After knowing how to care for, protect and the ideal temperature to serve your favorite cheese, what remains is to understand how to best serve it, because when it comes to eating, we already know that everyone doesn't mind helping. And the truth is that all this “treat” culminates in the best part, if our mouths weren’t already watering just imagining it.
Even if you are not a big cheese lover, as soon as you start to explore this world a little, it is very easy for you to fall in love with this whole process, even if it is just by imagining the little sheep accompanied by their shepherd, free and happy on the enchanted slopes of our Serra da Estrela. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit yet, I highly recommend exploring this idyllic place, with its generous people and authentic traditions, impossible to recreate.
So let's get to the point.
How should I prepare my Serra da Estrela Buttery Cheese to serve it?
Step by step:
First, your cheese must be at the ideal temperature to be enjoyed , as preparing it properly will ensure that it does not break or fall apart.
But, if you like to keep it simple like we do at home, make sure your buttery cheese has at least been at room temperature for at least 12 hours in winter and just a few minutes in summer .
This little step can make all the difference in the final result of your cheese bouquet, so I advise you not to forget it.
Important:
Soft or buttery cheese as it is normally known, in itself tends to have a more liquid mass, which means that you have to rely more on its rind. The rind should be well formed (no cracks) and slightly “perspired”, but nothing extreme or the cheese is past its prime.
Carefully clean your cheese with a damp cloth, remove the cotton band that surrounds it and prepare the board where you will serve it. Cutting the buttery Serra da Estrela cheese can be a challenge, as it is soft and can break easily, which makes the knife important. I advise you to take it easy and choose a very sharp knife .
Let's go to the show now!
How to cut Amanteigado Serra Cheese without breaking it?
Here I will present you with two options:
1. Open the Serra de Estrela-style buttery cheese!
This is the most traditional way and as you can imagine, in the place where this cheese originates, he is the King and for this reason he is treated with the greatest reverence. Which means that because it is the result of knowledge passed down from generation to generation , it gives it a unique status that we are pleased to respect. In that spirit and bearing in mind that nothing is wasted in the shepherd's house , start by cutting the cheese in half . Then cut the cheese into thin slices , as uniform as possible.
It is important that you alternate the halves so that, if you eventually have leftovers, you have two halves that are almost equal in size and can put them together to store them more easily and reserve them for next time.
Ideally, you should reuse the cotton cloth that came with the cheese, to keep your spread safe and place it in your refrigerator.
2. Open the buttery cheese for your party or gathering!
Start by giving the top of your cheese a small tap . Once you're satisfied, slide the knife gently until you almost complete the circumference where you started.
You can be careful to get as much out of the “lid”, as it is close to the rind where the cheese concentrates the most flavor . This small step will also allow for greater flexibility in holding the peel carefully with a toothpick.
Check out our video here.
If you prefer, you can also completely remove this top rind from your cheese, to make it easier to serve.
And in this case we have “ expert ” advice for you.
Reserve your cheese rind!
In the event that you have held a small gathering at your home and there is some cheese left over, the rind that you removed first, that is, the lid, may be the best option to protect it again.
All that remains is to wish you a Bon Appétit!
And ask which of these methods are you going to try?
Do you prefer the more traditional way of opening Queijo da Serra or is it more modern, as Pastor Joaquim says?
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