To brie or not to brie

MILLIE: Cheese is a great family favorite; it was my dad’s perfect meal ender, not a sweet dessert. His favorite was Tete de Moine, Cougar, Gruyere, Camembert de Normandie, and he also enjoyed blue cheese, sharp cheddar and even kesong puti. I, on the other hand, love raclette, bloomy rinds like camembert and brie bridel. I enjoy blue d’Auvergne and Cambozola, but my all-time favorite is the cave-aged gruyere!

It’s no wonder that Karla grew up not just eating cheese but has also become a real cheese connoisseur! She started a business of her own called La Petite Fromagerie and has even joined The Cheese Club of the Philippines, where she sits as trustee.

KARLA: The Cheese Club of the Philippines is turning 42 years old this year. One thing that attracted me to the Cheese Club was that some of the cheeses they offer are not readily available in the Philippines. The Cheese Club is able to source and curate cheeses from all around the world for the members to try during the monthly sessions. You get to try a wide variety of cheese styles so you can figure out your preference.

MILLIE:  Since Karla joined The Cheese Club, in support, I always join the monthly cheese tastings and bring a cheese-loving friend so we can chat and sip wine as we taste all the lovely cheese offerings. I usually come early to avoid the horrible traffic on McKinley, but there’s no stopping me from going.

Arriving at the venue early, I get to reserve a comfortable couch for my guests, who are usually seniors. The younger  guests usually stand and mingle with the interesting crowd of expats and locals.

I always manage to take a quick survey of the cheese selections on display, as there is a wide variety for everyone’s flavor profile. Some of the cheeses I have tried at least once in my lifetime, some I am unfamiliar with, so it’s a perfect opportunity to taste and experience with the unlimited wines available for tasting and pairing.

KARLA: In the past six months, we have come up with various themes for the featured cheeses.

Last September was the 41st anniversary where we featured over 20 kinds of cheeses and 20 kinds of wines. We featured cheeses from Italy, Spain, UK, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The theme for the food carried on as well, as we served arancini, chorizo, Welsh rarebit, bitterballen, air-dried sausages and much more.

For October, we had the Oktober Cheese Fest with 15 varieties of cheeses, wines and beers to add to the theme. The cocktail food served was mainly a selection of sausages such as Nuernberger, bratwurst and pork sausages and sidings such as spaetzle, sauerkraut and real good pretzels, among other things.

Last November, we featured Soft, Aromatic and Flavored cheeses. Soft and aromatic cheeses such as Swiss Raclette and Taleggio were there, as well as Brillat Savarin from Burgundy, France, which is a triple-cream brie. Some new discoveries from this session were the Soumaintrain, Cure Nantais Muscadet and Valencay, which are all from France.

The Christmas session last December did not disappoint. It featured not only the cheeses but also carvery items such as roast turkey, The Plaza Premium Baked Ham (of course!) and a leg of lamb. Other cocktail food were seafood and spinach quiche, smoked salmon rillettes, flammkuchen and more. My favorite cheeses of the session were the brie with truffles from France, La Dent Du Chat from Savoie, France.

One of my unforgettables was the recent event last January themed “Apres Ski.” We were served a selection of alpine cheeses such as cave-aged Gruyere, Appenzeller, Saint Paulin, Saint Nectaire, Reblochon and more, four different kinds of cheese fondues and flavored raclettes – Peppercorn Raclette and Garlic Raclette. These made it a bit more interesting and fun to try; however, nothing beats the classic plain old Swiss raclette. For cocktail food we had spinach-stuffed chicken wings, braised lamb shank in phyllo pouches, crudites with smoked salmon dip and different kinds of cured meats, among others.

MILLIE:  At evening’s end, I am fully satiated and slightly tipsy but look forward to hearing my name called to receive a package containing  the unconsumed and untouched cheese selections that  are raffled off to lucky recipients. How cheesy can one get?

KARLA: In case you’re cheese curious, we’d like to invite all our readers to check out one of our sessions. We meet monthly on the first Wednesday of the month, the next one being March 6, 6:30 p.m. at the Enderun Atrium. Guest fees are P2,900, which includes cocktail food, wines, and of course, as much cheese as your heart desires. For more inquiries, you may email us at secretariat@cheeseclubphilippines.com or visit our website https://www.cheeseclubphil.com/ and Instagram @cheeseclub.ph

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