There is probably no person who doesn’t like cheese at all. After all, there are many types of cheeses in the world; currently there are about 1000 varieties. Sweet cheeses, salty, spicy, everyone will find a cheese to their taste.
When an inexperienced person sees a rich plate of cheese, he does not know how to approach it, what knife to use to cut off different varieties and how to eat them competently. It's really simple! If you know the basic rules of etiquette, you can not only enjoy elite cheeses beautifully, but also easily organize a home cheese tasting
Cheese plate
A cheese plate is a dish on which several types of cheese, at least four, are laid out. But sometimes there are ten types: hard, soft, blue, classic, goat, sheep...
Processed and spreadable cheeses, as well as cheap varieties, are not placed on the plate.
There are special rules for the placement of cheese. If you imagine that the plate is a clock face, the cheese with the weakest taste should be in the place of the number six, that is, closer to the guest. Hard and semi-hard cheeses are placed along the edges, soft cheeses are placed in the center. It is customary to decorate a cheese plate with nuts, fruits, coffee beans and mint leaves.
Knives are served with the cheese plate. Moreover, there is one for each cheese, so as not to mix the taste of the cheeses. These knives may differ from classic ones. "Roquefort", for example, is usually cut with a special device, similar to a piercing, so as not to damage the mold. For hard cheeses, knives with handles on both ends are used. Soft cheeses are cut with a small knife with two teeth on the edge of the blade, thanks to which the knife instantly turns into a fork. A true gourmet cuts cheese while eating. Dudes and aristocrats wield two knives at the same time, and hold the knives in one hand.
Cheese etiquette
The taste of the cheese changes from the crust to the middle; the connoisseur tastes it from top to bottom. Then you can cut the cheese from the place you like best. They begin to taste cheeses from types characterized by an unobtrusive taste. Gradually they move on to more tart cheeses. This is the only way to appreciate everyone’s taste. The rind of hard cheese is not eaten: it serves as a natural packaging, its taste deteriorates due to storage and transportation. You shouldn’t get too carried away with one type of cheese: other participants in the meal also want to try the entire assortment presented on the plate.
Taking cheese with your hands is a sign of bad taste.
You should know that the aroma of cheese is most pronounced at room temperature. Therefore, it is wrong to eat it cold. The cheese is removed from the refrigerator an hour before serving.
It is not customary to serve bread with a cheese plate. It is believed that it interferes with the taste bouquet.
If the cheese is not served on a cheese plate, it can still be combined with bread. But then there should be several types of cheese and bread to try out all the possible options. It is acceptable to serve cheese in the form of small portioned pieces. In this case, a special wooden skewer is stuck into each piece.
Fruit is traditionally served with cheese.
So, figs or juicy pears will come in very handy with soft cheeses with a penicillin crust.
For blue cheeses - ripe grapes.
The taste of hard cheeses is emphasized by kiwi, cherry, and pineapple.
Dried fruits and nuts, especially almonds, go well with any cheese. Therefore, they are often used to decorate a cheese plate.
Homemade cheese tasting
If you decide to serve a cheese plate at home, try to put it together wisely. Firstly, for the dish you need to choose several varieties that are dissimilar in taste. Secondly, the texture and color of the delicacies should be different. Thirdly, try not to repeat the shapes of the cheeses on the plate: let them be small pyramids, slices, slices, triangles, and so on.
The layout of the pieces also matters. They should be placed on a large round dish, wooden or marble board in a clockwise direction so that guests can start with the lightest and end with the most piquant. Let mozzarella or Adyghe be the first, then neutral reblochon, delicate camembert or brie, followed by sharper gruyere, sheep pecorino, and complete the composition with the most tart one - Roquefort or deliciously smelling livaro. If you want to serve fruit and bread with the cheeses, place them on other plates so that they do not distract attention from the main treat.
Subtleties of cutting cheese slices
In order to serve cheese correctly, you need to understand the intricacies of cutting it and purchase the necessary equipment for this.
Super-hard cheeses aged for many years (Parmigiano Rigiano, Grana served, Old Amsterdam) cannot be cut with a regular knife - they will turn into crumbs. Therefore, they are picked out in large pieces using a special short blade with a heart-shaped blade (it’s called “for Parmesan”) or cut with a Norwegian spatula knife, which acts like a vegetable peeler: it cuts the cheese very thinly, as if removing shavings.
Pressed hard cheeses (cheddar, mimolette, gouda, Russian, Dutch) are cut into slices. If you bought a round head, first divide it in half, and then cut thin triangles from it, like from a cake.
