Creating a Perfect Cheese Plate
Vary your cheeses, from creamy soft to hard and from cow to goat to sheep’s milk.
Arrange from 3 to 5 cheeses on a pretty plate and plan on 4 to 6 ounces per person.
Set out and arrange cheese 1 hour or more before serving. The Brie should be weeping, your Blue smelly and your Parmigiano-Reggiano glistening with a wisp of oil.
Compliment your cheese with fresh fruit and nuts.
Honey drizzled on pungent cheese such as Blue or Gorganzola gives a dash of sweetness and a few drops of Balsamic vinegar on your Reggiano enhances the flavor.
Also you might want to have a mild cracker or bread to serve.
When you are serving wine with your cheese, choose red, white and rose wines from the same regions of the countries as your cheeses. Lighter wines with milder cheese and bolder wines such as reds with hardier cheese.
Beer, cider and some liqueurs also compliment different cheeses.
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Some Suggestion:
Soft goat cheese
Camembert
Gorgonzola, Stilton or Blue
Gruyere
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Triple cream Brie
A young fresh goat cheese goes well with Fume Blanc or Pinot Grigio, where as a Chardonnay is a good accompaniment with a well aged Brie or Camembert.
For Reggiano and Blue cheese, choose a Sirah or red Zinfandel.
(A great contrast for a Reggiano is a crisp, fruity sparkling wine!)
