Cheese is one of the delicious foods you can serve to your guests. It can be served as a dish or an appetizer in parties. Serving cheese is fun and easy. If you’re planning an event and you want to serve a cheese platter, here are some tips which may help you.
Buying Cheese
A basic cheese plate usually consists three kinds of cheese such as cow cheese, sheep cheese, and goat cheese. When you buy cheese, consider the flavor and texture. Choose different flavors from mild to medium and select different textures as well. You should also consider how many people you will be serving the cheese to. You can assume that each individual will consume at least two ounces of cheese.
Displaying the Cheese
Creativity is the key when it comes to displaying the cheese. Choose your platter, it can be a large dinner plate, a cheese dome, or a wood cutting board. When you place each cheese on your serving plate, make sure that you evenly space them. You can also leave a space in the middle of the plate to place a decoration. Do not remove the rinds of cheese and make sure that they are facing the center of the plate. You can cut the other side rinds but leave one on the end of the cheese. The part of the cheese which the guests will cut should be facing outward.
Garnishing the Cheese Platter
You can use different foods in garnishing your cheese platter. The easiest is garnishing it with fruits like grapes, or nuts in the middle of the plate. You can also place olives and sliced meats as they are good cheese accompaniments. Do not forget to serve bread or crackers together with your cheese platter.
Serving Cheese
When you serve cheese, make sure that it is at room temperature. If your cheese is refrigerated, plan ahead and take it out of the fridge at least an hour before serving it. You can also place some cheese markers so your guests will know what type of cheese you are serving. Set at least one knife for each kind of cheese you will be serving to avoid mixing their flavors. For softer kinds of cheese, a butter knife can be used.
There are different occasions where you can serve cheese. The style of your cheese platter should be appropriate to your event. Here are different styles of serving cheese:
- Antipasto Style Party Platter: in this style, the cheese platter is served at the beginning of a casual meal or event. The platter may contain cheese, olives, crackers, cured meats, and vegetable sticks. If you’re serving ten to twelve people, you can include three types of cheese on the platter.
- After Dinner Cheese Platter: it is also great to serve cheese after the main course before dessert. Cheese can be a great pair to the wine for the main dish. You can include three to four kinds of cheese which can serve up to eight people. Cut them into wedges and garnish with a few crusty bread or crackers.
- Single Sensational Cheese: when a friend or two visits you at home, you can serve them a good cheese with one suitable accompaniment. You can also match a wine for it. Your guests will surely love it.
- Cheese Plates for Kids: If your guests will be bringing their kids, you can arrange a cheese platter for kids as well. When serving cheese for kids, it’s best to pre-cut them into cubes, triangles, or wedges. You can also add some colorful accompaniments like cherry tomatoes, pretzels, pieces of apple, and crackers.
- Cheese and Wine Tasting: If you’re planning to hold a cheese and wine tasting event, arrange the different kinds of cheese in order. You can assemble them depending on style or region as well as their flavor which can be from mild flavored to strong. You can also place accompaniments matched with wine. Place them on a large table where there will be enough space for your guests to taste the cheeses, as well as to mingle and discuss with one another.
These are just some of the tips which may give you an idea on how to serve cheese. There are no concrete rules when it comes to serving cheese. You can experiment on it and follow ways which are more convenient for you. We hope these tips help you on easily setting up a cheese platter.