How to Build the Perfect Cheese Platter
August 20, 2009 at 3:00 PM by Daily Buzz Team - Comments (5)
When I have friends over, my usual go-to for nibbles is a cheese platter. It super quick and easy, two things that are golden in my book.
When putting together a cheese platter, I like to keep this little saying in mind, "Something old, something new, something goat, something blue." Cheesy, huh? (Dorky pun intended).
Keeping that in mind will help you maintain a good variety, that is, choose an older, firmer cheese (such as sharp cheddar), a soft, fresher cheese (such as brie), a goat's milk cheese, and a blue cheese.
Serve with plain crackers or bread. Don't use breads or crackers that have spices in them...it will interfere with the flavoring of the cheese. Embellish with foods like apples, grapes, pears, olives, and nuts. Stay away from citrus fruits, too acidic and will overwhelm the cheeses. Chutneys, jams, and honey are also good.
A good rule of thumb is two ounces of each cheese per person. Arrange the cheese on a plate from mildest to strongest. If you’re not sure which is strongest, smell it. Stinkier cheeses are usually stronger tasting. Serve at room temperature for fullest flavor.
Do you have make cheese platters for entertaining? What's your favorite type of cheese?
FILED UNDER: entertaining
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mmmmmm cheese... I would seriously eat nothing but cheese if I could, LOL..
I love cheese but I always feel wierd about it being left out at room temperature even though it is an okay thing to do. I never had it that way growing up so I suppose that is why.
Cheese, what a more perfect thing to take to my friend's get-together for women on Saturday!! Thanks Avarah. Any special cheeses you recommend? I am definitely not a cheese connisseur so any help is much appreciated.
Hill, if it were ME and I had access to pretty much any cheese on earth and it was for a girly-girl party I'd buy girly-girl cheese!
I'd do a triple-crème brie (it's like the highest fat content known to man! lol)
I'd do a flavored stilton (I love the lemon, but the berry ones are good)
I'd do this norwegian cheese called Ghetost (I hope I didn't massacre the spelling) which is sweet and nutty. It's served in thin slices (cheese slicer slices) and it's REALLY interesting.
Let's see...plain goat cheese covered with honey and orange zest.
And um...hrm.. I'm stumped for #5! LOL
I come from a cheese family. When it's MY family, I always get an interesting soft cheese, a veined cheese, a goat or sheep's milk cheese and then one or two that just look cool and different and preferably stinky. :)
When I'm entertaining my in-laws, I make sure to get a boring cheddar, a boring creamy soft cheese, a boring gouda, havarti or edam, some lame flavor Chêvre and whatever else looks boring and inoffensive.
:D
I LOVE your cheesey pneumonic! I think that's a darned good rule of thumb, though aesthetically I'm a fan of the uneven number, so I'd have to either add one or take away one!
Avarah Aug. 20, 2009 at 3:30 PM