Holiday Cheese Board – Finding Michele

After posting the long, and relatively complicated croissants video last week, I decided to take a little mental break, and do a video for how to put together a holiday cheese board. I've wanted to do this one for a while, and since we're in the middle of entertaining season, I thought the timing was perfect.

It's always stressful to have people coming over this time of the year. You want to please, and impress, but there never seems to be enough time to get everything done, especially in the kitchen, and that's when a well-designed cheese board can save the day.

They're fast to put together, and you don't need any special skills, other than being able to talk to strangers at the fancy grocery store. Most feature extensive cheese selections, and it's been my experience that the people who work in those departments love helping you pick out your cheese.

I know this, since I'm married to one of those people. Michele used to sell cheese in various shops and charcuteries, and her selection/pairing skills are legendary. Customers would simply tell her how many guests were coming, as well as what was being served, in particular, which adult beverages, and she would work her magic.

I gave you our basic approach for composing one of these boards, but there are many different ways you can go, so I encourage you to find the "Michele" at whichever place you're buying your cheese. You won't regret it. No matter which cheeses you end up with, or how you garnish them, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Le Mothais sur Feuille - Goat Cheese 
• Prunes 
• Fuyu Persimmons 
• Bread - Rye Krisp 
• Knife - Combo (spread, slice, stab) 
• Manchego Membrillo - Sheep Cheese
• Quince paste
• Bread - water crackers 
• Knife - slice and stab (knife with holes) 
• Stilton - Cow Bleu Cheese 
• Candied Pecans 
• Grapes
• Bread - sliced baguette 
• Knife - spreading
• Note: Allow for at least 2 ounces of cheese total per guest, as a portioning rule of thumb.