Wine picks for Mother's Day. Wine-cheese, beer-cheese combos.
Posted by Sylvia Burgos at 5/6/2008 7:36 PM and is filed under Star Tribune,Minneapolis,boutique wine,craft beer,microbrewery,Wine,cheese sampler,cheese plate 
May 8.
Mom's day is coming up and you're wondering what to pour with that grilled hamburger, steak dinner or brunch? Well, Minneapolis Star Tribune wine columnist Bill Ward was good enough to lend some quick ideas:
- You'll need to use some judgment on that omelet because the fixings can really change the personality of the meal. If you're going with mild to medium fillings, Bill feels a pinot noir is a safe bet, great with mushrooms.
- If you're making a steak for that wonderful Mom in your life, a cabernet for sure. Bill also really likes a California Syrah or a petit syrah, and
- If you and the kids are grilling hamburgers for Mom (and when the weather's great who can resist the sizzle of burgers on the grill), pour zinfandel.
If you're heading to your local wine shop, take along this list and ask for the local products whenever possible. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the wines produced within 100 miles or so of your dinner table. Fine something terrific? Let me know! And be sure to check out Bill Ward's column and blog.
You don't' have to be a chef to pull together a tasty and entertaining cheese sampler for Mom (and the rest of the family). It's not rocket science; don't get stressed out. Here are four steps you can take to please Mom (and the kids):
- First, consider her tastes: does she like mild flavors or really strong ones.
- Second, identify her preferred wine or beer (or pop).
- Determine if you're going to feature the cheeses as appetizers or a main course
- Get a fun cheese (string cheese) for the kids to enjoy (Their young taste buds tend to appreciate the milder flavors)
OK. If she likes stronger flavors, here are some of the possibilities: blue cheeses such as Roquefurt, Stilton, Gorganzola, Iowa Maytag; and hard cheeses (older cheeses that have ripened over a period of time and are harder in texture) such as Mobay (USA and foreign), Roncal (Spanish), Manchego (Spanish), Asiago (Italian); and ripened cheeses that have runny textures, such as Camembert, or goat chevre.
Does she prefer lighter flavors? Again, you've got dozens of choices: Baby swiss, havarti, mild cheddars, young brie or Camambert.
You can make the shopping lots easier and more fun if you ask for help once you get to the dairy case.
How much to buy?
- You are going to want two or three different cheeses for the sampler
- If your cheese is the major part of your meal, consider a couple of ounces (roughly two square inches) of each type of cheese per person.
- The cheeses should vary in flavor intensity.
- And once you sit down to eat, you'll want to start with the milder cheese first.
What to drink? That depends on the cheeses you've purchased. If the beverage is more important to Mom, start there and choose cheeses to compliment the wine or beer. For example:
- Champagne: Brie, mild Cheddar, Edam, Gouda, Chevre, Baby Swiss
- Peppery Gewurtzraminer: Swiss, Chevre, Boursin
- Ports, sherry: Bleu, Roquefort, stilton, vintage brie
- Cabernet: sharp cheddar, Danish bleu, Brie US, Camembert
- Riesling: Cheshire, Colby, Edam, Gouda, Monterey Jack
When it comes to beer, try to find locally-produced microbrews. (Hey, Mom's worth it!) According to the Brewers Association, there are 1,406 microbreweries across the country (as of 2007), so there might just be a craft operation either close to you, or that sells product to your local purveyor. Here are some ideas from www.allaboutbeer.com:
- Mellow beers such as American wheat beer, American lagers, amber lagers: newer unripened cheeses such as ricotta, and cottage cheese.
- Pilsners, pale ales, porters, and American fruit ales: Camembert or Brie withbloomy rinds.
- Amber ales, golden ales, bitters, mellow bocks: semi-soft cheeses such as gouda, havarti, Tilsit, Liederkrantz, Port Salut and American Colby, Monterey Jack.
- Special bitters and pale ales, double bocks: semi-hard cheeses including the cheddars, Swiss, Cheshire, Tilsit, Edam, Gruyere, emmentaler, Jarlsberg and aged Gouda.
- Double bock, stout or porter: Blue-veined cheeses such as Stilton, Roquefort, and Gorgonzola, Iowa Maytag, St. Pete's bleu from Wisconsin. Maytag blue from Iowa go with the stronger beers: stout, porters,old ales, and Imperial stouts, and chevre.
Leave a comment. Just click on the title of this entry and you'll open to a longer page with options for printing the blog, making comments and voting on the information. I'd love to hear from you. And, please, feel free to e-mail this entry to a friend.
Have a great Mother's Day!
Sylvia@artisanbreadcheeseandwine.com
Comments