A Passion for Cheese

Love cheese? Us too. Browsing through my photo library I came across cheese photographs from various restaurants where we dined over the last couple years. The photos bring back memories of excellent meals. I thought I would compile them, thinking the presentations and accompaniments could provide inspiration for serving a cheese course or cheeseboard at the next dinner party.

Morels French Steakhouse, Las Vegas

Guy Savoy, Las Vegas

Custom House, Chicago

AOC, Los Angeles

David Burke Fromagerie, Rumson, New Jersey
Daniel, New York City

Guy Savoy

Alex, Las Vegas
Balthazar, New York City
The Girl and The Fig, Sonoma, California
Carneros Wine Bar, Sonoma, California

With holiday entertaining right around the corner, I’m definitely looking forward to serving cheese. And I’ll be borrowing ideas on presentation and accompaniments from some of these restaurants where we thoroughly enjoyed the cheese course. I like variety, balance of strength and character of the cheese, paired with interesting flavorful accompaniments.
Cheeses:
  • Milk: Cow, Sheep, Goat
  • Textures: Soft to Hard
  • Taste: Mild to Strong
  • Various Origins
  • A Variety of Shapes and Colors
Accompaniments:
  • Bread: Baguette, Fruit & Nut Bread, Herbed Bread, Lavosh
  • Fruitcake: Dried Fig Cake, Dried Date Cake
  • Nuts: Almond, Walnut, Hazelnut, Pecan
  • Candied Nuts
  • Fresh Fruits: Fig, Grape, Apple, Pear, Melon
  • Dried Fruits: Fig, Date, Raisin, Plum, Apricot
  • Honey, Honeycomb
  • Chutney
  • Fruit Compote
  • Fruit Paste: Quince, Apricot, Plum, Pear, Fig
  • Cured Meats: Thinly-sliced, Room-temperature
  • Olives
  • Drizzled Olive Oil
  • Duck Confit
  • Micro-thin Sliced Onions
  • Caperberries
  • Roasted Peppers and Tomatoes 
  • And, of course, Wine!

Classic Combinations:

  • Manchego & Quince Paste & Serrano Ham & Green Olives
  • Cheddar & Chutney & Apple
  • Stilton & Pear & Walnut
  • Gorgonzola & Fig & Honey
  • Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella & Tomato, Basil and Olive Oil

Do you have a special cheese or an interesting flavor pairing to share?

Filet Mignon, Mushroom Madeira, Crumbled Bleu

Filet Mignon over Madeira Wine Sauce with Mushrooms, Topped with Crumbled Bleu Cheese
I posted a similar recipe back in October, this time I added mushrooms and bleu cheese. It is so delicious and flavorful, and fast and easy to prepare, I thought I would share this version too.

I start by cooking the sliced crimini mushrooms in a little olive oil until the are browned. Cook’s Tip: Leave the mushrooms alone until they have caramelized on the bottom, then toss.

Meanwhile, I season an 8 oz. filet mignon with course salt and fresh ground pepper.

The filet is dipped in olive oil then place in a hot pan, over medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side to get a nice crust. Then into a pre-heated 450 oven for another 3 to 4 minutes depending on the degree of doneness preferred.

 

At the same time, I make the sauce with 1/4 cup finely diced shallot or red onion, 1 cup of Madeira, and a 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme. This is reduced over high heat by about a third. Then 1 cup of beef stock is added and reduced further.

About 2 T. butter are swirled into the sauce, seasoning adjusted.
Madeira is a fortified wine from Portugal. Its unique raisin, spicy, caramel, nutty, smokey flavors make for an extraordinary tasty sauce.

 

Pour the sauce onto the plate, add the browned seasoned mushrooms and the filet. Top with bleu cheese crumbles.
In only about 20 minutes, you can have a complex-flavored Steakhouse style meal. I like to serve it with a light spinach salad…
The Madeira Wine Guide is an excellent source for information about this wine, its history and the islands where it is produced.