This section is from the book "The Epicurean", by Charles Ranhofer. Also available from Amazon: The Epicurean, a Complete Treatise of Analytical and Practical Studies on the Culinary Art.
American, Brie, Camembert, Chester or Brighton, Cream. Briquebee, Eidam, Gorgonzola, Swiss or Gruyere, Holland, Munster, Mont-d'Or, Neufchatel, Parmesan, Pont Leveque, Port Salut, Roquefort, Stilton, Strachino, Shedder, Gervais.
Cheese is served either after the roast, before the sweet entremets, or else with the dessert; the first is most appropriate. Cheese must be accompanied by crackers or very thin slices of toast; it should be cut in pieces or slices. At a dinner it is better to have two kinds handed to the guests, with fresh butter; serve salted almonds and nuts at the same time. Stilton must be served whole wrapped in a plaited napkin: it should be scooped out with a cheese spoon and each time it is used the vacuum should be filled with sherry wine; it must always be kept sufficiently damp to prevent cracking. Chester should be served the same as Stilton in a plaited napkin, after paring it neatly; it should also be cut with a spoon and filled each time with good Madeira wine. For Brie, Camembert, Mont-d'Or or Pont Leveque: scrape any of these cheeses and serve with a silver knife for each guest. For Roquefort and Gorgonzola carefully suppress the outer rinds and serve with silver knives; pass around at the same time some fresh butter. Strachino and Millanais are serve in a plaited napkin folded to resemble a tulip; scoop out with a cheese spoon the same as Stilton. Holland cheese should be cut in quarters or slices. Neufchatel should be scraped and served whole.
Swiss cheese, Eidam, Munster, Port Saint and Briquebee are cut in slices. They must be chosen very mellow, cleaned and served with silver knives. Gervais is a sort of fresh bondon, the paste being very fine; it must be served quite cold. It should be covered with paper, to be removed when sending to the table.
Put two quarts of milk into a vessel and keep it in a cool place until it curdles, then pour this curdled milk on a hair sieve to drain, and pass it through the same sieve, standing over a deep vessel; add to it a little salt and half as much firmly beaten, unsweetened whipped cream. Take some heart-shaped tin molds, perforated with small holes, each mold one inch deep and three and a half inches long; line them with pieces of muslin and fill with the above: place these in the ice-box for two hours. When ready to serve invert on a plate, lift off the muslin and serve, accompanied by some thick and very cold cream.
 
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