A cheese board is a platter of various cheeses presented to guests, with different types of boards available. When preparing, consider cheese selection, accompaniments, and presentation. Offer a range of textures, tastes, and looks, and complement with bread, wine, fruit, and nuts. Use different knives for each cheese and give them enough space to avoid mixing flavors. Serve at room temperature and have fun creating your cheese board.
A cheese board is a platter on which an assortment of cheeses is presented to your guests. There are many types of these boards available and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are made of wood, stainless steel and glass. Round and rectangular tables are the favorites of the hosts.
Essentially, your cheese board is more than just a serving platter. It should also be carefully prepared to whet your guests’ appetites. Whether cheese is eaten as an appetizer, main course, or after a meal, consider these factors when putting the table together:
1. Selection of cheeses
It is often said that a classic cheese platter consists of no more than five types of cheese. The ones you select should provide your guests with a range of appealing textures, tastes, and looks. You can plan your retirement according to countries, like serving British or French cheeses. Alternatively, you could offer cheeses made from different types of milk. Your table could also be themed during the seasons. For example, popular choices for summer are Saint-Marcellin, Crottin de Chavignol and Epoisses.
Be sure to include cheeses of varying strengths and textures. Guests should be given the opportunity to sample mild, soft cheeses and work their way up to stronger, harder cheeses. Appearance is also important. Cut and serve cheeses of different shapes, sizes and colors. You can add pops of color by decorating the table with slices of fresh fruit.
2. Accompaniments
The cheese platter can be enriched with bread and wine. Make sure you choose ones that complement your cheese selection. It’s important that your guests are able to appreciate the diversity of cheese flavors on your table. Other suitable accompaniments include fresh fruit and nuts.
3. Presentation of your cheese platter
Present your table with several knives, one for each type of cheese to avoid mixing the flavors of the individual cheeses. For softer, spreadable cheeses, use a flatter knife. A sharp, solid knife is great for cutting hard cheeses.
Make sure there is enough space between each cheese on your board to keep them from softening into each other. This is especially important for soft cheeses. Put cheeses with a strong, pungent smell away from those that have a mild smell. Place the small cheeses in the middle, followed by the soft cheeses around them. Hard cheeses should be placed on the outer edge of the cutting board, as they are more difficult to cut.
Cheeses are often served at room temperature. To achieve this, take the cheeses out of the refrigerator an hour before serving. However, hard cheeses may take longer to come to room temperature. Leave the cheeses wrapped to prevent them from drying out from overexposure. Remove wrappers before serving.
A cheese board is one of the simplest dishes to make. It offers the guest a creative and artistic challenge while satisfying the taste buds of the guests. Now that you know what a cheese board is, have fun making one for your next dinner party.
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