Hooray for Plateswap!

I need to watch what I say when tweeting with Cheryl Tan, the fabulous NY-based food blogger who’s become my pal over the last few months (she’s @cheryltan88 on Twitter). Awhile back, I was twittering away, and she said that she’d been testing recipes for bacon, and was tired of bacon. I was in the mood for a BLT, and told her that if she brought the bacon, I had the L and the T.

I was kidding, of course. She’s in New York, after all, and I’m in Paris.

But Cheryl suggested that we have lunch together – BLTs, in fact – and the round-the-world, virtual #letslunch bunch was born. We had BLTs one week; burgers, another; cold soups on another Friday, and Fall salads, too. Desserts are coming up in November.

Somewhere between the burgers and soups, I mentioned something about getting bored with my plates, because you end up shooting food on the same old stuff.

So naturally — who cares about oceans and distance? — Cheryl suggested that we do a #plateswap – sort of like a secret Santa, and folks could send plates to each other secretly – to help solve my plate dilemma.

I just love this girl.

I received a plate from food blogger Deborah Mele (@DebIFF on Twitter), who’s living in Umbria, which I just adore.

I love little Italy so much, as many of y’all know. I mean, what’s not to love about a country that’s shaped like a boot?

This beautiful, hand-painted plate is from the hill town of Deruta, known for centuries for its pottery. Isn’t it lovely? I tried to find out about the image here, which looks to me like a mythical wind god.

I didn’t want to do too much, so in honor of the plate’s Italian roots, I whipped up something that I always try to make when figs are in season – a simple bruschetta with San Danielle, fresh chevre, figs, and a bit of honey drizzled on top.

Merci again, Deborah, and a double-merci to Cheryl Tan once again, who’s always on the lookout for the next fun thing.

Tagged as: bruschetta, chevre, figs, Italy, plateswap