Assembling a cheese platter is really one of the easiest ways to entertain and it also makes for a stunning centrepiece on your table.
You can’t go wrong if you:
Choose 3 cheeses – like brie, cheddar and blue
Add 3 accompaniments – fruit, nuts, bread/crackers
& Remember the 3 R’s – if it’s Ripe and at Room Temperature, it’s Ready to serve!
This time of year, with beautiful fruit like figs, stonefruit and berries in season, it really inspires me to experiment with some interesting matches like:
- Brie and Blackberries and mint leaves
- Triple Cream Brie with chargrilled nectarines
- Fresh Goat’s cheese with fresh figs and drizzle of balsamic glaze
- Blue cheese with roasted pears and smoked almonds
- Washed rind cheese with walnuts, dates and cinnamon
- Whole wheel of camembert with macadamias and drizzle of toffee
Here are my long-standing tips for a sensational cheese platter that will knock the socks off your guests every time!
- Choose 3-4 different styles of cheese – a soft white cheese like a Brie or Camembert, a Cheddar, a Blue and something a little different, like a washed rind or a flavoured cheese.
- Select soft cheeses that are close to the Best Before date so they are fully mature and therefore have best flavour.
- Allow 20-30g of each cheese per person, but no more than 120g in total per person.
- Remove cheese from fridge at least an hour before serving to come to room temperature.
- Arrange cheese in wheels or wedges on a large serving board or platter, allowing plenty of room between them so the cheese doesn’t touch.
- Add well-chosen accompaniments like fresh seasonal fruits, nuts, honey, fruit pastes and finely sliced bread or crispbreads.
- Cut a starting slice on each cheese to prompt guests as to how to serve themselves, cutting wheels into wedges, as you would a cake.
- Cover loosely with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap until serving time.
- Serve a separate cheese knife for each cheese.
- Match with a sticky dessert wine or beer, as most cheese styles will work with those drinks.
- Check on the cheese regularly during service as the platter may need a tidy up.
- Don’t leave cheese at room temperature for longer than 4 hours and cheese that has been over-handled is best discarded.
And when it comes to which drink to serve?
Sticky dessert wines
The ambrosial quality of a late harvest wine is a perfect match for the creamy, salty characteristics of most cheeses.
Moscato
This light, bubbly wine is a lovely contrast to the richness of cheese and will partner well with most cheeses. Nice for summer months.
Beer
The yeasty flavours of beer complement the earthy tones in the cheese and the carbonation in the beer has a refreshing and cleansing effect on the palate, cutting through the creaminess of the cheese.
Both are traditionally fermented farmhouse products that begin with grass…cheese is made with milk from grass fed cows and beer is made from grain and they share common characteristics in terms of taste and aroma.
White wines
Partner buttery chardonnays with cheddar, Sauvignon Blanc with light fresh cheese and Champagne with Brie/Camembert
Red wines
Medium to full bodied reds – pinot noir, shiraz – work well with cheddars, Swiss styles and parmesan but not with blue cheese!
Port/fortified wines
Rich and sweet, these wines are perfect with blue at the end of a meal.
Say cheese!
XOXO
Photography by Fanny Peltier
Styling by Naomi Crisante
