Having the necessities to whip up a platter at any time is essential to the cheese slut lifestyle.
Whether for an impromptu gathering or just to treat yourself to dinner,
you’ll be prepared if you keep stocked with something from each category below.
These are the four cheese board essentials I always have on hand.
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What’s My Name? Marieke Gouda Aged.
What Kind of Cheese Am I? A raw cow’s milk gouda, made with local milk using an Old World Dutch recipe and aged 9-12 months.
Where Am I From? Thorp, Wisconsin.
Three Words That Describe Me: mature, charming, and rugged.
Fun Fact: I’m a Wisconsin original, but I’m made using cultures and equipment imported directly from Holland.
What Do I Look Like? Champagne-colored paste studded with crystals, enrobed in an orange rind.
What Do I Smell Like? Tangy and sweet, like butterscotch.
What Do I Feel Like? Firm and flaky with a crunch from the Tyrosine crystals.
What Do I Taste Like? Wholesome and buttery, with robust notes of toffee
Favorite Foods: Shave thin slices of me onto baguette and dollop with fig preserves or drizzle me with bourbon caramel and pair with apples.
Favorite Beverages: Strong and stirred whiskey cocktails bring out my caramel sweetness. Contrast my sweet side with hot black coffee or a dark, burly stout.
Where to Find Me: Order me online or find a retailer near you.
What’s My Name? Grayson
What Kind of Cheese Am I? I’m a washed-rind cheese made with raw cow’s milk
Where Am I From? Meadow Creeky Dairy in Galax, Virgina
Three Words That Describe Me: Brawny, smoldering, and persuasive
Fun Fact: I’m made with only the best spring and summer milk, so you can only get a piece of me 9 months out of the year
What Do I Look Like? I have an auburn rind and a golden paste
What Do I Smell Like? Like your feet after a hot summer day in your nastiest sneakers
What Do I Feel Like? Silky, pudgy custard with a sticky, slightly crunchy rind
What Do I Taste Like? An explosion of minestrone soup – all beef stock, onions, and a kick of malt vinegar
Favorite Foods: Worship me with juicy grapes or dried figs with mild crackers. Get me some dark bread and pickles and I’ll rock your world. But definitely try me naked first; I’m already the whole package.
Favorite Beverages: I’m always craving malty brown ales, but don’t be afraid to break out some pricey port, too. I’m worth it.
Where to Find Me: I’m available from late spring until wintertime. Ask your local cheesemonger where to find a wedge.
These tiny little sweet peppers look just like cherry tomatoes. You’ll find them in the pickle section of the grocery store, sold in jars and preserved in vinegar or oil. They’re adorable little peppers, with a petite frame, crisp texture, and beautiful bright red color. You can slice them up for sandwiches or toss them with pasta.
Or you can stuff them full of chive goat cheese, drown them in olive oil,
and pop them one by one.
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Some cherries are so tart, it hurts to eat them.
While I like a little masochism here and there,
their intensity can overwhelm the delicate flavors in artisan cheese.
Gently roasting tart cherries teases out their sweetness and softens their texture.
They make soft bries and chèvres taste like cheesecake
and play off the fruity notes in aged goat goudas like Midnight Moon.
They’re also striking and luscious atop this Mascarpone Chèvre Tart.
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Shakshuka is a playful little dish of eggs baked in a spiced tomato sauce.
It’s a cheap, easy, and delightful skillet meal that tastes especially fantastic when showered with feta.
I added some kale to round out the meal, but it’s really all about those tender yolks.
They’re begging for a triangle of warm pita to pierce their fragile skins,
so they can swirl into the cheesy sauce like lava.
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When asparagus is in season, it doesn’t need a lot of foreplay:
a quick dance in a garlicky sautée pan, a bed of good pasta,
and the dreamiest lemon mascarpone sauce you’ve ever mouthed.
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My first piece of cheese merchandise is officially for sale!
Now you can wear your love for oozing camembert
on your sleeve, lapel, backpack –
anywhere you can stick it!
Click here to purchase.
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