Cheese platter: 5 useful tips
Cheeses can be loved unconditionally or hated madly, there is no middle ground. For enthusiasts, however, being able to enjoy a cheese platter is a temptation that is impossible to resist.
A mix of cheeses to bring to the table can not only be useful to delight the palate of the diners, but it is also an excellent choice to quickly complete, perhaps before the classic dessert, the courses of lunch or dinner. Yet, preparing an excellent platter of cheeses is not as obvious as it might seem; it is not enough to open the refrigerator and arrange everything on the cut, it would be advisable to choose and plate with knowledge of the facts and to do so just follow some useful advice.
Choosing the right cutting board
To offer cheeses on the table, always prefer the appropriately treated wooden cutting board, even if slate cutting boards are increasingly in vogue, to give the table an extra touch of elegance. Alternatively, the classic ceramic cutting board will also work perfectly.
How to arrange cheeses on the cutting board
Depending on the size of the cutting board, we can choose 3 or 5 cheeses to arrange. The arrangement usually takes into account the consistency of the cheeses; we start from the right or left with the freshest ones, therefore with a more delicate flavor, and then move on to the semi-cured, semi-hard and hard, so as to satisfy every palate.
What to put on a cheese platter?
Our country is so rich in good cheeses that it will never be difficult to identify good ones to offer to diners. We can choose, for example, five regional cheeses, or propose a selection of the excellences of a specific region; from our beloved Calabria we could choose a fresh goat cheese, a Calabrian pecorino with red wine, or with olives, walnuts, spicy chilli pepper or the delicious' nduja, or many other Calabrian cheeses. Also nice is the idea of proposing a mix of foreign excellences: brie, camembert, cheddar, feta, gruyere, etc.
What to combine with cheeses
To better enjoy the cheeses it is always advisable to offer diners the right combination, typically homemade bread or an artisanal product such as Mattrasau bread, or, again, honey and jams capable of creating a mix of unique taste, to be served in bowls. complete with a teaspoon. Fresh seasonal fruit, dried or candied, is also inviting. Do not neglect the wine, dry white for slightly flavored cheeses, red (for example a Cirò Rosso Classico from Tenuta Iuzzolini) for hard or semi-aged cheeses.
How to cut cheese
The cheese must always be cut according to the shape, using a sharp but not serrated knife. Rounded or square cheeses should be cut as you do with cakes, starting from the center to obtain a triangular wedge. Rectangular cheeses should instead be sliced parallel to the shorter side. For triangle-shaped cheeses, such as Roquefort, we prefer the wedge, fan or strip cut.