Square and rectangular cheeses are divided into several parts, and then each into slices of the required thickness. It is most convenient to do this with a knife with a large blade. And not earlier than half an hour before the guests arrive, otherwise the cheese will become covered with an unpleasant crust.
For semi-hard cylindrical cheeses, you need a special screw device that will cut them into beautiful shavings. If you don’t have such a device in your kitchen arsenal, first divide the head crosswise into round segments, and then treat each of them in the same way as with a whole cheese head - cut into triangular pieces.
Soft cheeses with a moldy rind (brie, camembert, livaro) should not be tried to be divided into portioned slices, because they have very delicate pulp that will quickly spread over the plate. It will be better if the guests themselves cut off as much cheese as they need, using a special knife with holes in the blade and two teeth at the end. Naturally, if the head is large, place on the table not a whole circle, but one large triangular segment.
Blue cheeses (Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Dor Blue) are the most fragile, so it is recommended to serve them on a wooden tray with a special string - it will cut them very carefully.
Serve small round goat cheeses, divided into halves. Pyramid cheeses are cut crosswise, and then each quarter is cut in half again (we get the same triangle!).
Fresh and pickled cheeses. Mozzarella is served in whole clumps or in the form of slices, which are more convenient to cut with a classic cheese knife with holes in the blade. Fresh curd cheese such as ricotta is usually divided using a large spoon. Feta and cheese are crushed with a knife with a thin narrow blade and a handle located above it.
Cheese and wine
As you know, cheese goes well with wine. This is probably why countries with long traditions of winemaking are usually famous for their good cheeses. Moreover, the more intense the taste of the cheese, the more complex the bouquet of the wine served with it should be. Ideally, it is better to choose wines from the same regions where the cheese was produced.
The general rules are:
Red wines go well with hard cheeses,
to semi-solid, not very salty - young fruit,
to soft, creamy - dry and semi-dry,
blue cheeses harmonize with sweet fortified wines,
Brut is served with cheeses with a moldy rind,
for goat - sauvignon.
A cheese plate has long ago turned from a mysterious phrase into a rather shabby snack offered in almost all mid-level restaurants and cafes. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for one “but”: behind the line on the menu indicating a cheese platter of high-quality and expensive cheeses, anything can be hidden, and, as a rule, it’s “anything.” " has nothing to do with what should actually be called a cheese plate.
Let's figure it out? The first task is to find out what these words mean, the second is to understand the general principle of forming a cheese plate, try to assemble it at home yourself, get your hands on it, and then invite friends to amazing cheese parties, which cannot be equaled!
So, what is a cheese plate? Most often we are talking about the method of serving an assortment of noble cheeses, beautifully, breathtakingly beautiful and appetizingly laid out on a round or rectangular board made of hardwood. Sometimes a special flat porcelain dish or menagerie serves as a board, however, this is not a completely traditional option.
Do not confuse the board with a sliced platter - the latter usually includes 3-4 types of cheese, cut into thin slices and beautifully served on a porcelain (faience, glass) plate, while we are talking about fairly common sandwich varieties that we most often and buy in supermarkets.
So, let's look at the general principles.
10 rules for forming a cheese plate
1. A cheese plate is an assortment of expensive, high-quality, noble cheeses that are usually not eaten in everyday life. A piece of melted “Amber” can be incredibly tasty, however, let’s leave it for other occasions, and let’s create an exquisite cheese board brie, multifaceted parmesan, Roquefort blue blood, playful Gorgonzola, most tender Camembert.2. The cheese plate is usually prepared in advance, wrapped in cling film and hidden in the refrigerator. Before serving, the film is, of course, removed, the cheese is left on the table at room temperature - it is believed that the cheese aroma and bouquet are best revealed if the plate is left out of the refrigerator for about half an hour.
After refrigeration, keep the cheeses for half an hour at room temperature and only then proceed to decorate the plate.
3. The cheese board is formed from five or more types of cheese. More is possible, less is no longer a plate, but just pieces of cheese, even beautiful ones. However, moderation should also be observed in the matter of “more”: if there are too many cheeses, you simply will not be able to arrange them on the board beautifully, neatly and freely.
4. When laying out cheeses on a board, you should remember that these are quite delicate and delicate products that easily absorb foreign tastes and aromas, including cheese ones. It is for this reason that care should be taken to ensure that different varieties do not come into contact with each other.
