Work Party Cheese Plate

My boyfriend and I were going to to a party with some of his work friends and everyone was supposed to bring a snack, so we decided to bring a cheese plate! Apparently he told his friends that I was really into cheese, so the pressure was on. What could I pick that everyone would like, yet would be a little out of the ordinary?

I was already at the Specs wine tasting, so I figured I would just get the cheese from there. The first cheese was easy, as they were sampling a very delicious sharp Irish Dubliner Cheddar. Cheddar is always a good staple to have in a cheese plate because everyone knows what it is. The next one I picked was a 6 month manchego because its one of my favorites, its a sheep cheese, and whenever I bring it for people to try, I always get a good reaction. I thought it would be cool to have a cows, sheep, and goat cheese for variety, so for the final cheese, I really wanted a goat gouda, but couldnt find one :(. So instead, I got a very aged "Vintage" gouda. It was really hard and crumbly and I thought this might be the least liked of the 3 cheeses, because it has such a strong flavor.

We got to the party and the cheeses were a big hit! Much to my surprise, aged gouda was the favorite of the night! Next was the manchago, and the cheddar was last! So maybe the flavor wasnt too strong? I think we bought about $11 worth of cheese, which was probably 3/4 lb or so and there was still about half of it left over.

Cheeses!

I just love the Whole Foods mini cheese section. I went there and got 5 mini cheeses ranging from about 50 cents to a dollar. I got a garlic cheddar, brigante (never tried it), green heart gouda, havarti with jalapeno and traditional emmenthaler.

The garlic cheddar was very good, and the havarti with jalapeno was better than I expected! I got it just to try it, but I turned out liking it a lot. The emmenthaler swiss was not very good - it was kinda hard and tough. Im sure I will be trying the other 2 soon!

Fiscalini Cheddar

The cheese I am trying tonight is Fiscalini Cheddar... although it doesn't taste very much like a cheddar to me. I'm having a hard time figuring out what this tastes like, as its pretty bland and tasteless. When it warmed up I could taste a hint of white cheddar, but Im working hard to taste it. The texture is ok, but a little rubbery for my taste. Overall this cheese is pretty tasteless and odorless, and since I like a nice robust cheese, I don't think its really for me. Good thing I just bought a small chunk to try. There are too many amazing cheddars out there for me to get this again unfortunately.

Applewood Smoked Goat Cheddar

Im still finishing up the Cline Zinfandel from a few nights ago... I've had a cold and wine is almost a waste when you cant smell it so its going slow. The last time I went to Whole Foods I discovered something amazing - mini cheeses! There is a part of the cheese section where you can buy small pieces of cheeses just a few ounces at a time. All these cheeses are under $3, which is great for trying lots of different cheeses and not getting tired of them! I foresee a lot more cheese tasting in my future. To kick off this new discovery, I had to get a few. Because I am still finishing up my zinfandel, I decided to try the applewood smoked goat cheddar they had. Im still not sure exactly what "goat cheddar" is, as I thought cheddar was just a type of cheese made from cows, but apparently it exists - and is quite delicious!

Oddly enough, I didn't think this cheese actually tasted like cheddar. Its kind of dry, and is more reminiscent of a gouda. I was a bit wary of the "smoked" aspect, as this can sometimes taste fake, but I thought this was a subtle smokiness that went very well with the wine. I enjoyed this cheese, but it wasn't fantastic. However, I like how there seem to be goat counterparts to some of the more familiar cheeses - I would definitely like to check out more of these in the future.