Queso Camerano con Miel y Nueces

Queso Camerano belongs to La Rioja, and more exactly to the Sierra de Cameros, where goat's milk is drained in moulds that leave the little ridges on the cheese. That mark matters. It tells you this is not just any goat cheese cut into a pretty round, but a mountain cheese shaped by draining, salting, and patience.

For this table, don't cook it. Let the cheese come to room temperature, slice it cleanly, and give it only what it can carry: a little good honey, a handful of walnuts, and bread with enough crust to stand up to it. The method that decides it is restraint. Too much honey and you've hidden the cheese. Too cold from the fridge and it tastes of almost nothing.

If you can't find Queso Camerano DOP where you are, look for a small Spanish or Iberian goat cheese, fresh or semi-cured, with a natural rind if possible. A good basket-drained chèvre gets you part of the way, but it will be softer and more lactic, less firm and mountainy. No hace falta haber pisado España, but the cheese has to be good. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.