5. Following the unspoken rule, cheeses are laid out on a board (plate) in a circle, starting from the most delicate and soft ones and gradually moving to sharper and harder ones. At the very end of the conventional cheese “dial” are the most saturated and vibrant varieties. At the same time, issues of aesthetics should remain in the first, priority place: arranging the cheeses so that it is both beautiful and correct is a great art.
6. An alternative way of laying out cheeses is also allowed: hard cheeses are placed along the edges of the board, softer ones are placed nearby, closer to the center, and so, gradually reducing the richness of the taste, all the prepared varieties are laid out, placing the most tender and delicate cheese in the center of the plate.
7. As a rule, round cheeses are cut into segments, all others - into sticks or cubes. This is done so that every gourmet can enjoy both the middle part, and the one that is closer to the crust, and the crust itself - it is known that the taste in each of the listed pieces is completely different, and it is absolutely worthwhile to feel it, taste it and understand it. all places.
8. Hard cheeses are best served on wooden plates - this way they look completely harmonious and even slightly careless and brutal. You can lose your head! Soft varieties are usually served on porcelain or glassware, which, if desired, is placed on a wooden board and played as part of the composition.
9. It is allowed to serve individual types of cheese without preliminary slicing - in this option, the board should be accompanied by a sufficient number of knives, one for each individual type. If neatly cut pieces are laid out on a plate, it is advisable to serve wooden sticks.
10. The issue of cheese “accompaniment” should be given no less attention: firstly, it is these additional products that help shape the plate so that the pleasure of admiring is no less than the satisfaction of tasting, and secondly, all types of cheese require different accompaniments, and, by the way, as a rule, this moment depends on the personal taste of each individual person.
It is believed that soft blue cheeses are best paired with grapes and nuts, while hard and rich ones require dates, dried apricots, raisins, and avocados, however, there are no strict rules, so it is worth approaching the task of choosing treats that accompany cheese quite seriously.
Accompaniments to slicing include grapes, dried fruits, nuts, crackers, olives, and fresh fruits. Pear goes amazingly well with cheeses. Raisins “sing” quite well. Almonds and cashews behave harmoniously. Jams and marmalades, including non-sweet ones, sound amazing. Sometimes it’s worth combining cheeses with honey. Be sure to try figs sometime, perhaps this particular combination will become your favorite.
They don’t offer bread, they don’t overwhelm the taste of the cheese, they allow its spirit to fully “spread its wings” and present itself from the most advantageous side. Balsamic vinegar is considered quite controversial, however, it is a completely acceptable accompaniment to a cheese plate - in this matter, everything depends on the individual taste of the person forming the board.
In addition, you can decorate a cheese plate with completely edible elements, which, however, are usually not eaten - herbs, mint, coffee beans. The cheese goes well with arugula and other spicy salads.
To get shaped sliced cheese, use special knives with a blade with a “wave” - with their help, ordinary cubes and diamonds are especially attractive and presentable.
Another simple but effective way to serve cheese is to cut thin slices into shapes using cookie cutters. Classic hearts, romantic stars, non-standard fish, autumn leaves - in fact, it is quite difficult to beat this method of serving cheeses, but the effort spent is more than worth it.
Obviously, it is better to buy cheese for forming a plate not in supermarkets, but in small specialized shops - they will advise you on what to choose, let you try, and guarantee the freshness and quality of the product.
Buy cheeses in specialized stores - you can try them there.
Cheese plates are an excellent treat for buffets. In addition, this is a great way to organize a themed party and spend a wonderful evening in the company of friends - tasting cheese, drinking wine, snacking on fruits and nuts. I wish you beautiful plates and soulful gatherings!
Sooner or later, probably, every amateur cheese maker has a moment when several self-prepared gourmet cheeses appear in his refrigerator, waiting for the moment when they will finally be eaten and enjoy their excellent taste. The best way to show off your cheesemaking skills to your friends and family is to serve such cheeses to the table as part of a well-organized cheese plate. And at the New Year's celebration (which, by the way, is getting closer and closer), a cheese plate made from homemade cheeses will look simply great.
A cheese plate is a complex combination of sliced various types of cheese, as well as fruits, nuts and dried fruits and other snacks and additives, laid out on a thick round wooden board in accordance with certain rules. A cheese plate should be ideal both in terms of taste and visual characteristics: imagine that you are collecting a bouquet, beautiful, fragrant and harmonious.
