Photo by Maladate Van. (Free use, ShutterStock)
So, you're about to put together some hors d'oeuvres for a special occasion, you've popped into the cheese shop, the deli , specialty grocer and are now perplexed (and a little excited by) by the array of options before you. Where to begin?
One of the first considerations when making selections for your assemblage is how many guests you're serving and if any require any special accommodations. Thankfully, modifications can be made to suit almost any diet, including the gluten free and vegans. That is, if one does consider plant-based cheese analogs to be in fact, cheese. Other prominent considerations are usually pairings and and central theme. it's also good to know if this is outdoor event, as soft cheeses may need chilling.
Classically, it makes sense to pick a theme. The American Cheese Society recommends when first starting out, to pick one type of animal to showcase or a particular country or region and make your pairings accordingly. For example, this could be all organic goat's milk cheeses or a currated assortment of washed rinds and bries from Normandy, France. Another method popular with my current clientelle is to pick four to six cheeses, each from a different style category. For example, this could be a buttery aged Dutch gouda, an English cheddar with mustard seed on flat bread crackers with genoa salami, a pitted greek olive mix and a fudgey, double-cream French blue and some seasonal mellon tossed with honey in an Italian ricotta. Bear in mind, blue cheeses are not technically gluten free as the penicillin bacteria used to generate the "blue mold" is usually wheat derived in origin. France and the US are two of few countries to clearly state this on packaging, at this time.
Selecting a cheese that compliments the beverage it's served with is a great launching point to build a platter around. The point here is both to have fun and also to pick complimentary flavors and textures. That being said, it's a good idea to keep some basic paring ideals in mind. Have a flight of craft brewed beer and smoke charcuterie you'll be serving with? A salty, hard, cloth-bound cheddar or an aged Spanish sheep's milk manchego are both great options. Need a soft cheese for brunch with rose brut bubbly? This is the perfect time for French breakfast cheese on toasted bagguette or a tangy goat's milk chevre with ripe berries. "Stinky" washed-rind cheeses, like Oma Von Trapp are excellent with velvety pinot noir and malbec.
In my opinion, the best way to confidently wow your guests is to first make sure to patronize a quality artisanal cheese shop (some higher-end chain grocers in the US have decent cheese departments) and secondly to ask to sample anything that sparks your interest. There's a lot of excellent cheese available right now and it can feel overwhelming staring down several dozen choices at once. From personal experience, I must say the best way to build a palate is to literally sample everything you can, ask questions and do a quick web search on your phone of unfamiliar terms. Or pick the brain of those of us behind the counter. Like all pleasurable things in life, cheese is best experienced together.
