VUE

Proper Presentation Arranging the cheeses on the platter is a bit of an artform and follows a couple helpful guidelines. For starters, your plate or board can be wooden, slate or marble—Duque says to use whatever you have around the house, just make sure it's big enough. "I like to use boards that are dark in color so that the cheese really pops." e cheeses should be placed in order from mildest to strongest and if using a round surface, moving in a clockwise pattern starting at noon. Fill in any empty gaps between cheeses with your accompaniments and use sprigs of fresh herbs as a garnish. A Perfect Pair A cheat to pairing wine with cheese, Duque says, is to get them both from the same region. at way, they naturally complement one another because they come from the same land. In terms of pairing cheese with food, Duque likes to use local ingredients whenever possible—flavors that he believes help people relate to the cheese. "Not everyone understands or has tasted these cheeses so I try to combine them with flavors that people know to make them more accessible." Serve your cheeses alongside thinly sliced apples or pears; dried fruits like figs, golden raisins or apricots; crackers or baguettes; mixed nuts; quince paste, chutneys or plum butter. How to Serve ere are very specific instructions on how to cut cheese, which includes never dicing it into cubes. e reason being that the flavor differs from the center of the cheese right to the edge, so you want to make sure you get some of each in every bite. You also want to serve your cheese at room temperature, taking it out of the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before eating (depending on the size). Following the sequence in which you arranged them is how they should be consumed, from mildest to most pungent. V U E N J . C O M 106

• Cover