If you have ever received a cheese hamper gift, you will know that there are so many wonderful cheeses out there just begging to be tried. While we all have our favourites, when you see a cheese platter, it’s not uncommon to try a bit of everything. Cheese platters are excellent for keeping your guests happy and helping everyone expand their cheese tasting experience beyond the usual cheddar and gouda.
When preparing your cheese platter, it’s important ot include a variety of cheeses to suit various tastes. While most people like to try new cheeses during this tasting experience, others prefer to stick with what they know. The four main flavours that you should include are aged, soft, firm, and blue. Cheddar and goat gouda are examples of aged cheese while Camembert and Brillat-Savarin are great choices for your soft cheese. Parmigiano-Reggiano or Manchego can be served as your firm cheese and you can opt for Stilton, Gorgonzola, or Valdeon as your blue cheese element on the platter.
The flavour of a cheese is greatly determined by the type of milk used. If you want to ‘spice’ things up a little, you can include a variety of cheeses made from cow, sheep, and goat milk. Now, it’s important to offer a variety of options but you should always have at least one cheese on the platter that can be considered a safe bet. Cheddar and gouda are examples of cheeses that you can trust will be enjoyed by everyone. It’s also a good idea to label all of your cheeses so that your guests will know what to expect.
As for quantity, you should have about 3 pounds of each type of cheese. This will cater for 8 people. So, you can calculate the amount of cheese you need based on this ratio. It’s also important to include things like crackers and breads to go with the cheese. You can even add a selection of nuts and fresh fruit.
If any of the cheeses that you have selected have a strong flavour or smell, you should keep them separate from the rest. The strong scent can affect the flavours of the surrounding cheeses. When preparing the platter, make sure that you give your cheese about one hour to rest at room temperature before your guests arrive. If the cheese is too cold, it will not be as delicious as it should be. Allowing the cheese to warm slightly, means that the true flavours really come through.
You should not put all of your cheese on the table at once. Only set out a moderate portion of each type of cheese at a time. When any of the types of cheese starts to run low, remove some more from your fridge and set it out on the kitchen table to warm slightly before adding to the platter for your guests.
Don’t forget to choose your wines according to the types of cheeses you are serving. You can even make little signs to help your guests enjoy the perfect cheese and wine pairings.