Getting a nose for cheese this summer
By Gao Ceng |
May 17, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHEESE, often stereotyped as a creamy and heavy winter food, is also ideal for the coming summer heat - so long as it's the right cheese, served the right way.
And to help you make the correct choices for the months ahead, two Shanghai hotels, well-known for their wide and top-quality cheese selections, offer their advice here.
French hotel brand Sofitel Shanghai Hyland is renowned for directly sourcing artisan cheese - hand-crafted varieties made from raw milk from French farms.
"Artisan cheese, not being pasteurized (the process commonly used in making mass-produced cheese to extend its shelf life) has a unique mild and natural flavor," says Adrien Alexandre, executive chef at Sofitel Shanghai Hyland.
Meanwhile, Kerry Hotel Shanghai boasts its own cheese room run by Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF) winning cheese master Philippe Olivier.
Light and soft cheese is a good option in hot weather, due to its versatility - it mixes well with other appetizing ingredients, and contains less fat than heavier cheeses, agree Alexandre and Francois Pietri, executive pastry chef at Kerry Hotel Pudong.
Both chefs recommend feta cheese - a soft cheese, traditionally from Greece, with small holes, compact touch and mild briny flavor - though in terms of serving, they hold very different views.
"The best way to appreciate feta and other cheeses is by serving them simply and taking a bite directly to fully get its taste and texture. But pairing feta with white wine is acceptable since it helps the cheese taste more refreshing," says Alexandre.
Jayan Shrestha, food and beverage manager at Sofitel Shanghai Hyland, recommends pairing feta with a glass of chardonnay, its soft, smooth texture echoing characteristics of the cheese.
Pietri recommends adding feta to salad, mixing it with cherry tomatoes, onions, thyme, coriander, some lemon juice and olive oil, which together give the cheese more flavors and freshness.
Another cheese option both chefs recommend is soft and milky mozzarella - made from buffalo milk.
"You can serve it alone or accompany it simply with tomato, basil and olive oil. A glass of Pinot Grigio from Italy will complement the over-all taste, making it taste less heavy," says Pietri.
Seasonal choices
Cheese made from goat and sheep's milk achieves its best flavor in summer, since months of aging from the beginning of spring have ended.
Alexandre recommends Roquefort, a sheep milk blue cheese with distinctive green mold, a crumbly and slight moist texture and a taste combining salty and smoky notes.
Pietri prefers goat's cheese, which has a stronger smell and taste.
Both chefs recommend serving them in a classical French way, pairing the cheese with a sweet, refreshing French rose that provides a nice contrast to the salty cheeses. Serving briny cheese with sweet dried grape and honey creates a similar contrast.
Shrestha provides an alternative, pairing those cheeses with a strong red, such as Syrah. Strong, aged cheese softens the tannin in the wine while the fruitiness of the red helps "tame" the cheese by bringing out its inherent fruity flavor, which balances its strong earthy taste.
Some semi-hard cheese with natural fruity flavors, such as Saint-Nectaire - a French cheese featuring a silky texture - are also suitable for the summer, Alexandre adds.
Cheese and the Chinese
Local hotel staff have found that the popularity of cheese is, to some extent, still limited to Westerners living in Shanghai, with few Chinese opting to try it in a hotel buffet - especially sticky, strong-smelling varieties.
However, cheese is suitable for Chinese, many of whom are lactose intolerant and are unable to digest lactose in milk, explaining the Chinese preference of soybean milk. Fermented cheese contains little lactose and is a good source of calcium.
Alexandre recommends locals start their cheese experience from light through to strong, step by step, which helps their palate get used to cheese naturally.
And Pietri advises locals to serve cheese with bread, nuts and mango and cherry chutney.
"With these, I believe Chinese will soon become addicted to cheese, the flavor of my country," says Pietri.
Tips on serving cheese
Serve cheese at room temperature. The ideal temperature for cheese fully releasing its complex aroma and flavor is around 20 degree Celsius. If it's too cold it may block the flavor, while too hot will make it melt in an unappetizing way.
Don't precut cheese. Keep the cheese whole until serving or it will soon dry out and lose its texture and flavor.
Try sometimes to serve cheeses of different textures, flavor and milk type to experience the diversity.
Alexandre gives a four-step guide to cheese appreciation.
This starts with observing its appearance - some are riddled with holes and some have marbled patterns. Then touch the cheese - feeling its texture, whether it's soft like a sponge, sticky or hard. Thirdly, take a deep breath to get its smell, from fruity, nutty to earthy, even humid. Finally, taste it.
Sofitel Hyland Shanghai
Generally, more than 15 kinds of cheese are available at the restaurant. When it comes to the cheese promotion season, more than 30 varieties are provided.
Venue: MOSAIC
Tel: 6351-5888
Address: 2/F, 505 Nanjing Rd E
Kerry Hotel Shanghai
The cheese room has more than 50 kinds of cheese, all year around.
