Whisk your Sweetie to Spain with this cheese board. It’s all romance for these whimsical cheeses, set against a backdrop of orange and pale green. Homemade dulce de membrillo, or quince paste, beckons like a matador to the manchego. The marcona almonds Flamenco dance in the mouth, bursting with crunch and buttery flavor. Kumquats are shameless flirts, as each bite goes from sweet, to very sour, and back to sweet again.
We’re pouring on the cheese, aren’t we? And why not — it’s Valentine’s Week!
Once again, in happy collaboration with the Cheese Bar in Portland, we bring you outstanding cheeses (and other whimsy) to help create an outstanding cheeseboard:
1605 Manchego (La Mancha, Spain). This quixotic cheese is the one that Cheesemonger Steve Jones has been looking for his entire career. And for good reason: this organic and natural-rinded raw sheep is so sublime. It’s made by a woman, named this cheese after the year Don Quixote was written (isn’t that so romantic?) We simply had to offer our dulce de membrillo as the match-made-in heaven.
Hyo de Quintana Mahon, raw cow (Mallorca, Spain) handmade, artisan Mahon cheese. We “fracture” this cheese into perfect nibbly bits.
Veigadarte (Leon, Spain) This goat cheese is lemony & delicious. Each bite is a journey, from the firmer texture near the ash-encrusted rind to the gooier middle.
Spanish charcuterie Spanish chorizo and jamón serrano don this board, 2 great salty options among many choices.
Kumquats, olives, macarona almonds, and teeny brined peppers also kiss the cheese board, with complementary colors, textures, and flavors.
And, to take it over the top (who can resist), pop these cuties into your beloved’s mouth: Poached Apricots, stuffed with Fromage Blanc, sealed with chopped pistachios —an aphrodisiac worthy of Don Juan himself.
Yum!!
Just snacked on some manchego at home and while I didn’t have any quince I DID have a great fig jam from Costco that was lovely with it!!
Loving the blog – you take beautiful photos!