thelovebite.com

fuss factor: fromage = foreplay

shopping: a good supermarket (whole foods, trader joes), cheese shop or delicatessan will have everything that you need

prep time: maybe 10 minutes.

cooking time: there's nothing to cook!

ambience: have some nice plates, napkins and cheese knives and you're set

fuss factor: 1/5

invest in a small selection of fine, freshly cut cheeses, not slabs that have been vaccuum sealed and labelled with 'best before...'stickers

find a good cheese store or a supermarket with a good delicatessan counter. ask for recommendations and ask to taste them. remember that the flavour will intensify when the cheese warms to room temperature

I have 2 philosophies when putting together a cheese plate

1. the farmyard: select one sheep, one goat and one cow's milk cheese
2. hard, soft and sexy. you want to vary the taste and texture. one cheese should be oozy  and floozy, one should be a harder& sharper ...and one should be an all-out stunner; a rich blue, a truffle infused sotto cenere...

you can buy these a few days ahead and have them lounging around in the refridgerator... or buy them on the spot with a crunchy, fresh baguette...just remember that cheese needs to warm up for an hour before you serve it

as a rule, I like to partner a sharp cheese, such as chevre, with a sweet sidekick (eg home made marmalade); a soft cheese, such as brie, with a stronger flavour (eg campari soaked raisins); a cheddar with fruit or fruit paste (eg pears & apples or quince or fig pastes)

some cheeses don't like to share the spotlight. even a bit of bread takes away from their glory...like the sotto cenere. so just serve with some walnuts or dried cherries as side kicks