If there’s one plate of food that says \u201cparty,\u201d it’s the cheese platter. Enticing and satisfying enough to carry a celebration on its own, the cheese plate is also the perfect attraction for introducing guests to one another before the main course.<\/p>\n
Putting together a spectacular cheese platter is easier than you might think. Here are a few tips:<\/p>\n
The cheese platter
\n \u2022 Serve cheese at room temperature. The cold from the refrigerator inhibits its flavor, so take your cheese out half an hour before guests arrive to allow it to \u201cbloom.\u201d
\n \u2022 Provide a serving utensil for each variety of cheese on your tray.
\n \u2022 Serve a selection of three to five contrasting cheeses. Think different tastes, colors, and textures, like mild with robust (like Brie with blue cheese), fresh with aged (like Boursin with aged Gruyere), or soft with hard cheeses (like chevre with Parmesan).
\n \u2022 Create a themed tray by offering cheeses from one region or source, or showcase an array of cheeses made from different milks (cow, goat, sheep).<\/p>\n
Accompaniments<\/p>\n
Whether you serve them individually or on the same platter, some foods are perfect complements to cheese. These include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fresh and dried fruits
\n \u2022 Crostini, flatbread, and other crackers
\n \u2022 Hearty and crusty breads
\n \u2022 Olives
\n \u2022 Nuts
\n \u2022 Honey<\/p>\n
To create an antipasto platter, include a mix of marinated vegetables and cured meats.<\/p>\n
Wine and beer cheese pairings<\/p>\n
In general, a wine that comes from the same geographic area as the cheese will be a good match. Here are some other pairings:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Goat cheeses and dry red wines
\n \u2022 Cheddars with sweet wines and pale and brown ales
\n \u2022 Fresh, medium, and hard cheeses with crisp, fruity red or white wine
\n \u2022 Cheeses with bloomy rinds (like Brie) and fruity red wines or light, dry champagnes
\n \u2022 Swiss cheeses with dark lagers, bocks, and Oktoberfest beers
\n \u2022 Feta and wheat beers
\n \u2022 Sweet cheeses with fruity beers<\/p>\n
Check out the cheese offerings\u2014especially any local cheeses\u2014at the co-op. And if you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed by the array of choices, just ask the staff for recommendations (including wine pairings). Then just sit back and wait for the doorbell to ring\u2014your celebration will be off to a flavorful start!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If there’s one plate of food that says \u201cparty,\u201d it’s the cheese platter. Enticing and satisfying enough to carry a celebration on its own, the cheese plate is also the perfect attraction for introducing guests to one another before the main course. Putting together a spectacular cheese platter is easier than you might think. Here […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14570,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recipes"],"yoast_head":"\n