Chalking out the cheese

“The staff is trained and updated on a regular basis. At the moment,we have a beautiful selection of feta and fruit cheeses,” adds Ghildiyal. So,if you’re hosting a party and want to put together a cheese platter but are clueless about how much and what cheese to buy,the specialists at this store will guide you through the selection process and even make the platter for you. Pune’s foodies are loving this new consultancy service. “What better time than summer to serve cheese platters? I mean,who wants to stand in the kitchen and cook?” Ghildiyal says. Instead,with the help of the experts,serve up platter of apricot cheese,blueberry cheese,mango and ginger or mango and papaya cheese and different flavoured feta cheese. “The platter will look attractive and taste just as yummy,” Ghildiyal says.

It will be incomplete without the accompaniments,says Saloni Kane,owner Provodore. This gourmet store,which opened last year in Aundh,has imported food ingredients,wines and a section of cheese. Say ‘cheese’ as you enter the store,and you’re immediately asked about the purpose of buying cheese and who you will be serving it to. Says Kane,“We can tell you what cheese to buy for cooking purposes or for a platter – whether its parmesan,Brie,Camembert,or different types of blue cheese from the gorgonzola to the Danish.” And to complete your platter,there are olives,crackers,fruit pastes and so on. “We also suggest the perfect wine pairing with the cheese,” Kane says.

At GNB,the consultants even take you through a selection of antipasti to add to your cheese board. “This is where you can get creative and have some fun. There is lots to pick from on the condiments front – nuts,spiced nuts,jams and jellies,honeys,chutneys,fresh fruits and mustards,breads and so on. You can even add a chilled,spicy fruit chaat or two to the platter!” Ghildiyal says.

While imported cheese makes delicious reading,The Patio in Aundh believes that so does Indian-manufactured cheese. “We are consciously promoting only Indian made cheese from dairies in and around Maharashtra,” says owner Jay Patel. “We might source feta cheese from Chandigarh soon. We help our patrons with cheese selection,and what works is that Indian cheese is not frightfully expensive,” he adds. They constantly have new selections of cheese – “Maybe not as huge as a Dorabjee’s or other gourmet stores,but a sizeable selection. We help customers to pair their cheese with crackers and breads like panini bread or tomato-oregano bread,” Patel says.

Ideally,to put together a platter,you can serve five cheeses. “It gives an interesting variety without being too extravagant. Allow about 60g of cheese per guest if it is an appetizer plate before a meal,while for a main course,allow 90-100g,” Ghildiyal says.

And where there’s cheese,there has to be wine. Again,you can turn to the experts for help. “I would recommend white wines and sweet rosés with cream cheese,dry fruity light wines with goat’s-milk cheese,white wines with cooked cheese or full bodied red wines,light reds with blue cheese,red tonic wines with soft cheese or blooming paste cheeses,and full bodied reds for washed cheese,” Ghildiyal says. Well,cheers to cheese,we say.