Cheeseplates are more than just cheeseplates in the summer; served with delicious seasonal fruit and accompaniments, they can be the perfect, no-cook meal. But what cheeses are right for what fruits? Of course, fresh cheeses are great with berries — but what about stone fruit?
Photo by Nora SingleyIf you’ve never tried a wedge of washed rind with a nectarine, run don’t walk. Find a cheese that’s ripe, oozing its interior creaminess. You can go uber strong, like an epoisses, or go milder, like a taleggio, which tastes more of cream with an ever-so-slightly funky aroma. The riper and stinkier you go with the cheese, the sweeter and riper your fruit choice should be. A middle-of-the-road red plum would be great with a relatively mild raclette or fontina, while a juicing, sweet-as-can-be yellow peach would work best with a true stinker, like Hooligan or Red Hawk.