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1
Preheat the oven to 325.
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2
Roast the hazelnuts on a small baking sheet until the skins darken and start to split, 10 to 15 minutes.
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3
Remove from the oven and turn the oven up to 400.
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4
While the nuts are still hot, bundle them in a towel beanbag-style, then scrunch and massage them to rub off most of their skins.
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5
Pick out the nuts and coarsely chop.
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6
Rub the cherries with a few drops of olive oil, and season with a few drops of the optional alcohol and a pinch of salt.
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7
Combine the oil, vinegar, and salt to taste.
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8
Add another few drops of kirsch or grappa, if you like, and taste again.
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9
Place the cheeses on squares of parchment paper and place, with the cherries, on a sheet pan (the cherries might roll off a cookie sheet).
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10
Roast until the fruit is near to bursting and the cheese is beginning to slouch, about 6 minutes.
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11
If your cheese is riper than described in the headnote, it may begin oozing fairly rapidly and you may need to remove it before it is hot throughout.
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12
Dress the lettuces and hazelnuts very skimpily in the vinaigrette and arrange the leaves on plates, leaving the nuts behind for the moment.
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13
Garnish with the warm cherries and nest a half of the warm cheese next to each salad.
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14
(If you are using Banon, you can remove the chestnut leaves first.)
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15
Sprinkle the hazelnuts over the top of the salads.
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16
Offer toasted peasant-style bread.
