Eat like a local: San Francisco cheese plate

FOOD

Mar 19

Written By Raechel Lambert

INGREDIENTS

Humboldt Fog cheese

Raincoast crisps

Tartine jam, plum pluot

Marcona almonds

Castelvetrano olives (Olive Bar)

Extra SF credit: tea towel from Heath Ceramics

DIRECTIONS

You can find these ingredients at most Whole Foods across the U.S.

Assemble the cheese and accoutrements on a classy platter with adorable dishes. Don’t know why I’m even explaining this but it would look weird if this section was blank.

San Francisco

Only the cheese and jam are from the Bay Area, but after living in San Francisco for 7 years and having attended many a dinner party, I’ve determined this combination to be the quintessential cheese platter. If you disagree, that’s fine. Just means there’s more for me.

HUMBOLDT FOG

This is my favorite cheese and is extremely popular at San Francisco gatherings. It’s produced in Arcata, which is in Northern California. Apparently conceived in a dream by founder Mary Keehn, this soft-ripened goat cheese has a distinctive ribbon of edible vegetable ash. Flavor profile consists of buttermilk and fresh cream, with floral notes, herbaceous overtones, and a clean citrus finish. As Humboldt Fog matures, the creamline develops and the flavor intensifies. Best served at room temperature, otherwise it’s too crumbly.

CASTELVETRANO OLIVES

These memorable yet hard-to-find olives are imported from Castelvetrano, Sicily. Boasting a distinct green hue and a meaty, buttery flesh, new Mezzetta Castelvetrano Olives are ideal for elevating a variety of recipes, or for snacking straight from the jar.

TARTINE JAM, PLUM PLUOT

Any fancy jam will do, but I’m sucker for the jam at Tartine and stock up on a jar every time I’m in town.

MARCONA ALMONDS

Yes, you can get regular almonds but marcona almonds are just delightful. Double check if they are regular or truffled before you buy. Both are good, but I prefer regular with this cheese plate.

CRISPS

Rustic Bakery is the more local crisp, but often hard to find, even in San Francisco. Pretty reliably though, you can find Lesley Stowe Raincoast Crisps at Whole Foods across the U.S.