May 28, 2012

The Art of Cheese Platter

Part of my trip to Australia was about cinfully indulging in wine and cheese tasting adventures. When i came back, i was inspired to cook a hearty dinner for my family with a cheese platter as hors d’oeuvre, accompanied by a bottle of award winning red wine from the Cedar Creek Estate. You’ve read about the 2 main dishes, so here is a simple guide on How to Prepare a (Basic yet Complete) Cheese Platter:

1. How Much Cheese

• Before meal: 1 – 2 ounces of each cheese per person
• After meal: 1 – 1.5 ounces of each cheese per person
• As main: 3 – 4 ounces of cheeses in total per person

*1 ounce = approx. 28g

2. Cheese Selection

Try to include a variety of textures and flavors. Most cheese belongs to one of four basic categories:

• Firm – Emmental / Manchego
• Soft – Camembert / Brie
• Aged – Cheddar / Gouda
• Blue – Danablu / Stilton

Your best bet will be to use one from each of the groups listed above. If you want to be more adventurous, try mixing a variety of the type of milk used – cow / goat / sheep. Just keep in mind to serve at least one familiar cheese. Take your guests on a ‘journey’ by arranging your cheeses from mild to sharp.

3. Condiments:

• Breads – sliced baguette / bread sticks / crackers
• Jarred condiments & / or Fruits – chutneys / caramelized onions / grapes
• Sweet & salty items – cured meats / (candied) nuts

4. Serving Tips:

• Don’t clutter the platter – give space to cut cheeses
• Serve cheese at room temperature – take them out of the fridge at least one hour before serving
• Prepare a separate knife for each cheese – because they come in different textures and sharpness; unless you want them to start tasting like each other
• Label each cheese – so you won’t need to explain their names all evening like WikiCheese

Now you know how to prepare your own winning cheese platter the next time you have a party! Once you know the tricks, it is relatively easy to prepare. My platter turned out to become a fun conversation piece as my family and i had a great time together figuring out which cheese is our personal favorite. If you missed out my previous posts, below are the 2 (Spanish) dishes that i cooked and served along as mains:

{Butifarra con setas – Catalan pork sausage with mushrooms}

{Marmitako – traditional Basque stew of tuna, potatoes, pepper, and onions}

{traditional Spanish dinner + the perfect Cheese platter + Seduction, sweet red wine from Australia + my untitled masterpiece from class Painting 101}

[AD]

On a (totally) separate note, here is how you can be the 1ST to experience Samsung GALAXY S III thanks to Celcom; who is unleashing the all-new smartphone at 3 locations from 31 May – 3 June 2012.

• Go over to South Court Mid Valley Megamall KL, North Court, AEON Station 18 Ipoh or Centre Court and Sutera Mall Johor Bahru to enjoy unbelievable deals
• Go dressed in blue and you will get to spin the wheel for a chance to grab the Samsung GALAXY S III at a crazy low price of RM888 and walk away with other freebies

With Celcom, you can get this one-of-a-kind phone from as low as RM1438! 😀

For more information, click here. 🙂