Fruit and Cheese Gifts

Have you been invited to a party at a friend's home? Is a family member or friend having a housewarming? A collection of fruit and cheeses makes a perfect host or housewarming gift. Your friends can save it for themselves to eat later or it can be cut up and shared with everyone at the party.

An assortment of cheeses from around the world has been making great gifts for a long time. These days adding "cheese condiments" to the gift of cheese is becoming more common and shows off the gift givers knowledge of cheese and the proper food pairings. A condiment is a supplementary food that when combined with another food gives it a special flavor. There are many things that can be considered a condiment for cheese and fruit is one of the most common.

Fruit and Cheese Combinations

When choosing a gift that combines fruit with cheese, you should make sure that the fruit you choose is a good complement for the cheese. Sweet fruits are the best and the acidic fruits like citrus should be avoided. Here are some great fruit and cheese combinations that include cheeses that should be relatively easy to find. You'll also find a couple of tips for the recipient of your gift to add a little extra something to their experience while eating your treats.

· Bing cherries and blueberries go great with goat cheese. Add some nuts like almonds for an even better combination.

· Soft, spreadable cheeses like Camembert, Brie, and Boursin, all from France, taste great with berries like raspberries, blackberries and boysenberries. Slip a note into the basket with this hint. Soaking or dipping the berries in wine, especially a wine that pairs well with the cheese, makes the berries complement the cheese even more.

· Strawberries go well with Brie, also. Add another note explaining that melting Brie in the oven for a while makes a great fondue-type dip for the strawberries.

Other fruits that work well cheese are:

· Green apples with cheddar cheese and Gruyere from Switzerland

· Sweet apples with Camembert

· Watermelon and Feta

· Cantaloupe and Brie

· Avocado and Queso Fresco from Mexico

· Tomato (we often forget that the tomato is a fruit) with Pecorino cheese from Italy

· Juicy Bosc pears with goat cheese or Stilton blue.

The Presentation of Your Fruit and Cheese Gift

It makes for an even better gift you if you make a nice presentation out of your fruit and cheese selections. You could use a pretty ceramic fruit bowl to put it all in as well as adding some other "accessories to go with the food in the bowl.

· If you have included a wrapped piece of cantaloupe or watermelon, a melon baller can be included.

· A small cheese board and knife for cutting the cheese.

· Some cheese spreaders with clever handles.

· Paper napkins to go along with the fruit and cheese theme.

· Crackers or bread to enjoy with the cheese.

Want to find out more about Fruit and Cheese Gift Baskets, then check out that link.