Indulge with a luxury cheese tasting

Cherry Celery Chutney

A lavish cheese plate is just the thing to celebrate a secial occasion.

When looking at a definition of luxury: a pleasant, decadent activity rarely indulged in; a non-essential item that is expensive or hard to get; a great comfort, expensive and high quality – it’s easy to see how cheese and cheese tasting would make it to the top of the list of luxury must-haves.

Throw in some artisanal pairings like fruit pastes, top-notch balsamic vinegar and single- varietal honey and the extravagance meter soars off the charts. Follow these simple guidelines for creating your own luxury tasting.

Few things in life travel so far, handled with such great care and reverence that they command such a premium price as the humble wheel of cheese. Humble because the origins of cheese are distinctly peasant food, sustaining our ancestors for thousands of years.

It has now turned a corner, center stage in the fashionable world of food with the rarest, most desirable specimens fetching upwards of $30 a pound. Worth every penny, these gems are an everyday splurge that can transport you remote alpine meadows, craggy Spanish peaks and bucolic English vales – all from the comfort of your own home.

Seek out small production products that have been handcrafted with care and attention. Your cheesemonger can connect you with extra special pieces that demand to be enjoyed today, right here and now. Be fearless, selecting what appeals to your inner gourmand with little regard for the often-hefty price-per-pound because smaller amounts of three or four cheeses – just 4 to 6 ounces – will deliver ultimate tasting satisfaction for 6 people!

To turn up the luxury notch one step further, check out some of the flavor-packed pairings creating a stir these days. The contrasting balance of flavor created via the perfect paring is stunning to observe.

Fruit Pastes are concentrated, sliceable pure fruit with a bit of sugar and, sometimes, spice, thrown in to round out the experience. Made in traditional flavors like pear, cherry and fig and also the more obscure quince and passionfruit. The burst of tangy-sweet-fruity flavor adds another dimension to both hard and soft cheeses. Different fruits favor different cheeses, but a good Gruyere or an aged sheep cheese like Ossau Iraty would be good places to start.

Balsamic Vinegar is a culinary favorite that may seem strange to pair with cheese but it is a beautiful balance with Italian cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano. Drizzle a few drops of the extra-concentrated smoothness of 10 year Balsamic over nuggets of Grana cheese and prepare to savor complexity at its finest: sweet-tangy notes of the vinegar dueling for attention with the salty-savory notes of the cheese. Delicioso.

Honey is a treat with cheese that may, at first glance, seem quite odd. It works well for the same reason that a dessert wine is the perfect partner for a bold and spicy blue; the contrast and balance of the duo take both to a whole new level. New to the market are single varietal honeys, made with pollen from a selected region or type of flower that are complete indulgence with blue cheese. Once you’ve tried this combo, you’ll be hooked!

Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or the arrival of spring, a lavish and extravagant cheese plate is just the thing to set the stage for indulgence!

RESOURCES:

Your cheesemonger will undoubtedly suggest a few must-haves for your luxury tasting. If you’re not close enough to run out for a personal consult, a world of flavor is just a mouse-click away – with more and more retailers offer shipping of their finest products. (www.artisanalcheese.com) (New Seasons Markets)

A few additional, not-to-be-missed luxury selections: Linconshire Poacher, Beaufort, Moliterno Black Truffle, Bayley Hazen Blue and Brescianella.