shopping cart and I take it out when her head is turned.
Gourmandise - It comes in walnut and cherry flavor, go for the cherry, this is another double or tripple cream cheese that melts on your tongue. Sliced apples or pears do wonders for this cheese. Hard to find but buy it if you see it. Very mild and creamy and the taste of walnuts or cherries is very present.
Now for Crackers. I'm not much of a cracker snob. I like Ritz and Premium Saltines. Occasionally I will buy a box of Peperidge Farms crackers or a stack of Carr's. Hearty breads, though not a cracker, are good too.
Good things to put on a cheese plate:
Fresh sliced apple, pear, kiwi, figs and dates, salami, summer sausage, smoked oysters, thin sliced ham, olives, pickles, pickled quail eggs, honey, and mustard.
A good cold beer and you are set.
