He also likes Vermont shepherd cheese, made from aged sheep's milk cheese to complement the fruit. Some of the traditional farmhouse cheeses from the British Isles also work well with peaches, plums and nectarines, according to McCalman. Like McCalman, Todd Humphries, executive chef at Campton Place in San Francisco, has his own preferences when selecting cheeses to serve with peaches, plums and nectarines. As one of San Francisco's top restaurants, Campton place is known for its imaginative cuisine and its cheese cart filled with a tempting array of fromage. Humphries prefers to pair plums with strong, salty cheeses, such as Roquefort and Stilton.
Plums are much like a berry in terms of sweetness.
With peaches, he prefers a delicate young goat's milk cheese to enhance the floral freshness of a barely ripened peach. Humphries finds that the complexity of the nectarine enjoys a full-flavored spicy cheese, so he prefers a creamy Muenster made from aged cow's milk. The California Tree Fruit Agreement, growers of fresh California peaches, plums and nectarines, recommends that consumers ripen their fruit before serving with cheese to get sweet fruit that drips with flavor. To ripen fruit, place it in an ordinary paper bag and close the top loosely. Once fruit is completely ripe, it is okay to store in the refrigerator for a week or more.