How To Arrange A Cheese Board
You dont HAVE to include all of these items. Maybe pick one or two from each category or just go with steps 1-3 for a simpler board.
When assembling the cheese board, I like to place my cheeses on the board first. Since they ARE the star of the platter. On this platter I actually put some greens underneath the cheese to prop it up a bit. Then I placed the meats in different areas to contrast the cheese. Then the bread/crackers and lastly use all the other ingredients to fill in the space. Your goal is to make sure you cant see the board. To make it look abundant and full of all kinds of goodies. So as soon as you bring it out your guest devour it!
Every time I make a Cheese Board it magically transports me back to Napa. Sitting with my husband and friends, looking out at a vineyard and slowly being overtaken by the peace of that moment! I hope this cheeseboard transports you too! Life is too short to not be enjoyed. And lets be honest. Cheese just makes people happy!
What Is Port Wine
Known most commonly as a dessert wine, Port is a fortified wine made exclusively in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. While there are about 100 varieties of grapes that are sanctioned to produce Port wine, only Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cão, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesa, and Touriga Nacional are commonly used.
How To Make A Cheese Board
Im a Wisconsin girl born and raised. Cows. Farms. Cheese. Brats. Beer. Thats what most people think of when they think of Wisconsin. Well, that and the Packers! Duh!
I grew up on cheese. It was like its own food group. Cheese is in my blood!
There is nothing better than a slice of aged cheddar cheese that has a slight sharpness to it then melts in your mouth.
Cheese reminds me of home. It brings up all the fun memories I had growing up. Memories of driving past farms with the windows down and radio blaring. Of going to the Wisconsin State Fair and stuffing my face with Cream Puffs and fried cheese curds. Yall have NOT had cheese curds until youve had Wisconsin cheese curds. And memories of driving back home from college on the weekends and passing the hugeCHEESE STAND sign.
We are all about cheese. So I find it appropriate;to take you on a road trip of some of my favorite cheeses, paired with meats and wines. Because sitting out back with a board of cheese to devour and wine to sip with friends is real enjoyment to me!
Have you ever thought. There has to be a trick to making those Cheese &;Charcuterie Boards?
Well, Im gonna show you a few tricks. Its not as complicated as you think.
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Chips And Salsa/pico De Gallo/guacamole
When it comes to snacking, chips and salsa are considered a staple. If you want to keep it low energy, swing by Trader Joes and pick up their premade guacamole or salsa variations.;
You can always take it to the next level with a homemade guac recipe or mix up your salsa game with this refreshing summer mango salsa. Keep in mind, the guac will brown over time and will only be good for a few hours!;
Oh, and lucky for you, we put together an entire guide on how to pair with and salsa and guacamole!;
Wine #: Pairing With The Main Entre
Medium to Full-Bodied Red Wine
Given the case that youre not having fish, a medium-bodied to full-bodied red wine is going to match perfectly with your main course. For this, there are a myriad of options from which to choose. Suffice to say, pick what you like or better yet, what your guests like. If you need some inspiration, check out this awesome infographic on the different types of wine.
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Sweet Dishes Such As Pancakes Or French Toast
One important principle of wine pairing is that sweet dishes need a wine that is equal in sweetness, or even slightly sweeter. The reason for this is that a sweet dish, like our Oven-Baked Blueberry Pancakes, can easily make a dry wine taste bitter. Moscato d’Asti is a sweet, lightly effervescent Italian wine that has aromas of honeysuckle and fragrant blossoms, and flavors of juicy white peach and apricot. It’s a wonderful alternative to prosecco if you like a little sparkle in your glass. One reason it’s so wonderful with brunch is that it has a naturally low alcohol contentyou can enjoy a glass without feeling sleepy for the rest of the afternoon.
Pairing Snacks And Wine
Moving Moment/Adobe
A good deal of thought and experimentation on the part of sommeliers and wine experts have gone into finding suggestions for pairing food with wineâfrom cheese or steak and chicken to fish and spicy food. But itâs not always a steak-and-potato dinner or celebratory meal that calls for wine. Sometimes you just want to kick back on the couch and watch a movie or have a few friends over and pull out the chips or pretzels and a bottle of your favorite vino. But what goes with savory, crunchy âjunk foodâ?
Whether you prefer red or whiteâor even Champagneâthereâs a bottle to uncork that will play just as nice with your snacks as it might with a steak. Following are a few suggestions to make pleasing pairingsâplus itâs always fun to experiment.
