Choose cheeses in an interesting variety of shapes, sizes, colors and textures for your platter.
Whether you're having people over for a casual movie night or a fancy dinner party, a well-prepared cheese platter is a great starter to get people mingling, chatting and eating. Add a floral or oaky wine and you'll have a party to remember. A cheese platter is versatile and can be used as a pre-dinner appetizer or in place of desserts at the end of a meal. Your choice of cheeses will determine how you present it.
Instructions
1. Choose which cheeses you'd like to serve. Plan on having three to five types of cheese, and assume that you'll need about 3 ounces total per guest. A very creamy cheese, such as a good brie or Camembert, is perfect to pair with a baguette or fruit slices to spread the cheese on, for example. Mix hard and sharp cheeses with creamy varieties, and be sure to add a pungent cheese to the mix, such as a Roquefort-style blue cheese.
2. Cut the labels and descriptions from your cheese packaging, or create your own labels and descriptions on folding note cards to place with each cheese, so your guests can see what they're sampling.
3. Vary the heights and colors of your cheeses to add interest to the platter and give a terraced effect for viewing. Larger, wedge-shaped cheeses at the back will draw the eye in and forward to the lower and creamier cheeses.
4. Place a cheese slicer (with a few pieces already sliced) with the harder cheeses, and have other small cheese-spreading utensils nearby for the softer cheeses.
5. Add cashews and dried cranberries or other dried fruit to the platter, between the cheeses, for interest and to give guests complementary foods to add to a bite of cheese. Set a plate of apple and pear slices near the cheese platter for guests to spread softer cheeses on. For even more choices, place a partially sliced baguette nearby on its own cutting board, with a bread knife, for guests to spread soft cheeses on, and a small bowl of herbs such as dill or basil for use with cheeses as well.
Tags: cheese platter, cheese such, cheeses interest, guests spread, labels descriptions, softer cheeses