L'Assiette de Fromages "Trois Laits"
(lah-syet duh froh-mahzh trwah lay)
Chapter 4 — The Cheese & Bread Course
If you have ever ended a long, wine-soaked lunch at Pastis or Balthazar, you know the French bistro cheese plate is not an afterthought but a composed, deliberate course. It relies on the elegant restraint of the Trois Laits—one cow, one goat, and one sheep cheese. Paired strictly with fresh bread, cultured butter, and a specific Basque jam, it demands nothing of your stove but absolute patience on your counter. Leaving the cheese out for ninety minutes isn't a suggestion; it's the required thermodynamics for the butterfat to soften and release the very aromas you're paying for. Your first bite of properly tempered Camembert spread across a torn baguette will make you say, 'Yes, this is exactly what Spring Street tastes like.'
Before you start
Bring the cheeses and butter to room temperature.
Remove the cheeses from their packaging and place them on a board with plenty of negative space at least 60 to 90 minutes before serving, allowing the butterfat to soften and release its aromas.
Ingredients
- Sainte-Maure de Touraine goat cheese5 oz
- Ossau-Iraty sheep cheese5 oz
- Camembert or premium Brie8 oz
- baguette1 med
- black cherry jam3 tbsp
- cultured French butter4 tbsp
- walnut halves1/2 cup
- mesclun mix2 cup
- Champagne vinegar1 tbsp
- extra virgin olive oil3 tbsp
- Dijon mustard1/2 tsp
- fleur de sel1/4 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Revive the bread if it is not freshly baked that morning.
Preheat your oven to 350°F, flick a few drops of water onto the crust, and bake the loaf directly on the rack for 5 minutes.
- 02
Whisk the mustard and vinegar together in a small bowl.
A true bistro vinaigrette relies on the emulsifying power of the mustard seed to suspend the oil in the vinegar.
- 03
Slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking continuously until the mixture is thick and opaque.
Season heavily with the fleur de sel and freshly cracked black pepper.
- 04
Arrange the cheeses on a serving plate in ascending order of intensity to mimic a clock face.
Place the goat cheese at 4 o'clock, the Ossau-Iraty at 8 o'clock, and the Camembert at 12 o'clock so guests know exactly how to sequence their bites.
- 05
Set a small ramekin of the black cherry jam directly next to the Ossau-Iraty and scatter the toasted walnuts into the negative space.
Provide a separate knife for each cheese, cutting from the center out to the rind so every slice contains both the gooey heart and the earthy crust.
- 06
Toss the greens with the vinaigrette just before serving.
Barely coat the leaves and place them in a small side bowl to act as an acidic palate cleanser between bites of high-fat cheese.
Notes
Do not substitute the jam or the vinegar.
The black cherry jam is an essential cultural artifact of the Basque region intrinsically linked to Ossau-Iraty, and Champagne vinegar offers a delicate acidity that cuts the butterfat without destroying the palate.
Banish crackers from this plate entirely.
Crackers are a poor accompaniment to premium cheese; a high-quality baguette or naturally leavened country bread is mandatory.