by Kirstin Jackson, Cheese Expert for the Menuism Cheese Blog
No offense to my other great dessert loves, carrot cake with orange-cream cheese frosting, or peanut butter and chocolate ice cream, but I've never been of the mindset that one needs to end the night with a sugary bang. Maybe just a light ka-boom.
For me, cheese supplies enough of that ka-boom. A little sweet, a little salty, and creamy and loving to everyone that it meets, cheese is its own dessert. Plus, it requires less time than carrot cake, souffles, cupcakes, tarts, and even fruit salad (if you count that as a dessert) to put together. Add a drizzle of honey, a slice of fig, or a spoonful of preserves, and the end of the night just got that much sweeter.
Here are eight of my favorite cheeses to serve at the end of meal, paired to wine or a decadent accoutrement. Play around, and mix these wine and pairing suggestions for a great cheese dessert of your own.
Related Links from the Menuism Cheese Blog:
• 7 Tips for Assembling a Basic Cheese Board
• All About Sheep's Milk Cheeses
• The Dummy's Guide to Pairing Cheese and Beer
8 Great Dessert Cheeses originally published on the Menuism Cheese Blog.
Kirstin Jackson is a professionally trained cook, wine bar manager and cheese program director, food and wine writer, consultant, and instructor, whose fridge and head is almost entirely consumed with cheese. Her cheese blog, "It's Not You, It's Brie," was launched in April 2009, and has since received accolades from Blogs.com, Foodista, and Apartment Therapy's The Kitchen.