Venue: The COOK
Tel: 6169-8888
Address: 1388 Huamu Rd
And to help you make the correct choices for the months ahead, two Shanghai hotels, well-known for their wide and top-quality cheese selections, offer their advice here.
French hotel brand Sofitel Shanghai Hyland is renowned for directly sourcing artisan cheese - hand-crafted varieties made from raw milk from French farms.
"Artisan cheese, not being pasteurized (the process commonly used in making mass-produced cheese to extend its shelf life) has a unique mild and natural flavor," says Adrien Alexandre, executive chef at Sofitel Shanghai Hyland.
Meanwhile, Kerry Hotel Shanghai boasts its own cheese room run by Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF) winning cheese master Philippe Olivier.
Light and soft cheese is a good option in hot weather, due to its versatility - it mixes well with other appetizing ingredients, and contains less fat than heavier cheeses, agree Alexandre and Francois Pietri, executive pastry chef at Kerry Hotel Pudong.
Both chefs recommend feta cheese - a soft cheese, traditionally from Greece, with small holes, compact touch and mild briny flavor - though in terms of serving, they hold very different views.
"The best way to appreciate feta and other cheeses is by serving them simply and taking a bite directly to fully get its taste and texture. But pairing feta with white wine is acceptable since it helps the cheese taste more refreshing," says Alexandre.
Jayan Shrestha, food and beverage manager at Sofitel Shanghai Hyland, recommends pairing feta with a glass of chardonnay, its soft, smooth texture echoing characteristics of the cheese.
Pietri recommends adding feta to salad, mixing it with cherry tomatoes, onions, thyme, coriander, some lemon juice and olive oil, which together give the cheese more flavors and freshness.
Another cheese option both chefs recommend is soft and milky mozzarella - made from buffalo milk.
"You can serve it alone or accompany it simply with tomato, basil and olive oil. A glass of Pinot Grigio from Italy will complement the over-all taste, making it taste less heavy," says Pietri.
Seasonal choices
Cheese made from goat and sheep's milk achieves its best flavor in summer, since months of aging from the beginning of spring have ended.
Alexandre recommends Roquefort, a sheep milk blue cheese with distinctive green mold, a crumbly and slight moist texture and a taste combining salty and smoky notes.
Pietri prefers goat's cheese, which has a stronger smell and taste.
Both chefs recommend serving them in a classical French way, pairing the cheese with a sweet, refreshing French rose that provides a nice contrast to the salty cheeses. Serving briny cheese with sweet dried grape and honey creates a similar contrast.
Shrestha provides an alternative, pairing those cheeses with a strong red, such as Syrah. Strong, aged cheese softens the tannin in the wine while the fruitiness of the red helps "tame" the cheese by bringing out its inherent fruity flavor, which balances its strong earthy taste.
Some semi-hard cheese with natural fruity flavors, such as Saint-Nectaire - a French cheese featuring a silky texture - are also suitable for the summer, Alexandre adds.
Cheese and the Chinese
Local hotel staff have found that the popularity of cheese is, to some extent, still limited to Westerners living in Shanghai, with few Chinese opting to try it in a hotel buffet - especially sticky, strong-smelling varieties.
However, cheese is suitable for Chinese, many of whom are lactose intolerant and are unable to digest lactose in milk, explaining the Chinese preference of soybean milk. Fermented cheese contains little lactose and is a good source of calcium.
Alexandre recommends locals start their cheese experience from light through to strong, step by step, which helps their palate get used to cheese naturally.
And Pietri advises locals to serve cheese with bread, nuts and mango and cherry chutney.
"With these, I believe Chinese will soon become addicted to cheese, the flavor of my country," says Pietri.
Tips on serving cheese
Serve cheese at room temperature. The ideal temperature for cheese fully releasing its complex aroma and flavor is around 20 degree Celsius. If it's too cold it may block the flavor, while too hot will make it melt in an unappetizing way.
Don't precut cheese. Keep the cheese whole until serving or it will soon dry out and lose its texture and flavor.
Try sometimes to serve cheeses of different textures, flavor and milk type to experience the diversity.
Alexandre gives a four-step guide to cheese appreciation.
This starts with observing its appearance - some are riddled with holes and some have marbled patterns. Then touch the cheese - feeling its texture, whether it's soft like a sponge, sticky or hard. Thirdly, take a deep breath to get its smell, from fruity, nutty to earthy, even humid. Finally, taste it.
Sofitel Hyland Shanghai
Generally, more than 15 kinds of cheese are available at the restaurant. When it comes to the cheese promotion season, more than 30 varieties are provided.
Venue: MOSAIC
Tel: 6351-5888
Address: 2/F, 505 Nanjing Rd E
Kerry Hotel Shanghai
The cheese room has more than 50 kinds of cheese, all year around.
Venue: The COOK
Tel: 6169-8888
Address: 1388 Huamu Rd
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