Building the perfect cheese platter is easy, we’ll show you how!
Building the perfect cheese platter is easy!
There is no appetizer or dessert idea easier than a traditional cheese platter. By simply putting out some delicious cheeses with bread or crackers and a few extra goodies, you provide guests with an impressive and indulgent culinary treat. If you’re not well-versed in the world of fine cheeses it can be difficult to figure out what will work best, but here are some tips to help you build your platter:
The Steps
- Plan out how much cheese to serve – Generally speaking, you should plan on 1 to 2 ounces (28-56 g) of cheese per guest. You don’t want to overwhelm people with too many choices, so plan on choosing only 4-5 varieties of cheese, just in larger quantities if serving a big crowd.
- Choose a variety of cheese – You don’t want your cheese selections to be too similar to one another. Choose different textures (ranging from creamy to hard), a variety of milk types (cow, sheep, or goat), at least one mild cheese, and one blue. Stay away from incredibly strong cheeses or cheese with flavours added in.
- Put out some bread and crackers – Fresh baguette, plain crackers, and artisanal toasts all work well as vehicles for cheese. The trick is to just pick one and go with it — you don’t want to overwhelm your guests with choice and the focus should be on the cheese.
- Add some condiments/goodies – Cheese pairs well with honey, sweet or savory jellies, nuts, olives, and marinated vegetables. Choose one or two extras (again, the cheese should be the focus) to include on your platter.
- Use a proper cheese board and knives – There are many nice wooden and stone cheese boards on the market. These boards work better than regular plates because guests can cut cheese directly on the board or easily scrape off soft cheeses. Buy some good cheese knives too and make sure each cheese selection has its own knife.
- Bring your cheese to room temperature – Cheese should be unrefrigerated for an hour before serving.
- Arrange your cheese on the platter – Be sure to leave enough room between each cheese to allow guests to comfortably cut a piece. The condiments can be smeared directly onto the board. Serve the bread or crackers in a separate basket or bowl.
