There is evidence of cheese making dating back as far as 6,000 BC, so cheese is here to stay and part of everyone’s culture and a mainstay in many homes and entertaining. A cheese display is one really perfect item at the center of every party even just a simple plate with a block of cheese on it with a few crackers is sublime. We all have had those unexpected visitors that show up at your door step and you want to feed them, so you run into the kitchen pull some cheese out of the fridge, crackers and a bit of fruit out and your guests begin to smile and sigh in relief that there is something to nosh on along with the conversation. I have created many beautiful cheese displays from something really simple to more elaborate ones and will continue doing them occasionally for my clients’ parties and my own.
There are so many different cheeses out there including some amazing aged vegan ones out there now, so you can please everyone. There is something really comforting about cheese, the complexity of the flavors, the mouth feel and texture. It goes so well with any beverage and many people enjoy it with wine. You can definitely serve it as a stationary starter course for people to nibble on and you can pass out cubes with toothpicks of your favorite variety or you can serve it as a course at a more formal sit down setting, there’s something comforting about sitting in front of a beautiful cheese like a stilton or bleu cheese with honey drizzled on it with a few slices of pears and toasted baguette.
Have you ever walked into a party or a restaurant and seen a beautiful cheese display and it just took your breath away? I love bountiful displays of all kinds of cheese, paired with fresh and dried fruits, nuts, crackers, baguette and toasts. You can even elaborate your cheese display and add different smoked meats, fish and pates for a gorgeous chartcuterie. We all have our favorite types of cheeses, taking that first bite of your favorite cheese I’m sure brings many memories of comfort and happiness because you know your taste buds are in for a fabulous surprise.
Below are some tips on how to display cheeses for your party guests, for a crowd or for yourself…
Take the cheese out of the refrigerator for at least one to two hours before serving, it’s crucial to serve cheese at room temperature to maximize their flavors and texture (I know this might not always happen with those unexpected guests that show up, if they complain about a cold stiff Brie, tell them to call next time or just drive by, honk and wave and not to knock on the door…ha, ha)
If you have the room, dedicate one area of a large table or surface like a kitchen island or a table itself for a cheese display…no need for flowers if you want a centerpiece, the cheese display will fit that bill. Create highs and lows with different sized cutting boards, platters and/or risers to give your cheese that element of grandeur and bountifulness that we all crave. Remember your party guests eat with their eyes first, if you would have thrown that plastic disposable cheese platter cube thing that you bought at the grocery store on your table with the lid and price tag still on it, (yes, I’ve seen that and I’ve judged them for it) there would be a lot of people whispering and clutching their pearls…at least, please unpack the damn thing and throw it on a plate if you are in that much of a hurry.
Combine different cheeses of texture and color with a combination of fresh and dried fruits along with some nuts. You can’t please everyone so having a variety of good cheeses for them to eat, you will be able to please most…I might have to stab someone with a sharp cheese knife if there is a “can” of cheese out, you know the kind that squirts out of a can, okay, I’m being funny; the last time I saw that was in college and that was a long time ago.
Mix soft cheese, hard cheeses, mild to strong cheeses; mix in different colors for a good variation and to get that bit of color variation some cheeses you can leave some of the rind on, like the back side…Manchego has a nice dark brown rind, I usually leave the whole rind on the brie, that’s completely edible.
Here is a short list of domestic and imported cheeses that are popular and make a great board…there are literally thousands of cheeses out there, so be daring and try one that you have not tasted yet. Go to your local cheese shop or gourmet grocery store and try some samples.
The cheeses listed below make a great display with varieties ranging from creaminess to hard cheeses, with tangy and strong ones as well.
- Aged Gouda, like Reypenaer V.S.O.P. my personal favorite, it has a beautiful color from dark yellow to orange with a wonderful crystalized texture that gives it a bit of crunch
- Sharp Cheddar, a 3 year or older aged cheddar is wonderful…you can’t go wrong with a good Vermont Cheddar
- Brie or Camembert, I love a good double cream brie or strong camembert or Cambozala
- Blue, Stilton or Gorgonzola: in my opinion, the slinkier cheese, the better
- Goat Cheese, like the popular Chevre or try one of my favorites, Humboldt Fog
- Sheep’s milk cheese like Manchego, has increased with popularity over the past couple of years
- Jack cheese; maybe something that is in it that really gives it some flavor, like mushroom and I also love a spicy pepper jack.
When displaying cheeses, slice some off the wedge of cheese so guests can easily pick up a slice…God forbid they have to lift the really heavy cheese knife to cut their piece of cheese; Yes, I see it all the time, an event I did last week, I was in a hurry and did a cheese display and did not cut any cheese slices, and some of the cheese just didn’t get eaten. The events that I’ve done where I was meticulous about slicing some cheese off of a wedge, that’s all the cheese the party guests ate, they were a bit too lazy to cut it, so sometime there isn’t a right way to cut the cheese so to say, ha, ha…
OMG, I just remembered something funny that happened with a cheese display I did at a Christmas party many years ago and it wasn’t until I looked at the photos from the party that I noticed it. One of my servers put out the cheese knives with the cheese and didn’t realize that some of the cheese knives had skeleton skulls on the handle meant for a Halloween party…Merry Christmas from the house of death! Lol…The photo of that is below, if you look closely…my photo skills were not the best 8 years ago.
It is very important to label your cheeses; your palette really can’t recover if you eat a strong cheese and then a milder one after that. Get some simple ceramic rewritable cheese tags that stick into the cheese and name what cheese it is on them and stick them in your cheese. You can also use card stock in your printer and make individual labels and tape them on a mini skewer and place them in your cheese. You can also let your party guests just guess what the cheese is, that’s always fun, yah…play the mystery game with some expensive smelly cheese that someone just put into their mouth and they spit it out…we don’t need that. You could even do the simplest thing to label the cheese if you are in a hurry and hand write it down on a piece of paper, tear it to make it look “home spun” and place the cheese partially on the paper so it stays in place. Place the cheeses on different sized cake stands, marble pedestals and different shapes and sizes of wooden boards; all of this creates such beautiful interest and really gives the partygoer a feast for the eyes.
Last but not least, add some fresh and dried fruits, maybe some chutneys or honey, nuts for texture and of course if you want to do more of a charcuterie, add some nice smoked meats and fish along with various kinds of crackers, bread sticks and sliced breads.
I hope you enjoyed are cheese journey today, remember that when you entertain with cheese, it need not be complicated or expensive…just good.
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