| Before choosing a gourmet cheese gift for friends, | | | | teach you the basics. A couple of suggestions are: |
| family, employees, or even for your boss, you need | | | | · The Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins |
| to be sure that whoever you are planning to give | | | | · The Cheese Plate by Max McCalman |
| this great gift to would truly appreciate genuine | | | | In fact, including a book like this with your gift of |
| artisan cheeses. Gourmet cheeses can be expensive | | | | gourmet cheese would make the gift even more |
| and you don't want something this good to go to | | | | special |
| waste. | | | | Suggestions for Your Gourmet Cheese Gift |
| How to Be Sure You Are Getting Genuine Artisan | | | | Now that you know what you are looking for in a |
| Gourmet Cheeses | | | | genuine gourmet cheese you can have some fun in |
| Once you've decided to give a gift of gourmet | | | | designing the perfect gift. Employing some sort of |
| cheese, be sure you do it right. The word "artisan" is | | | | theme like cheeses from particular countries or |
| used pretty freely these days to fool the public into | | | | regions allows you to add some variety, while having |
| thinking an ordinary product is something that it is | | | | everything in your gift being tied to one particular |
| not. A great example of this applied to cheese is the | | | | idea. One fun direction to go with your gourmet |
| fact that Sargento is selling a line of cheese they | | | | cheese gift is with cheeses of the Mediterranean. |
| refer to as their "artisan cheese blends". Mass | | | | This is a great theme to choose because you can |
| produced cheeses like this are not artisan. | | | | include cheeses from at least four different countries, |
| A true gourmet artisan cheese is made by hand by | | | | which means four very different types of cheeses. |
| skilled cheesemakers known as cheesemongers using | | | | · Spain produces some very good gourmet |
| centuries old craftsmanship handed down over the | | | | goat cheeses. One interesting label from Spain is the |
| years. These cheeses are generally much more | | | | Tipsy Goat. It gets this name because the rind is |
| complex and aged much longer than mass produced | | | | washed in red wine made in the area. |
| cheeses. | | | | · Feta is probably Greece's most famous |
| Frequently, the country or region of origin plays a big | | | | cheese. Feta is very versatile cheese because it |
| part in whether or not a cheese is labeled as "artisan". | | | | comes in so many different variations. It can be |
| This is especially so in Europe where the quality of | | | | semi-soft to semi-hard and mild to sharp. It can be |
| foods such as cheese is based on pride and years of | | | | used in so many different ways, too, such as in |
| tradition that make the cheesemaking techniques | | | | baked goods or in casseroles, as an appetizer, served |
| worthy of preserving and passing on through the | | | | with fruit, and as a table cheese. |
| years. | | | | · Italy offers any number of great choices |
| In America, when a cheese is labeled artisan or | | | | to include in your gift: mozzarella, provolone, |
| gourmet, that title is based on the process by which | | | | Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Asiago to name only a few. |
| the cheese is made. American gourmet cheeses are | | | | · Don't forget France. They are most |
| normally made by hand and in small batches. It is | | | | famous for their soft cheese like Brie, Boursin, and |
| easier to control the quality of a cheese that is made | | | | Camembert. |
| like this. | | | | There are some great non-cheese items you can |
| A great way to get more acquainted with gourmet | | | | include with a gift to give some flair and continue the |
| cheeses is to have on hand a good book that can | | | | Mediterranean twist. |