You desire to create a standout cheese board for your upcoming gathering, but you’ve made the mistake of browsing too many cheeseboards on the Web, hoping to locate inspiration. Now you’re waiting in front of a blank board, overwhelmed.
The initial and most crucial thing to do is to ditch the word “superstar.” It’ll delay you and maybe even halt you altogether. It’s not regarding the size of the display. It’s not about dazzling with the amount of cash you spend or with a collection of cheeses no one has known of or can articulate. You’re nourishing your friends and family with an act of kindness and caring. They don’t wish you to stress, so center on generosity and warmth. A few essentials, like a reliable cheese knife set, will help get you beyond any hurdles you’ve placed in your own path.
Depending on how many visitors you’re serving, aim for diversity, say three cheeses or five (odd figures work best), of distinct types. Perhaps a brie, a blue, and a firm cheese or a semi-soft/semi-hard one. If you’re opting for five, consider adding cheeses produced from different milks, the most typical ones being cow, goat, and sheep. Cheeses created from a mix of all three milks display the strengths of all three, so if you can get your paws on some Caseificio Dell’ Alta Langa’s La Tur from Italy or Campo de Montalban from Spain, add one of these for sure.
If it’s for a bigger gathering, go with seven, and add a cheese or two for those with more daring taste buds. Think washed rind, a.k.a. pungent cheese. It doesn’t even have to be the loudest one to make it a brave choice that may repel some guests but absolutely charm others. Taleggio, Robiola, and Red Hawk from Cowgirl Creamery all suit the bill. While Jasper Hill Farm’s Harbison is technically a brie, its richness makes it an honorary member of this group, so it’s a solid choice as well.
Presentation Matters
How to display your cheeses? Double cream brie either can be kept whole or sliced into wedges using a sharp tool from your cheese knife set. Triple cream brie and other ultra-soft cheeses will need to be spread, so show these cheeses whole, each with its own Inox Artisans spreader. Like bries, softer blues like Gorgonzola Dolce will need their own utensils from your set. Crumble stiff blues like Stilton into bite-sized chunks. Slice firmer cheeses and fan them out using the spade from your knife set. Wedges of Manchego or any of its siblings can be cut in triangles and alternated to look like a staircase. Don’t cut away the rind, as it adds visual charm and makes a nice little grip for nibbling. Use a ruffle cutter to form fun ruffled slices of block cheeses like cheddar and layer them to create a boundary between items on your board.
Bowl Them Over
Your cheeses will need accompaniments like nuts, olives, and fruit, either fresh or dried. Sprinkle the nuts, berries, and dried fruit on the board, and place olives in their own tiny bowls. And add something sweet to pair with the salty, perhaps a jam, honey, or quince paste. Pick at least a couple of types of crackers that will pair well with your cheese selections, and perhaps some slender baguette slices as well.
If it doesn’t all fit on one platter, no worries! Truly, there’s no cheese knife set police out there, patrolling the neighborhoods and peering in windows on a Saturday night! You may choose to include a basket with crackers and baguette rounds alongside your board.
Keep some items on hand for constructing cheese boards, particularly the mismatched bowls. Whenever you locate tiny decorative but useful bowls on sale, grab two or three in distinct sizes, colors, and designs. Thrift shops are a treasure for these. They’re just the item for olives and especially for sides like jam, honey, and quince paste. These sweets may come in adorable little jars, but your board will appear much more intentionally put together if you take a moment to pick the right bowl or dish for the task. Added perk: you won’t have the problems of cross-contamination and waste if you’ve served out enough of that special jam or honey for the party and kept the rest in the pantry for the subsequent gathering.
Make it Approachable
While you wish it to be lovely, your cheese board should also be inviting. Make it too gorgeous and you’ll hear your guests say things like, “This is too nice to eat. I don’t want to ruin it!” So ruin it FOR them! Before guests arrive, slice a bite or two from cheeses they’ll want to cut for themselves and place the cheese knife set cutter next to them. Stick a spreader from your Inox Artisans knife set into the blue cheese, angling it to the side to urge guests to break off a nibble for themselves. Shave off the top of washed rind or other pudding-like cheeses and plunge a spreader into it to ask guests to partake. Maybe even dig out a bit and enjoy the first morsel yourself.
Be sure to place your cheeses out an hour before the bash, so they have time to warm up to room temperature. A chilled cheese has neither scent nor flavor, and you want your offerings to be at their absolute peak and most enticing.
Don’t Forget to Garnish
Speaking of appealing, don’t forget to garnish! Bunches of fresh herbs are a swift and easy addition to finish the look of your cheese board. Consider fresh blooms as well. Visit the fresh herb area of your grocery’s produce department and see if they stock little packets of edible flowers. And one flower can fill out the whole board like a stone on a ring, especially when it is set next to a shining stainless steel cheese knife collection. You can harvest flowers from your garden, as long as you know they are edible even if no one really eats them. Great choices are pansies, nasturtiums (they’re delightfully peppery!), chive blossoms, and roses. If the party is particularly festive and grand (or maybe just a fun day), pluck the petals from sunflowers, marigolds or roses and toss them like confetti. Keep in mind that just because a flower is harmless to you does not mean it’s safe for animals, so put yourself through a bit of education before garnishing with flowers.
Assemble your cheese board with love and place it out with confidence, ensuring your cheese knife set is polished and ready. You’ve made it for your pals and family. They adore you, so chances are they’ll love what you have to provide. Then congratulate yourself. You’ve built a standout cheese board!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What tools do I absolutely need for a cheese board?
Ans - Though you can get by with the cutlery in your kitchen, a good cheese knife set makes serving much simpler and sleeker. You essentially want the trident, a spreader for soft cheeses (like Brie), and the positively medieval spade for hard cheeses (with which you break off shards or chunks of cheeses like Parmesan). The brand Inox Artisans sells them in a range of sets that have all these bases covered, and they come with unusual hand-forged handles.
Q2. What type of maintenance does my gourmet cheese knife set require?
Ans - High-grade Stainless Steel, such as 18/8, used by Inox Artisans is long-lasting and rust proof. To preserve the individual finishes (like the twisted or knotted handles), we suggest hand washing your cheese knife set with mild soap and then drying it right away with a soft cloth to avoid water spots.
Q3. Can I make the cheese board ahead of time?
Ans - Yes! You can slice the sturdier cheeses and put out the meats and fruits a couple of hours early. But, wrap the board around tightly with plastic to stop the cheese from drying out. Just be sure to remove the board (and your cheese knife set) from the refrigerator an hour before serving, so the flavors can bloom.
Q4. Why do some cheese knives have holes?
Ans- In a professional cheese knife set, you may see a knife with holes in its blade. This design eliminates surface area, so soft cheeses don't stick to the blade (like Camembert or Brie) , and you get a perfect slice every time.
Q5. How many knives of cheese do I need on the board?
Ans -Where practical you will need a knife or spreader for each variety of cheese to avoid contamination of flavors. If you are chosen to three cheeses a 3 piece cheese knife set is ideal. This is done in order to stop the robust flavor of a Blue from over powering the sweet, nutty notes of a mild Gouda.
