An Epic Birthday Cheese Plate Breakdown. By Vero Kherian on misscheesemonger.com.

Cheese Board Inspiration For Our Birthday!

Hello, my friends! This past weekend, M. Cheesemonger and I celebrated our birthdays (his is in October, mine in September) with our friends with a picnic in lovely Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. We prepared an all-star cheese plate for you! Fleet Week, with appearances by the impressive (and noisy) Blue Angels also took place!

Oohhhh, what amazing skill the Blue Angels have! An Epic Birthday Cheese Plate Breakdown. By Vero Kherian on misscheesemonger.com.
Oohhhh, what amazing skill the Blue Angels have!

Here are the cheeses and many delicious condiments M. Cheesemonger and I shared with our friends.

The Cheeses:

La Tur

An Epic Birthday Cheese Plate Breakdown. By Vero Kherian on misscheesemonger.com.
La Tur, Figs, Paul + Pippa Carrot Cake Biscuits, Fabrique Délices pâté and cornichons.

Italy, Caseificio Dell’Alta Langa, cow, sheep, goat, pasteurized.

This crowd-pleasing soft cheese is an easy choice for parties. So many people love its lactic, slightly tangy quality, ice cream-soft texture, and velvety mouthfeel. It was among the first to go at our picnic!

Bonne Bouche

Bonne Bouche by Vermont Creamery, Fig and Port Wine jam by Valley Fig Growers. An Epic Birthday Cheese Plate Breakdown. By Vero Kherian on misscheesemonger.com.
Bonne Bouche by Vermont Creamery, Fig and Port Wine jam by Valley Fig Growers.

USA (Vermont), Vermont Creamery, goat, pasteurized.

It’s always so impressive to watch this cheese warm up, soften, and turn to a liquid pool of flavor out on the table or counter. Its ash-covered rind is a visually stunning addition to any cheese plate, and its creamy, tangy flavor is one of my favorites in American cheese.

Cabot New York Vintage Aged Cheddar Cheese

Cabot Cheese's New York Aged Cheddar, French Confit of Lavender Flowers, 34 Degrees crisps, and Paul + Pippa biscuits. An Epic Birthday Cheese Plate Breakdown. By Vero Kherian on misscheesemonger.com.
Cabot Cheese’s New York Aged Cheddar , French Confit of Lavender Flowers, 34 Degrees crisps (below), and Paul + Pippa biscuits (left and above of cheese).

USA (Vermont), Cabot Creamery, cow, pasteurized.

Another crowd pleaser, this Vermont-made, New York-inspired cheddar has some sharpness and complexity, and a slightly crumbly texture. I’m starting to discover Cabot’s cheeses beyond their clothbound cheddar, and they’re pretty solid. Good quality, not too pricy, and you can use them as a table cheese, or in cooking.

Zimbro

Portugal, sheep, raw, vegetarian.

I happened to have this cheese on hand, so brought it along. It was younger than what I’m used to eating—when this cheese ages, it turns fudgy, and soooo strong, like an earthy, grassy, sour cheese cannonball. This one, however, was fairly young, and so was relatively toned down in flavor. It was also much firmer in texture, with a bright tartness that people really loved.

Brebis au Piment d’Espelette

Brebis au Piment d'Espelette nestled in a Creminelli whisky salami nest. With cornichons for good measure. An Epic Birthday Cheese Plate Breakdown. By Vero Kherian on misscheesemonger.com.
Brebis au Piment d’Espelette nestled in a Creminelli whisky salami nest. With cornichons for good measure.

France, sheep, pasteurized.

My cheese shop had just gotten this cheese in, and the owner really loved it, so I thought I should give it a try. I usually don’t love cheeses with added ingredients, but this was quite lovely. The Espelette pepper, crushed, was a very subtle addition to the cheese, adding more depth to its sweet grass notes.

Roquefort

France, Président Société, sheep, raw.

This classic cheese has gorgeous blue-green veins, soft texture, and a full, intense flavor. One of the most famous cheeses in the world, it is a familiar part of many of my party cheese plates.

Roaring 40s Blue

Australia, King Island Dairy, cow, pasteurized.

Aahhh! It's back! Roaring 40s Blue!! With Lesley Stowe Raincoast Beet and Balsamic Flats, homemade chocolate truffles, and Lemonbird Strawberry Lemon Preserves. An Epic Birthday Cheese Plate Breakdown. By Vero Kherian on misscheesemonger.com.
Aahhh! It’s back! Roaring 40s Blue!! With Lesley Stowe Raincoast Beet and Balsamic Flats, homemade chocolate truffles, and Lemonbird Strawberry Lemon Preserves.

I fell in love with this cheese at my very first cheese job! It has a such a creamy, lush texture, and creamy, sweet flavor—to die for. Sadly, for several years it became unavailable in the US, but now it’s back! Woohoo! On the cheese plate, it cut such a beautiful figure with its characteristic black wax rind.

