It’s so fun when you taste food combinations that you never really considered putting together. I had this dessert at a tapas restaurant a long time ago (so long that I’m not sure where I was when I tasted it – I think it was Dali in Cambridge, MA) and when my boyfriend made it when we first started dating, I was reminded that it’s worth bringing to the table. I made it as a backup dessert for my tapas party, just in case the cheesecake flan went horribly wrong.

This is ridiculously simple to make – it only involves slicing, crushing, and drizzling. You start with a good piece of Manchego cheese, which is a sheep’s milk cheese from Spain. Cut off the waxy edges and slice into thin strips. If you have a mandolin, I do recommend that you use it. For some dumb reason, I didn’t remember to use mine, so my strips are not as thin and even as they could have been.

Once your Manchego is sliced, wash a quart of strawberries (yes, I know these are not in season right now, but they do have organic at Whole Foods) and cut off the stems. Hold the strawberries with the point in the air and the flat top on the cutting board and slice into vertical strips. Sadly, I did not photograph this part. arrange a layer of the Manchego strips on the bottom of a round plate with the tips pointing in, like a sunburst. Cover them with a layer of strawberries, and then top that with another sunburst of Manchego.

Crush some walnuts into small, fine pieces. (I ended up using hazelnuts here, which were OK, but I recommend walnuts because they add a nice, slightly bitter contrast) You can do this by chopping them with a knife, or by putting them in the food processor. Sprinkle them all over the sunburst on the plate. Drizzle the entire thing liberally with honey. That’s it! Serve immediately. MMMMMMManchego.

Strawberry Manchego Delight

1 piece of Manchego cheese

1 Qt. fresh strawberries

3/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup honey