A Cheese Board

I am not a cheese expert by any stretch of the imagination.  But I do like it when I’m eating it.  When it comes to making a cheese board for a dinner or party, it’s really easy, and it looks great with very little effort.  I recently made one such board this past Christmas time for a holiday party, that included a Brie, a Stilton, and a Beemster.  I usually go with three kinds of cheeses, two kinds of crackers, and one kind of fruit.  See some more useless suggestions below.

a cheese board made for a Halloween party circa 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 Cheeses – For the cheeses, I go with a cow’s milk, a goat’s milk, and a sheep’s milk.  I also try to go for varying textures (a hard cheese, a soft, cheese, and a blue cheese).

2 Crackers – Table Water Crackers are a good choice, and then I also grab a whole grain cracker.

1 Fruit – If pears or apples are in season, I go with them.  Grapes add good contrast in flavor and texture.  Figs or dried apricots can also be a good choice.

Don’t hesitate to ask the cheesemaster at your local grocery what kinds of fruits will pair with what kinds of cheeses.  They’re probably bored anyway.

Don’t forget to add a knife to the board.  Bottom line, cheese is delicious, and so are crackers and most fruits.  It’s hard to mess this up.  But people are generally very impressed with your ability to make this.

Brie

The other day, I ventured into the woods for a weekend away from all the downloading.  A group of seven of us set out to rough it in the wilderness without the modern conveniences of front-load washers and garbage disposals.  Our rugged lake-side cabin with full kitchen, full bathroom, and a deer set as the perfect backdrop to hike, play games, tell life-alteringly scary stories around fires, and eat.

It was brought to my attention that I should probably bring cheese considering this blog.  I swiftly made a trip to the local cheesery and selected a ripened, delicious-looking brie to store in the mouths of those in attendance.  Brie is a cow’s milk cheese with an edible rind that can be delicious in a variety of ways.  It can be sliced and eaten atop crackers (Table Water Crackers preferred), as was done during the weekend at the cabin.  It can be eaten with fruit (also done at the cabin with apples).  It can be warmed in the oven, causing the cheese to ooze inside the rind making a tasty, gooey mess, then topped with honey or fruit.  It can also be eaten in a grilled cheese sandwich as brought to my attention at Washington DC restaurant Busboys and Poets in their grilled brie panini with caramelized onions, spinach, and tomato.  Sometimes it’s even wrapped in phyllo dough!!!!

In conclusion, if you haven’t tried brie by this point in your life, at a party or somewhere, there is something wrong with you.

A stoic deer baby who we lovingly named Hank. Yes there were flowers in December some how.