How to Be Cheesy (and look good in the process)...

I'll let you in a little secret...sometimes I get overwhelmed about how to creatively use my jams.  I understand that sometimes it's hard to figure out what to do with jam besides eat it on bread.  And you can imagine how many jars of jam are in my refrigerator.  I would estimate that I can have at least 15 jars open at once.  Samples, remnants of batches from production...all end up in my "condiment" refrigerator. And I like to use these jams in interesting ways and let people know what to do with a jar of Modern Gingham Preserves. I also like to ask other people what they do with the jam.  

The Mondo Market "Sous Chef" Cheeseboard featuring all the components from the menu below.Delicious and beautiful!

Modern Gingham Preserve's website has a recipe section, which I suggest you use to inspire you.  But Modern Gingham has been fortunate to be sold in some amazing shops around Denver and the USA. These shops specialize in gourmet foods and cheeses.  So I thought it might be interesting to have a cheese and meat plate designed focusing on crafted foods that pair well with Modern Gingham jams.  And I was hungry and thought I could write a blog post AND eat.  Clever, no?

So, I asked Michael Davis (from Mondo Market Denver, an amazing cheese and provision shop found in The Source on Brighton Boulevard) for advice on how he uses our jams when he makes custom ordered cheese and meat boards.  Mondo Market stocks Modern Gingham Preserves, and has been both a great retail partner and advocate for our flavors. He suggested the menus below for a variety of budgets and palates.  For more in-depth information, please see my next blog post, Mike's Complete Advice for Creating a Cheeseplate.

	Diner Menu (approximate cost $20)	Sous Chef Menu (approximate cost $30)	Executive Chef Menu (approximate cost $55)
Cheese	Vermont Farmstead Governor’s Cheddar (Vermont, USA)	Beehive Barely Buzzed Cheddar (Utah, USA)	12 Month Manchego (Spain)
	Belletoile Triple Cream Brie (France)	Robiola Bosina (Italy)	Bleuet de Chevre (France)
			Epoisses de Bourgogne (France)
	Maytag Blue (Iowa, USA)	Grain Queso (Spain)	Bocconcino (France)
			Testun Malto d’Orzo (Italy)
Charcuterie	Volpi Peppered Laof Salami (California, USA)	Fra’Mani Smoked Pancetta (California, USA)	Jamon Iberico (Spain)
			Bresaola (Uruguay)
	Buon Gusto Dry Cured Salami (California, USA)	Fra’Mani Salametto Piccante (California, USA)	Lomo Embuchado (Iowa, USA)
Accoutremonts	34 Degrees Natural Crackers (Colorado, USA)	LOSADA Olives	Cracker Bread (Colorado, USA)
	Quince Paste (Spain or USA)	Castleton Graham Crackers (Vermont, USA)	Caramelized Walnuts (Spain)
	Spanish Cocktail Mix (Spain or USA)	Caramelized Walnuts (Spain)	Spicy Spanish Cocktail Mix (Spain)
			Pink Peppercorns (as a garnish)
Featured Modern Gingham Preserve	Strawberry Black Pepper	Apple Chai Preserves or Plum and Chinese Five Spices	Blackberry Lavender or Strawberry Black Pepper

Beehive Barely Buzzed, Modern Gingham Plum with Chinese Five Spices, and some candied nuts.

Mike gives the following advice about creating cheese plate “…many factors have to run through your mind to make it magical.  One of the first things to think about is the number of people that will be enjoying it, another is the style of clientele and which cheeses will be suitable for them.  Not everybody likes all types of cheese and thus you have to prepare to have a wide array of selections for them to choose from.” 

So to help you, readers, figure out which jams you like with which cheeses, we think you should buy, sample and try the jams with cheeses.  We are giving you a 10% discount of the purchase of any jam you want to use on your cheeseboards, just go to the website and use discount code IMCHEESY.