In anticipation of the annual Cheese & Entertaining Festival happening this week, Goodtaste.tv and Central Market have teamed up to bring you a handful of fabulous cheese pairings, recipes and wine recommendations certain to make your next social gathering this fall- GRATE!
Pairings:
*Courtesy of Central Market.
Marin French Cheese Camembert
This cheese [shown above] from Marin County, CA, blends French tradition and California costal character. Made with fresh local milk, it has a creamy texture and complex flavor with hits of mushroom. Try with fig jam and a freshly baked French baguette for an epic cheese pairing.
Grana Padano
This firm, cow’s milk cheese is aged at least 20 months for an intense yet delicate flavor with fruity overtones. Enjoy as an everyday table cheese, an addition to cheeseboards, or as a grating cheese atop salads.
Don Juan One Year Aged Manchego
Produced in the La Mancha region of Spain, this semi-firm sheep’s milk cheese has a nutty, caramel flavor that pairs perfectly with jams and walnuts.
Recipes:
Jamón y Queso Tostadas
(grilled serrano ham and manchego cheese bruschetta)
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Ingredients
- 8 slices crusty, rustic bread
- 8 slices Jamon Serrano
- 8 slices Manchego cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 clove garlic, sliced in half
- Whole grain mustard (optional)
Preparation
Preheat the grill. Lightly toast both sides of the bread and rub one side with half a clove of garlic , then turn over and drizzle with the olive oil. Place the cheese slices on the bread, top each slice of cheese with a slice of ham and grill until the cheese begins to melt. Serve with the mustard separately or you can spread it on the cheese before it goes under the grill.
Wine
Ramón Bilbao Crianza; a Tempranillo from the Rioja region of Spain for the Manchego. A Spanish wine for a Spanish cheese. 🙂
Lilo’s Oma’s Camembert Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
- 4 drops Tabasco
- 1 tsp Maggi
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 1 lb Camembert cheese
- 1/2 lb cream cheese
- 1/4 lb Plugra butter
Preparation
Bring cheeses and butter to room temperature. Blend together. Place cheese mixture in a bowl lined with plastic wrap. Cover and chill two hours. Serve with sliced toasted baguette.
Wine
Enza Prosecco; Dry sparklings pair beautifully with Camembert!
Festival:
Over 800 varieties of ‘wheely good’ cheese at Central Market’s Cheese & Entertaining Festival, October 19 – November 1. 😉
In addition to the cheese varieties offered, an assortment of sharp, new products and recipes perfect for entertaining this holiday season–something to satisfy every cheese lover’s craving! Find more details out from your local Central Market.
For more delicious recipes and fun food and wine pairing ideas, subscribe to my newsletter.
1010ParkPlace says
Will definitely be trying the Pinot and the Tostadas! xoxo, Brenda