It is no surprise that I love a good cheesescape. Trying different types of cheeses is always such a fun and delicious experience for me. In addition, I love discovering new flavor profiles by testing out new cheese pairings with various dried fruits, nuts and chutneys. However, there is one small drawback to creating these cheese boards when the audience consists of just my husband and myself.
There is always a large number of leftover cheeses that go uneaten. While I do wrap up the leftovers to preserve them for later, we typically never get around to eating the leftovers in time. In sum- the cheeses go bad and waste becomes the end product. Not good!
It pains me to waste beautiful cheese, but the reality is that I am physically not able to consume fancy cheeses more than once or twice a week. So the question then became, how to enjoy nice cheeses while minimizing waste?
While perusing the cheese section at my local grocery store over the weekend, I noticed a small bin filled with an array of irregularly cut pieces of fine cheese. It then occurred to me that this bin was filled with all of the leftover cheese pieces that had been trimmed off of the larger wheels and for whatever reason (most likely their size and shape) couldn't be sold with normal pieces. I immediately dug into the bin and came out with some great finds. There were cheeses that I loved and cheeses I had always wanted to try but had never wanted to commit to purchasing a full piece. I was in HEAVEN! As if this couldn't get any better, my cheese selections cost close to what I would have paid for a single full sized piece of cheese. Talk about cost savings! **If you don't have this bin at your local cheese store, I would recommend asking the cheese associate if they could cut 1/8 lb pieces for you to purchase. They may say no, but it is definitely worth a try!**
Here is a breakdown of the cheeses I purchased for this mini cheesescape:
Cheeses
- Jasper Hill Farm Clothbound Cheddar………$5.00
- Cana de Cabra Mitica………………………………..$2.40
- Tradifoods Bica………………………………………….$3.00
- Lamb Chopper Cypress Grove………………...$2.52
- Total…………………………………………………………….$12.92
As you may recall from my post on Monday, I had made a stop at Sur La Table over the weekend to pick up supplies for a future post I am working on. This is not the post that I was referencing, but I did have a very fruitful shopping adventure during that trip and came across this mini cheese board that couldn't have been more perfect for serving the sampling of cheeses I had just purchased.
I put this cheeseboard to the test last night and it was a huge hit! This board yielded a diverse selection of cheeses without being overwhelming. I opted to serve this selection of cheeses with the following accoutrements:
- 34 Degrees Whole Grain Crisps
- Simple & Crisp Orange and Pear
- Fresh Thyme
- Virginia Chutney Co. Hot Peach Chutney
- Dried Tart Cherries
**I have framed this entire scape on single placemat to give you an idea of the true scale of the spread, since all of my photos are close-ups it may be hard to judge the actual size.
This small spread was delicious and very filling. All in all I would say that the biggest lesson learned from this experience is that when it comes to cheesescaping, a little can certainly go a long way!
