The beauty of bread and cheese (and condiments)

Let me tell you something you need to know. Cheese eaten atop a digestive biscuit is one of the best taste combinations in the world. It doesn't really matter what cheese you use. Neil favours the saltiness of blue cheese and it does indeed complement the sweetness well. I like a sharp cheddar with a piece of cucumber on top, an unnecessary but welcome addition. 

In Vancouver there is a restaurant called Salt. It is very popular which may seem surprising when I tell you that in lieu of a kitchen they have a meat cutter and a cellar. Salt serves meat, cheese and condiments with wine, of course and other beverages like beer. It is such a simple concept but works incredible well. Large blackboards display the lists of locally sourced components, be it fennel sausage or Bresaola, Lancashire poacher, Fol Epi, peaches from the Okanagan or lavender honey from right on our doorstep. Each customer chooses a combination of 3 meats and cheeses and 3 condiments to accompany. The servers put the platter together with suggestions on how to match each part and a large tray of bread is served in order to create your own little open sandwiches.  Many other restaurants in Vancouver have followed suit, offering their own version of this charcuterie plate, but none with as much variety as Salt.

This is our version. The epitome of lazy Saturday eating. No cooking required, just a little slicing and a good rummage through the endless treasure chest that is known as the fridge. The condiments varied greatly, some working well with the cheese, such as sharp but sweet pickled onions. Others, like the sugarless rhubarb jam needed a little more imagination to be palatable, maybe with a nice piece of Stilton, for example. 

From left to right, starting at the top:  

1. Umami paste, (strong and salty), capers, (salty and a little bitter), smoked chili jelly, (complex, smoky, sweet and spicy). 

2. Rhubarb jam, (sweet, tangy), sun dried tomatoes, (sour, sweet, intense).

3. Pickled garlic flowers, (sour, a little bitter), home made pepperonata, (sweet, herbal, tangy). 

4. Olives, (bitter) and home made date & tomato chutney, (sweet, tangy). 

As you can imagine, some interesting combinations were discovered and created that night, although nothing beats the plain old cheese and pickled onion or chunk of pineapple on an orange, circa 1973.

I also made a dish of roasted vegetables, something that may be included on a Greek mezze plate and in keeping with the help yourself, sharing attitude. Cauliflower, eggplant, mushrooms, bell peppers and zucchini. Drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with saffron salt and a little chili powder and roasted for 45 minutes until soft.

5 fine cheeses offered. All bought at a local Vancouver cheese shop at an extortionate price. One Swiss alps variety, one Turkish - like Feta with garlic scapes, one sharp and nutty cheddar and two others I didn't have the inclination to write down or remember.

Some of the more unusual combinations : Dark rye cracker with Swiss cheese, rhubarb jam, pickled garlic flowers and capers. Think dark, toasty bread, sweet, tangy, salty.

Digestive biscuit with nutty cheddar, pepperonata and capers. The sweet, meaty digestive was born to accompany cheese. You must try it, even with just a small slither of something that takes your fancy, whether it be sharp, aged Cheddar or creamy, double milk Brie.

One of the winning combinations: digestive with feta and smoked chili jelly. Spicy, sweet, nutty, sharp, salty, bitter....all eggs in one snack shaped basket, perfect.