Cheese CurlsCabernet Sauvignon: Cheddar cheese pairs well with the wineâs cherry and black currant flavors so could crunchy or puffy cheese curl snacks.
Hummus DipPinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc for whites and Pinot Noir and Chianti for reds, suggest Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page in their book, What to Drink with What You Eat.
PopcornChardonnayâs buttery qualities go great with buttery popcorn. Also try Champagne and other sparkling wines, especially with plain popcorn. More ideas: Pairing Cheesy Popcorn and Wine
PretzelsWhite Zinfandelâs fruit with a little sweetness is a nice counterpoint to salty pretzels and also complements a tangy mustard dip.
Read More:
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How To Open A Wine Bottle
To open a wine bottle correctly, always handle the bottle in the air and never place it down on a table. Follow these steps to uncork a wine bottle with a wine key:
What Cheese For A Cheese Board For Wine Tasting
It might be an unconventional approach, but rather than struggling with cheese decision paralysis, I just did a flight of cheddar cheeses for this board!
Just as there are subtle differences between different varieties of wine, its the same for cheese.
Hard cheeses like cheddar are generally the easiest types to pair with wine, and cheddar works well with both white and red wines.
In particular, cheddar pairs very well with an oaky Chardonnay, as well as Syrah and Malbec.
So, this one platter can be a cheese board for red wine AND a cheese board for white wine!
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Gewrztraminer: Grilled Salmon With Ginger Soy Butter
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a wine that can make the soy sauce in this grilled salmon dish soar better than Gewürztraminer. The aromatics in this full-bodied white are a wonderful partner to subtle sweetness of grilled salmon, and better yet, the wine itself features a ginger-like spice that mimics one of the recipe’s actual ingredients.
Add A Homemade Surprise
A charcuterie board can be a place to showcase your creativity and culinary prowess. Even when purchasing most of your charcuterie from respected purveyors, we always incorporate rillettes or pate made at home. They are surprisingly simple to prepare, and will keep, if properly stored under refrigeration, for two weeks. Use our pork rillettes recipe , or if youre in a pinch for time, try Olympia Provisions.
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Sangiovese Pairs With Pizza And Other Tomato
Since pizza, pasta, and other tomato-based dishes are Italian, it only makes sense to pair these foods with a glass of good Italian wine. The reason why Italian wines work well with tomato is because they help complement the acidity. Other wines have the potential to leave a metallic aftertaste in your mouth.
The older the Sangiovese wine is, the fruitier it gets. Before you take your first sip, take some time to appreciate the subtle;scents of figs, cherries, and roses.
Rose Wine: An Introduction
As has been mentioned earlier, rose wines are not always rose colored. In fact, the color of a rose wine may vary depending on the type of grapes that has been used in order to make the wine. The reason rose wines have the pinkish tinge is because the red grapes that are used to make the wine are crushed earlier than normal which reduces their ability to imbue the wine with the correct amount of tannin which is responsible for the color of the wine.
In earlier times, red wine was also made by adding a small amount of red wine to white wine. This is the reason why rose wine was often noticed to have more white wine like flavor and characteristics. Also, mixing the two wines created a drink that had the character that was reminiscent of red wine while maintaining the crisp taste of the white wine.
Rose wines can generally be categorized into three different types: blending which is made after combining red and white wine, skin contact which is created when the skin of red grapes are kept in immature wine so that they imbue the color of the skin, and saignee which is a secondary product of red wine. The taste of rose wines can vary greatly depending on the region they come from. With European rose wines the taste generally veers towards the dry but with rose wines from the US, the wines tend to be sweet.
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Cava: Oven Fried Chicken
It may not be intuitive to pour an elegant sparkling wine alongside fried chicken, but in fact, these two are a match made in heaven. The refreshing acidity and effervescence of cava, which is Spain’s slightly more budget-friendly answer to champagne, makes it a fitting companion because it can cut through the rich buttermilk and oil in this recipe like a sharp blade. Now that’s highbrow-meets-lowbrow dining at its best.
Get our recipe for Oven-Fried Chicken.
Foods That Pair Well With Port Wine
1. Cheese
Wine and cheese is a common food-drink pairing, but switching out your bottle of red for a Port can enhance the experience. The contrasting flavors of salty cheese and a sweeter tasting Port will deliver a new combination of palate pleasing tastes to a traditional party platter.
