Cheese board - several varieties of specially selected cheeses served for dessert, accompanied by certain foods and drinks. In order to serve such a board, you should be guided by some rules.
Cheese selection rules
The classic cheese board consists of five to eight different varieties of cheese of different textures and tastes. Sometimes they choose varieties from different countries or from different types of milk - cow, goat, sheep, buffalo. It is good when cheeses can also be cut so that they are of different shapes - cubes, triangles and circles. When choosing "age" cheeses, pay attention to cheddar, gruyere and gouda, then pay attention to such soft cheeses with aromatic peel like brie and camembert, among fresh cheeses burrata, ricotta and mascarpone belong to the classic cheeses. Of the goat cheeses, cheese such as chevre is most often chosen, and among the "blue" Stilton is most popular.
When calculating the amount of cheese, take 30-40 grams of each grade per person.
Cheese is served at room temperature, so it is cut in advance and kept, spread out on a cheese board and covered with a damp cloth, ordinary medical gauze is best suited. Cheeses are cut either with different knives, or by washing thoroughly and rubbing the knife after each grade, thus preventing aromas and tastes from mixing.
How to put cheese on a board
The arrangement of cheeses on the board has its own rules. Small pieces of blue cheese are placed in the center, soft cheeses are placed around them, hard varieties are placed on the outside. It is important to make sure that ample space between the slices of cheese is soft and that they will not stick together when softened.
What to serve with cheese
Cheese is served with soft French baguettes cut into pieces, sweet and savory crackers, bread with herbs and seeds, bread with pieces of nuts or fruits, bread sticks and crackers, as well as various savory pickles, olives, gherkins, sun-dried tomatoes. A good addition to cheeses is, oddly enough, meat, but not simple, but dried and smoked, such as prosciutto ham or salami sausage. The classic combination is cheese and fruit. Serve pears, apples, grapes, figs to a cheese plate. Cheese is also served with honey, jam and nuts.
Sometimes cheeses and mustard are served with cheeses.
Fruit and fortified wines, dry, stylish wines such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, light red wines such as Pinot Noir, beer or fruit juices are served as drinks for cheeses.
