It's Labor Day Weekend....Strawberry shortcake...

Time to celebrate with food, friends and family. Why not have a strawberry shortcake too?

Gourmet Cheese Platter with Ahi Tuna

This gourmet cheese platter is made up of a selecion of four cheeses that accent one another.

Sage Derby (pronounced "darby") is a green veined, semi-hard cheese. It has a mild sage flavor, which gives the cheese almost a minty flavor.

Sage Derby production began in the 17th century in England and was only made on special occasions, such as, harvests or Christmas but it is readily made available today.

On the platter (top right) is a wedge of Stella Blue Wisconsin cheese that is "nicely balanced and has a nice sweetness about it". This is the best blue cheese to use in salad dressings.Even though this blue is somewhat "wet" in texture I think it still makes for a nice table cheese because the flavor appeals to most people.

Included is also a triangle shaped wedge of goats milk cheese, known as chevre in French, which means goat. This soft cheese melts in your mouth. This is te secret cheese I use inmy quiche to make it smooth and creamy.

Topped off with small triangle pieces of provolone (meaning large Provola). Provolone is an Italian cheese that originated in southern Italy around the end of the 19th century. Today provolone is a whole milk semi-hard cheese with tastes varying from sharp to very mild.

This platter is accompanied by a seared ahi tuna along with wasabi.