A cheese plate can be one of the most creative, exciting, and inventive things you can make. Even if you don’t know how to boil water, you can still assemble a mind-blowing cheese plate that will have your friends scraping the cutting board for more. It’s an opportunity to let your food imagination run wild – no more boring cubes of bland cheeses on even-blander crackers! Get crazy with it, try a few new things, and include some of the more familiar items you might not have considered before, add a nice bottle of wine, and make a meal of it. For example, everyone loves a nice, runny brie, but have you tried it topped with a honey-soaked blackberry perched on a toasted baguette slice? How about a segment of lady apple topped with some fig and almond cake, or fig paste (or, as the Spanish call it, membrillo) and a thin slice of spectacular Wisconsin cheese like Pleasant Ridge Reserve, made from cow’s milk and very like the best gruyere you’ve never had.

Nuts, berries, and seeds add so much texture and flavor to a bite of cheese; have you tried salted, roasted edamame beans or freeze-dried blueberries with a mouthful of Satsuma tangerine and a tiny spoonful of burrata? We don’t normally think of burrata for a cheese plate because it’s so soft, but you can spoon it onto a cracker with a sliver of fruit for a gorgeous mouthful of a snack. Another great addition to a savory cheese plate: Matiz Gallego sardines on rosemary crostini, and, to polish things off, how about a chunk of ginger and pistachio dark chocolate from the Chocolate Maker’s Studio in Portland, Oregon? Red wine and chocolate were meant to be together – how did it take us so long to realize it? I’m getting hungry just writing this. For all of you who like to read about good food, but don’t necessarily like to cook – a cheese plate is your moment to shine! I hope you’ll give it a try.

If you’re looking for a specific product from today’s photos, here’s a list of what I used: