November 13, 2007 - Joanne The following cheese plate suggestions are for cheeselovers of more readily available cheeses (like Brie, Gruyere, Cheddar, Saga Blue, etc.) who would like to explore new territory. The same concepts can be applied to make a wilder, more exotic or complex cheese plate. Since I don't know what's available locally to you, I've made some guesses as to what you might readily find. I’ve tried to include some suggestions that would make the platter fresh and exciting, and allow guests to try something different...

For a Plate of Five Cheeses, I would choose these types of cheese:
Position #1: fresh(er) goat’s milk – with a bloomy rind (slightly aged) or no rind (a fresh cheese)
Position #2: soft or semi soft cow or sheeps milk - bloomy rind
Position #3: a washed rind
Position #4: a harder type (like a cheddar)
Position #5: a blue cheese

Note: Usually an odd number is better on a cheese plate. I would suggest adding a washed rind cheese to make a "5th cheese" or leaving out the #2 or #5 (or #1 and #3, or #2 and #4) to make a 3 cheese plate.

Position #1
For the fresh or soft goat you want a white (bloomy rind) cheese or a fresh rindless cheese, which might be herb-coated (thyme, rosemary, pepper). Choose what looks good/is in the best condition - that's what is most important here. It's really going to depend on the cheese store or grocery store cheese counter. I would ask and get a recommendation as to what is showing best or what just came in. If you choose a soft but older goat cheese, it will still go in slot #1.

Position #2
A bloomy rind cheese which is rich and creamy is D'affinois or Pave D'affinois (a double cream factory cheese) which goes well with most fruit and nuts, and sparkling wines. (This can also replace #1. It is a kid-friendly cheese. Imagine a sweet brie.) Real Brie de Meaux (ask for it by name and the label needs to say "de Meaux") would also work here, as would a Camembert.

Position #3
A washed or stinky cheese - Taleggio is a party pleaser, somewhere in the middle of stinky. It's a washed rind. For a wilder (and more adult) crowd you could try Epoisses. Cowgirl Creamery's Red Hawk is also a great choice for a party - a washed rind, triple cream.


Position #4
Three very kid-friendly cheeses that adults love, too (they have crunchy protein crystals), are Piave (a slightly salty hard cheese with a fruity flavor), Mimolette (a bright orange cheese) and, an Aged Gouda (most of these have a caramel flavor to them). Look for an "aged gouda" which has the actual number of years old (e.g., a 2-year-old aged gouda) as some "aged goudas" are artificially aged. Two good choices are Roomano and Saenkanter.

If you're thinking Cheddar, go for a better UK cheddar from Neal's Yard Dairy like Keen's or Quicke's (more rustic), a domestic cheddar from Shelburne Farms in VT (2 yr Farmhouse Cheddar), or Cantal or Salers from France. I've personally been loving Green's Glastonbury Cheddar (but good luck finding it.) Lincolnshire Poacher would work well, too.

A hard sheep, like Berkswell from England, or a slightly softer Abbaye de Belloc, are crowd pleasers.

If you'd prefer something in the Swiss, Gruyere or Emmenthaler category, try: Pleasant Ridge Reserve (WA), or, either Beaufort or Comté (sometimes labeled Gruyere de Comté) - the latter two are French and are more complex and fruity. If you want to be wilder, look for cheeses from Rolf Beeler which resemble Swiss or Comté (hard rind, hard to semi-hard cheese) most of which are excellent mountain cheeses.

Position #5
A Blue to finish it off - Blue de Gex, Bleu du Bocage, Blue D'Auvergne, Fourme d'ambert (all milder, French blue cheeses; which are great for those who usually don’t prefer Blue cheese) or a great US choice is Berkshire Blue.

Accompaniments to your Cheese Plate
You need really good bread or an assortment of breads. Try walnut, or fruit bread, plain baguette, even a crostini or flat bread. We have a great local (San Francisco) flatbread called La Panzanella.

If you wish to add non-cheese bread items, try fig or fruit paste with a sheep's milk or creamy cheese like D'Affinois. Other ideas would be crackers, almonds or walnuts, honey, jam, or fresh fruit. I'm not a fan of offering non-seasonal fruit. If it's winter try, apples or pears which have been stored from Fall. Don't feel as if you have to put grapes on the plate. If the fruit isn't in-season, try offering a dried version, or a jam or fruit relish or compote, instead.

Tips on putting the cheese onto a platter:
  •  Be careful not to mix the cheese accompaniments when plating. Consider putting the accompaniments on a separate plate.
  •  If you've purchased a cut cheese which has been wrapped in plastic, "Face" the cheese before serving it. That means, lightly scrape the cut surface with the back of a knife, or cut a thin slice off to give it a fresh face. You may want to do this with any cut cheese, as a rule. A good cheesemonger will give you fresh faces when you purchase the cheese, so if unwrap it the same day, you probably won't need to reface the cheese.
  •  Make sure that the edge of the cheese to be cut faces towards the edge of the plate.
  •  Don't crowd the cheeses – you want them to be easy to cut.
  •  Consider slicing a piece or two of each so that they are "started", more accessible and, so that the first person knows how the cheese should be cut.
  •  Make sure that the type of knife supplied will work for the cheese (or provide a pair of spoons if that's what's required for a scoopable cheese).
  •  Label your cheeses. Make your own labels with cut post-it notes or labels taped onto toothpicks or cut skewers. Avoid actually piercing the cheese, if you can, laying the "label" near the cheese or tucking it under an edge, or piercing the rind on a hard cheese. If you are sure that all of the cheese is likely to be consumed, go ahead and put the label into the cheese.
  •  Make sure that the cheeses have been "out of the fridge" for more than an hour before they get eaten. You want them close to room temperature. Soft and fresh cheeses probably need an hour (or 30 minutes for small cheeses), but harder cheeses and bigger pieces may need closer to two hours before they show their stuff.
  •  When re-wrapping unused portions of cheese, clean up the edges and then wrap in parchment paper. Place your label on top and then wrap in plastic wrap (i.e., a second wrapping layer) and place in the warmer area of your refrigerator. Don't reuse the paper that your cheese came in (unless you are an expert). If you are storing cheese and the cheese you've purchased came in plastic wrap, unwrap it, rewrap it in parchment paper, label it, and then wrap in plastic. Refrigerate.

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