1 (12-oz.) Rush Creek Reserve, Harbison, or Vacherin Mont d’Or spruce-wrapped cheese
1 clove garlic, sliced into 6-8 thin slivers
3 oz. pancetta, diced into 1/2-inch lardons
1/4 cup Champagne or other sparkling wine
1 baguette, sliced
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Remove the paper from cheese, leaving in place the bark band. Place the cheese in a small baking dish and cut six to eight slits in the top. Insert a sliver of garlic into each.
Sauté the pancetta until the fat has rendered and the meat is slightly browned. Pour it and its rendered fat on top of the cheese. Top with the sparkling wine and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until warmed all the way through but not browned. Serve with the sliced baguette.
After winding down the work day, the owners of goat.sheep.cow. don their hostess hats, throwing a lively dinner party with a melty cheese-and-baguette starter and plenty of wine
