Cheese plate how to make. Step-by-step recipe with photos. How to cut cheese beautifully

Compound: one hard cheese + one soft cheese + one unusual cheese.

Innings: on plain toast, croutons, fruit chips.

Additives: one sweet product + one salty product + one sweet sauce + one salty sauce.

But this standard does not mean that an excellent cheese plate cannot be made from fewer varieties. Let's look in order at how to prepare this treat from one, two and three types of cheese.

Choosing cheese

One type of cheese

The secret to a one-cheese dish is simple: choose either a universal favorite cheese or a special cheese. If you have access to such products, the following varieties can be included in your cheese plate.

Cheeses that everyone likes: sharp English cheddar or mild French brie, cheeses like Parmesan.

Special cheeses: spicy cheese moldy or smelly but tasty taleggio (semi-soft italian cheese with crust).

Two types of cheese

For a proper cheese plate of two varieties, you will need one hard and one soft cheese. Here are the top picks in those categories.

Hard cheeses: cheddar, gouda, dubliner, edam, parmesan and Spanish manchego cheese.

Soft cheeses: Italian burrata cheese (the creamy “cousin” of mozzarella), delicate camembert with a mushroom flavor, fruity taleggio, ricotta (which is easy to make at home), brie.

Three types of cheese

Three cheeses is perfect. You will need hard and soft cheese, which we talked about above, as well as some kind of cheese with a twist.

Unusual cheeses: Norwegian brown cheese Brunost, chocolate cheese, lavender and fennel cheese or havarti dill danish cheese. Cheeses with a twist also include stinky varieties: they are less original, but incredibly tasty and always go with a bang. In general, it is best to contact the sellers in the cheese shop and say that you want to surprise your guests with something. They will be happy to help you choose.

If you cannot get such varieties, choose alternatives from the cheeses available in your region. Or take a different approach by using one cheese each from different animals for your plate: cow, sheep, and goat.

Once you've chosen your cheeses, you can think about tasty additions. You will need something sweet, something salty, sweet and spicy sauces, as well as bread and crackers.

Fresh fruits and berries

Apples, grapes, pears, blueberries, strawberries, any berries and fresh figs They compensate for the rich salty taste of dairy products with sourness and refresh the palate.

Dried fruits

Tart and sweet dried cherries, cranberries, and dried apricots add a bright note to the taste of cheeses. Dried fruits are a good choice for a multi-variety plate, as they pair equally well with both sharp and mild creamy cheeses.

Olives

Instead of buying a jar of one type of olive, buy olives in bulk of varying sizes and degrees of ripeness. Just remove the seeds first or remember to warn your guests about them.

Pickles

The main pickle that can be offered for a cheese plate is gherkins. They have a pleasant sourness and look very nice.

Meat products

Don't get carried away so that the cheese plate doesn't turn into a meat plate. Choose one quality meat and let it set off the cheeses. If you're serving a lot of rich, salty or spicy cheeses, choose something calmer, like good boiled sausage(ideally like Italian mortadella). But a cheese plate will not be spoiled by spicy salami, rich meat or liver pate.

Nuts

You can serve a mixture of candied nuts with the cheese. walnuts, pistachios or almonds. For lovers unusual tastes you can suggest experimenting, for example, combining almonds with soy sauce and wasabi.

Honey and jam

If you haven't tried cheese with honey yet, it's time to do so: they are made for each other. Jams and jellies will also create a wonderful sweet effect, especially those with a tart flavor.

Mustard and vinegar

Cheese like fatty dairy product With rich taste acid is needed, and grainy mustard can satisfy this need. You can also sprinkle the cheese with thick, thick vinegar or pomegranate syrup.

Bread and crackers

These products will be needed to “transport” the cheese into your mouth, and not distract from its taste. Small crispy toasts, crackers or chips, including those made from fruit, will do the job.

The best combinations of cheeses and additives

Irina Kamshilina

Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than cooking for yourself))

Mar 6 2017

Content

Sliced ​​cheese is a universal appetizer for all occasions that will decorate any festive table and will complement a modest meeting with friends over a glass of wine. Find out what types of cheese can be combined, how to cut it correctly and what to serve it with, what fruits and sauces should be added.

Composition of a cheese plate

First you need to think over the main menu, because the composition of the cheese plate depends on the main dishes (meat, chicken or fish), types of alcohol, national characteristics kitchens. If light European snacks, dry wines, champagne predominate, then cheese platter 1 is suitable. Number 2 - goes well with dishes of Slavic or Russian cuisine and strong alcoholic drinks: vodka, cognac and fortified wines. The third option is universal, but gourmets recommend serving it with fish dishes, lean meat, vegetable salads, semi-sweet wines and stronger drinks.

