Whether served as an hors d’oeuvre before dinner or as a sweet-savory treat after the meal, a cheese plate adds an elegant touch to any occasion. Stock your refrigerator with a few “special occasion” cheeses, flavorful nuts and fresh, seasonal fruit, and you’ll have an almost instant crowd-pleasing course.
About 2 hours before serving, remove cheeses from the refrigerator, unwrap them and allow them to come to room temperature. When you’re ready to serve, arrange cheeses, fruit and nuts on a cutting board, marble slab, or 1 or more platters. Include a spreader for each soft cheese and a sharp paring knife or cheese plane for hard cheese. Offer a bread basket or board with baguette rounds, thin slices of dark bread, or crackers.
 Italian Cheese Plate
6 to 8 ounces hard sheep’s milk, such as pecorino When ready to serve, arrange cheeses, grapes and almonds on a cutting board, marble slab, or 1 or more platters. Serves 4 to 6. |
 Farmhouse Cheese Plate
6 to 8 ounces aged goat’s milk cheese When ready to serve, arrange cheeses, apple slices, chutney, dates and pistachios on a cutting board, marble slab or 1 or more platters. Serves 4 to 6. |
 Late-Harvest Cheese Plate
6 to 8 ounces semisoft blue-veined cheese, such as Blue Valdeon When ready to serve, arrange cheeses, figs, honeycomb and walnuts on a cutting board, marble slab, or 1 or more platters. Serves 4 to 6. |
 Winter Cheese Plate
6 to 8 ounces ash-coated cheese, such as Humboldt Fog, Valencay or Selles-sur-Cher When ready to serve, arrange cheeses, pear slices, jam, fig bar and hazelnuts on a cutting board, marble slab, or 1 or more platters. Serves 4 to 6. |
3 comments
What type of wine could you pair with the four cheese platters?
A Sauternes wine is perfect for those platters.
Going to have to look for the items on that Winter Cheese plate. Doing an Anniversary
party in Dec. must add it to the table.