How to Approach a Composed Cheese Course

From a creative perspective, a composed cheese plate allows an exciting opportunity to straddle the line that separates sweet from savory. The cheese is the star of the show, of course, but the accompaniments we choose can play an important role as supporting actors. I often try to start with a palette of basic tastes – sweet, salty, bitter, acid – as inspiration and follow that with spice or heat; the balance of these elements will, of course, be determined by the flavors offered by the cheese.

To demonstrate this approach, we could start with a favorite of mine, Petit Basque. Produced in the French Pyrenees, it’s a semi-firm sheep’s milk cheese that is nutty, earthy and occasionally accompanied by just a hint of funkiness. For one, it’s formed into diminutive cylinders and is firm enough to cut into clean slices, which lends itself well to a plated composition. As I start to explore the range of supporting flavors at my disposal, I really need to look no further than the region the cheese hails from – the vibrant Basque country that incorporates parts of France and Spain.

I love the notion that what grows together, goes together, so when I think of the south of France and northern Spain, I’m immediately drawn to flavors like fig and almond. The richness of the Petit Basque could stand up to a hint of spice, so a smoky pimenton is an obvious choice. For some complex acidity, I love the classic gastrique – essentially a caramel made with vinegar – and a bright peach vinegar would add even more interesting fruit notes. Confit lemon peel adds a final sweet-bitter-acid touch that helps tie all the components together.

As soon as the flavors begin to come into focus, I’m already thinking of what form they might take. While some cheeses are special enough on their own to not require much fussy treatment, our milky Petit Basque begs for a bit more compositional flair. The fig is cooked down into a pate de fruit and sliced in a long, thin base. Salty Marcona almonds are presented both unadorned and fashioned into a crunchy shard of praline. A line of the smoked paprika allows the guest to play with different heat levels in each bite. And after a few drops of the sweet-sour peach gastrique, a peppery nasturtium leaf becomes the final garnish.

A composed cheese plate not only enhances subtle nuances of its noble subject but also affords a chance to flex our culinary muscles to elevate such pairings and to customize a range of complementary flavors and textures.