See an exclusive excerpt from the new official Friends cookbook
Insight Editions
Just in time for fall — and all the Thanksgivings — a new cookbook for fans of the Central Perk gang is hitting shelves. Friends: The Official Cookbook comes with more than 70 recipes for dishes and drinks inspired by the show: Phoebe's grandmother's "French" cookies, a drink named after The Gellar Cup, and of course, Rachel's famous-for-all-the-wrong-reasons trifle. Below, EW is exclusively revealing a cheese plate, inspired by Chandler’s attempts to write ad slogans for household snacks like cheese, crackers, and doughnuts (“round food for every mood!”) in season 9, episode 11.
Insight Editions
The "Milk That You Chew" Cheese Board
Ingredients
1 wheel Petit Basque
1 wedge goat Gouda
1 wedge Brie Crackers or breadsticks
1 baguette, sliced
1 package nuts
1 bunch grapes
1 Honeycrisp apple, sliced
1 lemon (or storebought lemon juice)
Mustard
3 Black Mission figs
Fig jam
1 / When assembling a delicious cheese board, use cheeses from different milk types: a semisoft sheep cheese like Petit Basque; a hard, aged cheese like goat Gouda; and a soft cow cheese like Brie. To plate, cut Petit Basque in wedges and Gouda in rectangular slices and arrange on a board or platter. Leave the Brie whole and place in the middle.
2 / Crackers — because, as Chandler says, your cheese needs a buddy. When pairing, think about the cheese’s tasting notes. Is it mildly sweet and buttery like Petit Basque? Try pairing with cured meats and salted or candied almonds. Is it creamy and milder with hints of mushroom, like Brie? Serve with warm baguette slices. To plate, place the buddies next to their cheeses, piling high on the platter (be careful not to overload). Put nuts in a small bowl.
3 / With scissors, cut small clusters of grapes and place in the empty spaces on your cheeseboard so that guests can pick up five or six at a time. Next, take the apple slices (sprinkle a little bit of lemon juice over them to prevent browning) and arrange them next to the Gouda, along with a small ramekin of mustard. Quarter a few Black Mission figs for garnish, and put them on top of the Brie. Fill another small ramekin with fig jam, and place next to the Brie or Petit Basque.
Makes 6 to 10 servings
Adapted From Friends: The Official Cookbook by Amanda Yee
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