Spotlight On: Carolyn Stromberg, Maitre d’Fromage
-- Hotels, 9/22/2009 12:28:00 PM
Carolyn Stromberg, maitre d’fromage of Old Hickory Steakhouse at Gaylord National Resort, Maryland, is an expert on the complexities of fine cheese—its flavors, textures, heritages, aging processes and wine mates. Having previously worked for the California-based cheese-maker Cowgirl Creamery, Stromberg now works closely with her purveyors to ensure that she has on hand the best seasonal cheeses, plus a selection of different textures and flavors from around the world. Her presentation is personalized as well: Each night she carefully arranges 20 or more varieties on a custom-made cheese trolley for the perusal of her patrons.
HOTELS: What are some suggestions for a fine European cheese plate for autumn?
Stromberg: Aged sheep milk cheeses from the Pyrenees region are perfect autumn selections. From the French-Spanish border comes Roncal, an innovative cheese that is both rich and piquant; gourmands will recall that it is the first to be designated by Spain as a name-protected cheese. From Spain’s La Mancha region comes Manchego cheese, with its notes of nuts and olives. A third option is Abbaye de Belloc, produced by Benedictine monks at the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Belloc in France. It is a classic: smooth, semi-firm, and tangy.
Certain cow’s milk cheeses are also good choices. Tomme de Savoie is a semi-soft to firm cheese from the Alps that is both earthy and nutty.
British Cheddar is also a fun choice. In contrast to American Cheddar, it’s both fruity and sharp.
HOTELS: What about those who may want to sample some local mid-Atlantic flavor?
Stromberg: Everona Marble, from Dr. Pat Elliott’s Everona Dairy in Rapidan, Virginia, is rich and fruity, with an ash layer running through the middle.
Chapelle’s, from Chapel’s Country Creamery in Easton, Maryland, is similar to Tomme de Savoie and thus universally appealing. It’s earthy, mushroomy and milky all at once.
Also similar to Tomme de Savoie is another locale favorite: Appalachian. From Meadow Creek Dairy in Galax, Virginia, it is rich, savory and sweet.
HOTELS: How about pairing wines with these cheeses?
Stromberg: Each of these cheeses, whether European or mid-Atlantic, is best paired with a wine varietal that will complement its richness: merlot, pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon. And fall fruits add the perfect balance, including: apples of almost any kind, Asian or Bartlett pears, and grapes. Specific to apples, green or red will do, so long as they’re big, plump, juicy and seedless (to avoid a tannic flavor).
HOTELS: Any tips you can offer with regard to cheese service?
Stromberg: If offering a rustic, informal cheese board from which guests serve themselves, each cheese should be served with its own knife to avoid mixing the flavors of the cheeses. If presenting a more traditional, formal cheese plate to each guest, the mildest cheese should be placed at the six o’clock position (closest to the bottom center) on the serving plate. Moving clockwise, the cheeses should progress from mildest to strongest.
Give the cheese time to come to room temperature before serving. Soft cheeses should be removed from the refrigerator half an hour before serving; hard cheeses an hour.
Soft cheeses are best served with a plain baguette or wafer-thin plain crackers (so that the flavor of the bread does not compete with the cheese).
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