CHOW Tip
Cheese Basics
- KNOW YOUR CHEESE
A glossary of cheese terms - STINKY TO MILD
How to build a cheese plate - HOW TO EAT A
CHEESE PLATE
Keeping your knives and wedges straight
Stinky to Mild
How to build a cheese plate
What to Buy
Three ounces per person if it’s an appetizer, 6 ounces per person if it’s the main event.
Choose four cheeses with a variety of milks, regions, and textures. For example:
- A medium-aged Manchego (Spain, semifirm, sheep)
- Redwood Hill Bucheret (California, semisoft, goat)
- Prima Donna (Netherlands, hard, cow)
- Gorgonzola dolce (Italy, soft, cow)
How to Plate It
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. Some serveware we like:
Slate Tray and Petal Servers
VivaTerra, $27 for set of two
J.K. Adams Artisan Plank
Sur La Table, $29.95
Wüsthof Classic Cheese Knife and Board Set
Sur La Table, $29.99
What to Eat It With
Plain crackers or crusty plain bread. Or try pairing spicy blue cheeses with honey-walnut bread. Don’t serve crackers with black pepper or other spices that might interfere with the flavors of the cheese. Embellish with apples, pears, figs, dates, and berries. Stay away from citrus, which is too acidic and will overwhelm your cheeses. Try chutneys, fruit pastes, jams, and honey. Here are some we like:
- The Girl & the Fig Apricot Fig Chutney
- Da Morgada Tomato Jam
- Membrillo Quince Paste
- Moray Fig and Ginger Chutney
- Sukhi’s Hot Mango Chutney
- Savannah Bee Company Honeycomb
How to Cut It
For softer cheeses, like Brie or fresh goat, use a knife that has a rounded edge for easy spreading:
Silver Plate Spreaders
Sur la Table, $9.95 for set of four
Harder, drier cheeses, like pecorino, need a sharp knife or cheese plane:
Rösle Cheese Plane
Amazon.com, $28.95
Gastronome Stainless Steel Cheese Plane
Amazon.com, $7.50
What to Drink with It
Riesling. For other wine-pairing ideas, click on the names of the cheeses above.
How to Store It
In parchment or waxed paper rather than in plastic wrap, then stash in the crisper drawer of your fridge. It will stay fresher and won’t smell and taste like plastic.
An easy rule of thumb for a cheese plate: "Something old, something new, something goat, something blue." That is, pick an aged, or hard/firm cheese, a softer, milder fresh cheese, a goat's milk cheese, and a blue cheese, and you'll have covered the basics with at least one cheese that should appeal to each of your guests.
This was VERY HELPFUL!
I have been intimidated by other articles that seemed to make serving a cheese plate way too complicated, (just learning to pronounce the names of the cheese is bad enough) that I have avoided serving and eating something I love. Simplicity is the key for me. Thank you.
Kate's Mom
Amongst my recent discoveries is Tomme Crayeuse (Savoie).
I agree with you on selecting a variety of flavors.
I do think that a variety of textures from creamy to semi soft to hard matters as well.
I grew up eating cheese ( in France) but personally do not care much for the american idea of adding chutney, tapenade and more to the mix.
Give me a nice fresh crusty bread (and sometimes) butter with my cheese and that is all I need.
Serge
Blog:
http://www.sergetheconcierge.com
Biz:
http://www.njconcierges.com
very nice-when I assemble a cheese plate I just put the varieties of cheese that I like on it--usually chevre-manchego,yarlsberg,mozzarella,plain and smoked--with a lovely assortment of breads
In the UK, we have a welcome trend going away from the mixed plate (except, of course, in fancy restaurants that want to try to impress). At home, I find it much better to buy a single top-quality unpasturised farmhouse/artisan cheese and match the accompaniments to it. For example, our local Cheshire cheese is fab with local apples. Or a Wensleydale with fruit cake (honest - it's a traditional north of England accompaniment). Far better than any dessert, IMO.
thank you, very helpful. making the platter as well as the suggestion for a single cheese. plan to try this at my next gathering.
If you are in the UK this week-end, the Great British Cheese Festival is taking place. It offers classes, tastings and more.
I just wrote a short piece on it.
Here is the link http://www.sergetheconcierge.com/2007...
Have a great week-end
Serge
Here is a pdf document on serving cheeses that might be helpful.
http://www.cheeselist.com/downloads/c...
dave
Hey, brit on a trip, what is Wensleydale? Are you able to give the flavor a description? With fruitcake, huh?! My hubby makes my gram's killer fruitcake ~ what a great go-together. I like REAL, melted extra sharp cheddar on my apple pie. Much, much better than vanilla icecream! : D
nativegirl - Wensleydale comes from Yorkshire (in north east England). It's a place as well as a cheese name. This Wiki link gives a pretty good description of flavour.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wensleyd...
You'll see mention of a blue cheese and a smoked one. These are rare and not "traditional". The best way I would describe Mature Wensledale is crumbly and creamy.
Your fruitcake would go well with the sharp Cheddar I think (similar idea to you having it with apple pie). The cake would work with most Brit cow milk cheeses (except blue ones)
John
Thanks, John. I cannot wait to try some! BTW Happy First Day of October, everybody! : D