Cheese Plate on the Fly
Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 1:00AM 
All this week, Special Fork bloggers will be sharing recipes for vacation cooking. And to celebrate summer vacations, Special Fork is giving away a beautiful, English-style picnic basket fitted with service for four by Picnic Time. It’s easy to enter the sweepstakes.
We love going on vacation, though we can typically only steal away for a couple of days here and there. Ten minutes west is Santa Monica and an hour up 101 is Santa Barbara. Both quintessential California beach towns are vacation destinations for travelers around the world. Since we don’t have to buy plane tickets or even much gas to vacation in these locales, we justify our splurging on nice hotel rooms and delicious local food.
The other great thing about vacationing close by is friends can pop in for an afternoon play date or even to spend the night. We know where all the great food shops are in each town for picnics and snacks. My favorite snack by far is a casual cheese plate; a variety of soft and hard cheese, olives and fresh fruit all on a quick and easy platter – leave your design aesthetic at home, the goal here is assemblage not presentation.
Imagine going to Paris or Hong Kong, Kansas City, central Michigan, northern Wisconsin or places in between, then realize that every place, regardless of how exotic or not, has local cheese shops, bakeries and farmer’s markets for easy selections. Just about the only thing you need to make at home is crostini. They’re easy to make, but stash the sack in the back of the car so you can’t grab them for driving snacks because you’ll be disappointed when there are only a few left when the likes of St. Andre is around!
Here are a few of my favorite cheeses for a plate … some are for the brave of heart … select an assortment of fresh and aged, hard and soft, mild and sharp.
Blue Veined Stilton, St. Andre Triple Cream, Stinky Morbier, Stinkier Limburger (I learned a 
love for Limburger from my Grandpa Fred), Munster (the soft creamy original from Alsace, not the sliceable sandwich variety), Spanish Manchego and Iberico, Fresh Mozzarella and, of course, Dubliner.
Crostini
1 crusty French or sour baguette, sliced thin on a slight bias
Olive oil, as needed
Sea salt, to taste (my recent favorite is Maldon)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Brush the bread slices on both sides with the olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until toasted to a golden brown, then sprinkle with sea salt.
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