Say Cheese!

Knowing how to throw together a quick and beautiful cheese platter is a trick that everyone should have up her sleeve.  Armed with this little skill, you can have people over on a whim, no matter how casual or fancy the occasion.  I’ve even been known to serve cheese platters for dinner…even when it’s just me eating.  Here are the basic rules:

1.  Pick a mixture of hard, medium, and soft cheeses. Hard cheeses are aged cheeses like Parmesan, Pecorino, extra sharp cheddar, etc.  Medium (semi-soft) cheeses could mean smoked Gouda, Raclette, or herbed Harvarti.  Some great soft cheeses are Brie, blue, most goat cheeses, ricotta, or Buffalo mozzarella.  1-2 cheeses from each category is plenty.

2.  Include a variety of crackers and baguette slices (either toasted, which become “crostini,” or untoasted).  People will have fun pairing the different cheeses with different bread products.

3.  Pick a few “extras,” like a little jar of honey or fruit preserves, some dried or fresh fruit, a cured meat like prosciutto or salami, and/or a bowl of olives.

4.  Label the cheeses, even if it’s just with post-it notes, so that people know what they’re eating.  Also include a few different knives so the cheeses don’t get all mixed together.

Voila! You’ve got yourself a party!

**The cheese platters above were put together by my friend and fellow cheese-lover Stephanie, owner of Cake Bakeshop in Manhattan Beach, CA**