Day 119: celestial eating

I love the cheeseboard segment of a meal. I’ve always loved the cheeseboard segment of a meal. Growing up, it was the highlight of big family dinners and dinner parties at home or at my Nan’s. I’d say it’s what I waited all night for! In part, because I adore cheese - I don’t think there’s a cheese I don’t like! - but also because it meant I got to stay up later. As long as the adults were engaged in conversation, occupied by a generously - and diverse - laid cheeseboard, and plenty of free-flowing wine, it meant I could avoid those words that any child dreads “can you go and put your pyjamas on and brush your teeth please”. I never shied away from the piquant blues, or the oozing camembert and brie, but a particular favourite was the garlic roulé; spread generously, with butter, on a thin water cracker (nothing too overpowering that would intercept the creamy garlickiness of the herb-flecked cheese).

As we’ve touched on before, many moons ago now, I am quite new to the sweet and savoury scene. This includes cheese with fruit; a concept I wouldn’t have given the time of day a few years ago. Now, however, I can’t get enough of it. Not only do I have Nicola Miller (again) to thank for picking the marsala theme on the latest line-up for 365 Days of Nigella, I feel I will also forever be in her debt for recommending this pick! It’s sweet and savoury, cheese and fruit, and deeply rich in marsala. It’s Nigella’s Marsala Honey Pears with Gorgonzola.

Nigella’s Marsala Honey Pears with Gorgonzola

The hubby is still finding his feet when it comes to blue cheese. He isn’t a big fan of the strong Stiltons or the piquant Roqueforts. It, therefore, made sense to steer toward the dolce front when out choosing the cheese for this. In a chat with the cheesemonger, he recommended Beauvale; a soft, rich, creamy blue made in Nottinghamshire, England. He assured me it had that same ‘zesty edge’ of gorgonzola, and he was not wrong; for a dolce equivalent, it was actually breaching the piquant. Very much to my liking!

To turn this into a bit of a meal I decided to assemble it as a salad, using peppery watercress and rocket. I envisaged the dark, honied, marsala liquor to be a perfect dressing for the spicy leaves. And I wasn’t wrong there, either. I didn’t change anything in the cooking process, only in the assembly, although I did add a little extra splash of marsala and a spoon of honey to make extra sauce for thr dressing.

Flavour musings

This is a party for the tastebuds: the creamy, sharp tanginess of the Beauvale; the freshness of the pears; the deep, dark, honied richness of the marsala sauce; the earthy (gentle) bitterness and nutty crunch of the walnuts; and - in my case here - the pepper tang of the rocket and watercress. Served on smaller plates, this assembly would be a fab starter. We have friends coming for dinner at the weekend and I plan on serving up a whole plate of the marsala honey pears alongside a generously laid cheeseboard.

This is celestial eating at its finest. And, pardon the predictability and lack of originality, it’s quite positively orgasmic!