Midnight Orchard Fruit Cheese (Print)

A refined assortment of cherries, plums, grapes, and ash-coated goat cheese with optional nuts and honey.

# Components:

→ 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

# Directions:

01 - Place dark cherries, plum wedges, and purple grapes on a large serving platter, grouping each fruit separately for visual appeal.
02 - Position slices or crumbles of black-ashed goat cheese alongside the fruit on the platter.
03 - Optionally sprinkle toasted walnuts over the platter and drizzle lightly with honey for extra sweetness.
04 - Decorate with fresh thyme sprigs to finish presentation.
05 - Serve immediately, allowing guests to combine fruit, cheese, and garnishes as desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in minutes but looks like you spent hours planning—perfect for when you want to impress without stress.
  • The tangy, creamy goat cheese cuts through the natural sweetness of the fruit in a way that feels almost like a sophisticated dessert.
  • There's something deeply satisfying about letting guests build their own bites, turning eating into a gentle kind of play.
02 -
  • The moment you pit those cherries or slice those plums, they begin to oxidize and lose brightness—so do this step as close to serving as you can manage, even if it feels inconvenient.
  • The ash on the goat cheese is edible and part of its charm, but I learned the hard way that if you slice it too aggressively, the ash can separate and dust everywhere; a gentle hand and a sharp, clean knife make all the difference.
03 -
  • A chilled platter makes all the difference—run your serving board under cold water and dry it thoroughly before arranging, or chill it in the freezer for 10 minutes; cold elevates the fruit and cheese's flavors in a way that feels almost transcendent.
  • If you're serving this for a crowd, make two smaller platters instead of one large one; people gravitate more confidently toward food that feels approachable, and the presentation stays beautiful longer when there's less reaching across the arrangement.
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