Cheese of the Month: February
Each month, we introduce you to a delicious, unique cheese that you may not have discovered otherwise. We partnered with a local specialty cheese supplier to help curate farmers-market-quality cheese from independent producers from around the world. Whether you’re a cheese novice or connoisseur, this is a fun way to try a variety of cheese. No subscription needed! Simply add it to your delivery order like you would any other product.
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Marin French Cheese Co.
Marin French Cheese Co. is built on a foundation of history, time-honored techniques, and a passion for quality. Their story begins in 1865, when a dairy family purchased a 700-acre farm amidst the rolling hills of West Marin County in Northern California. Their classic French-inspired, California-crafted cheeses have been continually made for over 155 years in the same historic creamery that is Marin French Cheese Co. They use only the freshest local milk from Holstein, Jersey, and Guernsey cows to produce cheese in small batches using traditional cultures that coax a distinctly coastal California character and flavor into every wheel.
Petite Truffle Brie
Marin French Petite Truffle Brie begins with the same recipe as their award-winning Triple Crème Brie. Made with fresh cow’s milk and cream from neighboring Marin County dairies, this rich and decadent cheese is specked with real black truffles for an irresistibly earthy aroma of mushrooms balanced with sweet cream. Petite Truffle’s size and versatility is perfect for snacking, enjoying alone, or sharing with friends. You can create the cheese plate of your dreams, take baked mac and cheese to the next level, or fold it into scrambled eggs for an extra-special breakfast. We're selling each 4-ounce wheel for a limited time.
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The Perfect Charcuterie Board
Since Marin French Petite Truffle is so, so good on its own, this month we wanted to talk about the perfect charcuterie board. Scalable for large or small gatherings, or perfect for a Friday night movie at home, the charcuterie board when done right can be a meal on its own or a starter for your next dinner party.
Elements of a Charcuterie Board
Generally, a charcuterie board includes cheese, cured meats, crackers or bread, fruit or vegetables, and varying accompaniments arranged on a board for easy pairing and munching. The best boards have a large variety of textures, flavors, and layers.
Tips for Creating a Board
Have a good variety.
Depending on the number of people, it’s good to have three to seven cheeses and three to seven types of meat. Make sure your cheeses are a range of hard to soft and mild to bold flavored. Creating a board with lots of contrasting flavors and textures will make it more interesting.
Add jams or preserves.
Sometimes the perfect accompaniment is a little sweetness! Sharper cheeses are brought out by a small dollop of fig jam or strawberry preserves. Pepper jellies are great too for some added spice.
Stack it.
Provide a few types of crackers with subtle flavors. Water crackers or wheat crackers flavored with herbs or pepper are great additions (and are the perfect vehicle to get all the paired goodness to your mouth!). You can also try grilled slices of baguette!
Fresh or dried fruit and veggies.
Like the jams and preserves, fresh and dried fruit add some sweetness, but also texture and interest to your board. You can also do sweeter vegetables like strips of bell pepper or carrot sticks. Make sure that whatever you add is easy to grab and eat, such as small fruits like blueberries, grapes, or dried apricots. Crunchy vegetables like radishes are excellent too.
All the spreads.
Hummus, tapenades, grainy mustards, and other spreads can add layers of flavor while helping your meat and cheese stick to your cracker. Just make sure you put a small spoon in each!
Get creative.
If it's easy to eat, don't hesitate to try it on your board. Nuts, mini pickles, other pickled vegetables, olives, chocolate, honey...the options are endless!
Assembling your board.
Grab small bowls for your dips and spreads, and then arrange everything else in small piles around the bowls. Place different textured items next to each other to create visual interest. Roll meats into tubes, or fold in half and fan out. Break cheese into crumbles or slice (unless it's a soft cheese, then provide a cheese knife or spoon) for easy grabbing.
We hope this inspires you to create your own charcuterie board!