Quel Fromage

Editors Note: This is the second post detailing the food at my last catering gig. Here is the first.

The plan was to have all of the room temp dishes ready when the guests arrived and once they were comfortable drinking the wine and relaxing, I would bring out the hot app. This worked really well, even enticing “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd.

Apple and [fill in the blank cheese] with Rosemary and Black Pepper

Slice apples using the most amazing uni-tasker of all time: the apple slicer. Watch the fun…

Okay, maybe it’s not as fun as 80P and I make it out to be, but if you have some left over money in your kitchen budget for the Fall, I highly suggest you pick up this friendly device. I like the OXO brand. And if you actually think that I stick to a food/kitchen equipment budget, um, uh, no.

So, the recipe.

Slice 4 apples* with your super handy divider.

I of course, went up to the apple lady at my farmers market for help. I brought her the recipe I found in Gourmet/Bon Appetite and she blurted out: “Whoever wrote this recipe has no clue about apples.” I cracked the fuck up. She apologized, and I assured her that this is exactly why I asked her about the apples, and didn’t blindly follow the “Granny Smith or Fuji” route. She guided me toward: Pink Lady, Nittany, Pippin and um, one more, that I can’t remember the name of. I’ll let you know when I think of it.

Regardless, divide the apple slices in three groups, making sure there are different colors in each batch. Alternate colors on three pieces of aluminum foil.

Round One: Place Havarti cheese slices on each apple wedge, kinda overlapping on the tops of each, so it melts nicely. Sprinkle chopped – fresh – rosemary and freshly ground black pepper over top. Broil for 2 minutes. Let the cheese set for about 30 seconds. Using another kitchen workhorse – the bench scraper – lift the apples on to a serving plate.

Round Two: While the crowd devours Round One, start repeating for Fontina cheese.

Round Three: Repeat with Brie.

And, remember to enjoy the cheers of the crowd, even if you don’t get to snag yourself a bite.

Title Credit: 80 Proof’s French Pun