The Accompaniments

For our celebration, there was a veritable symphony of cheese plate players. Here they all are:

34 Degrees Crisps

I’ve long been a fan of 34 Degrees crisps, so included a classic, their sesame crisps, and a brand new flavor—their chocolate crisps!!!

Paul + Pippa Organic Biscuits

These crumbly, delicately flavored biscuits have just recently come to my attention. I tried their Carrot Cake biscuits for our party, and was blown away at the delightfully sophisticated flavors and absolutely charming packaging (maybe you saw the packages on my Instagram stories!).

Lesley Stowe Raincoast Flats—Beet + Balsamic Vinegar

Yum yum yum. For everything--the Strawberry Lemon Preserves, the Roquefort, the Roaring 40s Blue, the homemade truffles, and the Lesley Stowe Raincoast Beet + Balsamic Flats. An Epic Birthday Cheese Plate Breakdown. By Vero Kherian on misscheesemonger.com.
Yum yum yum. For everything–the Strawberry Lemon Preserves, the Roquefort, the Roaring 40s Blue, the homemade truffles, and the Lesley Stowe Raincoast Beet + Balsamic Flats.

These crisps are new for the holidays, and yummm. . . . I love them. The Lesley Stowe Raincoast Crisps have been a longtime staple in my pantry, and now that they’ve come out with these sturdy, flavorful flat crackers, I’ll be adding them to my repertoire, too.

Pâté with Black Pepper

From Fabrique Délices, one of the most widespread distributor of fine French food products in our area. Lots of people raved about this particular pâté!

Cornichons

Also from Fabrique Délices. M. Cheesemonger is of the mind that a cheese plate isn’t complete without them!

Whisky Salami

This new offering by Creminelli Fine Meats in Utah stays true to their commitment to high-quality, tasty charcuterie. Made with Son of Bourye by High West Distillery (combining “bourbon” and “rye”), you might want to hide a few slices for yourself before setting out the plate for your guests. ;)

Espelette Chili Pepper Jelly, Confit of Lavender Flowers

Zimbro with Port Wine Fig Jam, dried figs, Espelette Chili Pepper Jelly, Whisky Salami by Creminelli, and 34 Degrees sesame crisps.
Zimbro with Port Wine Fig Jam, dried figs, Espelette Chili Pepper Jelly, Whisky Salami by Creminelli, and 34 Degrees sesame crisps.

Both sold by my affiliate partner The French Farm [affiliate link]. They always receive rave reviews when I serve them! People love seeing the lavender flowers in their confit, and the espelette pepper jelly is a surprising, delightful discovery for the palate.

Fig Jam with Port Wine, Dried Figs

From Valley Fig Growers in California. Fig jam is such a classic accompaniment on a cheese plate, so I wanted to include it, with this little port wine twist! And who can say no to dried figs?

Strawberry Lemon Preserves

Made by my friend Amy at Lemonbird Preserves in Los Angeles! She has such a gift of combining flavors into something memorable. The preserves paired beautifully with the blue cheeses!

Homemade Chocolate + Mushroom Truffles

An Epic Birthday Cheese Plate Breakdown. By Vero Kherian on misscheesemonger.com.
I’m going to need to learn how to make these chocolate truffles . . . . M. Cheesemonger makes chocolate truffles every Christmas, but I want to add porcini mushrooms to mine!

No, not psychedelic mushrooms, but porcinis. My friends (whose bridal portraits I photographed last summer) made these, and I scrambled to grab a couple before they melted in the unusually warm SF sun. They would make a great accompaniment to blue cheeses, soft-ripened cheeses, or goat cheeses!

Homemade Scones (Raspberry and Chocolate)

My friend Sarah made the most AMAZING scones for our party!! I’m going to have to get the recipe from her because everyone else thought they were fantastic, too.

Lots and lots of salads

Everyone brought a salad to the party! J I guess they all had the same idea to balance out the cheese onslaught they knew was going to happen with plants.


 

Aaaaand, after that, everyone was sufficiently stuffed. It was a wonderful birthday celebration for M. Cheesemonger and me! I love all of our friends so much. They are such loving and talented people, and I am proud to be their friend!

You can find these cheeses at your local specialty cheese store. Vermont Creamery, Cabot cheeses, and Société Roquefort can be found at finer grocery stores.

Many of the accompaniments can also be found at finer grocery or specialty food stores. If you have any doubts, contact the companies to see where they are carried near you.

What’s on your cheese plate? Did you see Fleet Week in San Francisco last week? Let me know in the comments!

Zimbro with Port Wine Fig Jam, dried figs, Espelette Chili Pepper Jelly, Whisky Salami by Creminelli, and 34 Degrees sesame crisps. An Epic Birthday Cheese Plate Breakdown. By Vero Kherian on misscheesemonger.com.
See you next year, Blue Angels!

 

I received some product samples for free, and independently decided to include them in this blog post. They include: 34 Degrees crisps, l’Epicurien jams, fig spread, Cabot cheese, Fabrique Délices pâté, Lesley Stowe flats, and Paul + Pippa biscuits.


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