The Composed Cheese Course

When I opened the French Laundry, it was clear we didn’t have the space to roll a cheese cart around the room. But I like cheese and wanted to serve it. Traditional French service includes cheese, some dried and fresh fruit, some bread. I thought “Why not put this all together on individual plates to begin with?” So when the restaurant opened, I offered two composed cheese plates, one of them the Brie with balsamic vinegar and Tellicherry pepper. Today the cheese course has its own station in the kitchen, requiring its own chef.