Assortment 1:

• expensive cheese with noble blue mold: Roquefort, Dorblue, Gorgonzola, Danablue;
• soft cow cheeses with a moldy rind: brie, camembert;
• hard cheeses: Parmesan, Pecorino, Gruyère or Emmental;
• additions: figs, pears, apples, grapes, plums, strawberries, dates, spinach, honey, berry jam, onion marmalade, almonds, walnuts.

Assorted 2:

• hard or semi-hard cheese: Russian, Dutch, Gouda, Edam;
• pickled cheeses: feta cheese, Adyghe, Suluguni, Chechil;
• smoked: suluguni or melted sausage cheese;
• additives: cilantro, dill, parsley, green onions, chips from thin pita bread, walnuts, peanut sauce, crackers.

Assorted 3:

• pickled cheese: feta, mozzarella;
• hard, semi-hard varieties: Maasdam, Emmental, Gruyère, cheddar, Comté;
• spicy French cheeses from goat's and sheep's milk: chevre, chabishu, brunost;
• additives: cherry tomatoes, peppers, peaches, grapes, figs, dried apricots, raisins, olives, walnuts, cashews, rosemary, arugula, olive oil, honey

Cheese plate decoration

According to the accepted rules for designing a cheese plate, it must contain at least three types of cheese. It is recommended to arrange them according to the degree of spice and hardness, not to place too aromatic varieties next to them, and to alternate them with fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Small bowls with honey and jams are placed in the center of the plate. A few tips to ensure your cheese board is perfect:

1. The cheese should be arranged clockwise from the freshest or softest to the spicy or hardest. You can use another principle: from the center of the plate to the edges.
2. You don’t need to cut the entire piece of cheese, but only put in a few slices. Serve with a special knife and the remaining large piece.
3. Do not put bread on a plate with cheeses. In Italy, France, and other European countries, cheese is never served with bread - only fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
4. Remove the pre-prepared cheese plate from the refrigerator (half an hour before serving) to allow the food to come to room temperature.
5. Serve pieces of cheese, cut so that 3 components are visible: crust, edge, middle.
6. Prepare the correct amount of cheese. You can calculate it like this: 100-150 grams of product for each guest.
7. Serve skewers for soft and durum varieties on a common board so that it is convenient to transfer the cheese to your plate.

How to cut cheese beautifully

For each type of cheese there is a specific cutting technique. It is important to cut each type of cheese on a separate board because delicate texture cheese easily absorbs the tastes of foreign products, especially harsh ones, such as onions, garlic, meat, smoked meats. The cheese should be removed from the refrigerator half an hour before slicing, but should be stored in its packaging. Ready dish Can be covered with a glass lid and refrigerated until serving. Instead of a lid, cling film is sometimes used.

Soft mold cheeses should be cut into triangles, hard cheeses into thin slices using a wide, sharp knife. For children's table You can cut out any cheese shapes using cookie cutters. Mozzarella is served in the form of balls or cut into rectangular or semicircular pieces of medium thickness, depending on the shape of the head. Feta is served in cubes, brine suluguni - in small round slices. A special knife with a wavy blade will help you cut cheese beautifully. You can purchase such a device at any kitchenware store.

Cheese plate

In the original, spicy and hard varieties require a round wooden plate. Soft cheeses should be served on a glass saucer or a special plate with a thin stem. Now the product is served in ceramic, porcelain, earthenware, depending on the table decoration. In stores you can buy cheese plates with dividing compartments for different varieties and snacks, with a glass lid and a small carving knife included.

How to make a cheese plate

The first thing you need is to choose a quality fresh cheese foreign or national production. To do this, it is better to go to specialized stores, where you can not only try the real product, but also get recommendations from consultants. It is not necessary to buy cheese immediately before the feast - it can be stored for a long time in a cool place. Making a cheese plate is very simple: you need to thinly slice the product, carefully place it on a plate, add the rest of the ingredients and sauce.

Cheese plate with honey and nuts

These products are found in almost every home. Cheese plate with honey and nuts can be prepared in minimal amount time. You can use any honey to your taste: to rich hard cheeses Buckwheat, forest, meadow are suitable; for fatty and soft cheeses – light, light. Try elite cheeses with a long ripening period: their quality and refined taste will pleasantly surprise you. An original addition would be a few drops of balsamic vinegar and sunflower seeds. Cheese with honey is a wonderful, win-win combination of products and an excellent snack.

Cheese plate with grapes

Another option gourmet dish- cheese plate with grapes. Additionally, serve light honey in a separate bowl. Choose large varieties of grapes, arrange them one berry at a time or a whole bunch on the side, and you can use apples, pears, and plums as a supplement. These decorations are suitable for soft, aromatic cheeses brie and camembert, to creamy dorbeu and gorgonzola.

