TIP OF THE DAY: Cheese Plate With Bacon

June 20, 2014 at 7:51 am · Filed under Cheese-Yogurt-Dairy, Recipes, Tip Of The Day

A cheese course with bacon. Photo courtesy
Castello.

Thanks to Castello, a Danish producer of classic cheeses, for this cheese plate inspiration. The cheese is sliced into thin, carpaccio*-like slivers.

For the cheese course, Castello used its Castello Alps Selection Classic, an Alpine-style cheese (the category of semifirm cheeses that includes Appenzeller, Gruyère, Raclette and Vacherin Mont-d’Or, among others).

It’s easy to make.

Fry up the bacon, ideally a specialty brand such as Edwards, Niman Ranch or Nueske.

If you have a mandoline, use it to slice the cheese into carpaccio-like pieces. Otherwise, slice cold cheese as thinly as you can.

You can turn it into the salad course by adding some lightly dressed mesclun or frisée.

*Carpaccio is a dish of raw meat or fish, thinly sliced or pounded thin and typically served mainly as a first course.

RECIPE: CHEESE PLATE “CARPACCIO” WITH BACON

Ingredients For 2 Servings

3 ounces (100 g) semihard cheese, very thinly sliced

4 bacon slices, cooked and cut into pieces

2 tablespoons (30 ml) capers, drained

2 teaspoons (10 ml) extra virgin olive oil

Coarsely ground pepper

4 lemon wedges

Preparation

1. ARRANGE cheese and optional salad on two plates. Add bacon.

2. TOP with capers. Sprinkle cheese with olive oil and fresh-cracked pepper.

3. ADD the lemon wedges and serve.

WHAT IS SEMIHARD CHEESE?

Semihard is a classification of cheese based upon the body of the cheese, based mainly on the moisture content. Most semihard (and hard) cheeses are pressed during production to remove moisture. As they age, they become firmer, more pungent and crumbly.

What about semisoft cheeses? Semisoft cheese contains more than 45% water, while semihard cheese contains 30% to 45%. A cheese can start as semisoft, then move to semihard as it ages and moisture evaporates.

Because semihard cheeses contain less moisture than the soft and soft-ripened types, they hold their shape much better and can be easily sliced—a requirement for the recipe above.

The semihard category includes a broad range of textures and ages, from semifirm to very firm and from cheeses that are only weeks old to those aged for several months or more.

Use Castello Classic or other Alpine-style or semihard cheese. Photo courtesy Castello.

Examples include Abondance, Appenzeller, young Asiago, Beaufort, Caciotta, Caerphilly, Cantal, Cheddar, Cheshire, Colby, Comté, Danbo, Derby, Edam, Emmental, Fontina, Fontinella, Gjetost, Gloucester, aged Gouda, Gruyère, Idiazabal, Jarlsberg, Lancashire, Leicester, Leyden, Manchego, Provolone, Raclette, Saint Nectaire, Tête de Moine, Queso Blanco and Wensleydale, among others. So you’ve got lots of choices for the cheese plate “carpaccio.”

Find more of the different types of cheese in our Cheese Glossary.

Learn more about Castello cheeses, and check out the delicious recipes.

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