Give the table a brush of color with the glass Kosta Boda Mine Dish, designed and handmade in Sweden, with a green finish in intriguing, spiderweb swirls. Its understated glamor will enhance your cheese selection and tempt your guests to dive right in.

With granite’s handsome durability, this polished black slab is a perfect platform for cheese. Handmade in Colorado, each board is slightly different, depending on the piece of granite, but all are equipped with beveled under-edges for easy lifting and rubber feet for cushioning. Hand-wash these cheese boards, and use them over and over again for a failproof presentation tool.

This recipe is courtesy of Jonathon Sawyer, the 30-year-old chef/owner of downtown Cleveland’s Greenhouse Tavern.“The freshness of the ingredients in this simple recipe is paramount,” says Sawyer.

Jonathon Sawyer, the 30-year-old chef/owner of downtown Cleveland’s Greenhouse Tavern, introduces his recipe for walleye pike quenelle. In the French classical tradition, quenelles are small dumplings made from poached meat, poultry, or fish. Formed using two spoons, they have a distinctive oval shape. Sawyer likes to use local walleye pike in his quenelles, but you can substitute steelhead trout or black cod.

Jonathon Sawyer, the 30-year-old chef/owner of downtown Cleveland’s Greenhouse Tavern, frequently changes the cheese in this menu staple, but of Époisses he enthuses, “I love you, my fav-fav-favorite cheese!” Alternatives include Petit Munster, Reblochon, or a domestic washed-rind cheese such as Meadow Creek Dairy’s Grayson.

Makes 2
single-egg omelets

Herb Topping:
1 tablespoon cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup chopped soft herbs (such as tarragon, chervil, ramp leaves, Italian parsley, mint, and/or chives)

Omelet:
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Kosher salt, to taste

It’s not quite the same as Michelangelo chiseling a block of marble to release his David, but Sarah Nep, Jim Victor, and Troy Landwehr patiently chip away at blocks of cheddar, Parmesan, Monterey Jack, and other cheeses, working to find their masterpiece within.

Although food carving has a long history, dating to the 13th century, cheese is one of the newer mediums—yet its popularity is growing rapidly as it proves to be a more substantial, forgiving, and enduring substance than other popular contenders like butter and ice. “Butter sculptures can be bigger because butter is denser,” Victor says. But butter also must be carved in temperature-controlled rooms. “The beauty of cheese,” says Nep, who has carved likenesses of Bill Clinton and Bob Dole for the California Milk Advisory Board, “is that it can be carved anywhere.”

Spicy cheese enhances both the crust and topping of this chicken-and-corn pie. If you don’t have individual ramekins—or would like to serve family style—use an eight-inch-square baking dish.

A native of India shares her country’s classic homemade cheese

As a child growing up in northern India, I seldom ventured into the kitchen. Meals in our home were something I ate, not something I took part in creating. Even later, in my young adult life as I worked toward a career in science and IT consulting, cooking somehow escaped me. But cheesemaking did not. One of the food lessons I learned early on was that homemade paneer was fresher and therefore better than any you could buy in the market. A simple, firm, mild cheese made with just cow’s milk and vinegar, paneer was a staple ingredient in many of our dishes. Northern Indians swear by their versatile paneer and use it in a multitude of recipes, from snacks to curries and even desserts.

Paneer

Makes 2 cups cubed cheese
1/2 gallon whole milk
1/4 cup white vinegar

A fresh variation on the classic tuna melt, this open-faced sandwich can be made as mini melts for a party or potluck.

THE TARRAGON DRESSING: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients until well combined.