Hostess with the Mostess

A rule of thumb: when more than two visitors are traveling over an hour to your home, ALWAYS have some kind of snack or spread waiting for them. Even if they aren’t hungry, they will appreciate the gesture. Chances are, however, they ARE hungry and will devour the snacks immediately. For our visitors, we chose a cheese and fruit spread. Having spent two years as a cheese monger, I champion myself as an aficionado de fromage. That being said, we live in a rural area with absolutely no access to good cheeses. (Let’s face it, when brie is considered a specialty item, you know diversity is looking pretty pathetic). Therefore, my cheese plate was more low-brow gourmet than an award-winning, blog-worthy food item. Despite this, it looked great and hit the spot: we used Jarlsburg Swiss, Red Wax Gouda, and President Brie. Since it’s the middle of winter, we used dried fruit in lieu of fresh: prunes, apricots, dates, pears, and pineapple. In addition, a few pieces of crystallized ginger were added to the plate. The showstopper, however, was the local honeycomb. Harvested in Hudson Valley, the honey is absolutely delicious, and honeycomb is edible (it works down into a gummy, chewy, waxy substance which can be swallowed or discarded). I tied the plate together with simple Triscuits. The guests were pleased, and the entire plate was gone in an hour. Ultra-corny lesson: limited choices is no excuse for limited courtesy.