The flavors and textures of artisan cheeses can add mystery and delight to any gathering, but navigating the artisan cheese section can seem as difficult as selecting a good wine or beer.
Krisha Iles, the gourmet manager and head “cheesemonger” at Cuban Liquor & Wine Company in Shreveport, wants the world to know it doesn’t have to be that way.
“The main thing to remember whenever you walk into a shop like ours is to ask questions,” Iles said. “That’s why we’re back here. If you tell us what you like, we’ll do our best to find something very similar or maybe even get you to step out of the box just a little bit.”
Iles is passionate about cheese, so much that she competed in June at The Cheesemonger Invitational in New York City. “About 50 of us ‘cheesemongers’ – people who kind of play with cheese all day and get paid for it – came together in this really heated competition,” she said.
The spirit of the Cheesemonger Invitational is that great cheese does not exist without great cheesemongers. In fact, its Web site at www.cheesemongerinvitational.com describes cheesemongers as “caretakers, truth-tellers and therapists for the cheese” and “knights, priests and politicians for the cheese.”
The competition began with a written exam, followed by a blind taste test. “They gave us five cheeses, and we had to identify what type of milk they were made from, whether they were cow, sheep or goat,” Iles said. “We had to determine the country each was from, what type of cheese it was and name another cheese it was similar to. After that, we had an aroma test. They had these 20 little jars set up for us, and we had to identify the cheeses just by our sense of smell.”
The most exhilarating part of the competition, however, was in the plating, Isles said. “They had previously assigned us two cheeses and with the first one, we had to make a perfect plate and compose a perfect beverage to go with it,” Isles said. “I was assigned Red Hawk (a triple cream, washed-rind cheese from organic cow’s milk), so that’s a smelly one. The plate was very simple with just a little apple slice and some crackers. For the perfect beverage, I just did an Elderflower Gin & Tonic, which I think went over pretty well.”
The second assignment was for the perfect bite, a tiny nibble that spotlights the cheese and brings out its flavor. “For that I got Challerhocker, which is similar to a Gruyere,” Isles said, “so I made these tiny little sweet potato pies. The crust was a pork rind crust with a little hunk o’ Challerhocker and topped with sweet potato preserves.”
Unfortunately, Isles didn’t make the finals, but it was only her first time. “I learned a lot about what to do next time just from the final six. I think I’ll do better next time.”
Isles clearly loves talking about cheese and offering up suggestions. “There are major categories, such as blue, gouda, cheddar, soft ripened and all the different milks,” she said. “But then there are hundreds of hybrid cheeses that don’t necessarily fall into any of those categories. We have one from Wisconsin, the Cupola, that’s kind of like a hybrid between a Parmesan, a gouda and a cheddar, and it hits a lot of notes. It pairs really well with a variety of wines and especially with a lot of beers.”
When building a cheese tray, Isles said, “The most important thing is to have different types of cheeses. A soft one, a hard one, a blue or maybe something with a little herb or peppercorns in it or something aged. That way you get different and textures and different flavors because you’d hate for your cheese board to be one note all the way across. A quality brie is always a great choice. It’s also important to have an array of color. You don’t just want a lot of beige.”
Accoutrements add so much aesthetically and for taste.
“Our main staple on almost every cheese board is fresh grapes,” Isles said. If you can find fresh figs, they are gorgeous cut open and put on a board, or any kinds of dried figs. Cured meats such as salami, prosciutto and Salato ham can make a beautiful and also tasty addition to a cheese board. And almonds! Every cheese board needs Marcona almonds. They’re just addiction in a tub.”
As for superstar cheese picks, Isles loves a good backstory.
“I’ll go with my trusty Challerhocker,” she said. “It is amazing. It comes from a family that focused on Appenzeller (a hard cow’s milk cheese from Switzerland) for about three generations. The rind has an image of this creepy, photo of a little boy on it that the maker actually drew himself. And it’s just a fantastic cheese.
Iles said the best way to learn about cheese is to eat more cheese to find out what you like. “On Fridays and Saturdays, we almost always have something to snack on out for sample, and as far as the cheese goes, we can stand here all day any day and sample e very cheese with you. You can absolutely try before you buy. In fact, we encourage you to do so before investing in a hunk because cheese is not cheap. Just taste it and do a little research. ” Cuban Liquor & Wine Company is located at 928 Pierremont Road in Shreveport.
– Susan Reeks
