Party Cheese! Honey Nut Roquefort

Holiday feasts and parties are a great excuse to indulge in artisan cheeses! This recipe for Honey Nut Roquefort is one of our favorites. We used Roquefort Papillion, a raw cheese from the AOC region of Roquefort from Milkfarm LA Cheese Shop. You can also find this cheese at the Claremont Cheese Cave. This fantastic import is strong and peppery in flavor with funky notes of earth and barnyard. If Roquefort is too intense for you and your guests, try a milder blue like Gorgonzola or Stilton. Any cheese shop or artisan cheese section will have some delicious options. As the dish sits out, the warm honey softens the cheese making it more spreadable. Smear the sweet and pungent cheese over a toasty crostini or baguette slice with a few nuts shoveled on top. Of course you'll want to pair this indulgent snack with wine. We recommend Bordeaux White and Chateanuef-du-Pape White. Both of these wines have lovely fruit flavors that compliment rather than compete with the robust cheese. The perfect acidity cleanses the palate of the residual creaminess and sticky honey.

Ingredients:

• 6oz Roquefort Blue Cheese
• Hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup Honey
• Sprig of Fresh Rosemary

1. You will want to roast the hazelnuts if they are not already roasted. To do this, heat your oven to 375°F and roast the nuts on a cookie sheet for 15–-20 minutes or until fragrant. Once roasted, pour them over a dry dish cloth and rub the skins off with the cloth.
2. Crush the hazelnuts with a mallet or frying pan while sandwiched between a folded dry dish cloth.
3. In a small fry pan, simmer the honey and infuse the rosemary sprig.
4. Once the honey is warm, thick and infused, remove the rosemary and add the hazelnuts to the pan. Mix the nuts into the honey thoroughly.
5. Place the cheese on a pretty plate and pour the honey over the top. Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.