How To Build A Killer French Cheese Plate

Your Bastille Day Party Plan Starts Now

G’day Lovely Subscribers,

Are you well? Hope so. Thank you for being here. 🤍

A friend recently told me that if I have an unanswered question to write it down. Ask the question, and the answer will come. If you’re a physical person, ask before you workout or go for a run, and it might whisper to you around mile 3. I’m going to try it.

In today's post, so begins the lead up to our annual Bastille Day Weekend Upstate. I’m starting with the cheese, but over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing more BTS and recipes, so you can pull one off too. It’s a hoot.

How did the annual Bastille Day Weekend come about?

The idea came about over dinner with our French friends, Laurent and Anne-Laure. We were chatting about the house and its French Second Empire architecture, and before we knew it, we were menu planning, sending out invites, telling everyone to wear white, and turning a simple Saturday dinner into an epic weekend of sleepovers, swimming, and cooking. I’m going to be sharing all the BTS, and recipes in the lead up to this year’s bash.

Every chair I own :)

In this photo, you can see some hallmarks of the Second Empire style architecture, which emerged during the reign of Napoleon III and became popular in the U.S. in the 1860s and 1870s:

The Mansard Roof

Dormer Windows

Symmetry

Decorative Details (You should see the woodwork detail. It’s insane.)

I’ll share more about the interior details soon: ornate fireplaces, antique light fixtures, and elaborate sconces. The lighting was pretty dinky when we moved in, but I’ve been upgrading piece by piece as I find the right ones. Stay tuned, the lighting will be its own post.

A Manifesto for How To Build A Killer Cheese Plate

Every year, Laurent and Anne-Laure bring a legendary cheese selection that we nibble on all weekend. This year, I emailed Anne-Laure and asked for her secrets.

Have a mix of origins, flavors, and textures.

This famed cheese is insanely good. The rind is washed in a local Burgundy brandy. Creamy, tangy and pungent. Definitely a favorite of mine.

France is a country with a VERY large variety of cheese between 350 and 400, so you have a choice!! A killer cheese plate includes a diversity of cheese, in terms of texture, taste and origin.

Origin

Select cheese from different regions in France (Camembert from Normandie, Roquefort from Auvergne, sheep’s cheese like a Belloc from the Pyrénées, goat cheese from Burgandy or from Vendée (West), Maroilles from Picardie (in the North), Comté from Jura, Tome from Savoy, etc..

Texture

Include cheese with a soft texture (like Brie or Camembert), cheese with a firmer texture (like Comté, Gruyère, sheep’s cheese, or Tome from the Alps), a blue cheese (like Roquefort, or Bleu d’Auvergne), and finally cheese with a very soft texture (like a nice fresh goat cheese).

Taste

Mix mellow and bold. Soft, smooth and delicate or gradually stronger: for example Brie and Tome are usually soft, whereas Roquefort or Maroilles have a strong taste.

Anne Laure’s Fave?

“My real real killer? A plate of goat cheese, fresh, mid-fresh, mid-dry and dry textures. The drier and older, the stronger. I love a mix of textures and tastes, all white or ash-coated (cendré), shaped like logs (en bûche) or little rounds (en crottin). That’s my honey pot."

Tasty Extra’s To Serve With

Lean into the drama—each cheese has its own personality. A big wooden board, cheese knives, crackers, some fruit depending on the season: walnuts, grapes, figs, all marry well with cheese. And the baguette of course.

When To Serve

Take the cheese out of the fridge and arrange 30 minutes to 1 hour before tasting so that they are at room temperature and reveal all their aromas. We nibble all Saturday while cooking and sipping Pastis, and then go back the next morning for a very French-style breakfast with coffee.

What Can I Bring?

Next time you're hosting backyard drinks, book club, or Mahjong night, have everyone bring a different style of cheese for a build-your-own board.

Merci, Anne-Laure. xx

Got a friend who loves cheese? Share this post with all the intel with them!

Collecting wildflowers from the field for the table.

A reminder that a baguette, good cheese, some pickled yumminess, and bottle of wine is a simple summer dinner when you can’t be bothered cooking.

I’ve started reading Keith McNally’s memoir, I Regret Almost Everything. Lorne Michaels has optioned the book. I’m loving it, and I loving that his experience in the theatre informs so much of his work. I can relate.

Ina’s on Substack. 🤍 She recommended a movie I really want to see, Becoming Katherine Graham. I started watching it Saturday night.

Intrigued by this Norwegian Film Trilogy set in Oslo. Love. Sex. Dreams

Reese and Hello Sunshine are doing it again. This time for my daughter Opal. What a powerhouse.

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Let me know if you want me to cover anything in particular, a recipe you’ve always wanted to learn, who you want as a Guest Host, or maybe it’s more personal? How I ended up in New York, navigating the blues, not being afraid to chase a goal, asking Nick how he puts up with being married to Miss Social? All of these things someone come back to food in someway. Don’t be shy, I’m listening. x

Thank you for letting me in your inbox. Drop into your cheese store. See Thursday with a full Bastille Day Menu Plan!