The French are famous for their love of cheese — and their mastery of it. While cheese is often used in cooking, there's another tradition worth borrowing: the cheese course.
Served after the main dish (and sometimes before a sweet dessert), a cheese course is a simple, no-cook way to make an easy weeknight meal feel more special. Just set out a few cheeses with some good bread. That’s it. Satisfying, nourishing, and even a win with kids.
Here’s how to prepare a simple cheese course — plus tips for storing cheese so it stays fresh and lasts longer.
Some cheeses are better for cooking — like cheddar, mozzarella, or Swiss — while others are meant ot be served as a cheese course. Here are a few family-friendly favorites to enjoy after dinner.
Made from cow’s milk. Soft and creamy, similar to Brie but with a more intense flavor.
Made from sheep’s milk. A hard cheese with a slightly creamy texture and nutty flavor. Kids really love this cheese.
Made from cow’s milk. A hard cheese similar to Gruyere cheese with a mild yet complex flavor. The undertones are fruity and nutty with a hint of sweetness.
Made from cow’s milk. A mild-tasting, semi-soft cheese with nutty and buttery undertones.
Made from cow’s milk. Cantal has a strong and buttery taste. A hard cheese, it is often compared to cheddar.
Made from cow’s milk. A bleu cheese with a strong taste but less intense. Creamier and more complex than Roquefort.
Made from cow’s milk. A semi-soft, very mild bleu cheese with buttery and tangy undertones.
Made from cow’s milk. This cheese has a very intense, pungent smell and taste. It is creamy and buttery and almost melts when it is ripe. Store it in the container because it is so creamy, and serve from the container as well.
Made from sheep’s milk and cow’s milk. A semi-soft cheese made with white truffles. This cheese has a unique and delightful taste that is difficult to describe but easy to fall in love with.
Made from sheep’s milk. A mild, creamy cheese similar to brie with a more complex flavor.
The quality of the cheese is key when selecting for your cheese course. Here are some places where you can find excellent quality cheese.
A specialty cheese shop offers a much wider variety of cheeses than does a regular grocery store, and you may even discover local handmade cheeses made with high-quality milk, crafted using traditional artisanal methods. Shop owners are happy to answer questions and offer recommendations.
They can suggest the perfect cheeses and offer a sample to taste. A trip to a specialty shop is always a treat — you’ll often find other delightful items, like cured meats, fresh olives, and unique imported ingredients.
When possible, buy from a cheese counter rather than the pre-packaged options in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. At the cheese counter you'll find more flavorful and higher-quality varieties. Often, a cheesemonger is available to offer advice on different varieties and cut them to your desired size. You can even ask for a taste, to make sure you like it. If you’re near a Whole Foods store, they have an exclusive agreement with Hervé Mons, a celebrated award-winning French cheesemaker — all of the Hervé Mons cheeses are excellent!
You can also find cheese at a farmers' market. Visiting one is a great way to discover high-quality, locally made cheese. Plus, a trip to the farmers' market makes for a fun outing with a friend or family member.
Buying fresh cheese online is easy and affordable from websites like Fromages.com. They offer excellent cheeses, mostly from France, and deliver each order right to your door within 24 hours. The price, including shipping, is often comparable to what you’d pay for imported cheese at the grocery store.
If you find a specialty shop or farmers' market that's a bit of a distance from your home, it's worth the trip to stock up. When stored properly, cheese can last for weeks or even months.
When storing cheese, it’s important to wrap it in cheese paper rather than plastic wrap. Cheese paper or cheese bags allow the right amount of air in without drying it out. You can also freeze cheese for several months.
You can learn about cheese storage bags here.
Leaving cheese to rest at room temperature enhances its flavor. If there’s time, take the cheese out of the refrigerator while you're preparing dinner so that the cheese is ready to enjoy after the main dish. However, if you forget or decide later that you'd like some cheese, it will still be delicious!
To serve the cheese, place it on the table with a few slices of bread, such as a baguette or rustic Italian bread. For everyday dinners, keep it simple by leaving the cheese in its wrapper and let everyone slice their own piece. If you have guests, consider presenting the cheese on a board for a nice touch.
To enjoy, take a bite-sized nibble of cheese followed by a bite-sized nibble of bread, or put the cheese on the bread and enjoy them together. If you're serving a variety of cheeses, start with the mildest and work your way to the most intensely flavored, so the stronger cheeses don’t overshadow the milder ones.
Cheese and bread also make a great accompaniment to a light meal such as soup and salad. One of my favorite simple meals is a salad or soup, followed by cheese, bread, fruit, and a small piece of dark chocolate. If you have soup stored in the freezer, simply warm it up or prepare a salad for a delicious, easy "no-cook" dinner.
The cheese course also comes in handy when you have leftovers, but not enough for a full meal. Adding a cheese course and a piece of fruit creates a satisfying meal in seconds, without the need to cook anything else.
When you serve bread at the end of the meal, a small piece or two is all you need to feel satisfied. This gives a better result than serving a cheese tray as an appetizer when you’re starving and might be tempted to overindulge.
The next time you entertain, consider serving a cheese course at the end — it’s a great way to entertain guests and a fun, interactive way to enjoy a meal together. To add to the fun, serve nuts after the cheese and before a sweet dessert, like fruit or cake. Cracking fresh nuts is a simple, enjoyable activity as well as another “no-cook” course idea that's nutritious!
How to Store Cheese Using Cheese Bags
The Benefits of Eating in Courses
Eating in Courses Helps You Make a Meal to Please the Whole Family
