A Sophisticated And Stylish Delicacy – The Cheese Board

In the United States of America cheese is served as a starter, in France before dessert and United Kingdom as a grand finale to the perfect meal. A cheese board has become a sophisticated, stylish and welcome delicacy not matter the time or occasion.

When considering an at home feast, a cheese board can either be as simple or extravagant as you as the host wants it to be, but you should acknowledge that preparing the perfect board can be a true work of an art. My exclusive list of cheese board tips is designed with the aim to help you choose, present and of course enjoy all cheeses available on the market to their fullest.

Portions- It recommended that you plan to serve anything from three to five cheeses. Any more will just plain confuse your guests as well as their fine tasting palates.

Cheese examples- Go for a combination of taste, texture and appearance. An interesting selection will include soft, mild cheese such as Camembert; a hard, nutty yet mild cheese for example Asiago, and a semi-hard, strong cheese for example Maytag. Prefer something a little simpler, yet interesting? Try these three selections: one soft cheese such as Brie, Camembert, one firm cheese for example Cheddar and one blue cheese maybe Roquefort. Want to expand your offerings? Cheese with a spreadable texture is perfect. These include fresh cheese such as chevre or an extraordinary cheese with a little flavour in the form of wine, spices or herbs. For a creative twist, your cheese board can be built around a specific theme. You may want to offer cheeses made from different milks ranging from cow, sheep and goat or cheeses from a particular area or country. You can also putting together a collection of your own favourites just as long as variety reigns supreme in your selection.

Important features- If you plan to have guests cut their own cheese portions, remember to provide a separate knife for each variety. Do not serve all your cheese choices in similar shapes. Use rectangles, circles and rectangles, preferably in chunks of the same size. Service at room temperature is of utmost importance. Only mildly-flavoured crackers or crusty bread should be used for cheeses with a texture that’s either spreadable or crumbly, including blue or Camembert. The purpose of the bread or crackers is to bring out the cheese’s flavour, not kill it. Semi-soft cheeses for example Colby can also be cubed, with toothpicks supplied or squared and served with crackers. At least one of the mentioned cheese varieties should always be added, as they are distinct not only in flavourful but also colour and in general are easier to pinpoint. Should you decide on a cheese that waxed or skinned, for example Edam, the covering should remain intact, presented in wedges or as a full circle with a single piece removed, to expose the cheeses’ delectable centre. If you want to add pizzazz to your cheese board opt for messy, sticky blue cheeses. Their boldness is a fantastic flavourful complement to the milder cheeses.

Purchase Tips- If you plan to serve the board as an appetiser or course, approximately 70g cheese per person will do or if it’s going to form part of a main meal, plan on approximately 200g per person. On a budget? Invest in a couple top quality cheeses instead of a load of lesser quality. A cheese board should be an exciting and of course memorable experience- common cheeses are a big no-no. Opt for cheeses that are new to your guests or even new on the cheese market.

Presentation- After the all important cheese selection has been made, presentation in awe inspiring way needs to follow. Start off by choosing a tray or platter in appropriate size, which will keep different shape and size cheeses from mixing or touching. Boards made from wood are the number one choice, with marble following close behind as the preferred choice when it comes to elegance, offering a surface that just cool enough for the cheese and a wonderfully contrasting background colour to make cheeses appear a lot more striking not to mention appealing.

Arrangement tip- A very important tip when it comes to arranging your selections, is to ensure the tit-bits are displayed in a manner making them super accessible to guests. Pack small sized cheeses in the middle, with soft cheeses around them. Harder cheeses should preferably placed on the outside of the board to make cutting easier.

Serving suggestions- What will an edible artwork be without beautiful, natural garnishment? Try parsley, basil, grapes, tomatoes, celery sticks, sundried tomatoes, berries or peach slices to add essential colour and flavour to the board. Offer olives, pickled vegetables and lightly roasted nuts in separate dishes or even a selection of breads, biscuits and crackers that aren’t overwhelming. Again, the it’s recommended that you steer clear from common, old favourites and that you treat your guests something extraordinary. A slice or two of tangy dough or biscuits in a pepper flavour are also a great serving suggestion.

Anything to drink? – Prefer classic beverages? Go for beer, cocktails and wines. Cheeses normally go well with light wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, blue cheeses with deeper selections such as Port, and aged cheeses with Burgundy. For an added touch of class different wine can be offered for each cheese. If you are in doubt when it comes to perfect partners, a wine from same region as the cheese is your best bet.

More serving tips- Remove cheese wrapping, but remember to leave rind. Serve cheese at room temperature to ensure best flavour and remember every cheese should have its own knife as to avoid flavour mixing.

After-party storage- Storage after-party is just as important as before and during your event. Store the cheese board in a cool place that’s also immaculately clean. Discard any soft cheeses, wrap-up and hard cheeses to keep in the fridge until your next cheese board. Should remaining cheese be too minimal or weirdly shaped to use again for a board, pieces can be used as part of a range of a great cheese recipe.