Fancy Cheese Plate

I love cheese but I would be lying if I said I knew the slightest thing about it. Fortunately, I have been blessed with friends who know a thing about cheese and some who are experts! One of my expert cheese friends, Lia, was coming over for dinner before she embarks on a huge Euro road trip adventure and I wanted to have some special cheese for her. Lia told me she liked cheese that was "strong and had washed rind." Ummm, I don't know about you, but someone who knows the term 'washed rind' for cheese must be an expert. Sure enough, I went up to the cheese monger at Fairway and asked form something that was "strong and with a washed rind." I just hoped he wouldn't ask me any other questions - luckily he didn't. He just got out a few cheese with washed rind and had me sample them. The cheese I chose is the triangular piece pictured above, it is called Grayson Cheese and it is from Meadow Creek Dairy, a family farm in the mountains of south western Virginia. It was pungent, semi-soft and delicious! The other cheeses on the plate are blue cheese and goat cheese. To go with the cheese I picked up a whole grain baguette, which we warmed up, a pear and some strawberries, a bit of honey and a jar of spicy mango chutney. Here is a picture of the whole shebang! Cheers to cheese!