I like the idea behind Valentine’s Day – a whole day for love! But it does annoy me that the focus is on romantic love. Love comes in so many forms - romantic love of course, but also the love you have for your parents, childhood friends, yourself, your cat, your plants, your favorite cheesemongers - and they are all wonderful and unique and should be celebrated! 

I know Love Day isn’t for another week and a half or so, but festivities large and small have become the main subject of my daydreams since travel daydreaming is off the table, and I already have a lot of thoughts. My roommate, Molly, and I will be enjoying a delightful cheese board together while celebrating our love for comedies from 2008-2015 by watching The Heat. We just saw The Hangover again and I recommend a rewatch if you were ever a fan, v funny, v enjoyable. Whatever type of love you might be celebrating, I have a feeeeeeling this cheeseboard will work for you, too.

Ok I 😍 Sherry Grey, one of our newest cheeses. It is a double cream cow’s milk from Vermont and dude, seriously, it is so fluffy and delightful and tastes like butter, fresh curd (aka a bit tangy), and the mellowest button mushrooms. I can’t stop thinking about it. It has the prettiest ash covered rind, and when you cut it open, the inside is light yellow like early morning sunshine. It’ll light up your life and your cheeseboard.

Alp Blossom has a very Valentine’s-y vibe to it because it is covered in flowers, making its rind just as eye-catching as Sherry Grey’s. A semi-firm cow’s milk, Alpy B is crafted by cheesemaker Albert Kraus in the Bavarian Alps. Albert ages the wheels for about seven months before they are coated with various combinations of edible herbs and flowers. The result is a cheese that tastes of almonds and caramelized onions, enhanced by the flowers and herbs on the rind. So good, so festive.

To round out this board for Molly and me and Melissa (McCarthy) and Sandra (Bullock), I think Bay Blue is the way to go. First, it can keep up with the beauty already on the board, and second, the salted caramel, hazelnut, earthy flavors and zip from the blue are a good match with the other cheeses on the plate.

Let’s throw on a fruity, nutty cracker, a V Smiley jam because I can’t have a cheese board without one of her creative jams, and a cute little jar of heather honey from France. Just writing this I feel ready to celebrate love! Celebrate anything, really, with this board of treats! 

For the love of cheese and things we love,

Kiri

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P.S. I did my League of Kitchens class this past Sunday with my parents and a friend, and it was SO awesome. Our class was led by Angie, who taught us how to make tortillas, salsa, guac, and steak tacos. I hiiiighly recommend the class and Angie herself who was charming as heck and a great teacher. I can’t wait to do another one! https://www.leagueofkitchens.com/instructors/mexican-cooking-with-angie

P.P.S. Are you rooting for Tom Brady on Sunday??? I seriously cannot decide if I want him to win again or crash and burn.