Feta for Dessert

Photo courtesy of Abigail Pfunder

Few of us think cheese when we think dessert. Mostly it's a filler in a sandwich, an accompaniment with wine or beer, or a stand alone pre-dinner course. For those who do savor cheese as a post-meal treat - say a luxurious, zingy blue smothered with sweet honey and dry almonds, or a beautiful wedge of Alpine cheese needing nothing more than a knife and good company, sometimes change can be of the essence. Admittedly an admirer of cheese all on its own, mixing it up (outside of your own standards) can bring you a whole new take on the dairy you eat.
I am personally not a huge feta fan. After years of eating the salty, brine soaked white block on salads (and little else) I thought this Mediterranean staple to be irrelevant to my cheese repertoire. But while working in a cheese shop in tourist-central, the long days of Winter - from January and February, even through (God help me) April - can be devastatingly dull. When cleaning projects run out and morale is low, it's time to interject some fun back into an otherwise dead shop. That's where Funday's come in! (tastings we put together to occupy, entertain and educate ourselves) Most recently I was asked to put together a tasting of the different ways Greeks eat feta. Besides the savory (olive oil drenched and served atop cured meats) the sweet alternative was a real stand out. I didn't do the research but the paper I was handed said "Feta with honey and almonds". So I took a beautiful chunk of Mt. Vikos Greek feta (goat and sheep blend) and topped (or rather soaked) it with Marshall's Mt. Tam honey and coarsely chopped, blanched and salted almonds from Alfieri Farms. Lucky for me, a coworker was tubing Medjool dates in the kitchen while I was fussing over the display. Dates just scream Mediterranean to me, so I grabbed a few and diced them over the concoction, and garnished with a few sprigs of oregano (not Greek unfortunately). The result was sublime.
Sweet, salty, and a myriad of textures, all I could think about while scattering from the office to the walk-in refrigerator (and forcing it down coworker's throats) was that I needed an excuse to have a dinner party soon and feature this dish sometime during the meal. Once I came down from my sugar high, I realized that you don't need an excuse to have a dinner party, especially if an exceptional cheese dish is being served. So to my future dinner guests who will be eating this delicious California take on a Greek classic: You're welcome. And more importantly, Opa! I think of feta as lowly no more.