I hope that I will never be faced with the reality of having to choose just one food item to consume for all of eternity, but if such tragedies should occur, I can confidently say that I will say "cheese please". Is there anything more delightful than an array of fine cheeses? Piave Vecchio, Manchego, Gouda, Goat Cheese, Aged Cheddar, Bocconcini, Blue...I adore them all. The stinkier the better I declare! Last year, I encountered THE cheese mecca, on a quiet street near the Musée D'Orsay in Paris. The Androuet cheese merchant has been in operation since 1909, and has perfected the art of maître fromager affineur and cheese gastronomy. Selecting the finest cheeses France has to offer, aging each cheese to it's peak maturity in perfect conditions, and offering their dairy delights to happy cheese lovers at their flavourful best. Walking into the shop, I was immediately hit with the aroma of mingling aged delights. The only problem here was where to start, so we left that to the expert. With a quick request for advice, soon we were being offered a little wooden board with a lovely aged goat cheese with a firm white crust, a smaller disc of firm rosemary goat cheese, a large piece of pungent holey Swiss, and a little wooden boîte with a soft brie looking cheese inside. This was cheese lovers cheese. We enjoyed it throughout the day...a little goat cheese on the Pont Neuf overlooking the Seine, the soft liquid cheese in the wooden box on the steps of Sacre Couer in Montmartre...soon it was fini! Since frequenting Androuet is sadly not in the cards for me, I manage to get my fromage fix here in Edmonton between the Italian Centre Shop, Paddy's Cheese Market, and Costco (which has a surprising selection of high quality cheeses at excellent prices). With cheese collected, I assemble my version of "cheese and its best friends" comprised of sliced pear, caper berries, olives, prosciutto, candied nuts, and HONEY! My first encounter with cheese and honey was in a little wine cellar in Florence. It was love at first sight. Sharp, pungent, hard cheese dipped in honey. My favorite at home version of this treat couldn't be easier, or more addictive. A few spoonfuls of liquid honey, a drizzle of truffle oil, and a few generous cranks of freshly ground black pepper. Stir it up, serve it with Piave Vecchio or Manchego, and watch it disappear. Bonjour Valentine...