Cheese for a Friend

One of my entertaining mainstays is the classic cheese plate.  Really, what could be more versatile,  as delicious or easier to assemble than a beautifully arranged plate of cheese?  I, for one, tend to devour cheese when it is placed in front of me.  I also get positively giddy at the prospect of visiting a cheese counter to taste-test various cheeses for my plate.  When making my plates, I try to incorporate one hard cheese, one soft cheese and one blue cheese into my arrangement.  The types of cheese I choose vary, but a few of my favorites include a white, sharp English farmhouse cheddar, a pungent and salty roquefort, a thick and velvety triple cream brie and a grassy, rich goat cheese. Add toasted baguette slices, a small bowl of olives, some sweet fruit preserves or a bunch of fresh green grapes, whatever you have on hand. Arrange cheeses on a cake stand, wooden cutting board or a simple white platter.  It is really too easy!  So, when my best friend Heather asked me to make a cheese plate for her to bring to a wedding shower brunch, I was up for the challenge.  For her brunch platter, I chose a sharp New York state cheddar, a luxurious French triple cream brie and a pungent blue cheese.  As accompaniments, I included a small bowl of crunchy almonds, some sweet fig jam (jam recipe here) and a stack of slightly sweet oat crackers.  To finish, I poured some truffled honey over the blue cheese and used flat, green hydrangea leaves as a garnish. (Note: be sure to use non-poisonous leaves on your cheese plate.  Hydrangea leaves aren't poisonous). I wasn't there to witness it myself, but I hope the cheese platter was enjoyed, and devoured, by all.

I frequently use honey to cut the sharpness of a strong blue cheese.  Mix in a little white truffle oil for a bit more decadence.  

Salty, crunchy, sweet, creamy - your cheese platter can have it all.