Cheese plates, like the one I am eating now, are simple elegant and delicious, but there is a formula for maximum enjoyment. Here’s my first draft of the perfect cheese plate.
| CHEESE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Texture | 1 soft | 1 semi-soft | 1 hard |
| Flavor | 1 strong | 1 medium | 1 mild |
| Source | 2 cows | 1 sheep or goat | |
| STARCH | 1 white bread | 1 dark bread | 1 cracker or other |
|---|
| FRUIT | 1 stone fruit | 1 berry | 1 other |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 fresh | 1 dry | 1 processed |
| PROTEIN | 1 hard, salted meat | 1 nut |
|---|
| ADDITIONAL ITEMS | honey, balsamic reduction, herb butter, maple butter, olives, pickled vegetables, etc. |
|---|
As an afterthought, I dug up some articles on making a cheese plate:
Wikihow says have a theme [disagree], go with odd numbers [agree], Arrange your cheeses from mildest to strongest [lame], Add accompaniments [duh], and Pick a drink to go with it [to which I must ask, “only one?”]
Chow says diversify by regional origin as well as texture and source [good point, but not as crucial unless you are trying to impress someone, and it won’t work], choose 4 cheeses including a semi-firm [I still like odd numbers and am fine with a semi-firm or semi-soft], plate according to strength of flavor [still lame, and I’m not going to arrange my cheese in a straight line regardless].
Artisinalcheese.com is broad but boring and commercial.
Food Network divides cheeses by production style (fresh, washed-rind, bloomy, pressed, and blue) which I found thought provoking.
I just had a cheese plate at The Wine Bar (yes that’s what it’s called) and it had fig jam (or maybe jelly… what’s the difference?) that was awesome. Really, really good pairing.
Mmmm, cheese.
The cheese plate we had at Frisee sucked the life out of me. I was not a fan.