Cheese selection
The total number of types of cheese on the plate should be odd. Use expensive varieties of cheese with a complex complex taste for the plate: mature Parmesan, cheddar, cheeses with noble mold (Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola), cheeses with a white rind (Camembert and Brie, Crottin, Neuchâtel, etc.), cheeses with a red rind ( Limburger, Reblochon), stretch cheeses (mozzarella, kachkaval, provolone), goat and sheep milk cheeses (pecorino, cantal). Try to choose cheese varieties for your plate that differ in taste, texture, color, and aroma. In general, you can stick to the following when choosing cheese for your plate:
Fresh cheese (mozzarella, feta)
- soft cheese with white mold (brie, camembert, neuchâtel)
- semi-hard cheeses (brick, edam, havarti) with a mild taste
- blue cheese with noble mold (Gorgonzola, Stilton, Roquefort)
- hard aged cheese with a rich taste (Gruyère, Parmesan)
A good idea for a cheese plate would be to select cheeses based on region (for example, French, Italian, etc.). In addition, this will simplify the selection of wine.
Preparation and cutting
Prepare the cheeses for the plate in advance: cut them and place them covered in film in the refrigerator (each type of cheese in a separate container). An hour before serving, assemble the plate and leave it warm: the full bouquet of aroma and taste of the cheese is revealed at room temperature.
The ideal slice should contain both the rind and the core of the cheese. But it all depends on the initial size of the head, as well as the hardness of the cheese: cutting cheeses for a plate in the form of slices and cubes is allowed. Round cheeses are usually cut into segments.
Blue cheeses are cut with a special knife and fishing line. This cutting does not damage the mold pattern, which is unique to each blue cheese, like a fingerprint.
Serve the cheese plate with at least 2 different knives: for rich and delicate cheeses. For soft cheeses, use a special knife-fork with two teeth. You can also put whole and rather large pieces of cheese on the plate, making sure to serve each of them with a separate knife.
Layout
Different types of cheese on a plate should not touch each other: they can cancel out each other’s smell. But the distances between them should not be too large: try to maintain moderation.
- Classic cheese plate layout. Think of the cheese board as a clock face. Arrange the cheeses on the board in the following order:
range 6-12 hours: delicate and soft cheeses with increasing flavor intensity (the closer to 12 hours, the more intense the taste should be) - range 12-3 hours: savory and spicy cheeses
- for 3-6 hours: cheeses with the most multifaceted and rich taste
There is also an alternative arrangement of cheeses on a plate: the hardest and richest ones are at the edges, the most tender and soft in the center.
Additional Ingredients
I already mentioned that a cheese plate can be compared to a bouquet, and a good bouquet contains more than just flowers. Likewise, a cheese plate must be supplemented with various goodies that go with cheese:
For blue cheeses: pineapple, kiwi, cherry, celery
- for soft cheeses, as well as Parmesan: pears, grapes
- nuts (walnuts, almonds), figs and grapes go well with almost any cheese: they can be spread throughout the plate
- bowls with honey and apricot jam (yes, sweet jams and honey perfectly complement the piquant taste of blue cheeses)
- various dried fruits (dried apricots, dates, figs)
As a rule, table bread is not served with a cheese plate: it is believed that it clogs the taste of the cheese. However, crackers, crusty bread and croutons would be quite appropriate on a cheese plate.
Cheese is the perfect snack that will never let you down. However, it is very important to find the right combination of tastes, aromas and textures. The right choice and cheese plate can be served either before or after dinner, or maybe instead.
If you plan to make cheese the main dish on the table, you must remember that its proper presentation depends on the variety of varieties and varieties.
Usually consists of different types of cheese (hard, blue, soft, etc.), but different varieties of the same type can be represented. You can also create a national cheese plate, such as Spanish, French or Italian.
In order for the aroma of the cheese to develop, it must be removed from the refrigerator an hour before serving. When removing the packaging from the cheese, do not remove the cheese crust. Soft cheeses can be left whole, they are intended to be spread on bread, while hard cheeses can be cut into cubes or thin slices. Arrange the cheese on a plate from milder to richer varieties clockwise. It is important that pieces of different types of cheese do not come into contact with each other on the plate.
A cheese plate looks great if the cheese is laid out on a flat wooden dish and special knives are present.
For a cheese plate you will need from three to five varieties of cheese, 25 - 30 grams per person if, in addition to cheese, you are also having a full dinner and 50 grams each if cheese is the main dish.
It is considered a tradition to serve fruit with cheese. For example, cherry, pineapple, kiwi will only emphasize the taste of hard cheeses, ripe grapes are ideal with, and pear and figs go well with soft cheeses. The combination of dried fruits and nuts with cheese is also wonderful.
