Midnight Orchard Fruit Cheese (Print Version)

An elegant fruit and cheese platter with cherries, plums, grapes, and black-ashed goat cheese.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fruit

01 - 1 cup dark cherries, pitted and halved
02 - 2 ripe plums, sliced into wedges
03 - 1 cup purple grapes, halved

→ Cheese

04 - 7 oz black-ashed goat cheese, sliced or crumbled

→ Garnishes

05 - 2 tbsp toasted walnuts (optional)
06 - 1 tbsp honey (optional)
07 - Fresh thyme sprigs for decoration

# How to Make It:

01 - Place the dark cherries, plum wedges, and purple grapes separately on a large serving platter to create an appealing visual grouping.
02 - Position slices or crumbles of black-ashed goat cheese alongside the arranged fruit.
03 - If desired, sprinkle toasted walnuts over the platter and lightly drizzle with honey for added sweetness.
04 - Decorate with fresh thyme sprigs and serve immediately, inviting guests to combine flavors as they prefer.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It requires zero cooking and comes together faster than opening a wine bottle.
  • The goat cheese's earthiness perfectly tames the fruit's natural sweetness, creating conversations at the table.
  • It actually looks like you spent hours planning when you threw it together in fifteen minutes.
02 -
  • Pit your cherries well before guests arrive—biting into a pit at an elegant moment is the fastest way to deflate the mood.
  • Don't halve the grapes hours ahead; they'll oxidize and lose their jewel-like shine if they sit exposed.
  • The platter tastes best served at cool room temperature, not straight from the refrigerator where the cheese becomes dense and the fruit tastes muted.
03 -
  • Buy cheese from a monger who can cut it to order—pre-sliced versions often taste drier and less nuanced.
  • The secret to this feeling elegant rather than simple is giving each element room to breathe on the platter; resist the urge to cover every inch.
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