Desserts
Please select a dessert from the alphabetical list.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Artisan Cheese Plate
San Francisco's Bay area is the best place to live in the entire world.San Francisco's Bay area is the best place to live in the entire world. Why? Beacuse we have an artisan food community that is producing some of the best products anywhere. And Cheese, wonderful, glorious cheese is no exception. The Cowgirl Creamery, Point Reyes Farmstead, and Andante Dairy are truely exceptional culinary artisans sharing their creations.
I really can't decide if cheese belongs as an appetizer (more of an American custom) or if it belongs as a dessert (more of a French custom). My current thinking is that because cheeses are primarily fat and fat has the effect of making people feel full it makes more sense for cheese to come at the end of a meal.
During the Sublime Delights adventure to the Cowgirl Creamery I was inspired to come up with some accompaniments to a cheese plate that would be delicious and a little different. Soft cheeses are often times paired with honey and sweet fruits like figs. It's simple and delicious and hard to improve upon. But, I am not about to let that stop me. I hope you find my recipe suggestions fun and fresh.
Cheeses should always be served at room temerature. When the cheese is warm it opens up the aroma and softens the palet. At room temerature the cheese is able to deliver all the complexities of it's flavor.
In choosing a selection of cheese for a cheese plate there are no real hard and fast rules. It's based almost entirely on your own preferences. If you need a little bit of a guide try to get cheese of different textures. Typically you might try to get a hard cheese, a semi-soft cheese and a soft cheese. Wether you choose sheeps cheese, blue cheese, or herb wrapped cheese really doesn't matter. Just pick the things that you love and want to share with your guests.
Here are my suggestions for a cheese plate. Of course you can do your own thing.
Ingredients
Conversions to European measurements can be found here!
- Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk
- Cowgirl Creamery Mt Tam
- Point Reyes Farmstead Blue Cheese
- Andante Dairy Melange
- Lemon Confiture
- Onion Chutney
- Green Mango Relish
- Herb Flowers (edible)
- Sourdough Bagette Sliced and Grilled