Summer Cheesescape

This past Friday I hosted a small cocktail party in honor of my mom's visit to DC.  I had a small group of friend's come over for an evening of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and of course a cheesescape!  Prepping for this party was a new challenge for a few reasons. First and foremost- this was the first time my mom would be attending one of my soirees so I wanted to make sure that it was thoughtful, delicious, aesthetically pleasing and of course, fun!  

The second aspect that I had to consider (and most challenging) was the size and shape of my new coffee table.  Even though my new coffee table still yielded ample surface area,  the width is about 4 inches shorter than my old coffee table and my new table has a rounded shape as opposed to my traditional rectangular table.  While the table logistics sound trivial, the new size/shape affected the types of linens, flowers and serving pieces that I could use when scaping this spread.  Below is a breakdown of both my menu and entertaining accessories used to compile this recent table setting.   

The Menu

• Cheesescape
  • Cypress Grove's Humboldt Fog
  • Cypress Grove's Midnight Moon
  • Jasper Hill Farm Cabot Cloth Bound Cheddar
  • Cherry Glen Goat Cheese Co. Monocacy Chipotle
  • Virginia Chutney Co. Hot Peach Chutney
  • Trader Joes Truffle Marcona Almonds
  • Dried Tart Cherries
  • Fresh Thyme
• Assortment of Olives from Whole Foods Olive Bar
• Lemon Hummus Garnished with Fresh Lemon Zest and Thyme
• Ina Garten's Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip
• Olli Salumeria Chorizo Salami
• 34 Degrees Crisps - Natural and Rosemary
• Simple & Crisp- Pear
• Fine English Charcoal Squares
• Not Pictured - Lemon Honey Ricotta Bites

Entertaining Accessories

• Cheeseboard- Nambe Cheese Block with Knife and Spreader
• Votives- CB2 Archer Candle Holder
• White Dip Bowls- Williams Sonoma Open Kitchen Snack Bowl, Set of 4
• Cocktail Napkins- Caspari Zebra Cocktail Napkins, Orange
• Cocktail Plates- CB2 Small Cuatro Platter
• Cocktail Picks- Julia Knight Classic Cocktail Pick Set
• Cheesescape Cracker Stand- Target West Emory Multi-Tiered Stand
• Crudités and Pita Chip Bowls- Tiffany & Co. Windham Bowl
• Olive and Chorizo Bowls- Crate and Barrel 6" Snack Bowls

This party ended up being a huge success.  My mom had a wonderful time catching up with everyone and I was ecstatic that there were very few leftovers to clean up at the end of the night.  Small bowls, a tiered cracker stand, bud vases and votives all aided in creating a table that accommodated my entire menu along with all decorations.  More importantly, these specific entertaining accessories also provided enough breathing room to avoid the look of a table traffic jam.  While it was most important to show my mom a great time on Friday night, I love that I was able to takeaway a new found awareness for both the space and serving potential on my new coffee table.       

Cheesescaping in San Francisco

This week I am in San Francisco with my husband, visiting my sister and brother-in-law for my 30th birthday.  The trip so far has been beyond fun and packed with plenty of activities (see my instagram page for additional updates), including a cheesescape!  Creating a cheesescape in a new city was fantastic because not only did it yield a tasty cocktail hour for the evening, but it forced me to explore the area in order to come up with a scape that was both representative of the area but also interesting and of course delicious. 

First Stop

Prior to this trip I had done a little research on places (restaurants, cheese shops, etc.) that I wanted to visit at some point over the course of our stay in San Francisco.  In addition to my own research I also made it a point to ask a local (my sister) what places she would recommend that I visit.  One of the places she recommended that I visit was Mission Cheese Shop.  

Upon arrival, I knew immediately that my sister had given be a great recommendation because the store was packed.   I managed to make it up to the cheese bar where I was able to talk with one of the store's cheese associates about the types of cheeses they offered and what I was looking for.  The cheese associate graciously let me sample a number of cheeses and did an excellent job of selecting 4 cheeses that fit the flavor profiles I had been in search of.  After my visit to Mission Cheese, I headed to the closest Whole Foods Market for a few additional cheesescape essentials and then I was on my way back to the house to get to work.

Cheeses

• Mt. Tam by Cow Girl Creamery (CA)- cow's milk, triple cream.  Flavors include: cultured butter with hints of white mushroom. 
• Sofia by Capriole Dairy (IN)- goat's milk, soft.  Character: silky to the tongue, marbled with ash, delicate and sweet.  
• Classico Reserve by Tumalo Farm (OR)-goat's milk, hard.  Flavors include: slightly sweet brown butter, nutty flavor and has a hint of honeysuckle in the finish.  **Recommend not pairing this cheese with any crackers or fruits.
• Clothbound Cheddar by Cabot Jasper Hill (VT)- cow's milk, semi-hard.  Flavors include: deeply savory and slightly tangy with a caramel sweetness to finish. 
• Mimolette (Boule de Lille) (FR)- cow's milk, semi-hard.  Flavors include: buttery, caramel, nutty and salty.

Cheesescape Accoutrements

• Pig & Squirrel's Dried Apricot and Shallot Compote
• Dried Tart Cherries
• Fresh, Thinly Sliced Granny Smith Apple
• Fig and Almond Cake
• 34 degree's Rosemary Crisps and Carr's Original Water Crackers
• Fresh Savory Herbs
• Board Garnishes: Edible Flowers and Fresh Lemon Leaves from the lemon tree in my sister's backyard (only in California!)
• All served on this Nambe Cheeseblock with Knife and Spreader

Cheesescaping in a new city was so much fun!  I learned about a fabulous local cheese shop, had the opportunity to try a variety of new cheeses and it gave me a chance to give back to our very generous host and hostess.  While I am totally envious of my sister's lemon trees, there are still so many new cheesescape ideas and additional accessories that I am looking forward to incorporating in future boards when I return to DC.