It’s always important to think through the cheese plate that you’re going to serve at the end of a winter celebration dinner. If you want to impress your friends and family, you should read our advice to learn how to curate your own proper and attractive cheese plate.
Five tips on creating a European-style cheese plate
#1
Always taste the mild cheeses first, followed by the more intense ones. This will allow your palate to awaken slowly without getting overwhelmed by stronger and more powerful flavours.
#2
Precut individual slices. Instead of struggling to cut a slice of cheese in the middle of the table, it will be a lot more convenient and fuss free to have the cheese precut before serving to your guests.
#3
If you want something fancy for the table, you can stuff truffle-flavoured cheese or Brie with dried fruits, chestnuts or even kiwi chunks! This brings a touch of originality that your guests will undoubtedly appreciate.
#4
When choosing a cheeseboard and props to plate your cheese, you can make use of wooden platters, baskets or even dried leaves to display your cheese in an original manner.
#5
To complement the cheese plate, you can add fresh fruits, flowers or nuts.
Above all – the taste of your cheese!
When it comes to cheese selection, the professionals are unanimous – you can make different combinations according to your wishes and budget. The ideal cheese plate features a diversity of shapes, texture and flavours.
Options include:
- You can prepare a discovery cheese plate with one exclusive type of cheese – for instance, featuring only soft-dough cheeses.
- You can also choose a more classic option – for example, three different cheeses, each with their own texture and intensity.
We encourage you to venture into the unknown, try new cheeses and be tempted by new textures and flavours – there are so many different types of European cheeses out there and each one is unique.
If you’re open, let a professional advise you in your research. A master cheesemaker is the best person to guide you towards good products according to your own preferences.
Most importantly when selecting cheese: let your senses guide you through the process. That way, you will enjoy it more, because everything is a matter of taste!
Here are two examples of how you can create your own winter celebration cheese plate: a classic plate and an original one.
A classic cheese plate is always a safe bet for your taste buds:
- Beaufort, a Savoyard cheese from France
- Burrata from Italy with its creamy centre
- Chorherrenkäse, a smooth, textured cheese from Austria
- Blue Monday, a Scottish blue cheese similar to Gorgonzola
An original cheese plate will surprise your guest with unexpected flavours:
- Cendré de Vergy, a French cheese from Burgundy
- Allgäuer Emmentaler, a German cheese similar to Emmental
- Ädelost, a Swedish cheese with a strong flavour
- Gouda, a Dutch cheese with a nutty and piquant flavour
Where to buy good cheese in Hong Kong:
-
La Fromagerie
-
La Cremerie
