Cheese is milk's leap towards immortality - I forget who said this.
I love cheese and I think a well put together cheese platter is such a great accompaniment for when you're serving wine. I wouldn't bother with it if there are going to be a lot of cocktail drinkers, it just won't pair as well, but if you want to host something which is just a little bit more grown up or you're just a fan of wine and cheese like me, keep reading.
It turns out my obsession with cheese platters isn't a new thing and I've already covered the Beautiful Mess' notes on it here. But I really wanted to try it myself and if you follow the Reluctant Chef on facebook you'll see I've been collecting material on it all week (you can find all that here). After some reading and research I do what I usually do with my ideas, panic and give up on it. Then I saw this message on Priyanka Chopra's Instagram feed and was inspired :
Yes, I follow Priyanka Chopra on Instagram. Also Sonam Kapoor. Don't ask. |
I find that when I'm planning to start a new project I usually overthink it and get overwhelmed. Or my imagination runs away with me and I don't know how to implement my ideas. To counter this, I make lists. I liked this one so much I thought I'd just put the whole thing up:
To
Do
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My
thoughts
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Step
1: Planning your Platter
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A. How many people do you plan to invite? |
From my reading I understand you should portion
about 30 to 40 gms of cheese for each person.
|
B. Do you think your guests will be experimental
or would prefer to play it safe in terms of flavors? |
I love stinky cheeses but don’t go overboard with
Blue Cheese if you think your guests will be happier with gouda, cheddar (flavors
they’re familiar with)
|
C. When are you going to serve the cheese
platter? After the meal as a cheese course or as an appetizer? |
Presumably you’ll need less cheese after a meal
since people would already have eaten.
|
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Step
2: Getting your shit together
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A. Find a large enough platter |
The dish you’re using should have enough room on
it for a bunch of people to paw at but shouldn’t look empty either.
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B. Pick your cheeses |
These days you get every kind of imported cheese
in fancy grocery stores but I much prefer buying locally produced cheese.
Not only are they much more affordable, I feel
better knowing that they haven’t travelled hundreds and thousands of miles
and I don’t need to pay customs duty on them. I usually turn to Flanders for
all my cheese needs and have never been disappointed, you can find out if
they retail near you here.
For my platter I chose a really strong and
slightly smushy Smoked Scamorza, a slab of spicy, playful Cumin Gouda and a
big chunk of Smoked Gouda.
Try to get in a mix of strong, plain, soft and
hard cheeses to cater to every taste.
|
C. Pick your vehicles |
You can pair cheese with -
·
Seasonal fruits (I used apple, pear and
pomegranate – grapes are of course a classic);
·
Dried fruits (consider almonds and walnuts);
·
Crackers (I used plain whole wheat crackers);
·
Cold cuts;
·
Slices of baguette;
·
Figs, apricots, prunes, dried cranberries;
·
Jams, sauces, pestos, dips;
·
Olives;
·
Slices of tomato and cucumber
You’re good if you’ve managed to get a
combination of sweet, salt and crunchy.
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D. Pick your wines |
The stronger the cheese, the sweeter the wine.
Dessert wines will overpower Gouda or other simpler cheeses. Usually people
pair cheese with white wine or a rose but at the end of the day, drink
whatever you like best.
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3.
Platter Presentation
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A. Organize your cheese from strongest in flavor
to mildest |
T
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B. Make labels to indicate which cheeses you’re
presenting |
This is really helpful for your guests - and make it easier for them to discover what they like and don't.
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C. Use an unconventional platter like a
chalkboard or slab of wood to show the cheese and pairings off |
I particularly like rustic looking platters like slabs of wood or wooden trays but this depends on you.
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4.
Some last thoughts
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A. Keep small plates and cocktail napkins handy
for people
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B. Keep enough stock on hand that you can
replenish the platter if you run out of any one ingredient
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