A cut above! We’re bringing beloved delicatessen brand Boar’s Head, the leading premium deli meat and cheese company in America, to our stores. Boar’s Head uses only the finest ingredients: whole muscle beef, pork and poultry, and spices sourced from around the globe. That’s why Boar’s Head has been the deli brand you can trust for over 115 years.
CHEESE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD:
We carry the best cheeses from all over the world, which are hand-cut in store by our cheese specialists. Ask us for a taste! We also offer an expanded charcuterie selection with an emphasis on Italian specialties, as well as pâtés and terrines, caviar and smoked fish. Our department also has a wide variety of crackers, honeys, candied fruits and nuts, preserves, and salts to pair with your favorite selections.
Fresh, No Rind
Smooth and tart or tangy
Ricotta, fresh Mozzarella, fresh Goat cheese (chèvre)
Soft, Ripe
Soft and creamy with a fluffy, edible rind
Brie, Camembert, Humboldt Fog
Semi-Soft
Often earthy, most are good for melting
Port Salut, Halloumi, Havarti, any of the Jack cheeses
Firm
Dense and dry but still smooth
English Cheddar, Irish Cheddar, Gruyére, Manchego
Hard
Aged, very dry, crumbles easily
Parmigiano-Reggiano, Aged Gouda
Blue
Sharp and pungent, with blue veins or blue tint
Roquefort, Gorgonzola
OUR CHEESEMONGER RECOMMENDS:
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Made in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy using the same traditional methods that have been around for centuries, this flavorful, pure cow’s milk cheese – Italy’s most famous – is aged for at least 12 months. Parmigiano-Reggiano has been recognized by the European Union as a DOP (Protected Denomination of Origin) product. The dedicated farmers of the Latteria Soresina cooperative, where we get our cheese, have been making Parmigiano-Reggiano for generations.
Belletoile Brie
This triple cream brie from France made from whole cow’s milk and cream
brie that tastes like fresh butter. Pair it with fig spread and Spanish Marcona almonds and you’ll wonder why you haven’t been eating this every day.
Drunken Goat
This Spanish goat cheese is soaked in Tempranillo grape must for 72 hours. You’d better believe it tastes awesome!
Fontina Val d’Aosta
This Italian unpasteurized cow’s milk cheese comes from the Val d’Aosta region of Italy. It’s a washed rind, with a fantastic tangy taste and smooth texture. My favorite cheese in the world (this week).
Gruyere
700 years of history can’t be wrong! This nutty, cave-aged alpine cheese is a favorite for mac-and-cheese. Other mac-and-cheese options are creamy, crunchy Excalibur 1- Year Cheddar, New Bridge Mild Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Karst, a funky, cave-aged blend of Cheddar and Gruyere.
La Bonne Vie Original Goat Log
Smooth, Creamy, Grassy and delicious. This fresh goat chevre is tangy and citrusy. It pairs well with Reds,Whites, and everything in between.
Manchego
The pride of Spain, this sheep’s-milk cheese is made in the La Mancha region. It’s grassy, herby and welcome on any cheese plate.
Smoked Maasdam
Often overlooked, but never forgotten. My kids won’t let me leave the store without buying them a piece of this Swiss-style Dutch cheese.
Van Kaas Red Wax Gouda
This is a young gouda – its only aged for 6 months. Its a Butter bomb!!Soft, smooth, and slightly sweet, try serving it with fruit paste.
Storage
The ideal temperature range for storing most cheese is between 35 and 45 degrees, preferably in the bottom vegetable bin of your refrigerator. Wrap cheeses separately, especially pungent blues, washed rinds and milder cheeses, since they will pick up each other’s smells and flavors. Harder format cheeses like Excalibur (an English aged cheddar), Rembrandt (a Dutch aged gouda) and Parmigiano-Reggiano (a hard, mature granular-style) can be stored at room temperature until they are cut. These harder format cheeses are perfect for picnic baskets because they can withstand warmer temperatures.
Making A Cheese Board
Pulling a cheese plate together is easy if you follow a few basic rules. Tell your Rouses cheesemonger how many people you’re expecting and how many choices you want to offer. It’s always better to go for quality over quantity, and choose a variety of textures and flavors.
PLATING Make the plate at least one hour before the party. Cheese is always best served at room temperature. Separate strong-smelling cheeses, like Gorgonzola and Stilton. Label each cheese, and set out a separate knife for each cheese. Offer a selection of breads and crackers, preserves, honey, and chutneys, seasonal and dried fruits, and nuts.
TASTING You always want to start with milder cheese and work your way up to the blues, and you may choose to work your way from soft to hard cheese.
PAIRING Pairing wine and cheese? There are no “rules” here; it’s all about what you like.
Making A Charcuterie Plate
Charcuterie (prounounced shar-kood-eree) is a common antipasti in Italy. When building your charcuterie plate, use a mixture of cooked and dry-cured meats and cheeses. Provide something briny and tangy like pickled vegetables, olives or peperoncini, which pair well with bold meats. Add spreadable chutneys, candied fruit, fresh fruit or sweet jams to balance the dry and salty meat and cheese. Include softer options like pâté, terrines and rillettes (shredded, cooked pork mixed with pork fat) as counterpoints to harder sausages, and mustard as an accompaniment. Serve with crusty bread, crackers, crostini or breadsticks.
Olive & Antipasti Bars
Mix and match as many as a dozen olives and Mediterranean specialties.
