Our top seven cheeses, how to eat them and what to drink with them.
Our top seven cheeses of 2020: how to eat them, and what to drink with them.
Food & Wine
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We throw it into sandwiches, grate it on pasta and eat it plain, straight off the board with a knife.
Cheese makes it into so many of our meals and snacks — and most of us wouldn’t have it any other way.
Artisan cheesemaker Kris Lloyd, director of Woodside Cheese Wrights, believes Australians’ appetite for cheese has developed in more recent years.
“The Australian palette has become a little bit more sophisticated,” she says. “We get people now coming up to the cellar and asking, ‘what have you got that’s closest to the best-before date?’ ”
As imports have slowed (or stopped), Australian cheese lovers have been getting a taste for locally-made cheese. And it’s about time, if you ask Kris. These are the cheeses she says people are loving in 2020 — and what to drink with them.
SPRING GOAT
“This is the best time of the year to be eating goats milk cheese in Australia,” Kris says. Goats are pregnant through the winter and just as spring brings new life, with it comes mum’s milk. By way of style, Kris mentions the crottin — a French word for the petite cylinders of semi-hard lactic goat’s cheese, “with a wrinkly rind”. “Then the fresher goat’s curd and the chevres, we tend to crumble it on bruschetta or finish off our risotto with it.”
How to eat it: With fresh bread, or to finish off any dish that needs a bit of bite, such as a rich risotto or steaming shakshuka.
Drink:Sauvignon blanc. Kris says: “They’re going to have the acid to go with your lactic cheeses. Something crisp and clean.”
PASTA FILATA
If there’s one cheese that’s skyrocketed in popularity, it’s the stretched curd creations of “pasta filata” — think stretchy mozzarella, oozy burrata and smoky scamorza. Kris says: “It’s ‘good-for-the-soul cheese. You can put a burrata on a plate and drizzle it with olive oil, pair it with tomato when it’s in season and fresh basil … there are very few people I know who wouldn’t hoe into a beautiful fresh pasta filata.” Unlike aged cheeses that are best close to their “best before”, pasta filatas are best eaten as fresh as possible.
How to eat it: With beautiful pickles that have just been fermented, olives and maybe some anchovies, and fresh crusty bread.
Drink: Sangiovese, nebbiolo, or pinot grigio. “It will evoke a beautiful Mediterranean feel, which is perfect when we get warmer days.”
SOFT WASHED RIND
Better known as brie or camembert, though those names refer specifically to French makes. They’re “usually a bit stinky” but a well-made washed rind should be super sweet to taste, Kris says. He softer washed rind cheese is called Fibonacci, inspired by the cheese she saw people eating on Italian streets.
How to eat it: As close to its “best-before” as possible. Bring it to room temperature. “Not only will you get the full flavour of the cheese, but you’ll also get the texture the cheesemaker intended.”
Drink: Berliner weisse beer, such as that by craft beer crew, Mismatch. “It has that bit of sourness that would just work brilliantly with that kind of cheese.”
SEMI HARD CHEESE
This can be anything from a mild cheddar, to the French comte or morbier. “We make one called Spilt Milk.” Spilt Milk was created to support dairy farmers through COVID, and is washed in Sparkke vintage cider.
How to eat it: Enjoy it as a single cheese, with some freshly sliced local apple.
Drink:Sparkke’s vintage cider, or apale ale. If you’re opting for wine, try pinot gris. “Paracombe’s has a lovely blush of colour to it. It’s a beautiful wine for these sorts of cheeses.”
BLUE CHEESE
There are so many different kinds of blue cheeses, from sheep to buffalo and cow, and they all present different flavour profiles. For those shy of the idea of blue veined cheese, Kris suggests going for a “dolce”, meaning sweet. “It’s less pungent and a good starting point.” Piccante styles are stronger in flavour.
How to eat it:Try drizzling a wedge or sliver with some honey, and eat it with a plain lavosh.
Drink:Botrytis wine (botrytis wines have a sweet, honeyed character), or a brandy-based liqueur.
HARD CHEESE
Parmigiano-Reggiano and harder, Romano-style pecorino comes in here. “Even some of the more mature cheddars,” Kris says. These cheese styles are no longer limited to cooking, but have earned their place on a cheese board — and rightly so.
How to eat it:“In Italy you will find a large wedge on most kitchen tables, and generally it will be accompanied by a sharp and pointy cutting implement that allows you to break off chunks, rather than slices.” This “king of cheese” pairs beautifully with crisp juicy pears and walnuts, as well as good quality aged balsamic vinegar from Modena.
Drink: KIS whisky barrel aged gin. “It’s just delightful with that.” “Otherwise you could go for a lighter beer, any of the Italian wine varietals something to work as a vehicle with those bitey cheese flavours.”
TOP CHEESE TIPS
When do you take cheese out the fridge?
If it’s a “Best Before” cheese, such as brie, it’s best to eat it at room temperature to get the best flavour and texture. If it’s a “Use By” cheese, such as ricotta or burrata, take it out of the fridge and by the time you have your accompaniments ready, it’ll be ready to eat.
Remember larger portions of cheese will take longer to come to room temp.
Which crackers are best?
Plain. “Don’t complicate the flavours,” Kris Lloyd says. “As cheesemakers we go to a lot of trouble getting the flavour into the cheese.”
How to cut a wheel?
If you buy a whole wheel of cheese and don’t need the whole thing, cut off the portion and pop the rest in the fridge as soon as possible. To cut, sterilise your knife in just-boiled water to ensure a clean cut and avoid cross-contamination.
How to create a cheese board?
Don’t be tempted by over-complicating a cheese board — just a few, good quality cheeses will do. “Maybe a brie, a semi-hard cheese and the new kid on the block, pasta filata.” Accompaniments might include fresh fruits and honey, or pickles and bread.