2. Chocolate Cake
A traditional blend of dessert and dessert wine, Port and chocolate cake are a perfect way to end any meal. The balance of the rich fruity flavors of Port, and the sweetness of Chocolate cake, create a delectable pairing enjoyed by most anyone.
3. Creating a Port Wine Sauce
Port wine may not be commonly served alongside main-course dishes, but it does go great when the dish includes a Port wine sauce. A great mixture of flavours can be found when creating dishes such as chicken with a Port and mushroom sauce, the richness of the Port wine reducing to create the perfect sweet and savory combination. Be sure to pair a Late Bottled Vintage, or Vintage style Port alongside this tasty dish.
4. Sorbet
To add a little complexity to a traditional and simple dessert, add a dash of Port wine on top of your sorbet before serving it to guests. This not only will enhance the flavor of the dessert, but it also gives a pleasing visual presentation.
5. Pickles and Olives
Whether youre creating a complex meal or a simple dish,; Port wine is both useful in the kitchen and a delightful accompaniment for appetizers and desserts.
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Fried Wings With A Blue Cheese Dressing
Of course, buffalo sauce isnt the only way to serve wings. You can use a blue cheese dressing too, which creates a very different balance of flavors.
The white wine Chenin blanc can be a good choice for this type of dressing. The wine tends to be quite acidic and a little sweet, a combination that contrasts well against the blue cheeses.
Delightful Ways On How To Serve Rose Wine For A Full
Many wine connoisseurs often disregard rose wine considering them inferior to the more preferred varieties of red and white wine; but for many people around the world, rose wine serves as the perfect antidote on a hot summer day.
Many wine connoisseurs often disregard rose wine considering them inferior to the more preferred varieties of red and white wine; but for many people around the world, rose wine serves as the perfect antidote on a hot summer day.
Blush wines or rose wines, call them what you want, it does not take away from the crispness and lightness of the rose variety of wine that many people love to indulge in on a hot summer day. Rose wines are called so because of their color, which is not a true red but the color of a white wine with just enough tinge of red giving it a slightly pinkish appearance. This color may vary depending on the type of grapes used, making the color of the wine appear orange or even purple at times. As is well known among wine cognoscenti, there is always a specific manner in which wine should be served.
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What Foods Go With Wine
To throw an impromptu party, you wont want to spend time preparing food. Think simple foods that dont require any cooking or baking. I like to build a cheese board to serve everything from. You can even build on different cheese boards to go with different types of red wines, sparkling wines, and white wines!
Here are a few ideas:
Snacks and Apps that pair well with both a light RED WINE or a WHITE WINE like a caramel-y Chardonnay!
- sweet pickles such as;cornichon
- rice crackers and herbed gluten free crackers .
- simple sweets ; no bake cake bites,;lemon macadamia nut cookies or;any gluten free store bought sweets.
- Herbs and pretty flowers, just for kicks!
And, of course, a variety of cheeses that go with wine. I should also note, that light berry fragrant Rosé and Sparkling White wine are just about good with ALL THE THINGS. In my my humble opinion. Either way, they are ARE A MUST at wine and cheese parties. Why? Because these lightly sweet wines are the perfect intro wine to those who may not be frequent wine connoisseurs. Aka wine newbies. I say that with no snobby wine face. Mmm k?
What To Serve With Mussels
Wondering what to serve with mussels? Youve come to the right place!
Pair your sweet and meaty mussels with these flavorful side dish ideas for a hearty meal.
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For a quick and easy dinner, look no further than mussels. Done in just 1 to 2 minutes, theyre a breeze to cook and affordable, to boot.;
Theyre also wonderfully sweet and briny with a hint of mushroom-like flavor. Theyre very mild, which makes them a perfect addition to soups, salads, and pasta.;
If youre looking for creative ways to serve mussels for lunch or dinner, I have you covered.
From vegetables to spaghetti to baguettes, this round-up of recipes is all youll need.;
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Albario: Chipotle Shrimp Quesadilla
In general, the most successful wines to pair with a Mexican feast are refreshingly crisp and acidic. While Sauvignon Blanc is a fine choice for this chipotle shrimp quesadilla, we suggest an Albariñoand not just because this varietal typically hails from Spain, but also because its refreshingly citrusy flavor profile will nicely offset the heat from the peppers.
