A Cultured Affair

Expert tips for creating a cheeseboard that will delight your guests.

BY JACKIE VARRIANO

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

When it comes to building out your cheese plate, choose things that will complement and contrast. Add honey to temper blue cheese and sweet, fruity jams to pair with bloomy rinds. Pickled items, like tiny cornichons or red peppers temper stinky, washed rind cheeses. Have crunchy crackers for contrast with soft, spreadable cheeses and a nice, crusty baguette for firmer sliced cheeses.

AS THE OWNER OF San Diego’s Venissimo Cheese shop and cafe, Gina Freize has sampled countless cheeses and created her fair share of cheeseboards. Her philosophy on assembling the perfect platter? Get out of your comfort zone—that means ditching those deli slices—and have fun experimenting.

When it comes to selecting which cheeses to offer, it’s all about balance, she says. Plan on two to three ounces per person and include cheeses from a variety of milks (cow, sheep, and goat) and countries (for instance, the United States, France, Italy, and the Netherlands). Above all, variety in texture and type is key. Aim for a mixture of soft, hard, aged, and blue.

HARD Pecorino and Manchego are good options for getting a sheep-milk cheese on the plate, and they are always easy to find. Also, “look for an Alpine cheese like Gruyère, Emmenthaler, or Swiss,” Freize says. Lastly, round out the hard selection with a crumbly Parmigiano- Reggiano or a clothbound Cheddar cheese.

SOFT Frieze says when it comes to soft cheese, start with something really fresh and “almost yogurt-like in texture,” such as a fromage blanc. Then, add in a soft chèvre, a goat-milk cheese that is crumbly and spreadable.

AGED Aged cheeses can have a bloomy rind or a washed rind and can range from soft to hard. Bloomy rinds, including Brie and Camembert, have a white, edible rind. Washed-rind cheeses usually have a reddish tint that Freize says will be slightly sticky “and stinky.” These are cheeses like Chimay, a beer-washed cheese or Limburger, a brinewashed cheese.

BLUE Freize says a good rule of thumb when choosing a blue is “the more blue you see, the stronger it will be.” She also recommends choosing a blue cheese last, according to the texture you haven’t included on your board yet. “Then find the blue that has the texture you’re missing. There are soft and hard blues, ones with crunch, and ones you can flake away.”

PERFECT PAIRINGS Wondering what wines to serve with your cheese platter? It’s best to offer a variety, since so much of it comes down to personal preferences, says Freize, adding that she’s even found a truffle cheese that pairs well with Coke, of all things. However, she notes, the easiest wines to pair with cheese are sauvignon blanc, riesling, and pinot noir—and ports and dessert wines pair especially well with blues.

FROMAGE FAUX PAS Though she says she’s never seen anything “uncalled for” on a cheese platter, Freize notes there’s one common mistake: “Cutting away the edible rind,” she says. “It wants to be eaten!”