As somebody who as soon as taught a category totally dedicated to Evening Cheese, I like (LOVE) a cheese plate. However you already know what’s simpler and extra statement-making than a cheese plate? Simply serving one huge cheese.
Not any cheese can stand alone, although. For a cheese to go solo, it have to be so scrumptious that social gathering friends don’t even understand that there’s just one cheese choice accessible. And it must be bodily huge — if it’s going to be within the highlight, it shouldn’t be shy about taking over house.
Assume cheeses just like the gooey-mustardy Harbison (carry it to room temp!), the is-this-just-butter St. Stephen, or a straight-up hunk of Parm.
However my favourite One Large Cheese? Cabot Creamery’s three-year aged cheddar, particularly the large two-pound block from Costco.
This cheese does all of it. It sits fantastically in that Venn diagram between “oh, this tastes like one thing I do know” and “oh, that is barely unfamiliar in a very nice manner.” Final month, I served it (with crackers) at my son’s fifth birthday celebration. Adults had been coming as much as me the entire social gathering, asking about what the “fancy” cheese was and sharing how a lot they cherished it. Children had been horfing it down, too.
Think about your commonplace grocery-store cheddar if it had been barely caramelized or kissed by a grill. It’s nutty and nuanced, but extraordinarily cheddar-y. I’ve by no means met anybody who can resist.
If I dare serve one other cheese to my five-year-old, he instantly asks why I didn’t give him “the nice cheddar” (like mom, like son?). And my two-year-old occurs to find it irresistible nearly as a lot as he loves one other large Costco buy: this large jar of capers.
However this cheddar is not only a celebration cheese. Because it’s aged for therefore lengthy, it has a protracted shelf life (low moisture!), so it may possibly keep within the fridge for months (useful, given its measurement however, uh, we nonetheless get by way of it fairly shortly). I’ve used it for numerous WFH lunches — as a fast quesadilla or grating it over no matter leftovers want a little bit of oomph. Gown it up, gown it down, Cabot 3-12 months Cheddar is the little black gown of big-box warehouse dairy.
What do you serve at gatherings? Any professional suggestions? We additionally love a simple ceremonial dinner and mildly chaotic brunch!
Carey Polis is an editorial advisor and content material strategist who lives in Washington, D.C., together with her partner and two sons. She additionally has a publication: Cheese, Ebook, Restaurant, Factor.
P.S. A helpful information to creating an ideal cheese plate, birthday cheese, and the very best social gathering snack of all time.
(Pictures by David Williams for Cup of Jo.)
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