Cheese plate – assorted composition. How to cut cheese beautifully and arrange a cheese plate on a festive table with a photo

The content of the article

• Cheese plate composition
• Cheese plate decoration
• How beautifully chopped cheese
• Cheese plate
• How to make a cheese plate
• Cheese plate with honey and nuts
• Grape cheese plate
• How to serve a cheese plate
• Cheese serving – advice from chefs

Cheese cutting is a universal appetizer for all occasions, which will decorate any holiday table and 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 with, what fruits and sauces should be added.

Cheese plate composition

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

Assorted 1:

• expensive cheese with a noble blue mold: roquefort, dorblu, gorgonzola, danable;
• soft cow cheeses with moldy crust: brie, camembert;
• hard cheeses: parmesan, pecorino, gruyere or emmental;
• Supplements: 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 processed sausage cheese;
• additives: cilantro, dill, parsley, green onions, thin pita chips, walnuts, nut sauce, crackers.

Assorted 3:

• pickled cheese: feta, mozzarella;
• hard, semisolid grades: maasdam, emmental, gruyere, cheddar, conte;
• spicy French cheeses from goat, sheep’s milk: chevre, shabish, 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 adopted rules for the design of a cheese plate, it should consist of at least three types of cheese. They are recommended to lay out according to the degree of spice and hardness, do not put too fragrant varieties nearby and interspersed with fruits, vegetables, herbs. Small bowls with honey and jams are placed in the center of the plate. Some tips to make your cheese board perfect:

1. Cheese should be laid out clockwise from the freshest or softest, to the most spicy or hard. You can use a different principle: from the center of the plate to the edges.
2. You do not need to cut the whole piece of cheese, but put only 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, other European countries they never serve cheese with bread – only fruits, nuts, vegetables.
4. Take a plate of cheeses cooked in advance from the refrigerator (half an hour before serving) so that the products reach room temperature.
5. Serve the pieces of cheese, cut so that 3 components are visible: crust, edge, middle.
6. Prepare the right amount of cheese. You can calculate it like this: 100-150 grams of product for each guest.
7. Serve the skewers for soft and hard varieties on a common board so that it is convenient to transfer the cheese to your plate.

How beautifully chopped cheese

For each type of cheese, there is a certain cutting technique. It is important to cut each type of cheese on a separate board, since the delicate texture of the cheese easily absorbs the tastes of foreign products, especially harsh ones, such as onions, garlic, meat, and smoked meats. Cheese must be removed from the refrigerator half an hour before slicing, but should be stored in the package. The finished dish can be covered with a glass lid and stored in the cold until served. Instead of a lid sometimes use cling film.

Soft mold cheeses need to be cut in triangles, hard ones in thin slices with a wide sharp knife. For a children’s table, you can cut any cheese figures 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. Beautifully cut cheese will help a special knife with a wavy blade. You can buy such a device in any store utensils.

Cheese plate

In the original, sharp and hard varieties require a round wooden plate. Soft cheeses should be served on a glass saucer or a special plate on a thin leg. Now the product is served in ceramic, porcelain, earthenware, depending on the design of the table. In the shops you can buy cheese plates with dividing compartments for different varieties and snacks, with a glass lid and a small cutting knife in the kit.

How to make a cheese plate

The first thing you need is to choose high-quality, fresh cheese of foreign or national production. To do this, it is better to go to specialized stores where you can not only try a real product, but also get advice from consultants. Cheese is not necessary to buy 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 finely chop the product, carefully lay it on a plate, add the rest of the ingredients and the sauce.

Cheese plate with honey and nuts

These products are in almost every home. A cheese plate with honey and nuts can be cooked in a minimal amount of time. You can use any honey to your taste: buckwheat, forest, meadow; to fatty and soft cheeses – light, bright. Try elite cheeses with a long ripening period: their quality and exquisite taste will pleasantly surprise you. The original addition will be a few drops of balsamic vinegar, seeds. Cheese with honey – a great, win-win combination of products and a great snack.

Grape cheese plate

Another option for a gourmet dish is a cheese plate with grapes. Additionally serve light honey in a separate bowl. Choose large grape varieties, arrange them one by one berry or a whole bunch on the side, and apples, pears, plums can be used as a supplement. These decorations are suitable for soft, fragrant brie and camembert cheeses, creamy dorbl and gorgonzola.

How to serve a cheese plate

Serve a cheese plate with snacks or desserts. In the second case, you need to supplement the treat only with fruits and nuts, cut into thin, small pieces and spread on a common dish. For classic serving, use different varieties of cheese, one large plate, or several small ones if you have a long table and many guests. A glass of bread sticks, olives or vegetables can be placed next to the plate. Do not place cheese next to cold cuts, do not put bakery products.

Cheese serving – advice from chefs

Assorted cheeses can now be found in almost every restaurant. This is a favorite snack of many people, and its preparation takes no more than ten minutes. The main rules for serving cheese from famous chefs:

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