How to Serve a Cheese Plate

You can serve a cheese plate with appetizers or desserts. In the second case, you need to supplement the treat only with fruits and nuts, cut into thin, small pieces and place on shared dish. For classic presentation use different varieties cheese, one large plate, or several small ones if you have a long table and many guests. Next to the plate you can place a glass with breadsticks, olives or vegetables. Do not place cheese near sliced ​​meats or baked goods.

Cheese platters can now be found in almost every restaurant. This is a favorite snack for many people and takes no more than ten minutes to prepare. The main rules for serving cheese from famous chefs:

1. Dense, rich cheeses should be combined with similar wines that have a bright, strong aroma. Conversely, you need to choose softer types of cheese for light drinks.
2. Chefs try to compose a dish so that it contains 6 different tastes: fresh, neutral, sweetish, tender, bright, seasoned, spicy.
3. In establishments with rich wine list It is customary to add to the menu a list of cheese varieties suitable for a particular wine.
4. Camembert, brie and some blue cheeses are sometimes served as whole heads, weighing about 300 grams.
5. The cheese is cut in such a way that 3 components are visible: crust, edge, core. Partial leakage of the liquid middle from soft varieties onto the board is allowed.

Video: Decorating a cheese plate

Discuss

Cheese plate - assorted composition. How to beautifully cut cheese and decorate a cheese plate for a holiday table with photos

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 qualities. The best way To show off your cheese-making skills in front of your friends and relatives 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 ​​different types of cheese, as well as fruits, nuts and dried fruits and other snacks and additives, laid out on a thick wooden board. round shape 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 fairly large pieces cheese, be sure to give each of them 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:

TO 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 savory taste of blue cheeses)
- various dried fruits (dried apricots, dates, figs)

As a rule, table bread is cheese plate not served: 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.

A cheese plate is spectacular, tasty and simple. At least that's what it seems like.In fact, there are certain rules for shaping a cheese plate. What varieties must be present on it? What sauces go with cheeses? How should they be positioned?

A little history

The cheese plate is considered a classic French appetizer and a kind of national gastronomic specialty. Initially, it was served as a dessert or as an appetizer with strong alcohol. Because of this, the dish was considered masculine. Nowadays, a cheese plate is more of an appetizer before the main course.

What cheeses are included

There are many variations of a cheese plate. It is believed that the seasonality of varieties must be taken into account. IN classic version The plate should contain cheeses of six flavors: fresh, neutral, pronounced, sharp and very spicy (spiciness is expressed in the richness of the taste). Cheeses can also be classified by hardness and taste.

Fresh and soft: ricotta, mozzarella, feta
Soft with a pronounced taste: brie, camembert
Semi-soft: gouda, edam
Hard: Maasdam, Emmental
Hard expressed: Parmesan, Gruyère
Spicy with mold: Gorgonzola, Dorblu, Roquefort

According to the rules of etiquette, there must be at least five types of cheese on a cheese plate.

Additional Ingredients

Fruits, nuts, and sauces add additional flavor to each type of cheese and help it develop better.

Pears and grapes are ideal for soft cheeses. A universal companion fruit is figs.

Blue cheeses should be served with honey or jam without pieces of fruit.

Add dried fruits to the spicy varieties: dates, raisins, dried apricots, prunes.

Nuts go well with any type of cheese. Walnuts, almonds and pine nuts are best suited. It is also worth adding greens with a pronounced taste to the plate: arugula, cilantro and mint.

Finally, the cheese plate is usually served with a basket of bread - it is better if the bread is crispy. For example, a fresh baguette with crust, toast, breadsticks or a thin cracker. They should be neutral in taste.

How to arrange everything

The cheese is laid out on a thick wooden or stone board, placing the varieties in a circle depending on the intensity of the taste: for example, soft ones should not lie next to sharp ones, as they will quickly absorb their taste. Fruits, nuts and sauces are placed in the center of the board. The fruits must be wiped dry so that water does not spoil the taste and consistency of the cheese. The bread is served separately, in some cases placed along the edge of the plate.

There are two opinions about cutting cheese. First: cheeses need to be put big pieces so that everyone can cut off a piece for themselves. Second: cheeses need to be cut into small portions. This method is much more convenient. It is better to cut soft cheeses into triangles, hard cheeses into slices.

You can stick a few wooden or plastic skewers into the cheeses, along with dessert forks and a few knives, in case someone wants to try a small slice.

Cheeses should be removed from the refrigerator an hour before serving - this way they will have time to warm up to room temperature and reveal their flavor and aromatic properties.

Each type of cheese goes well with a specific wine. In order not to buy several types of drink, choose a universal option - light wines with fruity tones.

Before serving, check the expiration date of the cheese and carefully remove the protective film and wax. Bon appetit!

Photo: FSerega / Getty Images, nschatzi / Getty Images, milosradinovic / Getty Images, Education Images / Contributor / Getty Images