How Cheesemongers, Cheesemakers and Industry Pros Celebrate Thanksgiving with Cheese
What’s a nice cheese board like you doing at a holiday like this? For years, Thanksgiving tables have been so loaded down with bland turkey and starchy sides that there hasn’t been much room, physically or mentally, for cheese-focused inspiration. A perfectly curated cheese board might once have seemed too cutting-edge for this tradition-bound holiday, when people get skittish at even the thought of a new recipe for cranberries or a lightened-up version of green bean casserole.
That’s all beginning to change, though. This year, many guests will be greeted with a welcoming cheese board, cheese-filled signature sides, and end-of-meal cheese courses that will be the perfect finale to gratitude-filled gatherings.
Elizabeth Nerud Shepherd’s Way Big Woods Blue Photo credit Joy Erickson, Kowalski’s Markets
Cheese Meets Fruit
We talked to cheesemongers, cheesemakers, and industry professionals about what they’re planning for this year. One thing they mentioned was how a cheese course can definitely be the easiest part of a cook’s holiday prep. “Thanksgiving is a huge culinary undertaking, with so many dishes that require attention,” says Liz Nerud, an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional and the specialty cheese department manager at the Woodbury, Minnesota-based Kowalski’s market. “Give cheese its due respect, and it will reward you with effortless elegance,” she says, adding, “My perfect bite for the season is Shepherd’s Way Big Woods Blue on a mini toast or bruschettini with a smear of fig jam. It’s so simple, but at the same time just so very satisfying, especially for the way it balances the piquant blue, the cozy fig, and the crunchy toast.” Her hometown pride shines through: “I’m so proud that this cheese comes from Minnesota. It’s made by Jodi Ohlsen Read, one of America’s premier sheep milk cheesemakers.”
Madeline Kuhn, a licensed Wisconsin cheesemaker who works in R&D at Emmi Roth USA, says she’ll be keeping pairings simple and flexible by using pantry staples. For her family’s holiday cheese board, she stocks up on thin, crispy crackers, dried fruits like apricots and home-dehydrated apple slices, boozy cherries that are picked and preserved from a backyard tree, and tart, spicy chutney, all served with crisp hard cider. As you might expect from a cheesemaker’s family, there are specific requests from everyone. “Mom has to have a blue-veined cheese, and she loves Roth Buttermilk Blue,” Kuhn says. “Dad needs Roth Canela, the more of it the better. My brother likes everything, but he’ll happily snack on some Roth Chipotle Havarti, and my sister is satisfied with Roth Grand Cru Original. As for me, I serve myself some Roth Aged Gouda and any ‘wild card’ soft ripened cheese currently hanging out in my cheese fridge.”
For Leslie Cooperband, co-owner and head cheesemaker at Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery, this Thanksgiving’s appetizer will be a warm presentation of the creamery’s Camembert-style cheese, Little Bloom on The Prairie. “I just drizzle it with some local honey, add local pecans and dried fruit, and put in a 350 F degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes,” she instructs. “The warm, soft cheese, with some sweet accompaniments, is the essence of a fall appetizer.”
A Showstopping Seasonal Cheese
Columbia Cheese Co. sales associate Doug Jacknick always serves Rush Creek Reserve from Uplands Cheese, a once-a-year product that’s wrapped in spruce bark, which gives shape to the cheese and imparts a subtle woodsy flavor. “Our guests are usually surprised and impressed by the quality of American artisanal cheese,” he says.
Cheese Melts into the Meal
This year, as always, there will be plenty of cheese on the 21-foot table to which David Gremmels invites “vaccinated friends, neighbors, and those who find themselves alone on the holiday.” The cheesemaker and president of Rogue Creamery unabashedly declares Thanksgiving to be his favorite holiday. During the meal, guests enjoy “smokey blue” mashed potatoes, mashed with cheese crumbles instead of butter. Salads are garnished with pears from orchards surrounding Gremmels’ farm and are dressed with his house blue cheese salad dressing. “Then, before we serve the huckleberry pie, there’s a cheese plate featuring the autumnal release of Rogue River Blue, surrounded by poached pears. It’s always a favorite,” he says.
From Appetizer to Dessert
Jasper Hill Farm’s lifestyle editor, Lilith Spencer, has some rules of thumb for her Turkey Day cheese. “I like to set out one or two simply plated cheeses for guests to nibble on while the rest of the meal comes together,” she says. “I try to keep it light because of all of the traditionally rich dishes that will follow, so I do fresh pairings like sliced radishes and quick-pickled apples, along with bright pairings like mostarda di frutta and dried apricots. I serve thin crisps rather than hearty crackers or crusty bread, and I love to include popcorn. It’s a great cheese platter item, because it brings the salty crunch factor, looks so festive, and isn’t too filling. I serves dry, funky hard ciders, and Spanish sidras and ciders from Normandy tend to do the trick.”
Her top appetizer platter pick is Harbison, a soft-ripened cheese with a rustic, bloomy rind. “It has that lovely woodsy aroma that makes me feel cozy,” she says. “It's also incredibly simple to serve, because all you need to do is temper it and slice the top off, and folks can dip right in. It's always a showstopper.
And the cheese keeps coming at Spencer’s holiday table. “As part of the dessert course, it’s really nice to make a cheese flight with small portions of each cheese,” she says. “I like the idea of cheese being the thing that lingers on the palate.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be a real Thanksgiving without leftovers. Spencer has this final, timely reminder: “Leftover cheese can be used for the next day’s turkey sandwiches.”