Three Ways to Elevate your Cheese Plate
If you know anything about the Higgins family, then you know we love a good cheese plate. Like Sam's affinity for cocktails, he takes his appetizers very seriously. Before kids, a nice cheese board before dinner was an almost daily occurrence. Let's just say, to lose a few lbs before our wedding, we skipped our nightly appetizer course and didn't have to do much more. I'll save our adventures in kickboxing for another day. Fast forward a few years and most weekend nights at home or gatherings with friends are kicked off in a similar fashion.
Here are three cheeses we have been loving lately, and where to find them in the Northern NJ area:
Delice de Bourgogne - My FIL (father-in-law), Greg, introduced us to this on a recent visit. I imagine you can find this anywhere with a good cheese selection but he picked it up at Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace. According to Greg, he is responsible for a spike in its sales as other shoppers flocked to it (with good reason) after overhearing his conversation with the cheese monger. It is a French cow's milk cheese from the Burgundy region of France that I would compare to a creamier Brie. This is a great on a piece of crusty bread or on a heartier cracker like a Triscuit.
Australian Marinated Sheep & Goat Cheese by Meredith Dairy - Sam found this at Bottle King over a year ago and it is quite possibly my favorite appetizer in our rotation. The only thing I don't like about it, is the giant baguette I end up consuming by the time cocktail hour is over. If eating a loaf of bread before dinner isn't your thing, flatbread crackers also work well.
Aged Gouda - Gouda has become a recent favorite of ours (Thanks Jen and Gabe). Perhaps its the orange color, but it feels like the perfect fall cheese. A little nutty in texture, I find this one to be a real treat!
Our favorite cheese board tools:
Cheers!