Chaumes with Roasted Pineapple & Habanero Jam

We tend to burn the candle at both ends in our never-ending journey to see, drink, taste and savor all the delights the world has to offer.  But every now and then we downshift to take time to appreciate good food, drink and friends.  A few Saturdays ago we did just that.

A little bit of background first.   We had attended the SOBE Food & Wine festival and received a flyer about a contest on the Ile De France Cheese website.  We entered and gave another entry to our good friends.    They received a phone call several weeks later that they had won a cheese platter!  We were all expecting a small amount of cheese to share between the four of us.   We were wrong!  The package arrived and there were gigantic slabs of cheese enough for a small army.   What to do in order to not waste all of this amazing cheese?   The plan developed for a “Beer and Cheeeez Party”  with everyone coming up with recipes incorporating the cheese which we would pair with beer and Richard Cheese tunes.  This was the final menu:

St. Agur Blue on Crackers Drizzled with Honey

- St. Agur Blue Cheese drizzled with Cheese Honey on a Table Cracker 
- Cremier de Chaumes on toast points with Roasted Pineapple & Habanero Jam
- Mediterranean Pizza with Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes and Artichoke Hearts
- Pizza with Peppers and Caprice des Dieux
- Deconstructed Blue St. Agur Blue Cheese Burgers 

The Pizza Selections

 There were three choices of pizza on the menu this evening, including an amazing goat cheese, artichoke and sun-dried tomato pie.  It paired quite well with the Flying Dog Raging Bitch on draft.   As if that wasn’t enough, the grill was fired up for the next stage of our gluttony: mini burgers deconstructed and topped with bleu cheese and served on a puff pastry paired with Stone Smoked Porter.    My mouth is watering as I’m typing these words, so you can only imagine how good they tasted as they came sizzling hot off the grill.   

Stone Smoked Porter & Blue Cheese Burgers

With a continually filled plate in one hand and a beer in the other, it’s safe to say we all enjoyed the offerings.   After stuffing ourselves, we retired outside to listen to some music and talk. The weather was perfect: not too hot or cold, with a gentle breeze that kept the tiki torches flickering.

It’s always nice to slow down every once in a while and appreciate what we Wanderlushes have: good food, good spirits…and most of all, great friends to share them with.