Gourmets and simply cheese lovers know that wine can be an ideal complement to it. There is even such a pattern - countries where winemaking is an ancient tradition are usually known for good cheeses. The combination of wine and cheese must be taken very seriously, otherwise they will extinguish each other with their aromas.
Sweet wine goes very well with blue cheeses, the taste of fresh cheese is especially emphasized by tart red wine, and old cheeses go deliciously with aged red wine. White and young red wine goes well with almost any cheese.
There are also several types of cheese that go well with beer. For example, Gouda makes an excellent pair with dark beer.
If you cannot call yourself a cheese gourmet and are not particularly well versed in types of cheese, then a bottle of good wine and a cheese plate made from one type of cheese can serve as the ideal end to a festive dinner.
To understand which cheeses go with what and which ones should not be served at a buffet table, you need to buy 30-50 g of each type and try it with either grape juice or wine.
High-quality cheese is always expensive, and today there are many types: pickled, spicy, German, Italian, French. You can get lost in such diversity.
The type of cheese determines what to serve it with and how to cut it. For example, olives, pieces of pears, and hazelnuts go well with blue cheese or Parmesan. And pickled cheeses, for example, Suluguni, Chechil, are considered beer cheeses and go well with chips, crackers and crispy croutons.
How much does it weigh in grams? For a regular party where you don’t plan a lot of snacks, you can buy 6-8 types of different cheeses at the following rate: blue cheeses or sharp cheeses - 20 g per person, hard and lightly salted cheeses - 50 g per person. For a large feast where a sufficient number of appetizers are planned, buy no more than 3-5 types of cheese.
How to serve cheeses?
Firstly, the cheese must be at the optimal temperature - in no case warm, but not icy either. Therefore, you need to take out the cheese for slicing a maximum of an hour before serving. Or you can cut it and cover it with cling film, put it back in the refrigerator, and just before serving, simply place it on a plate (this is important for summer holidays).
You can cut the cheese into cubes or into slices; if you have cubes, for the convenience of your guests, be sure to insert a toothpick into each one. If plates or slices, you will have to serve forks and knives.
You can place several types on one dish, but so that they do not touch. For example, place chopped fruits and nuts between them.
For a party with friends, you can prepare cheese fondue. Usually, a set of cheese is sold for fondue, but you can choose an expensive cheese that melts well. Grated garlic, paprika, and nutmeg are used as seasonings. To maintain the optimal melting temperature, a heating device is placed under the pot. For fondue, you can cut meat or ham into cubes, as well as regular bread. The cubes should be small in size—one bite size. For convenience, pin everything on toothpicks or skewers. Wine or champagne is served as a drink.
How to make a cheese plate
Any cheese can be complemented with a crispy baguette, pita bread, vegetables, honey, nuts, fruits and dried fruits. Or you can create your own cheese plate from 3-5 types of cheese.
According to the rules of cheese etiquette, the cheeses on the plate are arranged clockwise - from delicate taste to the most mysterious and piquant. It is important to choose cheeses that are completely different in taste in order to identify their distinctive notes against the background of others.
Cheese plate options
- Option 1: Bread, fresh tomatoes, olives and crackers. Cheeses: Parmesan, Caprino goat cheese, Gorgonzola blue cheese, Caciotta buffalo milk cheese.
- Option 2: cherries, strawberries, melon, pears, nuts, pineapple. Cheeses: Parmesan, Gruyère, Romano, sheep's Pecorino.
- Option 3: almonds, apricots, plums, walnuts. Cheeses: spreadable cheeses, for example, Feta, Ricotta; smoked cheese Idiazabal, hard cheeses - Grana Padano, Emmental; semi-soft cow cheese - Langres, Taleggio.
- Option 4: pears, olives, hazelnuts, grapes, figs. Cheeses: Camembert, Parmesan, Emmental, blue cheese.
- Option 5: walnut, pineapple, figs. Cheeses: blue mold - Stilton, Roquefort; soft cheese with white rind Camembert, Brie; from goat milk, for example, Valence, Clochet; from durum varieties - Petitt Basque, Cheddar.
There is even a special cheese diet, an example of which can be seen here: http://dieta-dieta.ru, although it is strict and has a number of contraindications. But cheese contains a huge amount of vitamins, which we often forget about. The only caveat in the cheese diet is that you need to choose the right cheeses; usually hard or semi-hard varieties are preferred.
