5 years ago i met the boy that would end up becoming my best friend, confidant, and so much more. he was 21, wore pleated khakis and had a terrible military style haircut. he had never tried sushi and mostly lived off of canned soup and chili. on our first outing together he took me to the cheesecake factory not realizing that any restaurant with the word factory in its name is not to be trusted. i took him to nic & stef's, a steak house, where he literally orgasmed over the combination of cold tomatoes, hot steak, and strong scotch. i think something happened to him that night.....
fast forward to the present where now this boy only shops at zara man, likes to wear his hair longer, and can appreciate many more foods than just ones that come from a can. in fact, he loves food....almost as much as i do! it's one of the major bonds of our relationship. together we have discovered some of the best cuisine that la offers and a myriad of ways that an underage girl can score a hard drink.
this boy instantly {and happily i might add} became my official cooking tester. chorizo, kale & potato soup was a smash success. vegetables with orzo & feta.......a major flop. he has seen the best and the worst of me, one of those ways definitely being found in the kitchen. our favorite way of spending time together is through eating and one of our favorite things to eat is cheese. cheese is something i could exist on singularly and i'm ecstatic that my best bud feels the exact same way about it as i do.
a cheese plate is almost comically easy to put together and there's no recipe involved. grab some of your favorite cheeses, add some accompaniments, pour some red wine and voila....you're done! this was an especially tasty cheese plate but add and subtract. the whole point is to make something you enjoy. if you impress your guests you might even get a chic hostess gift like my green tea kit kats from japan.
a cheese plate.
cheese:
- triple cream brie
- smoked gouda
- stilton blue cheese
- marcona almonds
- dried figs
- dried cherries
- mango honey (not pictured)
- pureed raspberry jam (not pictured)
tips:
- try to buy cheeses that each have there own unique taste and/or texture. otherwise, the flavors will blend too much.
- like melon and prosciutto or peanut butter and chocolate, wine and cheese really are meant to be together. even if you don't like or drink wine, cough up the dough and buy a bottle. trust me, for this, it's worthwhile.
my favorite cheese plates in los angeles:
